“If I stay in the castle with ye sorry lot, there willna ever be a moment when I am no at yer whim. It has been that way for more than ten years on the road, and I willna do it a moment longer. Now I shall at least find sleep in my own place, far enough away from each of ye so I know ye will be too lazy to get up from yer beds and fetch me.”
And so he’d marched out of the castle and made the stablemaster a proposal he couldn’t refuse. Orick would care for the horses at night so that he could go into the village to be with his family. Same wages, less work, more family time—Orick was the old man’s favorite person in the world.
It suited Adwen well enough—he didn’t care where Orick chose to sleep, but it did make it damned hard to find him when he needed his help. Now after countless years and thousands of pieces of good advice he’d ignored, Adwen could finally see that Orick’s wisdom was worth his heed.
Jane didn’t want to be his friend, but he didn’t blame her for demanding more from him. He regretted deeply his actions the night he first met her; he’d treated her like a common whore and, in return, he’d been unable to gain her trust. He wanted nothing more than to earn it.
Even if he never succeeded, he knew he owed the lass so much. That one night, her simple refusal, woke him from a stupor he’d lived in for far too many years—years spent believing that his life was full when it was vacant of anything that really mattered; years spent of making women less than they were in order to protect himself.
There were memories, small and sweet, that reminded him of just how devastating the love of a woman could be. Different from the love of a lover, but no less strong, Adwen’s mother and his love for her had been the very center of his heart. Her death had destroyed him and his brothers and father along with it.
They’d banded together and dealt with their grief in much the same way, fleeing to keep the pain away, never staying in one place long enough for the memories to creep back in, never long enough for the empty ache to resume.
It was why he hated castles, why he didn’t want to be laird.
As laird, he couldn’t run. And now, thanks to Jane, he didn’t want to.
It was a hefty realization and one that Adwen didn’t believe himself equipped to handle on his own. If he didn’t wish to lose her, he would need the help of a few far smarter than him.
Of Orick and the wee lad that knew her so well.
*
Adwen found them in Orick’s cottage. They’d not heard him when he entered, and he could tell by their voices they were deep in conversation.
“How many times have you seen them?” Cooper’s voice lifted as he asked the question, his interest evident.
“Ach, at least a dozen times, though they are never there for verra long. ’Tis only a short sliver of movement, or ye will see them walk down the hallway and disappear into the end.”
Intrigued by their exchange, Adwen stood back, peering around the corner to find them each sitting on wooden stools, bent over buckets as they gutted away at fish. Orick’s was small and manageable, while Cooper’s was larger than the small child’s head. The fish slid from his grasp more than once, but the boy seemed to enjoy the challenge, holding up a hand to stop Orick each time he offered help.
“Wow. Are you the only one that’s seen them?”
“Oh no. Callum has seen them many times, even cares for one of them. Says she stays in his bedchamber. And Adwen has heard them.”
Realizing what they spoke of, Adwen stepped out from the shadows to voice his disapproval.
“Orick, do ye truly think it the best idea to be speaking of ghosts with a child?”
Orick dropped his fish into the bucket, standing up in aggravation. “What’s the matter with ye, Adwen? Did ye intend to frighten me so I’d charge ye and run this knife right through yer chest?”
Before he could answer, Cooper spoke up to his left, still gripping the giant fish with both hands.
“Why shouldn’t he talk to me about ghosts? Don’t you believe in them?”
Shrugging, Adwen moved to an empty stool. “I doona know. I havena seen one.”
“Ach, doona do that. Ye know good and well there are ghosts about. Ye told me yerself ye have heard them. ’Tis no different than seeing them.”
“Aye.” Adwen threw a quick glance at Cooper who seemed completely unbothered by the talk of spirits. “’Tis verra different than seeing them. Does it no frighten ye, Cooper?”
“What?” Cooper seemed surprised by his question. “Of course it doesn’t frighten me. I’ve seen Jurassic Park like a gazillion times. Just how many six year olds do you think have seen that movie?”
Adwen pulled his brows together as he tried to figure out just what the lad meant. He’d heard many stories about the twenty-first century from the Conalls, but he didn’t remember the mention of ‘movies.’
“I’m afraid I doona know what a ‘movie’ is lad.”