Page 66 of The Laird's Secret Bairn

"I ken." He straightened, some of the darkness clearing from his eyes as he visibly reined himself in. "This isnae the time."

Then he stepped back, and the moment broke.

"Rest," he said, his voice rougher than before. "I must see Lily settled and speak with Stephen about what's to be done. I willnae be long."

"Ye're certain Lily doesnae ken what happened?"

"She thinks it's only a stranger who came and went. I mean to keep it that way as long as I can."

He left, and she heard his footsteps pause just outside until the click of the lock answered him, and only then did they carry on down the corridor.

Skye couldn’t eventhinkof him leaving. She did not want to be left alone at that moment. She needed to speak to someone, but with him gone, the only person she could think of was Kenna.

She found her in the small sitting room later that evening, her needlework abandoned in her lap much the way it had been the first time she had come to her with the treasure hunt in mind.

Kenna looked up the moment she entered, setting her needlework aside. “There ye are, lass. I’ve been listening for yer footsteps this past hour.”

“Forgive me, I didnae mean to worry ye.”

She shook her head. “It is quite all right. I kent ye would find yer way to me eventually.”

“And here I am,” Skye replied weakly.

“Sit.” Kenna patted the seat beside her, and Skye obeyed, grateful for the warmth of the fire after the chill that had settled into her bones and never quite left. “Are ye truly all right? I heard what happened. All of it. News travels fast in a castle this size.”

Skye understood the woman’s concern. She was shaken up, true, but she was doing better than anyone thought she would. She was mostly concerned about Lily.

“I’m unharmed.” She pressed her hands flat against her skirts, willing the tremors to stop. “A guard grabbed me shoulder, is all. It is bruised, but nothing more. It is nothing to trouble yerself about, I promise.”

Kenna did not look convinced.

“Lass, it isnae nothing. Ye were frightened half out of yer wits—unless I’ve misjudged ye entirely, and I daenae think I have. It is all right to admit that ye were scared. I promise it will stay between us. Dougal willnae hear a word of it.”

Skye’s composure cracked slightly at the woman’s gentleness. “I guess… I just… Iwasfrightened. Nae for meself, truly, but for Lily.” She shuddered.

Angus Lawson was not going to stop pursuing Lily. She had seen it in his eyes before he rode away. He believed Lily was his simply because of the blood running through her veins. But he was a man who believed in status, law, and order. What would he do to a child born out of wedlock? A child born to a former guard of his?

Skye feared he would rather kill her than allow her to live.

Lily was Dougal’s and no one else’s. He had raised the girl from when she was a babe.

Didn’t that count for something?

“Ye confronted Angus.” It wasn’t a question. “Dougal told me as much, though he wouldnae admit how much it shook him to see it.”

Skye did not need to be told as much. It was obvious from the way he had hovered around her that he had been shaken by the way the guard had grabbed her. His protective instinct had kicked in.

It was not the first time she had seen it directed towards her. She liked it far more than she cared to admit, for it made her feel safe and cared for in a way she had not experienced before.

“I couldnae let Angus reach her, nae without kenning what he intended to do,” she whispered. “Ye should have seen the way he spoke about her. Nae like she was a person, but a possession. It scared me, Lady Kenna. I daenae think I’ve ever seen something so frightening.”

Kenna’s grip on her hand tightened, something fierce and grateful passing over her weathered features. “Ye defended me granddaughter today, Skye. I willnae forget that, whatever else happens between now and the end of yer stay here.”

Skye heard the unspoken “I’d be glad if ye choose to stay.” She had never doubted that Kenna would embrace her if she chose to stay, but it was Dougal she wanted to ask her to remain.

He hadn’t expressed as much. As far as she was concerned, she was still set to leave at the end of the month, and nothing was going to change that.

“Anyone would have done the same.”