Page 17 of The Laird's Dark Obsession

If he was going to stay firm in his decision that she was to dress in attire he approved of, he supposed she could have that necklace. It wasn’t at all because it sickened him to see that piece of bloodstone around her neck, knowing the Barclays were fond of it and had much of their jewelry adorned with the stone. No, of course not.

Walking over to his sister, he placed it in her palm. “Give this to Kira. It dinnae come from me. Understand?” he warned.

“Aye,” she said, failing at suppressing a smirk.

With that, Edine was gone and Hunter sat back at his desk and peered down into his cup. Surely, she would recognize the necklace.

Why had he decided on that one to give her?

Why did she have to be the sole thing in the entire world that made him crazy and irrational?

Fresh air. It was intoxicating.

Each step through the grass felt like another link of an iron chain breaking loose. Even though it was only an hour she had, she was more than elated for it. And while she had hated Hunter for taking her clothes, the Galbraith tartan dress was a lighter weight which was much more comfortable on a warm spring day such as that. She felt fresh from the bath and the clean, crisp linen dress, and all that wonderful breeze blowing by.

When she finally made it to the horses, she was so elated to see that an old, dear friend remained in the stable. Campion, a horse that had been born during one of Kira’s many visits as a child, was brought out for her to see. All it took was a carrot and a sniff, and the horse nuzzled her fondly.

“Goodness, ye were only three when Campion was born. Must mean he’s fifteen now,” Kira commented as she rubbed the horse’s snout.

“Faither was never pleased ye named him that,” Edine chuckled.

“But it suits him so well. Doesn’t it, Camp?” she cooed.

Campion had been named after the flower, sea campion, because of his reddish-brown hue. It reminded her of the flower’s bulbs and while all were in agreement on that, the late Laird Galbraith had been rather annoyed that a promising steed had been named after a flower. But after Kira had given him the name, so much discussion and indecision surrounded it that Campion stuck.

Kira fawned over the horse, glad to see he was so healthy and strong still. Though, admittedly, it was a little bittersweet too. He had been the horse that Kira would take when she and Hunter had gone riding together. Her eyes flickered to the gaggle of guards that were only a stone’s throw away and sighed.

Oh, how things have changed.

After Kira had her time with him, she decided to move on and have a walk before she had to return to her room.

“Oh, before I forget,” Edine said just as they rejoined the walking path.

Edine reached into her pocket and produced a necklace. At first glance it seemed insignificant, but then it wasn’t just any necklace.

It washernecklace.

Kira gasped at the sight of it. Sapphires were a rarity and she knew that oval-cut sapphire with its unique silver filigree almost as well as she knew the back of her hand. It had been the lone piece of jewelry her father had given her that had been her mother’s.

Slowly, Kira touched it, as though it wouldpoofinto thin air the moment she came into contact with it. “Where did ye get this?” she breathed, admiring it in her hand.

Edine shrugged. “I dinnae. It was in the back of one of my drawers. I thought it would suit ye.”

With a wave of her hand, Edine motioned for her to turn around so she could put it on her. Kira felt the weight of it against her chest and smiled warmly. It felt like a little part of her had a home again, and she was lucky enough to wear it.

“I cannae believe ye simply had this lying around. Thank ye,” she said. She wanted to give Edine a hug right then but was afraid that it was much too soon.

“Nay need to thank me. I’m glad to see ye smiling again. Ye’ve seemed much more yer old self since we came outside. It’s nice to see.”

Kira smiled even more. Even though she would still tread lightly with Edine, it was so nice to feel as though she had a friend. Her life had always been rather short on them, other than Edine and Hunter. And now without even a kind maid to pass the time with… Well, it was even more appreciated.

As they walked the path, Kira kept touching the sapphire out of awe. She had never been without that necklace until one day it went missing while she and Hunter had been riding. Oh, how she had sobbed and scoured the fields for it. Hunter had sworn to her that he would find it and return it to her. But time went on, and she assumed he had given up.

Had he found it and simply stashed it away? That didn’t make sense. If he had been looking for it, it would have been before his parents death. And then he would have returned it to her. Was it possible it was merely stumbled upon and stored away without realizing whose it was? That didn’t feel right, especially since it was a sapphire necklace, one of the rarest gems in all of Scotland.

Her mind picked at the mystery of it as they walked, only pulled from her thoughts at the sound of grunts and hollers. They were near the training ground. Edine nodded for her to follow and so she did, curious to see if there was perhaps a warrior that Edine had her eye on.

They rested against the gate and watched with idle eyes as the men sparred inside. “I like to watch to remember the old times,” Edine remarked. “I always marveled at my faither as he trained. He looked so otherworldly. Like a hero sprung to life from an epic tale.”