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On quiet feet, Aidan approached, then settled himself upon the rock beside her, about an arm’s length away. His gaze followed hers, and for a moment, he watched the children play on the beach, a smile coming to his face. “Ye’re safe here, lass. Ye have my word.”
Taken aback, Sarah’s head whipped around to look at him, surprised by his words, by the direction of his thoughts.
“’Tis easy to see that ye’re not used to feeling safe,” Aiden observed, his voice free of judgment as he shifted to look at her. “’Tis there in yer eyes, and the way ye look at us, the people around ye.” Again, there was no judgment in his voice.
Sarah sighed. “You’re not wrong,” she finally admitted, surprised that her voice did not fail her now. “In my experience, there are few places and even fewer people that offer safety without demanding something in return.” Her gaze met his for a brief second, and she prayed she had not offended him, that he would not consider her words a comment upon his clan’s hospitality.
Fortunately, Sarah could see no anger on his face. He simply nodded. “Our clan rose from a need for safety,” he told her, his voice now swinging with a note of a storyteller. “I dunna know if ye are aware, but our clan was born out of two warring clans.”
“Keir told me.”
During their time together hidden away in the woods, Keir had told her many stories of his clan. One story Sarah had liked in particular had been the story of Yvaine. She had been the one Keir’s sister had been named after, the very woman who had centuries ago been the origin of their clan.
A twinkle came to Aiden’s eyes as he regarded her. “My son cares for ye.”
Caught off guard, Sarah almost flinched for the second time that day.
“Are ye truly surprised? After all, ’tis there in the way he looks at ye, the way he always knows where ye are, never hesitates to move to yer side the moment he senses yer need for him.”
As always, Sarah felt heat rise to her cheeks, accompanied by the sudden urge to flee from this moment and hide somewhere. “I do see it,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“But ye dunna trust it,” Aiden concluded, a questioning frown coming to his face.
Closing her eyes, Sarah exhaled slowly. “Where I am from, I…” She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as they ran rampant through her head. “After everything that happened… there’s not a single man in my world who would still want me.” Never before had Sarah spoken these words out loud, and their finality almost knocked the air from her lungs. She knew Keir’s clan to be different, had seen so with her own eyes, and yet this sense of wrongdoing that had been with her ever since she had agreed to the kidnapping was not something she could shake. It had ingrained itself into her bones and become the origin of every doubt and concern.
Aiden nodded, as though he understood precisely how she felt, his gaze once more directed toward the far horizon. “The world is far from a perfect place, and every bit of change takes time.” He inhaled a deep breath, savoring the freshness of the sea air. “Perhaps ye were meant to find joy here. Our shores often feel like a place outside the normal course of time, a place far removed from the usual restraints one might find in the world outside.” He looked at her then. “Ye were not wrong to demand yer own path, lass. I can see ye have doubts, and I understand where they come from. But ye must not allow them to keep ye from walking steadily onward.” He swept his gaze over their surroundings, the nod of his head encompassing everything they saw. “Every single man and woman and child on this island is a MacKinnear,” he told her, his gaze intent upon hers, “not because they were all born MacKinnears, but because they made the choice to be. In that way, we’re different from other clans. We chose one name to represent who we decided to be. It began long ago with Yvaine and Calen, and it continues to this day. We’re all one. We all belong here. Whether we were born here or came from another place does not matter. ’Tis our choice.”
Overwhelmed by his words, Sarah all but stared at Keir’s father, understanding in that moment how Keir came to be the respectful man he was. Indeed, what would the world be like if everyone were like the MacKinnears?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
KNOW THY ENEMY
Kenna happened to be in the great hall when Keir’s father entered, the English lady Sarah upon his arm. Words passed between them, and Kenna wondered what they were discussing. She did not care for the kind smile upon Aiden’s face, nor for the joyful delight she saw upon Sarah’s. It seemed that their visitors had won everyone’s hearts within a single evening, their story deeply touching, persuading Kenna’s clan to welcome them without a second thought.
Anger simmered in Kenna’s veins at the mere sight of the English lass, for she doubted that the woman was as innocent and lovely as she portrayed herself to be. No doubt dark secrets lived in her past, ones she sought to hide. And so, as Aiden bid Sarah farewell and strode away, Kenna decided to keep an eye on the young woman.
For a moment, Sarah seemed a bit lost, her eyes sweeping around her surroundings, uncertainty in her gaze. Then she moved forward, peeking around corners and along corridors. Clearly, she had no notion of where she was going, and Kenna had no trouble trailing after her at a safe distance. She followed Sarah through several sitting rooms and watched her peek into the occasional alcove, a smile coming to her face, as though the discovery meant something to her. The woman’s reaction only made sense to Kenna when she heard Sarah exclaim, “Oh, the girls would love to hide here. I must remember to tell them.”
Kenna disliked that even her own family had fallen under the newcomers’ spell. While Eoghan seemed fascinated by the woman named Katherine, Bonnie delighted in her new friends. That made Kenna an outsider, the only one who wondered what intentions the two English ladies had in coming here.
Next, Sarah stepped into the library, and Kenna hid in the doorway as she watched Sarah explore the rows upon rows of books. Joy flickered across the woman’s face as she tentatively ran her fingers along the delicate spines. Eventually, her feet carried her to the window and the telescope set upon a small platform in front of it. She glanced out the window, a slight frown coming to her forehead.
Kenna quietly inched closer, hiding behind the tall shelves and peeking around their edges. She watched Sarah standing by the window, looking down into the courtyard, that puzzled expression still upon her face. As Kenna continued to observe her, Sarah slowly lifted her head, as though her gaze were following a movement.Perhaps someone is riding down the path to the village, Kenna mused.Is it Keir?
The thought of the English woman watching Keir had Kenna’s hands curling into fists. Her teeth pressed together as she fought the urge to reveal herself and fling harsh words at Sarah’s head, demanding she leave immediately.
Demanding she leave Keir alone.
Closing her eyes, Kenna inhaled a deep breath, struggling to calm herself as her mind raced with thoughts of how to break the spell this woman clearly had on Keir.How on earth did this happen? He was mine. Mine!
At the sound of footfalls, Kenna’s eyes flew open.
Sarah had left the window and now stood upon the small pedestal, slightly bent forward to look through the telescope. Only it was not directed upward at the sky but down toward the village.Who is she watching?
Without another thought, Kenna stepped out into the open, leaving behind her hiding place, thinking that perhaps it would be wise to speak to Sarah. If she learned more about this English lady, perhaps she could think of a way to convince her to leave, to return to where she had come from and leave here in peace.
Straightening her shoulders, Kenna lifted her head, willing a polite smile on her face before she stepped forward, no longer concerned with moving silently.
