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Taken aback, Sarah stared at Keir’s mother. “W-What?”
A rather indulgent expression came to the other woman’s face. “Before, ye looked at him differently than ye do now.” She took a step closer, and her hand settled upon Sarah’s arm. “Tell me what he did, and I’ll set them straight.”
Sarah could not help the smile that stole onto her face, touched by Heather’s offer. “It is nothing,” she insisted, though, wishing she could confide in the other woman and see her doubts chased away for good. Yet not even Keir’s mother could know his heart.
Not truly.
Heather sighed in disbelief. “All my sons have keen eyes, and yet sometimes they’re as blind as a bat.” She smiled at Sarah warmly. “Go and see to the little one, but if ye need someone to talk to, I’ll be here.”
Blinking back tears, Sarah nodded. She liked Keir’s mother. In fact, she liked all of them. She liked all of them too much, and it broke her heart.
If only.
Chapter Thirty
A TERRIBLE MATCH
Entering the great hall, Keir spotted the girls tending to the stray pup Sarah had found the other day near the cliffs. To everyone’s amusement, Thea had named the pup Faerie. In fact, she called him her faerie dog, which had caused old Morag to nearly drop dead as the little girl happily presented the creature.
Despite having discovered the pup, Loki seemed to dislike him. Curled up near the fire, the feline watched the girls and the little dog with apprehension. Keir wondered if perhaps Loki was a bit jealous, for Faerie now monopolized the girls’ attention. They cooed over him, hugging him and stroking his fur, always offering treats.
The scent of roasted meat lingered in the hall as people gathered for the evening meal. Warm flames danced in the fireplace, and every candle throughout the vaulted room had been lit. Laughter and conversation echoed to Keir’s ears as he strode through the rows of tables, his gaze falling upon his own family seated together…
… Sarah among them.
As though she could sense his approach, her gaze rose, and their eyes met.
Keir felt it like a spark, setting him aflame, and for a moment, the breath faltered in his lungs. Always had Sarah had such an effect on him, and yet lately life at the castle had drawn them apart, further apart than ever before. While Keir spent most of his days with his father and brother, discussing how to handle the potential threat of Lord Birchwell, Sarah often tended to her sister and her nieces. Yet over the past sennight, he had often found her strangely absent from the castle. More than once, he had wanted to seek her out, to have some time with her, but he had found her nowhere.
“What did ye do?” his mother had asked him the other day, and from the look in her eyes, Keir had known that she had spoken about Sarah. Something had happened, and yet Sarah clearly did not wish for him to know.
Barely a second after their eyes met, Sarah dropped her gaze, once again making Keir wonder if he had upset her.Only what can it be? I needa speak to her.
In that moment, though, the sound of the fiddle filled the hall, and people got to their feet, eager for a bit of dancing. Kenna appeared beside him, a wistful smile upon her face. “It has been forever since we last danced,” she exclaimed, grasping his hands and pulling him toward the other dancers. “Dunna even try to deny me,” she cut him off when he made to object. “Ye owe me this dance.”
“I owe ye this dance?” Keir inquired with a chuckle as they stood up together.
Kenna nodded as they began to move to the music. “Aye, ye do, for all the dances ye missed. Do ye not remember the fun we had together?”
Keir laughed. “Aye, I do remember.”
“I missed ye,” Kenna exclaimed, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. “Ye daft man! I missed ye every day ye were gone.”
Keir sighed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as it slipped back into his own. “I missed ye as well,” he told her earnestly. “Ye and Eoghan.”
As the fiddler continued to play, Keir felt his feet move without fault. Indeed, it felt good to be home, to once again experience all that had always felt familiar.
Over Kenna’s shoulder, Keir spotted the pup snuggling up beside Loki. Loki, though, looked annoyed by the pup’s show of affection. He instantly got to his paws, retreating a few steps before settling himself again. However, rather undeterred, the pup followed, once again seeking the feline’s side.
Keir could not help but smile at the sight, and yet it made him think of Sarah. Not unlike Loki, she seemed displeased with his presence lately, her demeanor changed, not as affectionate as before. And so, as the dance ended, he returned to his family’s table, determined to seek her out.
Kenna, though, held him back, her hand upon his arm. “Can I speak to ye for a moment?” Concern rested in her eyes, and Keir could tell that something weighed heavily upon her.
“Verra well.” He nodded, and they moved over to the side, out of the way of the dancers and into a corner where they could speak privately. “What is it, lass? Are ye all right?”
Kenna nodded. “I’m fine. But I’m worried about Katherine.” She glanced sideways toward where Katherine sat next to Sarah and Eoghan. “She seems very sad and rather nervous.”
Keir sighed. “Aye, she does. Well, I suppose that was to be expected, considering what she has been through.” He smiled at Kenna, placing a hand upon her shoulder. “I am grateful she found a friend in ye. She could do with a bit of help settling in. All of this must be rather foreign to her.”
