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“Me Laird,” Jack said as he passed by.

Evander could stop him and ask why he was so suspicious of Callum in the first place. But when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.

He was not a man who was ever at a loss for words. He was a man who didn’t often speak and was careful with his words, which was different. He took a breath, let it out with a huff, and tried again. Jack heard him and turned back.

“Me Laird… is everything all right?” he asked.

Evander opened his mouth to speak, but only the familiar, useless words came out. “Aye, everything is fine.”

Jack lifted an eyebrow. “Me Laird…”

But Evander had already turned back to the post.

He was training, not fretting over something he couldn’t change. But he couldn’t forget about Callum. The north wall was the other way. Why had Callum gone the wrong way?

Unease coiled in his gut.

He drove his blade into the post again. A jolt ran up his arm and into his shoulder. But he didn’t run from it. He welcomed it. Again and again.

It did him no good.

Callum had been by his side for well over a decade. A man like him did not lose his way.

That begged the question: where was he going?

Evander lowered his sword and looked towards the far end of the yard. Callum had vanished through the arch, which was far away from his intended destination.

He told himself it could be nothing. That perhaps Callum had an errand. Perhaps he’d gone to fetch supplies from the village or something else.

But Evander had not lived this long by ignoring the prickle at the back of his neck.

“Jack?” he called out.

The man was at his side in an instant. “Aye, me Laird?”

“If ye see Callum, come to me immediately.”

Jack paused. “Is everything all right?”

“I… am nae sure.”

35

Days continued to blend into each other, and nothing had been solved. Freya remained at odds with her husband, even though they had seen each other more than once.

After her walk, she decided it was time to get out more. Hiding away in the nursery wasn’t doing much. It was hurting only her. The babies seemed to sense her misery and would occasionally whine when she grew quiet.

She did her best to smile and entertain them, not wanting to draw attention. The twins needed someone to take care of them who was not tormented by the last argument she had with her husband.

And with Brigid’s help, she could do it.

Getting out in the fresh air helped. Eating more helped. Though Freya had lost a significant amount of weight. Her dresses didn’t fit as well as they once had, which shocked her. She couldn’t believe that missing a few meals had led to her losing so much weight so fast.

But she had to remember that when Brigid brought her food, all she did was pick at it. She would manage a few bites here and there, but anytime she ate more than a third of it, her stomach would lurch.

It was only now that she was finally getting her appetite back. It was a relief, but she was slowly working toward getting it to where it used to be.

Some mornings, she’d managed half a bannock and a little broth before her stomach rebelled. Other mornings, she wasn’t able to face anything at all.