Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Y e're a wedded woman, Alana, and he is an unknown man. Are ye mad? she reminded herself once she was alone again. She looked back, but his figure was out of sight. He had not followed her.

It is for the best , she told herself, fearing Lachlan's wrath if he learned that she had been alone at the brook with another man, especially one that looks like that man .

As Alana walked further down the isolated hilly path, she found herself looking back. But the man with the green eyes never appeared behind her.

What if I never see him again? He was a stranger with a number of questionable qualities, but for some reason she thought him a good man. He was an interesting man, at least, and one who wasn't violent and didn't even raise his voice when she yelled. She couldn't say the same for her own husband.

Alana's heart raced as she wondered if her husband had already arrived from his whereabouts. The sun dimmed in the sky, and she feared that the day might have passed by her.

She broke into a brisk walk as she hurried back to the castle. The unguarded path that she often passed to sneak out of the castle walls was as deserted as the time when she had left earlier in the afternoon. She hurried through, following the narrow trail between the bushes until she came out onto the castle grounds. Pulling her scarf closer around her face, she walked as the ladies of the clan did. She was stopped by no one and only thrown odd glances her way. Since they could not see her face, people cared little.

By the time she arrived at the first castle wall, she was out of breath. She walked in with her head bowed, hurrying up the stairs and not wanting to draw attention to herself. The guards had not become suspicious of her because she was a woman.

A couple of soft chatters at the head of the stairs caused her to halt her ascent. There were two quite young maids at the top of the staircase, and seeing her, came down to meet her in the middle.

"May we help ye, ma'am?" one of the maids asked, tilting her head to see the face under Alana's scarf. Since she was still not officially in the castle, she hesitated at the thought of showing her face.

Shall I show me face here or nae? Alana juxtaposed her options as the other maid snapped at her even sharper, as they hadn't received an answer from her yet.

"Who are ye, lass? Are ye expected in the castle?"

Alana decided that hiding would make more noise than revealing herself. Because the servants were unaware that she was not permitted to leave the keep, she reasoned that it would be easier to reveal her face. She removed her scarf, and the worry on the maids' faces weighed heavily on her heart. They bowed their heads, unable to look her in the eyes.

"We are sorry, milady. We thought it was an intruder," they apologized.

"Dinnae worry, please. It was me fault I was all covered. The sun is too strong today, and the heat is unbearable. I'm looking for Isla; have ye seen her?" Alana lied calmly, and the maids raised their eyes filled with thankfulness.

"Aye, milady. She is in the kitchen the whole day helping the cook with the supper. Thank ye for yer kindness, and we apologize for our behavior. It won't happen again," the girls said shyly before moving on with their tasks.

After they left, the fatigue her body had been ignoring for hours finally caught up with her. Her legs stiffened briefly before she could will herself up the stairs. Alana was aware that she would not be completely safe until she was inside her chambers.

Walking to her room, she remembered the man from the brook—his interest and voice. For a giant, he was a gentle one. Alana opened the doors and slipped inside quickly, walking a few more steps before collapsing onto her bed. Every joint and muscle in her body hurt from almost running from the brook to the castle. But this whole weird day was finally over, and she could rest a bit before heading to the big hall for supper.

A gentle knock startled her before she heard Isla's name from behind the door.

She sighed withrelief. Isla entered, and her expressive eyes were filled with concern the moment she set her gaze on her mistress.

"Ye spent quite some time at the brook, milady. Did ye run intae trouble?" she asked, seeing her laying on the bed with her arms spread out wide in surrender to her body pains.

Alana, buried in her thoughts, did not respond immediately. Her biggest trouble at the moment was her body. Thinking back to her time at the brook, the thing that bothered her the most had been her own reactions to the man. It had been so difficult for her to remain angry at him. His gentle face had calmed her, and she was sure she was not the only lass allured by his charm. She cursed under her breath.

Mayhas I should nae have looked at his devil face so much , she told herself.

The sound of Isla clearing her throat snapped Alana out of her own head.

"I am sorry tae inform ye now, milady, but the Laird MacAdam wishes yer presence in his study," she said, which made Alana sat up from her bed immediately with worry colored on her face.

Does he ken that I snuck out? she panicked, thinking about the consequences for both her and Isla.

"He does nae ken, milady. Dinnae worry," Isla quickly assured her, reading the fear on her face. "He asked that I summoned ye from yer chamber, clueless of our plans."

Alana slid out of her bed relieved and came to the mirror. Her hair was as messy as her dress.

"I cannae see him like this. Will ye comb me hair?" Alana asked, frantically patting her hair with her hands.

"I shall help ye," Isla responded with a smile.

