“Ye ken, in the Great Hall.”
Oh.
Lily shook her head. “It is quite all right. I’ll be fine.”
Daisy studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Shall I draw ye a bath?”
“Aye, please.” Lily rose, tying the robe at her waist. “But first, I need to see the Laird.”
“He’s in his study,” Daisy said quietly.
Lily gave a brief nod. “Good. Then that is where I’ll go.”
Alasdair stared out his window, looking at nothing except the dull morning sky. He’d been in his study for the past five hours.
After leaving Lily’s chambers in the middle of the night, he couldn’t go back to sleep. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t will it to come. So he headed to the next best place that could properly use his focus.
His eyes returned to the parchment on the desk before him. He grabbed the quill one more time before letting out a long breath.
The door opened without a knock.
Lily stepped inside, her hair loose from sleep and her eyes sharper than the paper knife on his table. “Ye didnae have to leave like a visitor in the night.”
Alasdair froze, his quill hanging mid-air. Slowly, he set it down and looked at her.
“Ye are the one always proclaiming we are married,” she added, closing the door behind her. “And yet ye left me bed like it was nothing.”
He stood up, guilt pricking his chest. “I’m sorry. There was something I had to do.”
Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. “Something more important?”
“Aye,” he said. “I am arranging a carriage for ye this afternoon.”
She frowned. “A carriage? For what? Is someone sick elsewhere that I need to visit?”
He shook his head. “Nay. It will take ye back to yer village.”
For a moment, silence filled the study. Then, she let out a cold laugh. Alasdair looked at her, his eyes narrowed.
“Why do ye keep hiding things from me? If ye want me to do something for ye, ye can just tell me.”
Oh.
This was going to hurt more than he had imagined.
“Look, Alasdair, if I am to be the maither of yer heir?—”
“Ye’re nae,” he cut in, his voice rougher than he had intended.
Oh dear.
She blinked. Her chest rose and fell before she spoke again. “I ken I give ye a hard time?—”
He rose and crossed the room before she could finish. “Ye daenae understand. Ye’re nae staying here. ‘Tis nae an observation. ‘Tis an order. I’m sending ye back.”
He swallowed, forcing back the despair rising through him. But he refused to look away from her.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Wait, I’m confused. Ye tracked me down, dragged me back here, and convinced me to stay. Now, before I can even make up me mind, ye’re sending me away?”
