Page 91 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
“What is the matter?”
“I dinnae speak to the guards, M’Lady,” Olivia said timidly.
Emily smiled, opening the library door and heading out into the corridor. “Come, let us find one together.”
They made their way down the passages, Emily experiencing a strange nostalgia as she headed for the courtyard. She had spent a short amount of time within the castle walls, but she felt incredibly attached to them.
Adam seemed to be threaded through everything here: his orders, his beliefs, his desires. The castle was a part of him, and she was dismayed to find that she cared for it just as much.
I feel safe inside his home.
“It looks like another storm is comin’,” Olivia muttered as they passed some large windows and headed toward the main gatehouse.
Emily glanced up at the sky, and sure enough, huge black clouds wererolling in from the south. The sun was still attempting to push through, but the dawn light was faint and losing some of its glow.
They emerged from the stillness of the corridor and into the bustle of the gatehouse. There were guards everywhere, changing from the night shift into the day. Emily could see why Olivia felt intimidated by them; they were huge men clad in armor and covered in weapons.
However, as they emerged, one of them saw her and approached her immediately, bowing low.
“Is there anyone available to accompany Olivia on an errand? This letter needs to be taken to Wilkinson Castle, but it is likely ye will be followed.”
The guard signaled behind him, and a younger man approached. He gave him his instructions, and Olivia was bundled off toward the stables, looking worried and blushing furiously in the company of the guard.
“Be careful and keep an eye out for Laird Orkney’s men at all times,” Emily said firmly. “Give me faither or braither me name, and they’ll look after ye when ye arrive.”
Olivia nodded and pushed the letter into her pocket as though it was a prized jewel.
Emily thanked the guard and walked to the steps, looking down at the many bodies moving about. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Adam to her left. He and Doughall were directing their men about the castle’s walls.
Emily watched Adam’s huge chest bunch and flex as he pointed out where the guards should be stationed. Doughall was all business now, both men stern and quiet as they worked.
Adam turned, and Emily sucked in a breath as she watched his expression soften the moment he saw her. He approached her, glancing around with some concern and frowning at her.
“Ye should stay inside. It’s safer,” he insisted, his eyes darting everywhere.
“Is that an order?”
His eyes darkened instantly, and frustration and desire flickered across his face as he looked down at her.
“It is arequest.Is that better?” He glanced at Doughall as the other man called his name. “Please go inside, Emily.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the plea in his eyes or the way he said her name that made her obey, but she did it all the same.
He returned to Doughall, and the two men bowed their heads together, no doubt deciding on the best strategy to defeat Stewart if he did arrive. She shook her head. There was no way anyone could get through this many men undetected.
Longing for some solitude, she thought of enquiring whether Freya was awake and asking her to meet her in the library, but then an image of the beige corridor in the top part of the castle flashed through her mind.
That tapestry-lined, silent world appealed to her in this moment of chaos, and she set off toward it.
As she climbed the final few steps to the archway leading to the corridor, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She could understand why Theo came here to rest and read. The tapestries were colorful and beautifully made, lining every wall with their stories, and she strolled along, looking up at the knights and dragons twisting across them.
She was about halfway down the corridor when she heard the handle of the secret door twist. She smiled as it opened, expecting Theo to enter.
The tapestry in front of the door flapped open, and a figure appeared, just as she had expected.
She froze, her heart stuttering, her breath stalling in her lungs asheentered the room, his eyes landing on her as the door slammed shut.
