She waved him off, an exhausted chuckle slipping from her. As Keegan raked his stare over his sister as well, he could see the effects of even the last few moments on her. Melissa’s wavy brown locks were mussed and tangled, her familiar blue eyes drooping with lack of sleep.
“I am well, Brother. Will ye stop fussin' over me like a maither hen? I am unharmed.”
“I willnae ever stop frettin' over ye and ye will simply have to accept that.” Damon eyed Melissa with raised brows, but after a moment, he relaxed.
Damon’s shoulders slumped down for the first time in weeks, and he pulled Melissa into his arms and held her tight. Keegan could see the relief wash over his brother’s face—this piece of his heart returned to him.
“I feared the worst, Melissa. I thank God that ye’re all right.”
She patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him to let her go, which Damon did only after another firm squeeze. “I’ve missed ye as well, ye ox.”
The two of them laughed together, and a thread of joy strung itself through Keegan’s chest at seeing them reunited. He adored his sister, but those two were the best of friends. At times, he envied the relationship between them. Still, he had been set to be Laird since he was born, and it came with his host of responsibilities that could pull him away from his family at times.
“I am verra glad to see ye unharmed, Melissa. We will get ye home and rested at once. I’m sure…I’m sure it was a horrid experience.”
Melissa’s smile persisted even as a flicker of discomfort flashed over her features. She turned to Keegan and went to him for an embrace. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed him.
“I was confident that ye would get me home again. And…” She hesitated—as if she worried about what she might say but thenshook it off. “And I had a surprising ally while I was held within Castle McCallum.”
Damon and Keegan both stiffened and spoke simultaneously. “Oh?”
Melissa nodded. “The Lady Lilith. She was kind to me through the entire ordeal.”
“Me sister. Is she…Please tell me she is unharmed.”
Keegan turned toward the door to the carriage, and there stood Willow, holding open the door. Rodrick was at her back, and as the laird made eye contact with him, the man-at-arms nodded. The field was clear then.
And Magnus had indeed left Willow behind.
“Ye are Willow?” Melissa asked with her brows up, and she pulled Willow up into the carriage. “Aye. Yer sister is well. She was a gift to me in that place. And she spoke of ye often. Ye look so like her, except for the eyes. Yers are?—”
“Hazel, where hers are blue. Aye. It was often the only way for the nurses to tell us apart.” Willow released a tired breath, and Keegan could see the sorrow and relief war in her eyes. “Thank ye, Lady Melissa. It is a great joy to hear that she remains safe.”
Melissa squeezed Willow’s hands. “She would say the same to hear of yer health. But then…why are ye still here?”
Keegan stiffened. There it was. Magnus had left Willow behind, and it was on him to determine how to tell the lass the truth. She turned to face him. Her face remained calm, but Keegan watched the bob of her throat as Willow forced herself to swallow.
“He…Yer brother broke the agreement. He demanded a piece of Brahanne land as well.”
Willow studied Keegan’s face, her eyes narrowing. She could tell that that was not the entirety of the situation. And it appeared that their positions were now reversed. He held something back from her, though Willow shook her head, and it was clear that would be a discussion for later.
“And what of the MacMillans? I had expected them to be at the exchange?” Willow asked, and surprisingly it was Melissa who spoke up.
“I heard yer brother and his men mention them on the field. Magnus said somethin' about them being disinclined to provide the bit of land yer brother demanded as payment for retrievin' you and deliverin' such a prize to them.”
Damon scoffed. “I had thought as much. Magnus was going to use the marriage as a way to claim more territory for himself, and the MacMillans caught wise to his plot. Turned him down. He had no use for Willow after that.”
Keegan wanted to smack his brother for the lack of softness. He needed to get them all back to the castle so that he might talk with Willow before her mind jumped to incorrect conclusions.
“We will return to Castle Brahanne to discuss anythin' else. Melissa requires food and rest at once, and I will not put off her care a moment longer.” Keegan called out to Rodrick, who still stood outside the carriage. “Ready the men and driver. We head back now.”
Without another word, Willow was settled onto the seat next to him while Damon and Melissa sat across from them. Keegan stared out the window for the entirety of the journey home, feeling the flames of Willow’s stare burning on the side of his face all the while.
18
Willow had arrived with the others at Castle Brahanne, but she was quite aware of the fact that she should not be returning with Keegan and the rest of his clan anywhere. She knew that her brother might not be keen on the exchange for his own part. But the MacMillans were promised a bride, and Magnus couldn’t deliver any longer.
Tension gripped her shoulders tightly, and Willow followed behind the laird and his family as they took the familiar hallway to his study. It didn’t make sense to return there when Keegan had been so concerned about Melissa’s state of health, but it was far down the list of matters that Willow wished to bring up to him.