Page 50 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

Instead, Hendry walked to the cabin. Once inside, he went to the hearth, stacking logs on the grate before kindling it to life. The one-room building was bathed in warm, orange light, and he walked over to the cot, settling himself on the edge of it.

By this time tomorrow, he would be a married man. The Scottish Managers would be pleased, at least for a short time. Though he knew it would not be long until there would be demands for an heir.

That is a problem that I will face later. Somethin’ that Aurora and I will discuss after we’ve been wed. After I ken that she is safe.

He looked over the herbs that were hanging from the walls, several of which were likely dry, ready to be stored. They would be fine for the next few days, but he knew that sleep would elude him. Perhaps, he thought, it would be best to combat his oncoming insomnia with something truly productive.

So, he stood, gathering jars from within one of his cabinets, parchment and adhesive to label them, and the clusters of sprigs that were ready for storage. Settling them on the table, he found a candle, lighting it before he settled in to get to work. The task was meditative, mindless. It was exactly the kind of thing that he needed before the whirlwind that was surely coming.

* * *

Aurora stood at her window, watching as the cottage at the herb garden lit up as it had the past several nights. Hendry was there, just as he had been every evening before. The smoke billowed above the building, curling into thick tufts in the air above.

“Why wouldnae he sleep in the castle?” she asked, knowing that she would not get an answer. “Is it nae warmer? Safer?”

She still did not understand the man, even as the picture of who he was became clearer and clearer. It seemed that with each day that passed, she was given a new, more puzzling reality. He had the entire castle to himself, could have his pick of the chambers, yet he chose to be away.

Perhaps it is all of the guests we are hostin’. The herb garden must settle him, the way that it settles me. He found me there in the middle of the night.

Before she even registered what she was doing, Aurora had risen from the window seat with a silent grace. She felt as if she could not stay here, like she had to see him at least once more before they were wed, before they had to stand in front of the clan.

“I daenae ken what I expect from him,” she said to herself, feeling a bit unsteady in her conviction. Her feet felt torn, like they could not decide which direction to carry her. She should stay in her room and try to get some sleep to prepare for the ceremony tomorrow; the stress of being so vulnerable, so seen by so many people. “This is a waste of me time. Nothin’ good will come of this.”

But even as she said it, she knew that staying in her chambers for an entire sleepless night would be just as frivolous. This, she felt, would exhaust her. Her curiosity would be quenched. It was what she needed.

There are enough eyes here, enough servants movin’ around. I will be safe even with all the strangers. I will keep me head down.

Touching the dirk tucked against her breastbone, she slipped out of the castle and into the moonlit night. There was evidence of just how many guests had arrived and just how many more would be here the following day. Yet, it seemed that the staff had turned in for the night, the grounds completely empty of another soul.

The earth leading into the herb garden smelled damp and sweet, the aroma of the plants swirling around her in the wind. She took a deep breath, letting the scent steady her. Then, at a measured pace in an attempt to keep her nerves steady, she walked to the cabin, pausing in front of the door as she listened for signs that Hendry was awake inside.

When he cursed under his breath, murmuring something she could not quite make out, Aurora stepped inside, not bothering with knocking.

“What are ye doin’ here?” Hendry asked, pushing aside the herbs that he was trimming and depositing into jars.

“I couldnae sleep,” Aurora admitted. “I…”

She could not come up with an explanation for her presence. Though she wished to see him, she could not identify why, not even to herself. And, in trying to find an answer for him, she only felt herself growing frustrated.

At whom, though, she could not say.

“Ye should have stayed in yer chambers,” Hendry told her, standing up but not moving away from the table. “There are far too many people for ye to be wanderin’ around without an escort.”

“I have the sgian-dubh on me person,” she said a bit defensively. “And it isnae as if I am the only one awake. Plenty of the staff is standin’ by in case someone were to need somethin’ in the middle of the night.”

“The household isnae trained to fight off an enemy. They only ken how to evacuate the castle in case of an emergency. And even if one of them were to act, there is nay promisin’ that they will get to ye before somethin’ terrible happens,” he said, the irritation in his voice only making her frustration grow. “And ye may have made progress with yer blade, but ye are nae ready to be engaged in a real confrontation. Someone much more skilled than ye still has the upper hand.”

“Then why would ye bother teachin’ me?” she demanded, knowing that she sounded as if she were a petulant child. “If ye still believe me to be weak and defenseless, what was the point of the lesson ye gave?”

“I dinnae say that ye were weak and defenseless,” he growled, finally coming out from behind his workstation. He stopped himself a few feet away from Aurora, letting out a frustrated sound and scrubbing a hand over his face. “I daenae want ye puttin’ yerself in dangerous situations simply because ye ken how to wield a blade. I taught ye so that ye could use it as a last resort. Do ye understand?”

There was a flash of concern, something that ran deeper than simply wishing for someone under his care to be safe, that washed over his features. Just as soon as Aurora identified the emotion, it had gone away. She almost doubted that she had seen it.

“Aye,” she said, her shoulders slumping as she resisted the urge to tuck her chin against her chest. “I understand. I simply…” She sighed, closing her eyes and swallowing once. “I suppose I wanted to see ye before the bindin’ and dinnae think past that.”

For a moment, he stayed still, processing her words with an intensity that made her want to squirm. Then, his shoulders drooped, and he made a soft sound under his breath that burrowed deep inside Aurora’s chest.

“I have been busy, takin’ care of things around the castle and makin’ preparations for the gatherin’,” he said, his voice much more gentle than it was just a second before. “And I have been fortifyin’ our defenses, preparing for anythin’ that may happen.” He took a step forward, his hand twitching at his side as if he were trying to hold himself back from touching her. “I daenae want ye to use yer dirk.”