Page 15 of Saved By the Highland Beast
Order in the chaos is what she called it. She knew exactly where everything was, even if nobody else ever did. There was a method to her madness.
The laird finally spoke again as he took his seat, shifting the mug a few inches to the left. “I would like ye to give Cillian his lessons without goin’ against me wishes,” he said calmly but sternly, conveying the message that he was not to be challenged.
“I understand, my laird,” Sophia said coolly. “I’ll do my best to gain his trust by other means, without going against your wishes.” Her voice was calm, without a hint of sarcasm. The battle lines had unknowingly been drawn between them in the sand.
He nodded a response and let out a breath as she stood from her chair.
“Please enjoy the rest of your breakfast, my laird.” She turned and left the room, making her way down the hall and back up the stairs to the study.
There are many ways I can come up with a plan for Cillian without going against your wishes… my laird.
There were many things her mother had taught her in life, but one of those things was that men didn’t always know best.
CHAPTER6
Sophia huggedher arms tightly around her waist as she watched Cillian from afar. The weather was getting colder, and she had yet to receive any new clothes. The letters to her mother had been few and far between, as they’d both decided it was best to go without contacting each other for a while, in case her stalker was watching the house. She still wore the same, thin tutor clothes that she’d worn since she’d arrived a few weeks prior.
The laird had given her a stack of clothes with the promise of more as soon as the weather got colder. He could be rough at times, but he was kind and attentive to all of her needs.
She’d yet to convince Cillian to take one of her lessons, but she was patient and kind while she waited for him to come around. Part of the reason she was out in the cold at present was that she wanted a word with Anthony and possibly even Hamish. She hadn’t spent much time with them, as the laird had instructed, but she knew them to be kind men who would surely help.
The boy was wrapped in a warm coat beneath a giant alder tree that bordered the section of ground Anthony used to train the men. He was reading a book about swords, occasionally looking up whenever one of the men yelled some profanity.
“Keep yer head up, lad!” Anthony yelled at one of the youngsters as he swung his sword past his mop of bright red curls. “Yer enemy will chop off yer ear or worse if ye keep looking at yer boots!”
The young lad panted as he tried his best to parry at his teacher, swinging and missing as Anthony stepped gracefully to the side. Anthony in turn swung his sword in a perfect circle, just as he’d done on the night the laird had come to her aid.
“Yer letting yer opponent tire ye out, lad. Ye need to take a step back and watch yer enemies’ every move.” Anthony stepped to the side to illustrate his point. “If ye keep an eye on yer enemy’s movements, ye will be able to see yer chance.” He continued walking to the side, sidling in a perfect circle around the lad.
The boy, who couldn’t have been more than seventeen, picked up his sword again and kept it ready at his side as he locked eyes with Anthony and mimicked his movements, keeping a safe distance between them until Anthony began to swing his sword. He nearly stumbled a few times as he tried his best to copy the steps, but he soon got the hang of it. The boy lunged forward suddenly, with his blade held high.
Anthony quickly corrected his mistake and stopped the blade inches away from his face with a deafening clank of metal. “That’s it!” He laughed approvingly as the boy backed off. “Ye got the hang of it.” He sheathed his sword and strode forward to shake the lad’s hand. “If ye keep that kind of wit about ye, ye’ll be ready for battle ‘afore ye ken. Great work, soldier.”
“Thank ye kindly, Anthony.” The freckle-faced boy smiled, shaking the hand that was offered to him. “I would nae be where I am today if it was nae for ye.”
“Get on home ‘afore yer maither has me hide,” Anthony grunted bashfully before sending the boy on his way.
Sophia noticed how shy he was when the lad praised him. He was a humble man who appreciated it when his skill was recognized, even by someone who wasn’t as skilled as he was. She appreciated that kind of quality in a man.
“Good mornin’,” he greeted happily when he looked up to see Sophia watching him.
She came forward with her arms wrapped around her waist. “Good morning. I see you’re at it bright and early this morning again. You seem to have quite a fan with that young man.”
He lifted the corner of his mouth into a smile as he looked at the ground and kicked a small stone with his iron-tipped boot. “Jamie is a good lad. He’ll make quite the swordsman when he’s older.”
“I can see that.” She smiled back. “You are quite the teacher.”
“Och.” He waved the idea away as a slight blush spread across his cheeks. He kept his face cleanly shaved, unlike most of the men at the castle, giving him the appearance of a baby-faced youth. Sophia preferred the ruggedly handsome look of the laird’s trimmed beard.
“Don’t you think so, Cillian?” She turned to Cillian, flashing him the brightest smile she could manage. “You should have just as much knowledge as Anthony does by now from all of those books you read.”
Cillian rolled his eyes and pushed himself up off the ground before leaving without so much as a second glance in her direction.
“Still nae luck with the lad?”
“I’m afraid not.” She shivered slightly as the wind picked up. “I’ve been trying my best to break through to him, but he doesn’t seem to want to budge.”
“Give him time. The lad never kent his maither. His faither does the best that he can, but there’s a gap between the two of them that cannae be breached.” Anthony paused and squinted at the castle. “Nae by any of us in any case.”
