“Thank ye, me Laird,” she said.
He stepped out of the parlor with harried steps and headed to the constabulary to ensure the corrupt master was punished. Then he mounted his horse and rode like the devil was chasing him home, where his betrothed waited for him.
“The Laird hasnae returned?” Elize asked as she helped Emily dress for dinner.
“Nay,” Emily answered, trying not to let her sadness show.
For the past few nights, she had had to eat dinner alone at the high table, and without Adair beside her, she had felt exposed for everyone to see. Even Fergus did not know his whereabouts.
Should he nae have at least told me that he was going to be away for a while?
She didn’t even know how long he would be away.
Ordinarily, she would have sequestered herself in her chambers and had her dinner there, but she wanted to prove to Adair that she was able to do what he had asked of her even in his absence.
The councilmen had watched her as she had eaten, and she had forced herself to keep a small smile on her face as well as mind her manners, only sagging when she was safely hidden in her chambers.
“Do ye think he went to see his mistress?” Elize asked. “He wouldnae be the first man to do so.”
While that was true, Emily didn’t like the way the possibility made her feel, and she couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t as though Adair was truly her betrothed, yet the thought of him being with another woman left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Daenae speak of the Laird so rudely, Elize,” she scolded. Her words came out harsher than she had intended, and she immediately regretted them.
Elize gave her a look but didn’t probe, and for that she was grateful. No doubt she was wondering why the thought of Adair being with another woman would elicit such a passionate response from her.
Even Emily didn’t understand, because at the end of the month, she would be nothing more than a stranger to him, and they would go their separate ways.
She swallowed thickly, feeling tears pool in her eyes.
“Perhaps he will return today,” Elize suggested. “Then ye can ask him where he’s been.”
“Perhaps,” Emily agreed.
She was grateful to her sister for trying to cheer her up. Even if she had been against the arrangement from the beginning, Elize was gradually starting to find peace in this castle that seemed more like a home to Emily with each passing day.
She often found herself forgetting that once her arrangement with Adair came to an end, she would have to leave the castle, and whenever she remembered, she was filled with a looming grief that she would be losing something important to her.
To think she had been happy that the clan was convinced he cared about her. She was even more heartbroken that she hadn’t gotten to tell him that their ruse was working. She had been unable to find him that day, and because she was so busy knitting new garments for him, she had been unable to meet him in private to discuss it.
How she had come to love their private discussions.
Sighing, she rose to her feet. “I believe we have delayed enough, Elize,” she declared. “It would be unseemly if we were late to the evening meal.”
“Alright,” Elize agreed, rising to her feet.
She looked as glum as Emily felt, but said nothing.
They were the last to arrive at the Great Hall, but no one paid them any mind. Emily took her usual seat beside Adair’s empty one and tried not to let her sadness at the absence of his warmth show.
In the few days since he had been gone, she had missed the moments when their hands brushed when they reached for something at the same time. She had missed the feel of his strong arm beneath her hand as he escorted her out of the Great Hall.
She forced herself to smile, accepting the plate that was placed before her. She ate even though she couldn’t taste the food in her mouth. She missed Adair greatly and wished he would return. Oh, how her heart would soar if he walked through those double doors right now.
As if her wishes had been heard, the double doors opened.
She could not help herself; she shot to her feet.
“Adair,” she gasped.
