Page 20 of Hollow Court
At least telling the twins should be easy after this. I hadn’t quite gotten around to mentioning that Galina would be accompanying us all the way to Lochlann while we were in the carriage today.
“More importantly,” I went on, “we need this to be kept silent.”
“For her safety?” Scottie asked with a note of incredulity.
“And ours,” I told him.
He opened his mouth to argue, but James cut in.
“We just want to make sure yer no’ in danger, mi’laird,” he said, his tone cautious. “But, of course, we trust you. It’s just our responsibility to get ye home safely.”
“I appreciate that, and I don’t anticipate any of us being in any added danger as long as we keep this to ourselves,” I explained, my eyes darting from James back to Scottie.
The latter stood tall, rubbing a hand over his cropped blond hair, his expression still guarded. Between the time we had spent together training at the castle, and his on again off again dalliances with Gwyn, he was more familiar than the others.
He also seemed to have influence over the rest. So, I needed his support. Finally, he raised his hands in surrender.
“Listen, James is right. That’s all this is,” he said by way of explanation. “We just want to make sure we all know what we’re getting into when we get back home. We’re your men, My Laird. Of course, we’ll do as you ask.”
He said that last part with a hard look at Arran, who nodded tersely.
Though the situation was stressful enough without the clear lack of support from my men, it was also understandable. They knew the risks of upsetting the Socairans just as well as I did, and it was only fair that they would be worried, too.
After we finished up at the stables and I once again ensured their word to remain silent, we moved inside the inn where I bought them dinner and a pint of ale.
While it was mostly a gesture of goodwill to spend time with them, there was a small, decidedly unreasonable, part of me that might have lingered longer than usual just to avoid the Lochlannian inquisition that was waiting for me upstairs.
Eventually, I ran out of ways to procrastinate, and there was nothing for me to do but face it. After ordering dinners for the rest of us, I finally headed upstairs to our room.
Gal and Gwyn were waiting for me, of course, the former seated at a square table with his arms crossed and his expression expectant. It was a rather spectacular impersonation of his father, really.
“Galina is in the bath.” Gwyn gestured toward the cracked door of our adjoining rooms.
She was lounging on one of the narrow beds, her legs crossed at the ankle as she snacked on some crusty bread and hard cheese that Rowan had sent with us.
“All right, then,” I sighed, taking a seat on the other bed. “Let’s get on with it.”
I explained as succinctly as possible, leaving out only the life debt, which I had less than no desire to get into.
They held each other’s gazes for several long seconds, a silent conversation passing between them before Gal finally spoke up first.
“You kept this from Row?” he asked, bringing up a hand to run over the stubble on his jaw.
His question stabbed at the guilt already festering inside me.
“Yes,” I said slowly. “Because she couldn’t have kept it from her very cantankerous husband, who most certainly would have stopped us.”
Gal nodded, conceding my point, and his sister broke in.
“So, wait. You’re…bringing her to Lochlann with us?” Her eyes were wide as saucers, her half-eaten cheese wheel forgotten in her shock.
“Why else did you think she was in the carriage for so long?”
She sat up on the bed, then. “I don’t know. Some last Socairan hurrah before we reached the border?”
I bit back a snort. Seeing as Galina fled so quickly after our firsthurrah, I doubted seriously she was desirous of a last one.
“Decidedly not,” I answered her.