Page 33 of Ruining a Highland Healer
"Well, I dinnae agree tae Laird Keith’s terms," said Torrin, standing from his desk and effectively putting an end to the conversation. "I told his men after the auction that his attack was as good as a declaration o’ war an’ I meant it. I have heard yer offer, I have nay desire tae consider it, so I dinnae think there is any reason fer ye tae linger."
The men took it as the dismissal it was. With one final nod, they began to shuffle out of the room one by one and Torrin watched them, waiting for all of them to leave before he turned to Noah.
"Make sure they leave," he said, though he was certain all his guards would be keeping a close eye on them. None of them would linger under his men’s watch. "An’ make sure ye send scouts after them. We should ken when they’ve left our lands. If they stay any more than necessary, we must take care o’ it any way we can."
"Even war?" asked Noah, skeptical. He had every right to be; though up until then, there had been plenty of conflicts between Torrin and Laird Keith, their clans clashing repeatedly throughout the years, there hadn’t yet been a war the kind of which would be devastating on both sides. Was Torrin prepared for such a possibility? Certainly, if Valora agreed to marry him, his power would grow overnight, but he couldn’t rely on that, nor could he believe that just because he would have the MacNeacails on his side, his clan would escape unscathed. In situations like this, in times of war, it was always the common folk who paid the most, their houses and farms destroyed, their livelihoods gone. What would he do if there was a famine? What would he do if the devastation was much more than the clan could bear?
But what other choice dae I have? If I dinnae show Laird Keith I’m serious, when will this stop? How will it stop?
As much as he despised the thought, war might be his only option. And sometimes, it was better to be the one who started it.
He looked up at Noah, his eyes hard and his expression stony as he said, "Aye. Even war."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Pacing up and down the length of Torrin’s chambers was far from productive, but it was the only thing Valora could do to release some of that nervous energy she carried upon her shoulders. Laird Keith’s men appearing in the castle all of a sudden had left her shaken, reminding her of the night at the ball when they had tried to take her away despite the deal her father had made with Torrin.
Would they try something like this now, too, she wondered? Was that why Torrin had forced her to stay in the chambers, guarded by two men and telling her that she shouldn’t open the door for anyone but him and Daisy?
Perhaps he, too, feared what she feared. But she couldn’t see how anyone could possibly come to the castle and snatch her, especially from the keep. No place in the castle was as protected. There were eyes everywhere—guards, maids, servants, people walking about at all times of the day and night, keeping watch.
I mustnae be afeared. That is what Laird Keith wants.
Valora had to keep her head held high and her heart brave. Any sign of weakness from her would reflect on Torrin, too, and it could also affect her sister—two things she did not want. If she had to grit her teeth and suffer this, then so she would.
When the knock on the door came, Valora’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that the men outside wouldn’t let just anyone into the room, and so she tentatively walked over to the door, calling to the other side.
"Who is it?"
"It’s Daisy," her familiar voice called from the corridor. "May I come in?"
Valora opened the door with a sigh of relief, letting Daisy inside. In her hands, she was holding a tray piled high with food, as though they were meant to have a small feast for two.
"What is all this?" Valora asked as Daisy placed the tray down on the table sitting underneath the window at the far end of the room.
"I didnae ken what ye like the most, so I told the cooks tae prepare somethin’," said Daisy with a small shrug. "A wee bit o’ everythin’."
Valora wouldn’t call this a wee bit—she had a different idea, it seemed, from what a wee bit was, and she was just beginning to wonder if perhaps her father had simply been stingy withtheir food. On the spread, there were bannocks, different types of cheese, meats, and fruit, all of it arranged beautifully over the silver tray. Valora didn’t even know where to begin, and so she picked a bit of cheese, munching on it and hoping her appetite would return now that there was food in front of her.
She couldn’t help it, though; her stomach had tied itself into knots, making every bit excruciating. She hadn’t heard anything from Torrin, and that scared her. Could it be that something had happened to him?
But nay, how could it be? We’re in his home. Naethin’ can happen tae him here.
She had to have faith, both in him and in his men. She had to believe that in the end, everything would be just fine.
"Come, Valora," Daisy told her, gesturing to the table with its two low chairs. She occupied one of them, sitting gingerly on it as she picked at the food on the tray, eating a little bit of everything. "Sit."
A little reluctantly, Valora made her way to the table and sat across from Daisy, grabbing a small piece of an apple from the tray. She nibbled absentmindedly on it, trying to force herself to have a proper conversation with Daisy.
"Did ye hear what happened?" Valora asked, unable to stop herself. For all she didn’t want to worry her new friend, she ended up talking about the one topic that was certain to worry her.
"About Laird Keith’s men?" Daisy asked. "Aye. The entire castle did."
"I feel…"
Valora supposed that the closest thing to what she felt was guilt—guilt over the fact that the entire clan was in danger because of her, guilt over the fact that she was taking her sweet time giving Torrin a response when it could be the one thing that would save them, guilt over the fact that she had come into his life at all.
"Ye can tell me," Daisy urged her with a small smile. "I came here tae listen."
