Page 36 of Luthias

“Sorry, I didn’t know.” She looked down at her plate, which should have had at least one more bannock on it, but the jam-topped oat cake had mysteriously disappeared. “I love the idea of a visit, but I’m not sure it’s good for me to slack off now. With the research I still need to do I should really spend the day in the forge. Cam promised he’d show me–”

“Camdyn’s gone to the village to deliver a cart of firebrick to the blacksmith there,” Darach said as he munched on the last of her breakfast. “He’ll likely stay to unload and help build his new furnace. ’Twill keep him there ’til sunset.”

“Oh.” She wondered if she was allowed to slap a chieftain on the side of the head. Probably not. “Cook could always use me to–”

“No’ even if you drop fairy dust in her brew, lass,” the chieftain chided. “’Twill do you good to get away from here. You’ll dodge the stable fever.”

“’Tis crannog fever,” Taveon corrected him.

“It’s cabin fever,” Emery snapped. “And I don’t have it.”

“Hmmm. I dinnae agree.” Darach squinted at her. “You seem a bit pale and peaked this morn.”

The laird bent down and murmured, “’Twould seem you’ve lost the battle, Mery.”

“Fine. I’m going, I’m going.” Resigned now, she gulped down the rest of her brew before she got up and reached for her dishes to take them into the kitchen.

The chieftain whisked them out of her reach. “I’ll see to these, lass. Enjoy the day, my lord.”

“Traitor,” Emery muttered as she stalked past him.

As she accompanied Luthias out of the stronghold Emery mentally went through the rest of her avoid-the-laird excuse list. He wouldn’t believe she was afraid of horses because he’d already caught her petting them in the pen by the stables. Claiming breakfast had upset her stomach wouldn’t work, either; she’d eaten the same meal a dozen times now. She was tempted to lie and say she had promised to do something for the groundskeeper, but it would be too easy for him to walk over to the gardens and check.

“Cease your fretting, Mistress Parker,” Luthias said as he caught her hand and tugged her to stop outside the stables. “Naught shall happen between us that you dinnae wish.”

“Right, because I’m so good at saying ‘No’ and “Don’t do that’ to you.” She recalled how Darach and Taveon had kept exchanging those weird looks. “Wait, I get it. It’s because the guys wanted to get rid of me, not because of you and me and that quiet meadow by the loch thing. What’s going on?”

The laird put his hands on her waist. “Naught to worry you.” He lifted her off her feet and onto an enormous horse that the stable master stood holding by the reins before swinging up behind her. “Be at ease, my lady. ’Twill be good for us both.”

As Luthias walked the big horse through the woods Emery relaxed, letting herself lean back against him just a little. It did feel nice to get away from the stronghold and out into the fresh air. The smell of the forest, the sound of birds singing and the dappled light streaming down from the canopy all made her feel as if she were back in New Hampshire, which she still missed a lot.

“Have I really been that much of a nuisance for everyone?” Emery asked, glancing up to see the laird smiling. “For the guys to want to kick me out of the castle for the whole day, I mean.”

“’Tisnae you, my lady.” He tightened the arm he had tucked around her waist.

“Is it something to do with Callum Carack?” She felt him stiffen. “Boy, you really don’t like that guy, do you? Why would he disappear for a whole week?”

“He’s likely gone to court to tirl the king’s arse again,” Luthias said, sounding indifferent.

Something was still really bothering him, she thought. “Maybe you should tell me why you whisked me off on this ride so fast, my lord.”

He put his hand over hers and laced their fingers together. “Call me Luthias.”

“That’s not proper clan etiquette,” Emery chided.

He made a low sound in his throat. “What say you tell me of this museum where you worked? You havenae said much of what you do there.”

“I see I have to get tough. If you don’t tell me what’s really going on I’ll spend the whole day trying to guess,” she warned him. “I never run out of theories or get tired of talking, you know. Just ask Camdyn what I think the Loch Ness monster really is.”

“’Tis a monster in Loch Ness?” Luthias said hopefully.

“Nice try, my lord,” Emery said. “Come on. I’ve traveled through time with a magic sword forged by a Fae prince. I made friends with your armorer, who hated me at first sight. I’ve even put up with using the privies on a daily basis. How much worse could it be?”

For a long time he didn’t say anything, and then finally he sighed. “We’ve a crazed intruder on MacRoss land to catch. I ordered Taveon to lead a team of trackers to search the high ground while Darach inspects the stronghold and our outbuildings. I dinnae want you left alone until we find him.”

“Is this crazy guy the one who did something awful you found in a sheltering cave the other day?” She felt him stiffen and added, “It’s pretty hard to keep something like that secret from the vassal grapevine. I think even the villagers are talking about it. So why don’t I look at whatever it is? I may be able to tell you more about this disturbed person.”

“’Tisnae something any woman should ever see,” he said, his voice deepening with disgust, and then he told her what they had discovered inside the cave.