Page 44 of Ruining a Highland Healer
There was a moment of silence that Torrin didn’t know if he should interpret as hesitation or as Noah having left. In the end, though, his voice reached him through the door once more. "There’s trouble around the borderlands," he said.
He didn’t give any more information, as he would have if Valora wasn’t there, though Torrin didn’t know whether that was because he didn’t trust her for some reason or because whatever trouble there had been was simply too brutal to be mentioned in her presence.
"I’ll be right there," Torrin said and proceeded to quickly get ready for the day.
"Miss MacNeacail’s belongings are here, as well," said Noah. "I will have the servants bring them here."
"Thank ye, Noah," said Torrin as he took a look at his reflection in the looking-glass near the door. "I’ll meet ye in me study."
Torrin heard the characteristic sound of footsteps receding as Noah made his way down the hall. He had half a mind to leave as he was, in rumpled clothes and with his hair disheveled, since no one but the guards and the servants would see him on his way to the study, but in the end, he decided against it. For all he knew, if it was as serious as it seemed, then the situation would demand a lot more out of him—a meeting with his council, perhaps, or a swift departure for the borderlands. Either way, it was better to be prepared. Stepping behind the screen opposite the bed, Torrin began to dress in fresh clothes. As he walked past the screen, he found Valora with her back turned to him, as thoughthe mere thought of him changing only a few feet away was too embarrassing to handle.
"I… I willnae be long, I hope," he told her, and only then did she turn around to look at him. Even now, her cheeks were a bright red that didn’t seem to fade, and Torrin had the irrational thought it never would. "Or I might. I dinnae ken what the issue is."
"That’s alright," Valora assured him gently. "I’m sure Daisy will be more than happy tae keep me company."
"Ye two have become fast friends," Torrin said, and it was more of an observation rather than a question. He had seen the two of them interact at dinner and outside, in the gardens, and they seemed to have gotten very close in the few days Valora had spent in the castle.
"Och aye," said Valora. "She’s been lovely tae me."
"I’m glad," said Torrin, and he meant it. After everything Valora had been through, she deserved to have a good friend, and he couldn’t think of anyone better suited to the task than Daisy. "Well, I shall go an’ see what Noah wants."
God, this is embarrassing.
With that, Torrin left the room after receiving a nod from Valora. As he left, he couldn’t take his mind off the kiss they had not shared that morning, but it seemed too late to go back now.
Instead, he went to his study, where Noah was already waiting for him with a cup of wine in his hand. On the desk stood another cup, one that Noah had poured for him, and as Torrin took his seat behind it, he reached for it and drained half its contents in one go.
"What news dae ye bring?" Torrin asked.
"Soldiers were found dead around the borders," said Noah, his voice strained with anger. "Half a dozen o’ them."
Torrin couldn’t help but release a long-suffering sigh, one that seemed to drain all the air out of him. He shook his head, the familiar grief of losing his people quickly creeping in.
"Keith men?" Torrin asked.
"We dinnae ken," said Noah. "But I would suspect it is Keith men, aye."
O’ course it is Keith men. Who else would it be?
"First, they kill our scouts an’ now our guards," said Torrin bitterly, shaking his head. "Well, if it is war that Alban Keith wants, war is what he shall have."
"Torrin… we should wait," cautioned Noah. "We should wait fer yer weddin’ with Miss MacNeacail, an’ then, once we have the forces?—"
"I dinnae ken if we have the time tae wait," Torrin said. "If Keith attacks, then we will have nay choice but tae defend ourselves."
"But if he daesnae, we shouldnae be the ones tae start the war."
"Aye," said Torrin. "But he will. Ye ken he will."
Noah said nothing, because it was true; they both knew Laird Keith would be the one to start the war, and soon. Nothing they could do or say would stop that.
"Prepare fer travel," Torrin told Noah as he stood and made his way to the door. "We leave fer the borderlands in an hour."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Valora was still in Torrin’s chambers—or what she had come to think of astheirchambers—when the servants came in with her belongings; two large chests, along with three small bags, which they deposited by the far wall of the room before excusing themselves.
For a moment, she glanced at her belongings with apprehension, as though she feared someone would jump out of them. She expected tricks from her father, though she couldn’t possibly imagine what kind of trick he could have possibly come up with this time.
