Page 19 of Love Beyond Words
“Is that so, lass? Ye look like quite the proper lady.”
I shot Marcus a frown. I was low-maintenance to be sure. I didn’t fuss with fashionable clothes, and I never paid more than twenty dollars for a tube of mascara, but I’d never considered myself unladylike. Perhaps, I did need to start trying just a little harder. I didn’t like the thought of anyone thinking of me as a manly slob.
“I…I am too ladylike.” My answer sounded ridiculously childish.
The redhead gave me a sympathetic look. “O’course ye are. Laurel, was it?”
I nodded.
“’Tis a bonny name.” He extended his hand to me, and I gladly took it. His grip was firm and his handshake was a little over exuberant, but it made me like him immediately. “I’m Harry.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Harry.” I pointed to Marcus once my hand was free. “This is my brother, Marcus.”
As expected, Harry’s brows lifted as his trademark smile spread across his face once again. He was looking at the obvious difference in our skin colors and not buying it for a second.
Harry extended his hand toward Marcus and spoke as they shook. “Yer brother? Are ye sure ye dinna mean to say friend or mayhap, lover?”
Marcus spoke and the lie sounded remarkably believable even to me. “Her parents took me in when I was young. I’m her brother in every way that matters.”
Understanding spread across Harry’s face, and I could see right away that Morna had been truthful. There was no malice in the man’s doubt, only curiosity. “Neither of ye are from here, aye? Not that I rightly care, to be sure. ’Tis only that I’ve never heard such speech in my life. I’ve already told ye Calder’s name. He’s a shy one. Ye willna get much out of him. Now.” He clasped his palms together and rubbed them back and forth excitedly. “Calder and I are expected in the village shortly. ’Tis time we decide what to do with ye.”
“What to do with us? Are you not going to let us speak to Laird Allen?”
“Laird Allen isna here. He hasna been in two and a half years. I doona expect he will be here for another fortnight, at least. While I doona believe for a moment that ye know him or that ye even have business with him, I like ye well enough that I’m willing to host ye until he returns. I’m verra curious to see how he responds to ye.”
For the first time, Calder spoke up, his tone filled with warning.
“She’s a lassie, Harry. She canna stay in the castle. ’Tis not allowed.”
Harry waved a dismissive hand.
“Calder, ’tis a foolish superstition—one we should’ve tested long ago. She tries to control us through fear. ’Tis likely that much of what she says is untrue. I hardly believe that having one lass inside these walls will cause us trouble.”
“Let us at least have them stay in the village, Harry. ’Twill be safer for everyone.”
Harry gestured toward the stable doors with a small nod of his head. Together, we all began to move toward the exit.
“Ach, doona be such a worrier, Calder. ’Twill send ye to an early grave. ’Twill lift everyone’s spirits to have a lass about—even yers, I reckon.”
As Harry pushed the large doors open, we stepped out into the fresh air, and Marcus and I got our first look at The Castle of Eight Lairds. It was even more gothic and intimidating than it appeared in the documentary. Dark, dead vines creeped up the front, and the forest surrounding it dropped off steeply on each side.
Marcus muttered under his breath, “Wow.”
Harry clasped Marcus on the shoulder. “’Tis even more impressive in the daytime, aye?”
Marcus nodded as Calder stepped over near Harry. “I doona think this a good idea.”
Harry’s tone dropped and I noticed that his face—when he wasn’t smiling—made him appear very unfriendly.
“I doona care what ye think, Calder. See them settled inside while I ready our horses. Place Marcus in Timothy’s old room. Place Laurel in the castle’s finest bedchamber.”
“But that’s Raudrich’s room.”
Harry nodded. “Precisely. Raudrich has always had a soft place in his heart for the lassies. He willna have the heart to remove her once he arrives, and it will keep the rest of us from being unsettled. He can sleep elsewhere.”
Without another word, Harry turned to leave us. Desperate to see the inside of the castle, I all but chased after Calder as he walked inside.
Chapter 11
