Page 33 of The Fierce Highlander

He leaned over the table, a bit closer to her. “Are you afraid to let yourself love me, Leora?”

With a slight tilt of her head and a soft laugh, she said what her mum had advised, “Love controls us. We don’t control it. We couldn’t stop ourselves from falling in love if we wanted to.”

“So, if you did fall in love with me, you would not deny it to yourself or me?”

“One cannot deny love. I would embrace it, keep it close in my heart, and cherish my love for you every day, though—” She grinned. “It would take a miracle for that to happen.”

Noble scrunched his brow. “What was it you said to me once?” He turned a matching grin on her and not waiting for a response, said, “Miracles do happen.”

* * *

Leora was still thinkingabout what Noble had said to her as the day began to wane. She had not seen him since then, Finley having arrived in the Great Hall and the two men going off to talk. She had never wasted time thinking about love. What was the point? Marriages were arranged for women, and a woman only hoped the husband chosen for her would be suitable or at least tolerable. So, why concern herself with love? It would make no difference when it came to selecting a husband and only leave a woman longing for something she would never have.

She had to admit, though, that having seen Elsie and Cavell so much in love had her thinking about how nice it would be to have someone feel as if you are the most important person in the world to him, that life would be meaningless without each other.

Could she possibly ever feel that way about Noble? She did not dislike him and maybe she cared a bit for him since he protected her, though she had thoroughly enjoyed his kiss, but did that equate with love?

She shook her head for the umpteenth time since she had last seen her husband, her thoughts drifting to him far too often, and reminded herself that Sky came first. Once she was sure her sister was safe, she could tackle her own situation.

Not one to sit long, Leora had gotten herself busy with seeing to what needed to be done in the keep. She had learned that Chieftain Argus had failed to place someone in charge of the keep’s servants, so the staff had worked together to see to the running of the keep. From what Leora could tell, they had done a good job. They were already busy scrubbing, cleaning, and changing the bedlinens in the chieftain’s bedchamber. She was even more pleased that the servants were doing the same to the bedchamber the old chieftain’s wife once occupied.

What upset her the most was how thin the servants were, just like many of the people she and Noble had seen upon entering the village. She headed to the kitchen after checking on the pup. He continued to sleep, cuddled in the bed she had fashioned for him from a blanket and placed near the hearth in the Great Hall for warmth.

Leora could not help but smile, thinking how proud and pleased Sky would be that she was tending to the pup. She hoped with all her heart that whatever was happening to Sky that she had animals around her, for at least then she would know some comfort. She left the Great Hall and headed to the kitchen, entering a narrow passageway just beyond the Great Hall that connected the two but was barely lit. She heard voices as she got nearer to the end, and she stopped to listen.

“What if he feeds us now to win our trust, then leaves us to starve?” a young male voice asked.

“We can only pray that he will treat us well,” a female said.

“He is Gallowglass. They are vicious warriors,” the young male said.

“Then he will surely see that his clan is protected,” the female said. “Besides, what choice do we have? He is our new chieftain. Pray he will be a good one.”

Leora stomped her feet, so it sounded as if someone approached, and silence quickly followed. She entered the room with a pleasant smile.

“Welcome, mistress, welcome,” a woman, her long, gray hair drawn back in a braid, said. “I am Emma, the cook, and I speak for us all,” —she turned and looked at the others who nodded vigorously— “when I say we are most grateful and blessed to have Chieftain Noble ruling the clan and his lovely wife beside him. We are even more grateful that he has already kept his word to the clan and sees that we have food.” She pointed to several skinned animals on the tables waiting to be cooked. “Chieftain Noble has ordered that you and all in the clan get fed before he and his men do. But we all agree that the food will be shared by all, so that our chieftain and his warriors stay strong and can protect us.”

The others nodded their heads vigorously, worry showing in their wide eyes.

“That is very thoughtful of all of you but worry not, for my husband will supply you with more than enough food from now on,” Leora said, to encourage trust in her husband, for she knew Noble would not fail them. “I will leave you to prepare a much-needed feast.”

Emma’s hands twisted at her apron as she said, “It will not be as tasty as it should be since too many of us have been too weak to sufficiently forage in the woods for wild onion, nettle, and meld weed.”

“I will see about getting you help with that, Emma, and whatever you serve tonight, I am sure will be delicious.”

Tears filled Emma’s eyes and she bobbed her head. “You are most generous, mistress.”

“And every one of you,” —Leora looked from one to another— “are most courageous for surviving a cruel chieftain.”

They appeared stunned by her words and with her smile strong, she turned to leave, then thought of something. Servants were privy to much of what went on in the keep: visitors, conversations, even whispers that were not meant for their ears.

She turned back. “A quick question. Did anyone of you hear anything about the sister-in-law that Lord Slayer rescued from Dundren Abbey?”

They all exchanged quick glances, then lowered their heads.

Leora knew what that meant. Sky’s affliction had become known and that frightened her, for it could mean Sky wasn’t safe.

Leora said what she knew they all were thinking. “I was just wondering since I heard that she is possessed.”

---