“Thank ye, Donnan, but first,” she said, stepping back and out of reach. “Did the Buchanan have a sword with him when we came upon him in the clearing?”
Donnan’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the question. “Aye. ’Twas strapped to his horse.”
Evina relaxed a little. “Where is it now?”
“In yer father’s room,” he answered.
Evina sighed with exasperation. “Well, if he wants me to give it to him, then why did Father no’ just give it to me instead o’ telling me to ask ye for it?”
“I do no’ think he kens ’tis there,” Donnan said with a shrug. “I put it on the mantel in there the night we arrived with the Buchanan.” Stepping inside, he let the door close and said, “I’ll go fetch it at once.”
“Thank ye,” Evina murmured, moving to the side to get out of the way of anyone coming or going.
Donnan swept past her and hurried for the stairs. The man was fast on his feet. It seemed to her he hardly disappeared from the top of the stairs than he was coming back down them.
“I’ll carry it,” he offered as he approached and eyed the items she already held. “In fact, why do ye no’ give me the fur too?”
Evina handed it over without protest. She’d only refused the first time because she’d needed him to fetch the sword, but the sack of food she held was quite heavy. If she were to judge it by weight, she’d have said the cook had packed enough food for a small army. Leaving the sword and fur to Donnan, Evina turned and opened the door for him, smiling when he slipped through with a chagrinned, “Thank ye.”
“To the stables?” he asked as they started down the stairs to the bailey.
“Aye. Ye had the horses saddled?” she asked as they started that way.
Donnan nodded. “The Buchanan said yer father ordered it so the two o’ ye could fetch more medicinals. I spoke to the stable master, and then left the Buchanan with him while I returned to the keep to speak with yer father.”
“To be sure he truly did order it?” she guessed, unsurprised that he would check. He’d probably instructed the stable master and the men at the gates not to let Rory leave until he’d verified that he was allowed to.
“Aye,” Donnan admitted, and then asked, “Ye’re going beyond the castle walls?”
Evina could tell he obviously had qualms about the plan. She had a few of her own, but said, “Aye. Father insists I’m to take the Buchanan out to replace his weeds.”
“Hmm,” Donnan murmured.
“What’s that mean?” Evina asked at once. She recognized his “hmm” as the sound he made when he thought he knew something others might not.
“Yer father has been asking me a lot of questions since his fever dropped,” Donnan said quietly.
“About?” she asked warily.
“About ye . . . and the Buchanan,” he responded.
“What kind of questions?” Evina asked, her feet slowing as she waited for the answer.
“Whether ye speak to each other or anything else when no’ in the room with him,” he admitted.
Evina frowned over that, but asked, “What did ye say?”
“That ye’re ne’er in each other’s company out o’ his room that I ken of. That one is always with him and the other away. Ye do no’ spend any time together apart from in passing when ye trade places at his side.”
Evina nodded. What he said was true. She and the Buchanan didn’t spend any time together outside the room, apart from in passing as one entered and one left. At least, they hadn’t since that first morning when they’d fallen on the bed and he’d kissed her. But she had no idea why her father would ask such a question.
“Here we are.”
Evina raised her head to see that they had nearly reached the Buchanan and the stable master. The two men stood outside the stables with her mare and his horse already saddled and waiting.
“Let me take that, m’lady,” the stable master said, rushing forward to take the sack of food from her.
“Thank ye,” Evina murmured, watching with interest as the Buchanan moved forward and took the fur, not the sword, from Donnan. Wondering if he hadn’t recognized it, she took the sword from her father’s first and thanked him for his assistance. As Donnan nodded and moved away, she turned to watch the Buchanan finish securing the first two items to his saddle. She’d expected at least one of them to go on her horse, but didn’t mind if he wished to carry everything with him.
Of course, if he was planning to ride off now that he had his horse and sword, the food would certainly come in handy. Although he didn’t yet have his sword, she recalled, and held it out when he’d finished securing the first two items and turned back to her.
“Ye forgot this.”
The Buchanan eyed the sword briefly, but merely arched an eyebrow at her in question.
Shifting her feet uncomfortably, she explained, “It’s been on the mantel in me father’s room since ye arrived.”
“I did see it there,” he admitted.
“Aye, well, ye forgot it when ye came out here, so Donnan fetched it down for me to give to ye,” she said lightly.
The Buchanan arched his other eyebrow at that. “Will I need it?”
Several answers came to mind. Ye will if ye plan on riding off back home , or That depends on what yer plans are , but she settled on simply saying, “One can ne’er be too careful when leaving the safety o’ the castle.”
Nodding solemnly, he took the sword and slid it through the belt around his waist. Raising his head then, he asked, “Then why are ye without yers today?”
“Good question. Ask me father,” Evina muttered as she swung away to walk to her mount. Reaching her mare, Evina grabbed the pommel and started to raise a foot to the stirrup to mount, and then froze.
“Is something amiss, m’lady? Do ye need a leg up?” the stable master asked, hurrying to her side with surprise on his face. She hadn’t needed a leg up since she was a child. Evina hated asking for help, so had learned quickly to manage things on her own.
“Nay, a sidesaddle,” Evina said finally on a sigh, lowering her foot from the stirrup. There was no way she could ride astride without braies on.
“A sidesaddle?” the stable master echoed with bewilderment. “I do no’ think we have one.”
“Surely me mother rode sidesaddle when she was alive?” she asked with a frown.
“Oh, aye!” The man brightened. “I’ll go fetch it.”
“I gather ye usually ride astride,” the Buchanan commented as the stable master rushed off.
Evina turned to peer at him, unsurprised to see that he was already mounted. He would have done so when she moved to mount her mare. “Aye.”
“Why sidesaddle today, then?” he asked with curiosity.
“Because Father insisted,” she admitted.
“Why?” he asked with surprise.
Evina shook her head, and then asked, “Do ye think ’tis possible he suffered some damage to his head from the fevers? Gavin said ye did say he could did the fever get too high.”
The Buchanan’s eyebrows rose at the question, but he considered it briefly, and then nodded. “’Tis possible, but I have no’ seen any sign o’ it.”