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“A few days ago, Finn sent a letter to his clan. Their answer arrived today.” He held her gaze. “We knew this could happen,” he reminded her gently. “We expected this to happen, and we are prepared.” He glanced at Kate. “There is no need for panic. Ye are safe here.”
Staring into Keir’s eyes, Sarah nodded, allowing his warm voice to chase away the icy chill.
“Watchmen are being posted as we speak,” Keir continued in that smooth voice of his. “No one is allowed onto the island without my father’s permission. Still, it might be wise for ye to remain within the castle and not go out on yer own until we know more. ’Tis simply a precaution.”
Sarah nodded, feeling comforted by his reassurances. Never had she known Keir to take things lightly or to speak without reason, and she found she trusted him beyond doubt. As much as her instincts told her to run, told her to panic, told her to expect the worst, Keir’s promise now stood against all that.
And it felt good.
Over the next few days, Keir’s family worked without pause to fortify the island. Watchtowers were manned, and scouts were sent out on a regular basis. Every ship to land in the harbor was checked, every person upon it questioned. More letters arrived, replies from other clans, answers to the MacKinnears’ request for information.
Apparently, the rumor of Englishmen searching for two English ladies had spread far and wide, and yet it was nothing more than that: a rumor. No one knew any details. No one had ever seen the men before. No one quite knew where they were headed.
Westward.
That was all.
Throughout it all, Sarah remained calm, doing her utmost to ease her sister’s terror and to keep her nieces occupied and clueless. Yet once again, Kate was watching the girls with hawk’s eyes, terrified whenever she would lose sight of them. Eoghan was constantly at her side, taking Frederica from her without asking so she would eat. He often took the girls down to the beach, assuring Kate that he would not leave their side and return them safe and sound. And to Sarah’s surprise, Kate never once doubted him. Yet she seemed not even to realize to what degree she had come to trust Keir’s oldest friend.
Loki, too, appeared more watchful these days, always alert, always nearby. As often as he had disappeared into nowhere the weeks before, suddenly there was no place he would rather be than at their side.
One afternoon, they managed to coax Kate outside, the children running ahead as they followed the usual path toward the beach. Laughter echoed through the air, and Sarah exhaled a deep breath as she walked on Keir’s arm, wishing for a moment of peace. Still, her thoughts continued to circle, her gaze constantly drawn to Kate, her shoulders tense as she clung to Eoghan’s arm. “I cannot help but wonder,” Sarah murmured out loud, lifting her chin to look up at Keir, “why Grandma Edie has not sent word. Usually, she is so well-informed.”
Keir smiled at her, his hand holding hers a little tighter. “Perhaps the answer is rather simple. Perhaps there simply is nothing to report because there is nothing to worry about.”
Resting her head against Keir’s shoulder, Sarah breathed in the sea air, praying that he was right. Still, that icy chill lingered, constantly putting her on edge. Only Keir’s presence seemed to ease it, warming her, body and soul. Every night, Sarah slept in his embrace, the comfort of his presence priceless. Still, she longed for the day of their wedding. Only she had hoped for a truly joyous occasion, free of worry and doubt. Now, it was anything but.
As they approached the beach, Eoghan pulled Kate to a halt. Then he took Frederica from her arms. Indeed, Kate looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, suggesting that her sister slept very little these days. Keir and Sarah stopped beside them, and Sarah helped Eoghan settle the little girl upon his shoulder, wrapping the small blanket tightly around her little niece to keep her warm.
“They’re running too far ahead,” Kate exclaimed in a fearful voice as she followed Augusta, Dorothea and Bonnie with her gaze. “I told them to stay close.” Her hand settled upon Keir’s arm, and she all but tugged him forward, her gaze fixed upon her daughters.
Casting a look at Sarah over his shoulder, Keir escorted Kate down to the beach, his lips moving as he spoke to her, no doubt seeking to alleviate her fears.
Still, once again, Sarah felt that odd sensation settle in her stomach at seeing Kate upon Keir’s arm. Something had changed; she was certain of it. If only she knew what it was. Yet it needled her, sending cold sensations up and down her back.
“Are ye coming?” Eoghan inquired with a kind smile upon his face as he waited for her by the small slope that led downward.
Sarah nodded and then hurried to fall into step beside him. Her gaze, though, remained upon Keir and Kate as they walked arm in arm toward the girls playing upon the beach.
“How are ye doing?”
Sarah started, then looked up at Eoghan. “I can hardly say,” she remarked with a shrug. “I am worried for Kate. She seems…” She exhaled a deep breath, welcoming the gentle sensation of the wind tugging upon her tresses. “I’ve never seen her so frightened. I had hoped freeing her of her husband would bring back the girl she had once been. Yet even before…” She swept an arm outward, her gesture encompassing everything that had happened these past few days.
Again, her attention wandered down the beach, aware of the way her sister clung to Keir’s arm, her face occasionally lifting to look up at him. Sarah told herself that it meant nothing, and yet she could not quite believe it. It made something well up in her heart she had hardly ever known before, she hardly ever had reason to feel.
Jealousy.
“’Tis not real,” Eoghan remarked, interrupting her thoughts.
Sarah lifted her face and looked at him.What does he mean? He cannot possibly—
Eoghan nodded toward Kate. “The way she feels for him isna real,” he elaborated, and Sarah stilled, shocked that he had guessed her thoughts. “She doesna truly want him. She wants the safety she feels only he can guarantee.”
Overwhelmed, Sarah wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling icy cold. Now that Eoghan had echoed her thoughts, she could no longer convince herself that she had merely imagined the way Kate looked at Keir these days.
“Ye needa be worried,” Eoghan counseled, not a flicker of doubt in his green eyes as he looked at her. “’Twill fade. She will come to see that Keir isna the man for her.”
Sarah stared at him, shaking her head. “How can you possibly know that?”
