Page 32 of A Highland Bride Forgotten
“Ye’re right,” said Archer. “It wasnae.”
“Shall I inform the council, then?”
“Aye,” said Archer. “And tell them it was their lady’s idea.”
Keir stopped short, but Archer continued walking, paying him no mind. After a few moments, Keir caught up with him again, and Archer pretended not to see the frown on his face.
“Was it?” asked Keir.
“Och aye,” said Archer. “She heard the people’s complaints and she found a solution. As is her right.”
Keir grumbled something under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously likeI suppose it is a good idea, and Archer couldn’t help but snort in amusement.
“It isnae like ye to admit that,” he said.
“I can admit when somethin’ is smart,” Keir shot back.
“But nay when it comes to me wife,” Archer pointed out. “Why is that?”
Keir hesitated. It was a question Archer had asked him before, and one Keir had avoided. This time, though, it seemed to Archer like he would actually give him a real answer.
“If ye remembered some things about yer past, ye wouldnae be so certain of her either.”
It wasn’t an answer, not really, but it was more than Keir had given him before.
“How about ye tell me what it is that I should remember?”
“There is...too much,” Keir said. “And ye already ken most of it. There is naethin’ I can tell ye now that will change yer mind about all this.”
“About all what?”
“About the attack,” said Keir. “That ye think was an accident.”
“Keir...there is naethin’ to suggest it wasnae an accident,” Archer insisted, not for the first time. “I may nae remember but I’m nae suddenly a fool. If I sensed any danger, I would agree with ye, but I daenae see how it could have been anythin’ but an accident.”
“If ye remembered?—”
“But I daenae remember!” Archer growled, and then looked around him to see if anyone had heard. He had forgotten himself; he had forgotten that they were in the middle of the courtyard, where anyone could hear them. He lowered his voice and tried again. “I daenae remember, though, Keir.”
Nothing frustrated him more than the fact that he couldn’t remember a single thing after a certain point in his life. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wrung his brain, not a single memory returned to him. How was he supposed to know who to trust, other than Keir? How was he supposed to be the Laird of this clan when he remembered so little of his life?
“I ken that,” said Keir, pulling Archer into a halt with a hand on his shoulder. “I ken that. Ye will remember, Archer. Daenae fash.”
“How? How will I remember? Shouldnae me memory have returned by now?”
“Jenson said there may be a way to help ye,” said Keir. “He would tell ye himself but I may as well tell ye now. He said it may help if ye visit places from yer past. Places that were important to ye.”
“And what would those places be?” Archer asked, fed up with himself and his lack of memory. “I daenae remember any of them.”
“I do,” said Keir with a small shrug. “How about...how about the loch where we used to go when we were bairns?”
Archer hummed softly, scratching the back of his head. “I suppose we could do that,” he said. He didn’t know how much that could possibly help, but he was willing to try if it meant that he might remember something.
“Alright,” he agreed in the end. He had nothing to lose, after all.
Laughter like a ringing bell caught Archer’s attention, and he turned his head to see River with her new maid and the children, the four of them running around near the gardens under the careful watch of her personal guard. His mouth twisted into a grimace of distaste—Finlay had managed to establish himself as a nuisance in the short time Archer had known him—or rather remembered him. He seemed to be there all the time, never once letting River out of his sight.
How was Archer supposed to find her alone? The only time they could be together, with no one else to interrupt them or to listen in to them was when they were in her chambers at night. Even then, he had the sneaking suspicion that Finlay was somewhere nearby, trying to listen in, trying to keep an eye on her as if he feared Archer would harm her.
