Page 35 of A Forbidden Night with a Scot
The morning seemed to be at odds with the mood around the table, the sun shining brightly through the windows; a favorable weather for the trip they were about to take. Gavin, too, seemed unaware of the tension once again, or at least he completely ignored it, not saying a single word on the matter.
What he said instead was, “I think it would be best if we followed ye tae Castle MacLachlan, Samuel. It’s on our way, so we can rest there fer a few days an’ then continue on tae Castle MacTavish.”
Samuel choked on the bite of egg he was chewing, a piece lodging itself in his throat. Next to him, Nerian scooted closer and slapped him hard on the back until Samuel could breathe again, taking a tentative sip from his cup.
He wasn’t the only one shocked by Gavin’s suggestion. Across from him, Alicia’s face had turned a deep red, and even Katherine seemed concerned by the prospect of her sister spending even more time with Samuel.
He didn’t dare look at Nerian. Instead, Samuel looked resolutely ahead, trying to give Gavin a nonchalant shrug. “I’m sure the lasses need more time tae prepare.”
“Och aye!” said Alicia, immediately latching onto the excuse. “We dinnae have time tae pack all our belongings, Faither. I’m sure Samuel an’ Nerian are in a rush tae return.”
“The servants can pack everythin’ fer ye,” Gavin said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It will only take them half an hour or so. What is it that ye need other than clothes?”
Samuel glanced at Alicia, and he could almost see the cogs turning in her mind as she tried to come up with something to say, anything that would delay their departure. In the end, though, she only remained silent, gaze falling onto the full plate in front of her.
She hadn’t touched any of her breakfast. All she had done all morning was push the food around, bringing none of it to her lips.
Samuel couldn’t blame her, though. He hardly had an appetite himself.
“It is decided,” said Gavin, in that tone of his that left no room for argument. “Besides, if there is trouble at the borders, Samuel, I wish tae help if I can. We will visit yer home fer a few days an’ then we’ll be on our way.”
Samuel couldn’t refuse without seeming suspicious or downright inhospitable. Gavin was a good friend, after all, and Samuel had spent plenty of time in his home.
“Alright,” he said. “We will delay our departure until everyone is ready.”
Pleased, Gavin tucked back into his food, but no one else around the table seemed to have any more appetite. Samuel was just glad the breakfast was soon over and he and Nerian could busy themselves with the preparations for their travel, gathering their belongings and saddling their horses for the long ride. By the time they were ready, Gavin had made sure that three more horses had been prepared, along with his belongings and those of his daughters, and the five of them soon left Castle MacLachlan, taking the path leading down the hill.
It was going to be a long day. Samuel was already dreading it, but thankfully, Nerian quickly engaged Gavin in a lively conversation, and so Samuel himself only had to speak every now and then, offering an opinion or a grunt of agreement to the two men. Otherwise, he was free to ride at the front, leading their group so that he wouldn’t have to talk to Alicia or even acknowledge her existence, and he was glad to find that she had no intention of speaking to him, either.
At the same time, the disappointment of being ignored so completely was difficult to swallow, even if it was for the best.
Despite the nice weather near Castle MacLachlan, the farther they got from it, the more the sky began to change, its bright blue turning into steel grey as a nearby storm approached them. They were not even halfway to the castle before the sky had darkened so much that Samuel brought his horse to a halt, the others stopping behind him, concerned by the sudden change. The airaround them was thick with moisture, heavy and oppressive, and the rain would soon start to fall.
“There is a town nearby,” said Gavin, likely having the same thought as Samuel. “We can find shelter there until the storm passes.”
Samuel nodded and let Gavin lead the group this time, and the rest of the short ride passed in silence as they all rushed to make it to the town. The first drops of rain had started to fall just as they made it to the inn, and Samuel was glad to see it was a large structure, one that could hopefully house them all for the night.
Once he stepped inside, the place looked a little smaller, more intimate than it had first appeared to him. The ground floor held a large fire and several tables for the patrons, many of them filled, and an older woman stood behind a counter, cleaning cup after cup with a rag.
It was a lively place, nothing like the tavern he had visited when he had first arrived in MacCallum lands. A safe place, or at least safe enough for Alicia and Katherine to be there, even without him, Nerian, or Gavin keeping an eye on them at all times.
As Gavin secured rooms for them for the night, Samuel followed the others to a large, round table near the fireplace. Alicia and Katherine took the seats closest to the flames, shivering with the cold that had seeped into their bones from the trip, and still holding onto their wool cloaks even as they sat.
“If ye were cold, ye should have said somethin’,” said Samuel. It was the first thing he had told them that day. “We could have given ye another cloak.”
“We’re fine,” Alicia said a little too quickly. Samuel was certain everyone around the table was holding onto the same secret, all of them stuck in the same limbo, trying to conceal the truth from each other—and most importantly, from Gavin.
Samuel was about to speak, to insist that they had to keep warm as they travelled, but then Gavin came to join them, sitting between his daughters, and he fell silent once more.
He could hardly take this, this fear of Gavin finding out the truth. Every passing moment was torture, and Samuel cursed the moment he decided to let the three MacCallums go with him. He should have found an excuse. He should have said something to prevent this.
“They have four rooms,” Gavin said. “We are lucky tae come when we did, before anyone else took them.”
Though he nodded, Samuel wouldn’t call himself lucky.
The trip had been uncomfortable so far, just as Alicia had expected, and it only got worse now that they had to spend the rest of the day and the night in that inn. The only thing that gave her some comfort was the knowledge that she andKatherine would have their own room, where Alicia could retreat, hopefully sooner rather than later.
She could always claim to have a headache or to be tired from the trip, she thought. Surely, her father would let her rest.
