Carson giggled. “Ma says I’m stronger now.”
“Aye, ye look it. And I am certain ye’ll be outrunning yer da by next month.”
She reached out and touched his brow, finding it cool to the touch. Satisfied, she stood back up. Marjorie handed her a cloth bag heavy with fruit.
Lily blinked at the weight. “That’s too much. I only asked for a handful.”
Marjorie waved her hand. “Ye saved me boy. That’s worth far more than fruit.”
“I’ll still pay,” Lily insisted, reaching for her pouch.
“Nay. Nae a coin.”
Lily hesitated, then placed a hand on the woman’s arm. “Thank ye, truly.”
She stepped out into the brightness of the square, her heart warm, when the same heavy boots thudded behind her again.
“Lady MacRay,” the same voice called again, this time edged with frustration.
She turned sharply. “How many times must I say it? I am nae married!”
The man stepped forward, flanked by his partner. Their unfamiliar crests gleamed against their dark belts. “The Laird said ye might say that. He said ye liked to jest.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What laird?”
“The one who’s asked for ye.”
“I’ve nay business with any laird.”
“Ye do now.”
She took a step back, clutching her basket tight. “Leave me be.”
One guard moved quicker than she expected and grabbed her arm. The other seized her shawl.
“Unhand me!” she cried, struggling. “I said, unhand me this instant!”
Voices started to scream in the market square, but no one dared step forward. The guards dragged her past the stalls and down the narrow path that led into the woods beyond.
She twisted and fought, her voice hoarse from shouting. The trees swallowed them, and sunlight cut sharply through the branches. They didn’t speak or give her any response. They just pulled her along until the road opened into a quiet clearing. Then, they let go.
She stumbled, catching herself on unsteady feet. Her breath caught. A man stood ahead, leaning against a tree.
Nay.
He looked older than she remembered. Taller too. His jaw looked sharper, and his shoulders, for some reason, looked broader. The boy she remembered on her father’s ship was gone. His eyes, however, remained unchanged. As he stepped forward, she dug her feet into the soft soil.
“Did ye miss me, darling?” he asked, his voice smooth.
Lily swallowed hard, her heart thudding against her ribs.
Alasdair had not seen her in nearly ten years. Not since the day he snuck off the ship, silent as the calm waters, leaving behind the pirate life, the wind… and her. Now, she stood before him again, menacing and angry.
She was not the girl he remembered. No, thegirlwas gone. Thewomanin her place had curves where there had been none. Her waist was fuller. She had grown even more into her face, and her skin looked shinier for some reason. Her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders as if it had a mind of its own.
But her eyes… yes, those eyes were the same. The same shade of blue he remembered. The same sharpness that could almost cut glass. Only the venom behind them was new, as she stared at him hard like her gaze could turn him into dust.
He let his gaze linger a second longer before he spoke again.
