Frederick stood in the shadow of a birch tree some distance from Erin’s cottage, arms folded across his chest, jaw set as he kept watch beneath the cover of night. The village had gone quiet hours ago. Only the faint glow of dying hearths marked signs of life.
Infuriating.
She had agreed too easily.
That alone had been enough to rouse his suspicion. The defiance in her eyes had not matched the compliance in her voice. A woman like Iona did not bend. She calculated.
Predictable, he corrected inwardly.
And there she was now.
The cottage door eased open with careful slowness. A slim figure slipped out first, wrapped in a dark cloak. Smaller footsteps followed close behind. The door shut without a sound.
He did not move.
He had expected this.
Iona paused, scanning the yard, posture tight as a drawn bowstring. Moonlight caught in her hair, setting it aglow like embers beneath the hood. Even in darkness, she moved with purpose, hand reaching back to ensure Jamie remained close.
They began toward the narrow path leading away from the village.
Frederick let them go ten paces before he stepped from shadow to shadow, keeping distance but never losing sight.
He would not stop them, but he would be damned before he lost them again.
Their whispers carried faintly on the night air.
“I daenae want to leave Granny Erin,” Jamie murmured, voice small but stubborn. “We didnae even say goodbye.”
Frederick’s jaw tightened.
“I ken,” Iona replied softly. “I daenae either.”
“Then why?”
“It is for her good,” Iona said at last. “If we stay, trouble might follow.”
“Aye,” Iona answered quietly. “Among other things.”
Trouble.
Frederick’s attention sharpened.
That single word settled heavy in his chest.
Were there others asking questions? Others searching?
He followed as they moved beyond the last cottage, toward the darker line of trees marking the edge of the village.
“Is his castle nae safer?” Jamie asked suddenly. “He said he could keep us safe.”
Frederick’s steps slowed.
He had not expected that.
Moonlight silvered her profile as she glanced down at the child walking beside her. Even from a distance, he could see the tension in her expression, the conflict.
Instead of replying directly, she asked a question of her own.