The Betrayal - By Ruth Langan Page 0,9
women in his world. And yet, for all her innocence, she seemed aware of him in a womanly way. He’d felt the heat whenever they touched, and sensed that she felt it, too. But though she did nothing to encourage him, neither did she discourage him. She was a strange one. He wished he had more time to stay and figure her out. But he had an obligation to his people. As much as he loved seeing her world, it was time to return to his.
He stepped out into the morning sunshine and breathed in the sweet, fresh air.
“Good morrow, my lord.” Wilona set aside her spoon and dried her hands on a square of linen. “How did you sleep?”
“Well enough.” In truth, he’d been beset by strange dreams, seeing the faces of family and friends, all turned against him.
“We will break our fast now,” Wilona announced, leading the way inside.
Grant shrugged aside his unsettling thoughts and followed her. At the table he sipped a goblet of mulled wine and nibbled eggs and scones slathered with fruit conserve.
“You seem distracted, my lord. Is the food not to your liking?”
He turned to Wilona. “Forgive me, my lady. My thoughts are on those I left behind.”
“Have you a wife, my lord? A family?”
Across the table, Kylia held her breath.
He shook his head. “There is only my brother, Dougal.”
Kylia felt a hand on hers, and looked over to see Gwenellen smiling. A matching smile stole over her own lips.
“There is also an elderly aunt, Hazlet.” Grant found himself staring at Kylia’s mouth. Even from this distance he could feel the warmth of that sweet smile. “She was sister to my father, and serves as mistress of my home.”
“Did your aunt never wed?”
“Nay. She lost her heart to a warrior, who was killed on the field of battle. She chose to live alone rather than love another.”
Nola felt her daughters’ glances and lowered her head. Though her husband Kenneth Drummond had been gone since she was ten and nine, she missed him still. Some would consider her life a lonely one. She felt no such loneliness, for she had her memories to comfort her. And much preferred them to a flesh-and-blood man who could never take the place of her Kenneth.
The silence was broken as Grant set aside his goblet. “You know the favor I seek. Which of you will be gracious enough to give me the name of my enemy?”
Wilona turned and fixed her middle granddaughter with a look. “It is Kylia’s gift to see the soul through a person’s eyes. If anyone can identify the one who betrays you, it is she.”
Grant pushed away from the table and dropped to his knees before Kylia, bowing his head. “You healed my wounds, my lady. Now I ask that you heal the wounds of my people by revealing the name of my enemy.”
Kylia was aware of the way her family was watching, but all she could see was this man, this mighty lord and warrior, bowing humbly before her to ask a favor. A favor that only she could grant.
She placed a hand on either side of his face and lifted it until she was looking into his eyes. She was jolted by the sadness revealed in their depths. Hadn’t she seen this man and his sorrow since she was but a child? She believed with all her heart that he had been fated to come here, just as she had been fated to be here awaiting his arrival in her kingdom.
“Your pain touches me deeply, Lord MacCallum. I promise to do my best to learn the name of the one who betrays you.”
He caught her hands in his and pressed a kiss to each palm. “I thank you, my lady. And I await your word.”
At the touch of his lips to her flesh, Kylia’s eyes widened and she was forced to absorb a rush of heat that left her shaken to her very core. She shook her head. “You misunderstand, my lord. I cannot simply look into your eyes and see all that you desire. There is but one way for me to recognize your enemy.”
“And how is that?”
“By looking into his eyes.”
It took him a moment to realize what she was saying. “You would willingly leave this paradise and accompany me to my home?”
“I know of no other way to discern your enemy, my lord.”
He seemed overwhelmed by her words. “You realize I must leave within the hour.”
She nodded. “I’ll make ready