cried. “They are just too polite to say it.”
She could not resist the urge to laugh. “Polite? Black Richard? Raibeart?” she shook her head. “I have never heard anyone accuse either of them of bein’ polite.”
He didn’t find her statement amusing and told her so.
Crouching down, she took him by his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. “Listen to me, Colyne. Ye did nothin’ wrong. No one hates ye. We all love and adore ye.”
He wiped his tears away with the palms of his hands. “But-”
“But nothin’,” she interrupted, refusing to listen to his argument. “Ye did nothin’ wrong, lad. Not a thing. Have I ever lied to ye?”
Scrunching his brow, he thought on it for a long moment. “Nay,” he admitted solemnly.
“Now, I will not have ye worryin’ over this any longer. Ye, lad, are loved beyond measure. This, I promise to ye. When ye are older, ye will be better able to understand all that has happened to ye. But for now, will ye please try to set yer worry aside?”
He smiled, not quite as bright and innocent as before, but at least he smiled. “Aye, Keevah, I promise.”
October had come and gone with quiet ease. The remnants of autumn with its vibrant shades of crimson, goldenrod, and burgundy now peeked through the dust of the first snow.
It had been more than a month since Keevah had last seen Lachlan, his promise to return home in a sennight not kept. Deep down, she knew she shouldn’t have expected him to be able to keep that promise, for he was far too busy still trying to bring the Chisolms to heel.
He had sent missives to Richard, updating him on the progress he was making, which, according to the bits and pieces Aeschene shared with her, was not much. ’Twas important business he was tending to and it sounded as though he was exceedingly busy and occupied.
Keevah hadn’t changed her mind about declining his marriage proposal. Nay, that was still out of the question. Still, she had hoped that once, just once, he might have inserted a small message, just for her. While she couldn’t have read that message to save her life, she would have relished knowing he was at least thinking of her. She certainly couldn’t get him out of her mind no matter how hard she tried.
Her days were spent being Aeschene’s eyes; helping her get from one place to another within the keep. Truly, she enjoyed the woman’s company, nay, her friendship and was glad for it.
Richard’s and Raibeart’s injuries from their ordeal with Randall Chisolm’s men had long ago healed. Colyne was making progress as well. Speaking to his brothers and gaining their reassurance that he was not to blame for what had happened with the Randall had done wonders for the boy’s spirit.
Still, he held on to the fear of stepping beyond the walls of their keep. No longer did he play with the other children. Instead, he kept inside. Each afternoon he spent with Marisse who now acted as his tutor. She marveled on more than one occasion on his progress. “He reads better than I,” she told Richard and Aeschene one chilly winter day. “And he is wicked with his cypherin’. I’ve never seen the like before.”
No one was more proud than Richard. While he was still greatly concerned over Colyne’s refusal to play with the other children or to go more than a few feet beyond the doors of the keep, he was mightily proud of the lad’s intelligence.
Richard waited until Marisse had left for the day before pulling Colyne into his private study.
“Am I in trouble?” Colyne asked sheepishly.
“Nay,” Richard replied with a fond smile.
“Ye usually only bring me here when I have done somethin’ wrong,” Colyne politely reminded him.
“I believe yer mischief-filled days are long gone, are they nae?”
Colyne nodded as he glanced about the room nervously.
“I brought ye here to tell ye how verra proud I am of ye,” Richard began as he leaned back in his chair. “Of all the MacCullough men, out of all my brothers, ye seem to be the only one who could master his studies.”
Colyne looked at him as if to say he thought he was mad, or over exaggerating.
“’Tis true,” Richard said. “Marisse claims ye to be intelligent beyond yer years.”
“It really is nae that hard,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
“Mayhap for ye it is easy, but not everyone can claim such,” he said.
They sat in silence for