“Thinkin’ about yer wife again?”
Archer’s hand stopped moving, hovering in midair as he turned to glare over his shoulder at his man-at-arms.
Marcus’s tone had been joking. And, when Archer turned his gaze to him, Marcus’ mouth was tugged up in a wide, laughing grin. But Archer knew his best friend well enough to read the worry in his eyes and the concern that had buried itself deep within the lines of his face.
Archer shook his head, turning his attention back to the task at hand.
“I’ll nae be talkin’ about this again,” he ordered, hoping that for once Marcus would actually listen to him.
A silence permeated the space, one that wasn’t brought about by work. Archer could feel the weight of Marcus’s eyes on him and knew that his man-at-arms was watching him still.
Probably tryin’ to see if he can figure out the answer by the way I’m workin’.
He wanted to turn around and yell at Marcus, to demand that he stop looking at him and get back to work. But Archer knew that if he did that now, he would be all but confirming to Marcus that Archer was still plagued by what had happened between him and his wife.
A sigh sounded from behind him, one that reeked of resignation, and Archer had to fight the urge not to sigh at himself. Only, it would be a sigh of relief.
But the silence was short-lived.
“We’ll need to go into Thrums soon,” Marcus advised, “we need to check on the upcomin’ barrels.”
Archer grunted his agreement, laying the final brick and then sealing it. He sat back on his knees, turning to face his best friend.
“We’ll go in the next day or two,” he advised. “I have some other business I need to tend to in Thrums as well. I’ll let ye ken when to be ready.”
Marcus nodded but said nothing else.
The pair of them just looked at each other. Archer could tell that he wanted to say more, and before he could get the chance to,Archer pushed himself up off the ground and brought himself to a standing position.
He made a big show of dusting his hands off on his kilt.
“That’ll be enough, Marcus,” Archer said, making sure to allow his dismissal to seep into his tone.
But Marcus didn’t leave. He just kept looking at Archer. Studying him, even.
“Talk to her,” he said finally, seeming not to care that the topic was already serving to aggravate Archer.
“I daenae ken what ye’re talkin’ about,” Archer grumbled with a shake of his head, and Marcus let out an exasperated sigh.
“Look,” Marcus began, his words coming out of him in a rush. “I ken that ye daenae want to have a real marriage. Nae in the sense where ye are in love with yer wife.”
Archer opened his mouth, readying himself to tell his man-at-arms that it was not his place to bring up such things. But Marcus just raised his voice, continuing to speak and making it clear that he had no intention of stopping until he said what he felt he needed to.
“I’m fine with it, Arch, truly I am,” Marcus continued hastily. “Even Paisly is all right with it. Because we ken ye. We ken thatwhatever it is that ye’re doin’, ye’re doin’ it because ye think it’s the right thing.
But that doesnae mean that ye cannae at least be friends with the woman ye’ll be sharin’ a bed with for the rest of yer life. Or, if nae friends, that ye cannae at least be friendly. Ye daenae need to be stompin’ around here, glowerin’ at everyone that crosses yer path, and avoidin’ havin’ an actual conversation with her every moment ye get.”
Archer growled. “I am nae the one who has been avoidin’ the conversation.”
Marcus blinked at him, cocking his head to the side. “Ye mean to tell me that ye’ve sought her out? That ye’ve tried to talk to her, and she has refused?”
Archer was quiet for a moment. He didn’t want to admit that, while he felt ready to have a conversation with Emilie, he hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to find her in the last two days.
More than once, the thought had flickered through his mind that it was better for him if she avoided him altogether. That the awkwardness would serve to keep a distance between them.
After all, Archer knew that he couldn’t be tempted to kiss her again if he wasn’t actually around her again.
Marcus, clearly reading the answer to what he’d just asked on Archer’s face, let out a chuckle, but there was no humor in the sound.