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Standing to greet her with a smile, the happy curve began to drop as she came closer. Even from the small distance, he could see a change in her face. Her skin was paler than usual and her forehead had lines of worry. He didn’t need to see her eyes to know they were heavy and guarded.
Before she spoke, he did, “What’s troubling ye, lass?”
“Nothing,” her look and words were aimed to placating but Caelan saw through it.
“Dinnae lie to me, lass,” he said. “I can see somethin’ is troubling ye, otherwise there wouldnae be that deep furrow in yer brow.”
She shook her head, “It’s nothing really… I’ve just haven’t been sleeping much and I and—”
“I’m nae a fool, lass,” Caelan sighed, “What is truly troubling ye?”
“And I tell you that there is nothing wrong—” Adelaine said.
“Adelaine!” he snapped. “Just tell me what’s happening.”
His voice had her eyes flying open and her cheeks reddening. Caelan rolled his lips under and stopped his grin from forming. Her name on his tongue tasted so lovely, he suddenly wanted to say it again. Adelaine’s hand wrapped around the bar and his eyes darted to her slender finger and lovely nails.
She then leaned her face on the bars and her eyes fluttered closed. “I don’t want to tell you, please don’t make me tell you.”
She hasnae objected to me saying her name…does that mean she’s accepting this level of intimacy?
Instead of asking her that he suggested, “What if I guess it for you?”
“No, please, not even that,” she said. “Anything but that.”
If this was dire, Caelan knew it had to be something with her father. She sank to her usual spot and tugged the vial of salve out from inside her coat. He sighed and kneeled too. However, before tugging off his shirt, he reached through the bars and rested his hand over hers.
Her skin was so soft and for a moment he worried that his rough skin would irritate hers. But she did not flinch away so he closed his hand over hers. “Aside from that unspoken problem, are ye well?”
Her breath was shuddery, “Most days. The cold is not agreeing with me.”
Caelan made an exaggerated look around his surroundings, the bare walls, the tiny window, and the rough floor. Then he looked back at her with an arched eyebrow and dryly drawled, “Colder than here, lass?”
She shook her head and laughed, “I suppose not.”
She opened the jar as Caelan stripped off his shirt and turned his back. The salve was cool and soothing to the scabs on his back. Her fingers were light and tender running over the scars. “I’m just a bit…anxious.”
“About?”
“My father left for the King’s assembly a few days ago to discuss the war in Scotland and I don’t know what he will get the King to do…” Adelaine paused, “…with you.”
“With me?” Caelan snorted. “Whatever he tries to do wouldnae matter to me now.”
She looked appalled, “Are you telling me…you’ve given up?”
“Ken of it, Adelaine…” Caelan said. “It’s been weeks now since yer father took me and by now me King—and I use that term lightly—must ken that I’ve been taken, and he has done nothing about it. Clearly, he had left me for dead.”
Adelaine paused again, “Oh, you don’t know, do you…sorry, how could you know, no one thinks of telling you anything.”
“Know what?”
“King James V is dead,” Adelaine said while capping the tub. “He passed away and left his only child, Princess Mary alone. They say the failure to defeat King Henry sent him to his grave.”
“I’d say it was deserved but I will’nae talk poorly of the dead, ye nae ken where their spirit lies…” Caelan muttered. “But that only means I have less than a smidgen of hope of leaving England alive.”
The lass’ eyes dropped to her lap and Caelan knew the mention of him dying was tied back to her utterance about her father and the King, “Is that is, lass?” he asked. “Is yer faither lobbying his King for permission to execute me?”
She still kept her eyes down.
