Page 81 of Conquer the Highlander

“Go after my guard and tell them not to leave that contingent until their carriage is clear of The Cal,” he said to Axel. “Make sure they leave.”

Axel nodded, following the guard out into the misting night. Even though Clegg knew his orders would be carried out, he knew without a doubt that he hadn’t seen the last of Ambrose, Duke of Ayr, and his son, Conan.

Nay… he hadn’t seen the last of them, at all.

Slipping out of the keep, Clegg headed for the warrior’s village.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Why were ye chasing after Niko?” Titus asked, trying not to become irate. “I told ye tae stay out of sight, yet ye ran after the boy? Outside?”

Esme’s head was lowered as Titus scolded her, and rightfully so. They were back in their cottage after he’d come to retrieve her, but he was stewing on the fact that she’d gone outside of the cottage after he’d told her not to. Cam had let it slip that he’d had to chase both her and his son down.

Now, Esme was facing Titus’ wrath.

She braced herself.

“I could not let him run away,” she said, trying to explain. “I was sleeping with him while Isadora was helping Lilia with the twins. They’re both sick, you know. They have running noses, and with Brody at the arena, Isadora went to help Lilia.”

Titus was standing by the door, his big arms folded angrily across his chest. “So she left ye with Niko.”

“She did.”

“And he climbed out of bed and escaped.”

Esme nodded. “One moment we were asleep and, in the next, he’s climbing out of the bed and running away. I had to go after him.”

Titus grunted and rolled his eyes, seeing that she hadn’t been willful about disobeying him, but the result was still the same – she had exposed herself to a world that had Ambrose and Conan hiding somewhere in it.

Titus gestured in the direction of Cam and Isadora’s cottage next door.

“Cam and Brody had returned from the arena before this happened,” he said. “Why dinna ye let Cam run after his own son?”

“Because he was in Brody and Lilia’s cottage at the time. I was the only one with Niko.”

“But I told ye tae stay out of sight for yer own good. Do ye understand that?”

“I do. But I could not let Niko run away, querido. Surely you understand that.”

Titus did, but he was shaken. Angry and shaken. Still, there was no use berating her more than he already had because he knew very well she couldn’t have let the boy simply run off. Therefore, he let it drop.

But he was still on edge.

As he stood there and wearily rubbed his face, Esme dared to lift her head and look at him. He seemed particularly brittle, but that was understandable given the day’s events. She also noticed a big bruise on the left side of his jaw.

“How was your bout?” she asked. “I am sorry I missed it.”

He grunted, turning for the table and planting himself in a chair. “Dunna be,” he said. “A giant hit me so hard he loosened one of my teeth.”

Her eyes widened. “You were actually struck? How did it happen?”

“Trickery and stupidity,” he said, but he didn’t want to speak further on it. He looked up at her, reconciling himself to the fact that she was safe. That was all that mattered in the end. Reaching out, he grasped her hand. “Is there something for me tae eat, love? I could use it.”

She nodded quickly. “Bread and cheese,” she said. “There is a little leftover meat from earlier today.”

“I’ll eat it.”

Esme rushed around pulling together a meal for him. Normally, she would have had it ready, but her inability to go to the kitchen had hindered that. Soon enough, Titus had bread and cheese and warmed-over beef in front of him, which he chewed gingerly because of his loose tooth.