Page 52 of Laird of Wrath

He wanted to leave that place. Heneededto leave. The longer he stayed there, the more his self-loathing threatened to swallow him whole and drag him into the depths of despair.

But he couldn’t allow that to happen. He was the Laird. He was the one who had to remain strong, even as everything around him crumbled.

Damn ye,Barclay. I willnae let this slide. Even if I cannae go after ye, I will make sure ye cannae hurt anyone else ever again.

17

This was the day.

Just yesterday, Rhea had fought with fire and smoke to make sure that everyone in that village survived. Her fatigue hadn’t mattered, and neither had the burn in her lungs and the sting in her throat and eyes. All that had mattered were the lives of the villagers, who had been so frightened, so helpless, attacked when they had least expected it.

At least, according to Callum.

He had insisted that this was an attack by Laird Barclay, and no matter how much she had tried to suggest that it might have been an accident, he had refused to listen. The entire ride back to the castle, he had argued his case, and by the end of it, she was also convinced Laird Barclay was behind this.

This was not the result of a reckless accident. This had been planned.

But today was the day, and despite her exhaustion, despite the ash that lingered in her nostrils and throat, Rhea had something important to see through.

When will she arrive? It’s almost noon already!

She had been up for hours, waiting for her sister to arrive, and yet Mabel was still nowhere to be seen. The more she delayed, the more Rhea began to worry that something had happened to her on the road, but she didn’t even want to entertain the possibility for a single moment. It frightened her more than she liked to admit.

“Are ye thinkin’ about yer sister?” Lara asked, perceptive as always, as she arranged a bouquet of flowers in the chamber they were preparing for Mabel.

“About me sister… about the village yesterday… I believe I may be thinkin’ too much,” Rhea said as she perched on the edge of the large, four-post bed that had been laid with thick blankets and furs.

The castle was not as luxurious as Castle McAllister, and Rhea had to relinquish some of her furs to make up for it, but she doubted Mabel would mind. Her sister wasn’t the type to turn her nose up at subpar lodgings, nor the type to complain about it.

“Daenae fash, me Lady.” Lara looked over her shoulder at Rhea with a smile. “I’ve seen plenty of good omens lately! I’m sure both yer sister and the villagers will be fine.”

Rhea couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head, though Lara’s confidence and her optimism lifted her spirits enough to take her mind off her worries. Lara had a gift. No matter how down Rhea felt, she could always count on the maid to make her feel better.

“Does that mean that everythin’ will go well in the end?” she asked.

“Aye,” Lara replied. “Everythin’ goes well in the end, one way or another. Things always fall into place.”

Rhea didn’t even have it in her to laugh, simply because of how earnest the maid sounded. It was difficult to jest about something when Lara spoke with such confidence, such conviction. She seemed so certain that Rhea couldn’t help but believe it too.

For a while, she sat there in silence, listening to Lara’s soft humming. It was an old song, one she recognized from the previous times Lara had sung it, as she had never heard it before meeting her. And yet there was something terribly familiar about it, something comforting, something that calmed her racing heart and was like a balm to her weary soul.

Then, she heard the distinct sound of horses approaching and that of the gates opening, signaling the arrival of a guest. Before she knew it, she sprang to her feet and rushed out of the room, hearing Lara’s footsteps behind her.

She burst out the main doors of the castle and into the busy courtyard just as the carriage came to a halt past the gates. It was the very same carriage that had brought her here before she had married Callum. But this time, it wasn’t her coming out of its tiny interior, but her sister, looking just as she remembered her.

It hadn’t been that long since they had last seen each other, so Rhea had no good reason to think that her sister had changed.

Mabel stepped down from the carriage, with her long, blonde hair that she left flowing down her shoulders and those clever eyes that seemed to notice everything around her.

Rhea could already see the boys in the courtyard staring at her, and she couldn’t help the fierce protectiveness that welled up inside her. She rushed to Mabel, pulling her into a tight embrace, while at the same time shielding her from everyone else.

Her sister was too quiet after all, too timid for her own good. If Rhea left her alone for even a moment, she feared she would be overwhelmed with unwanted attention.

“Ach, Rhea!” Mabel gushed, tightening her arms around her when she tried to move back. “How I’ve missed ye!”

Rhea held her tightly once more, pouring all her love into their embrace. She had missed Mabel terribly, and only now did she realize the void her absence had left within her.

“Ach, I’ve missed ye too,” she said, pulling back to study her.