Page 84 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
“Aye. I came to see how ye’re settling in.”
Fergus’s eyes flicked from Ciaran to Elinor, the smile lingering on his face. He studied her intently, the green in his eyes reminding her of glistening leaves in the sun.
He was young. Way too young.
“Ye must be Lady MacAdair.”
“Aye,” Elinor confirmed.
“I hear we have ye to thank for all of this.”
An amused smile crept onto her face. Who was this boy, and why was he speaking like a forty-year-old man?
“Elinor, this is Fergus, me man-at-arms.”
The revelation stunned her. She could barely stop her jaw from falling to the floor.
Fergus executed a deep bow. “A pleasure to make yer acquaintance, M’Lady.”
“Thisis yer man-at-arms?” Elinor asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.
“Ye’d be surprised at what he can do,” Ciaran drawled, the laughter in his voice indicating that he’d had to answer that question a thousand times before.
Elinor shook off the initial shock and collected herself. “Thank ye, Fergus. How are ye settling in, so far? I hope there hasnae been a problem?”
“Nae particularly, nay,” Fergus replied. “This is a soldier town, so there was nay altercation. Please, follow me.” He beckoned to her.
Elinor shot Ciaran a questioning look, and he nodded in response, almost like he could read her thoughts.
“Come,” he eventually said and led the way behind Fergus.
Elinor gave the horses and the tree stump one last look before stepping onto the path.
“When ye said this place is a soldier town,” she started, walking steadily behind the two men, “what did ye mean?”
“Ye see most of the houses here?” Fergus asked, gesturing around them.
Elinor had seen the houses on her way in, but when he pointed at them, she had to look at them.Reallylook at them. Nothing stood out about them. They looked plain and slightly shabby. A part of her wondered if they would need to rebuild most of them.
“Aside from looking like they were hurriedly built, they havenae been lived in for years. Yer late husband, M’Lady, was quite…”
A pause ensued, pregnant with the scent of wet soil.
“A right bastard.”
“A difficult man.”
They had both spoken simultaneously, and she heard Ciaran let out a low chuckle.
“He was constantly waging war against the neighboring clans. So over time, the settlers in this village died, and those who stayed alive packed up their things and left to settle in another distant village. Ultimately, only soldiers going into battle sometimes stopped by the village to take a breather before continuing their journey.”
Soldier town.
It all made sense now.
As Fergus droned on in the background, Ciaran turned to her and held out his hands. There was a hint of worry on his face. A most recent development, she was certain.
Her brow creased in surprise. “Ciaran?”
