Page 35 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

Beside him, Willy went still. Though he forced his demeanor into something less shocked, Hendry could tell that Aurora had caught it. She was paler than she had been when she was ill. She was smart, already putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

And she was terrified.

“Nay,” Hendry said slowly, picking his words carefully. Telling the truth was vital here. Aurora could already tell that there was something very wrong. “I havenae authorized a ride to the east. Willy,” he said, turning to his man-at-arms. “I need ye to gather our riders and go investigate.” He glanced at Mrs. Duncan. “There were tracks, aye?”

“Aye,” she confirmed, a worry-line appearing between her brows. “I cannae say how many. We came to inform ye as soon as we saw them.”

Hendry grunted, watching as Willy marched off, moving quickly and with the gravity of a man who cared just as much as he did about the well-being of the clan. Then, he looked at the women once more, taking in Mrs. Duncan’s patient hesitancy and Aurora’s palpable fear.

“I will take Lady Aurora to her chambers,” Hendry said after another tense moment passed them by. “Ye are free to continue yer day, Mrs. Duncan.”

“Aye, me Laird,” the house manager said, though it sounded as though she were reluctant to leave Aurora. She looked at the girl, pushing a stray ginger ringlet from in front of her face. “If ye need anythin’ at all, Hilda or I will be nearby. Ye just have to call.”

“I ken,” Aurora said, giving Mrs. Duncan a tight smile. She looked pained, the corners of her eyes pinching, her mouth twitching as she tried to maintain the expression. “I will be quite all right.”

Mrs. Duncan stayed at her side for another moment, clearly feeling Aurora’s fear rolling off of her. Finally, though, she accepted Hendry’s instruction, letting go of Aurora’s arm and straightening her skirt. “I will be in the kitchens for the next few hours if either of ye need me.”

“Thank ye,” Aurora said, a slight tremble in her voice that she was not able to hide.

Hendry waited until Mrs. Duncan was halfway across the courtyard before he took hold of Aurora’s arm. She jumped at his touch at first, clearly not expecting it. To his own credit, he had taken hold of her without thought, feeling as if he needed to offer her some sort of comfort when her worry was louder than logic.

“I ken that they werenae Clan Anderson Riders,” Aurora said softly, not resisting him as he walked her over to a bench.

It was private, and after this conversation, he did not believe he would be allowing her outside at all. He wanted to give her an opportunity to absorb as much sunshine as she could.

“Ye are correct,” he said, his voice low and private, a tone he found that he exclusively used around her. “And I think ye kent it the moment ye saw the tracks.”

“Aye,” she said, swallowing thickly. “I dinnae…”

It seemed as if she was not able to complete the thought, her mind either going blank or her throat giving out. He spared her from having to continue. Though he knew that the next words out of his mouth would do nothing to aid her.

“They could ken about the passage ye saw.”

After the words left his mouth, it was as if the entire world went silent. The wind did not blow. The birds in the forest just beyond stopped singing. Even the muffled conversations of the other clan members that had come outside to enjoy the day fell into a lull.

“I… I daenae ken what ye mean,” she whispered. “I…”

He could feel the way her body trembled from where their arms were still hooked together. It made something hot and protective grow in his chest. Clearing his throat, he forced it into submission.

“After our betrothal,” he began, glancing down at her, unsurprised to find that her green eyes were already fixed on him, “after ye told me yer secret, I instructed Willy and a few of me trusted men to begin clearin’ parts of the tunnel.”

Beside him, Aurora went still. He could hear how ragged her breathing had gone, and it was almost as if her own anxieties were contagious. He would not allow them to control him, and he would do his best to keep those thoughts from controlling her.

“I dinnae tell them all of the details, but they ken enough,” he said, catching sight of Willy’s caravan hurrying toward the stables. “We have been checkin’ each ancient trap and reinforincin’ the weak sections. In our spare time, when we ken we willnae be followed nor seen, we have been preparin’ it. Should Castle Anderson ever need to be evacuated, it can be done safely and quickly.”

Aurora was silent, thinking so loudly he could practically hear the thoughts as they flashed through her mind. Finally, she muttered, “But ye said that they… whoever came ridin’ through here may ken about the tunnels. Why… why would ye think that?”

“When ye followed me last night,” Hendry said, committing to giving her the entire truth, “I was investigatin’ trails meself.”

“Trails?” she asked, her tone betraying her. She knew what he had meant, but she did not want to believe it.

“Aye,” he confirmed. “Someone had entered it recently.”

Somehow, she stiffened further. When she attempted to pull her arm away, he held onto her tighter. He knew that if he let her leave now, he would never be able to make her understand just how dedicated he was to her safety. He needed her to listen.

“I ordered the entrance sealed immediately, Aurora,” he said, waiting for her to meet his gaze once more. “The guards around the castle have doubled. The entrance has been carefully monitored and will continue to be. Do ye understand?”

She nodded once, but he remained quiet. After a beat, she whispered, “Aye, I understand.”