“Could it be that ye have grown closer to him than ye had anticipated?” Helena mused aloud, biting back a smile.
Blackberry thundered out of a patch of undergrowth, immediately disappearing under a flower patch.
“Ye want to stay here, then?” Helena prompted.
“Aye. I mean, nay, I daenae. Nae permanently. Although… Ach, I daenae ken, Maither. I ken that Evander wouldnae hurt me.”
“Evander? Nae Laird Bryden?”
They walked on in silence for a moment or two, their steps slow and careful. Helena couldn’t walk fast, and even with her stick, she could not walk very far. Besides, cold air or sharp wind would knock the breath out of her, emphasizing her frailness.
Still, she never missed a trick. Skye knew that from experience.
When Blackberry shot out from under the flowers like a whirlwind, Skye stepped forward automatically to collect the cat. Helena stopped her, placing a hand on her arm.
“Just a minute, lass. What is it ye arenae telling me?”
Skye hesitated. She considered lying or evading the question, but then where would that get her?
“He has one month,” she confessed. “One month to convince me to stay and remain as his wife. If at the end of the month I wish to go, he’ll let me go. I… I want to see if he canconvince me to stay.”
Helena’s face remained neutral. “I see.”
“More than that, I’m sure that thisplace holds the secret to me disappearance. After all, I was taken from here. He wants to get to the bottom of it too, mostly because heis being blamed. Did… Did he really burn down villages searching for me?”
Helena quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, aye. The whole of the Highlands thought that he’d lost his mind and finally turned traitor like his faither. We thought he would beworsethan his faither. Even now?—”
“He’s nothing like that man,” Skye burst out, her face reddening. “That man killed Faither. Evander isnaelike him.”
Silence followed.
Helena’s expression flickered momentarily.
“Well, well, well,” she murmured thoughtfully. “Ye defend him with such fire.”
“I—”
“But ye are right. We shouldnae judge his character based on his faither’s deeds. We ought to judge him for his owndeeds.”
Why did that sound ominous?
Before Skye could respond, her mother continued speaking.
“Now, I would like to freshen up before supper. Ye should, too. We’ll be dining with yer husband, after all. Oh, and visit the healer, lass, just to confirm that ye arenae hurt, aye?”
With a wink and a smile, Helena patted Skye’s hand and turned, limping back to the keep.
Skye watched her go, unable to shake a sense of unease.
What am I missing here?
Her mother clearly suspected that she had feelings for Evander.
Which is ridiculous because I daenae.
With a sigh, she glanced down to find Blackberry sitting at her feet, tail flicking. The cat let out a long, thoughtful miaow, reaching up and delicately clawing at the air.
Skye broke into a smile. “Want to dance?”
