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“Me?” Felix pointed to himself.
“As her betrothed, it’s yer duty to ensure that she has safe passage,” Meredith replied, biting her lip as if she had said something wrong. “I mean, of course it is safe to pass through the forest road, but ye must make sure she is delivered to us in comfort.Thatis what I meant.”
Edwina smiled. “A pity. I was hopin’ there might be some vagabonds and barbarians upon the road, as I wouldnae want to think I’ve found too nice a place to spend the rest of my days.”
“Ye should be careful what ye wish for,” Melissa scolded lightly, and with good reason. “Castle Moore hasnae always had the most pleasant history, but I can tell ye all about that tomorrow.”
Edwina tilted her head to one side, wearing a curious expression. “I look forward to it. Now, I will leave ye to yer farewells. I must take myself to the library and read as much as I can, in the hopes of improvin’ my wit and intellect.”
“Wait!” Felix blurted out, reluctant to let her walk away while thinking that he thought so little of her. It could not have been further from the truth, when he was thinking far too much of her. About her, at least.
Edwina halted. “Was there a book ye wished to suggest?”
“Edwina, I—” Heavy footfalls pushed back the earnest apology upon his lips, as John came running into the courtyard. The stern Man-at-Arms wore the kind of expression that sent chills through Felix.
“M’Laird, ye must come quickly,” John urged. “Quint just returned from his mornin’ patrol of the forest. Two women have been found—they were attacked while pickin’ mushrooms. He thinks there are McMorrow men in the woods again and wants to take riders out to apprehend them.”
Dread gripped Felix’s stomach in a vise. “Are the women badly hurt?”
“Aye, M’Laird. He brought them to the Castle. I’ve already sent for the healer, but ye ought to call the Council as soon as ye can. This must end,” John replied, running a stressed hand through his hair.
For years, there had been conflict with dissenters of the McMorrow Clan, who believed that Castle Moore and Clan Moore should have gone to Laird McMorrow when the old Laird Moore, Colby Greene, died. As Ryder and Felix’s family were responsible for Colby’s death, following a plot to destroy Ryder, those McMorrow rebels had become a thorn in Felix’s side. Not even Laird McMorrow himself could stop them, though he had tried.
“Aye, it must,” Felix muttered. “Very well, assemble the Council. If there are lasses hurt, they willnae escape punishment.”
John bowed. “Aye, M’Laird.”
The Man-at-Arms sprinted away, leaving Felix, his family, and Edwina in a rather awkward position. He still wanted to apologize, but it would have to wait.
“Come to me this evenin’,” he said firmly, leaving her with no room to argue.
With that, he ran after John. As his feet pounded across the cobbles, it matched the thudding pace of his heart, for he had begun to care. And if there was a threat in the forest, a threat that could encroach on his Castle and the woman who would soon be his wife, then he had no choice but to take action. With his own two hands, if need be.
CHAPTER10
Edwina waited.The obstinate part of her did not want to obey Felix’s last request, but the curious side of her could not help it. An afternoon of reading and wandering stretched into evening, and she knew the time for the Council meeting was drawing closer. As darkness fell, she searched the Castle for him, trying to remember if he had mentioned a room where she was supposed to meet him.
“Have ye seen His Lairdship?” She paused to ask a passing servant.
The servant, a pretty young woman, frowned back at her. “His Lairdship? Nay, I havenae seen him. Are ye lookin’ for him?”
“I am,” Edwina replied, holding back the tongue that wished to say,“I wouldnae be askin’ where he is if I wasnae lookin’ for him.”
“Have ye searched the tower?” The servant pointed up at the grand, central spectacle that loomed over the entire castle. “It’s where ye’ll find him, most of the time.”
Edwina followed the servant’s pointed finger with her eyes. “Up there?”
“Aye, M’Lady. If he’s at the Castle, that’s where ye’ll find him.”
Grimacing at the thought of so many stairs, Edwina thanked the young servant and headed for the tower. She found the entrance door open and ducked into the gloom beyond. A few torches illuminated the way, but the stone was slippery underfoot, and there was no rope or banister to ease her nerves about falling to her death.
In one piece and panting hard, she reached the top of the stairs. A short landing framed a single door up ahead. As she approached it, her heart began to thunder in her chest, anxious about the kind of encounter she might face. Would he touch her again? Would he hold her in his arms again? Or would they return to where they were when they first met, locked in a cold conflict?
I shouldnae feel bad about the things I said,she told herself.He said he dinnae care, so why should I?In truth, she already knew the root cause of her earlier, barbed tongue. Felix had wounded her pride. When she had overheard his sisters saying that he had fallen for her already, her heart had leaped into her throat, secretly hoping that he would agree. At least a little bit. When he had fervently denied any affection, the disappointment had been swift and brutal to Edwina.
“Ye’re a dolt,” she grumbled, edging closer to the door. “Of course he doesnae care for ye like that. He was right—ye daenae ken each other.”
She had felt guilty almost as soon as Felix had left to contend with the problems in the forest, wishing she was less hot-tempered. It was the reason why she was trying to find him and obey his request to see her that evening. She wanted to show him that she was a reasonable person who could apologize when she had spoken in the fiery emotion of the moment.
