Page 40 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
Kara gave her a knowing smile. “Or the thought of the person who will go with ye?”
Erica blushed, glancing down at her feet. “It’s only that… Lily deserves more of Hunter’s attention,” she replied, though she knew it wasn’t at all the truth.
“Och, aye. Miss Lily,” Kara muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Erica to hear.
In truth, Erica was excited about the picnic and the chance to see Hunter again. She wanted to ask him about the note he left her. She wanted to be around him again.
The memory of his touch and the warmth of his hand lingered in her mind, and she felt that tugging sensation behind her navel that she couldn’t ignore. With each step that she took, she thought of Hunter.
11
Hunter leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to Calvin’s report on the latest patrols. Their discussion had been routine at first, but lately, odd reports kept trickling in, each one as strange as the last.
“I still dinnae like the pattern of these disturbances,” Calvin muttered, his expression dark. “It’s unsettlin’. It’s one thing for our men to find a few trampled bushes or the occasional footprint near the castle, but it’s happenin’ too often, and too close.”
Hunter sighed, drumming his fingers on the armrest, his mind a million miles away. “Ye think it’s more than just animals then?” he asked almost mechanically because he wasn’t convinced that these reports were significant.
It had always been Calvin who worried more—it was his job to do so.
Calvin gave a slight shrug, his gaze drifting to the fire crackling in the hearth. “Could be,” he replied. “But it’s hard to say. There’s been nothin’ definite, just… unusual incidents. Like the first one last week.”
Hunter nodded, recalling the report. “In the gardens, was it nae? Some scattered herbs, a few small tracks?”
“Aye,” Calvin confirmed. “At first, it seemed minor. One of the gardeners swore he saw somethin’ skulkin’ about, but when our men searched, all they found were broken branches and some tufts of fur. Looked like a wild animal to them.”
“Then there was the night watchman’s report from the eastern border,” Hunter added, a note of skepticism in his voice. “Said he saw somethin’ movin’ in the shadows. But by the time he got close, whatever it was had disappeared.”
Calvin scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Exactly. But there’s somethin’ else too. Just yesterday, one of the lads near the river reported seein’ movement at dusk. He followed it—thought he’d catch whoever it was. But he came back empty-handed, sayin’ he just found a few rabbit tracks.”
Hunter scoffed, a hint of annoyance creeping into his expression. “Rabbits. Tracks in the gardens, a few broken plants, shadows in the forest. For all we know, it’s just a wolf or two skulkin’ too close to the castle for their own good.”
“Could be,” Calvin relented, though his voice didn’t hold the same conviction. Hunter took note of his man-at-arms’ reactionas he continued. “Still, a wolf wouldnae normally come that close, even for food. They tend to steer clear of the castle grounds, ye ken?”
Hunter nodded, filing the thought away. He trusted Calvin’s instincts, and if the man was uneasy, then perhaps there was more to these disturbances than he wanted to believe. But without solid proof, it was hard to say.
“Keep the men alert, then. Add an extra patrol near the gardens if ye think it’ll help. Do what ye need to do.”
“Aye,” Calvin replied, tapping a finger on the map between them. “We’ll ken soon enough if it’s more than just animals.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. A guard entered, bowing slightly as he held out a letter that had been sealed with fine blue wax. “A message for ye, Me Laird,” he announced.
Hunter stood up and met him at the door, taking the letter with a sigh before glancing at Calvin. The guard closed the door behind him as Hunter cracked the seal and unfolded the letter. He scanned the contents, his eyes narrowing.
“It’s more congratulations,” he muttered, an edge of irritation to his voice. “The council, nay doubt. It’s nae signed, but this is their way of meddlin’.”
Calvin raised an eyebrow. “They dinnae often send messages directly to yer study.”
Hunter grunted, crumpling the letter in his fist. “Seems like they feel the need to remind me of me ‘new role’ as a married man yet again.” He tossed the letter in the waste bin, shaking his head. “As if I need a reminder that I’ve taken a wife and I have responsibilities.”
Calvin bent down and fished the letter from the bin, smoothing it out with a bemused look. “Cannae be too careful these days.”
Hunter gave him a skeptical look but said nothing as Calvin tucked the letter into his jacket, apparently intent on examining it further later. His man-at-arms had a knack for spotting things others overlooked—a quality Hunter valued, even if it occasionally tested his patience.
Leaning back, he tried to shake off the faint unease in his chest. He’d dealt with far more serious threats than a few scattered tracks and a letter from the council. But even so, Calvin’s words stuck with him.
If there is somethin’ more to these disturbances?—
Just as Hunter was about to dismiss the thought altogether, Lily’s laughter drifted up to the window. He couldn’t help but smile, feeling a new warmth spread through his body—something that he could only attribute to Erica’s presence in the castle. He walked over to the window to observe their morning activity, only to be struck with an odd sense of disappointment.
