“Is tomorrow a market day?”
He chuckled. “We pray so.” Then he said, “Did ye bring the letter?”
“No, darn it, I left it lying on the table in our room.”
He sat down on the floor and raised an arm. I sat down beside him with his arm comfortingly around me, my head on his shoulder.
We were quiet, then he said, “Och, now I wish we had said where we were headed… We ought tae get out of here. Our presence is bringing danger on these people, and they daena hae good enough weapons.”
“Where would we go?”
“We could go tae… we could go tae Edinburgh. I would be able tae leave notes that way — och nae.” He opened his sporran and dug through it. “Och, I hae yer pink undergarmies but I daena hae a pen. Did ye bring yer pen?”
“You have my panties in there?”
“Aye.”
“But no pens?”
“I hae, as Fraoch would say, ‘questionable priorities.’”
I frowned. “Well,Ileft my wedding pen on the table. But…” I dug through my bag, and found pens. I held up a small handful in my fist. “I do have these.”
“Good. But daena tell Magnus or Fraoch I dinna hae one… Daena tell Quentin either.”
“Your secret is safe with me — but you did have one, Lochinvar, because you have me, and sowe, you and I, have one in our bag that just so happens to be on my shoulder. We are a team now, you’re not the one that has to do everything. I’m the one that left my amazing wedding pen on the table, that’s on me, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t have at least ten penson you, along with my pink underwear, I’m not exactly sure why you need so many pens, but it sounds like they are incredibly important?—”
“They are verra useful.”
“So…” I passed him three pens, and he stuck them in his sporran.
“Thank ye, Ash, that is a relief.”
“To have pens?”
“Aye, but also tae hae ye, I need?—”
“I imagine I am a huge pain in the ass sometimes, but also, I give you something to do — imagine how bored you would be if you never had met me.”
He chuckled, “I canna barely remember life without ye, twas endless feasts in beautiful Florida and I hadna had tae kill someone in months.”
“Now murderous rage is happening on the regular. What do we do?”
“Nothing tae do but wait for the morn.”
I thought I felt something. “Can I click on my flashlight?”
“Aye.”
I dug through my bag.
“Shoot, I left it on the table upstairs with the letter and our wedding pen.”
Lochie reached in his sporran and pulled out a penlight. He waved it around. I saw rats scurry away.
“Ugh, rats, this sucks!” I shivered.
He put the penlight in my hand. “Tae keep them at bay.”