Alana sat in front of the mirror, wondering why Lachlan wanted to see her. Usually, they were together during the supper, and after that, each continued on with their own entertainments. Alana usually read a book, and Lachlan went in the villages and enjoyed the lasses' company. She did not want to meet him, but she knew she had no other choice. Disobeying him meant more trouble, and she'd had enough for the day.

Isla combed her rough hair into straight threads before she helped dust her dress. Alana got up from the chair, and the reflection that stared back at her was convincingly tidy-looking. Hopeful of an oddly peaceful encounter with her husband, she walked out of her chamber. Her footwear clattered loudly and grudgingly as she came down to the study that sat at the end of the corridor.

"Something happened at the brook today," Alana suddenly said to Isla, as earlier she was so afflicted by her own mind, she forgot to share about the mystery man. Her maid turned to her with eager eyes for the tale.

"A man came tae the brook while I was bathing in it," Alana started as her friend covered her mouth in shock.

"Did he see ye—"

"Nay, I think," Alana replied. She believed she had covered her breasts and arse from him in time. The sight of her body was definitely not something men other than her husband should look at.

"I am glad ye are safe, milady. He could have been a brigand or worse," Isla worried.

He didnae look like a brigand. Standing by the stairs, she wondered what kind of occupation the man with the green eyes would have. Nothing about his dressing had given her a hint. He had showed up and vanished just as quickly.

"Ye were nae seen, so it would be yer words against his if he finds you or even worse if he decides tae speak o' the incident," Isla said, giving Alana the content of her mind quickly.

"Aye. But I dinnae think he will. He seemed a decent man if we exclude the situation we were caught up in," Alana agreed. However, a little part of her wondered what would happen if he really tried to find her.

They arrived at the stair landing that led into the corridor where Lachlan's study lay waiting.

"What did he look like? Was he a young lad or an old villager?" Isla asked, eager to know, but voices coming from within the room interrupted their conversation.

Alana could make out the voices of Lachlan and that of another man. Ewan? she thought but could not be certain. The voice of the guest, however, put her mind at ease as Lachlan did not show his cruel side in front of others. Her chest heaved and fell with relief, as her arm was still hurting from their encounter earlier today.

She knocked softly, waiting for Lachlan to invite her in. The men continued talking, ignoring her knocks. Alana knocked again before she heard Lachlan's irritable voice.

"Join us, Alana," Lachlan said from behind the door.

He seems in a very charming mood. His tone and voice made her wonder who the guest was. Whoever it was, it gave Alana little peace, but she calmed herself before she pushed the door open.

In the first year of their marriage, she had only entered Lachlan's study twice. The walls were lined with shelves containing books, weapons, and other items important to himand his heritage.

There was indeed a man seated next to Lachlan, but his back was turned to the door so she couldn't really see him. Alana looked beyond the man at her husband, worried that she might get into trouble for her eyes wandering around. The light that filtered in through the window indicated it was evening.

I stayed out too long this time, Alana scolded herself as she walked further into the room and stopped behind the visitor all the while feeling Isla's calming warmth behind her.

"Ah! She is here," Lachlan said to his guest. "I present tae ye me wife, Alana," he said with an odd, possessive smile on his face.

Lachlan's unfamiliar tone made Alana even more worried about the identity of the man who did not turn around. Her mind trailed as he finally turned his gaze toward her.

A soldier, a messenger, an ally in his lust for battle…

Many thoughts came to her head, but none fit. The man with the short blond hair looked up with a simple smile on his face that was gone immediately. His deep green eyes pierced Alana's gaze, and she went pale at the sight of him.

"This is the answer to yer question, Isla. This is how the man from the brooked looked," Alana managed to whisper to her maid before Lachlan got up with an unfamiliar smile and opened his arms. He walked away from the desk and put a hand around her shoulder, guiding her to his seat.

She felt her legs wobble beneath her, and they threatened to give up. But she struggled to stay on her feet, and looked to her husband's hand on her shoulder that was oddly passive and did not hurt her in any way. Usually, there was at least a squeeze.

"It is a pleasure tae finally meet ye," the man said with a knowing smile.

What are you doing here? Alana wanted to ask him so badly, but still, the man from the brook just smiled softly at her without introducing himself. His green eyes held no malice to her, and she thought that this maybe was just a huge coincidence. Maybe he didn't come to tell Lachlan her whereabouts.

Realizing how shamelessly she was staring at the mystery man, she slowly turned her head to Lachlan, but his eyes were not on her. They were transfixed on the man seated near her.

"This, Alana," Lachlan gestured, "is me brother, Kai. He has returned home after traveling for years."

Lachlan will kill me.