"There is no need to carry me, husband. I am not hurt. I can walk," Evelinde repeated for about the tenth time since Cullen had been pulled back up on the cliff, swept her up in his arms, and headed for the keep. And for the tenth time he ignored her and continued silently on his way.
Giving up on the possibility of walking, Evelinde peered over his shoulder to the small group following. Biddy, Tavis, and Mildrede were in front with Mac, Rory, and Gillie following. Her gaze settled on Biddy, taking in her lost expression. The older woman's face was pale, and her trembling was visible across the ten-foot span between them. Mildrede had her arm around Biddy's waist and was helping to support her as she walked, while Tavis had his mother's arm clasped in his hand in the first show of familial support she'd seen between the two since arriving at Donnachaidh. Cullen's cousin also looked shaken by the revelations this day, and Evelinde wondered if learning what he had about his father might not steer him toward changing some of his ways. She hoped so, but would just have to wait and see what happened.
She was not willing to wait and see when it came to Biddy, however.
"Husband?"
He didn't speak, but his eyes did flicker toward her briefly before returning to the path ahead. Knowing that was the equivalent of a "Yes, wife?" from him, she said, "What will you do about Biddy?"
One corner of his mouth twitched toward a frown before settling back into its usual expressionless pose, but she could see the fretting in his eyes and knew he wasn't sure what to do about his aunt and what she'd done.
"She did not kill him," Evelinde said softly. "She shot him with an arrow, 'tis true, but that is not what killed him. Darach deserved that and more for what he did to Jenny. Can you not just forget what she did and let it go?"
"Aye." Cullen sighed. "In truth, she has been punishing herself for years for what she thought she'd done. I do not feel any great need to punish her further."
Evelinde tightened her arms around his shoulders in a brief hug, then relaxed in his hold and smiled.
"Ye shouldna be smiling. Ye should be furious with me," Cullen growled, as they reached the door leading into the kitchens at the back of the castle, and he kicked it open with one booted foot.
Evelinde's eyes widened in surprise, but she waited until they had passed out of the kitchens and were crossing the empty great hall before asking, "Why?"
"Because once again me refusal to speak has caused ye grief, and this time it nearly got ye killed."
"It did?" she asked, perplexed.
"Aye," he said as he started up the stairs with her. "He wouldna have been able to lure ye anywhere had I but spoken of my uncertainties where he was concerned."
Evelinde glanced at him sharply as they reached the landing. "You suspected Fergus?"
"Nay," he admitted, pausing to allow her to open the door to their chamber. He then stepped inside, kicked the door closed, carried her to the bed, then simply stood there holding her, as he said, "But the business with the fire in the solar troubled me. He claimed to be in the great hall and should have seen anyone ascending the stairs, yet said he hadn't and was very insistent it had to have been an accident. Even when I pointed out that the torch had fallen too far from the cresset to be accidental, he insisted it had to be." Cullen grimaced. "They claimed he'd looked away briefly to open the door for Tavis and Mildrede, but I ken Fergus. He takes his duties seriously and woudna have looked away from the solar even as he crossed the hall and opened the doors for them, so it troubled me. Mayhap if I had mentioned that to ye, ye would have thought twice about going anywhere with him alone."
"Aye, I would have," she agreed calmly, but there was no anger in her words. She simply wasn't experiencing any.
"I'm sorry," he said solemnly, then vowed, "I shall change. I will tell ye everything in future. I will—" Cullen paused, his eyes widening with surprise when she covered his mouth with her hand, forcing him to silence.
"You need not change, my lord husband. You—"
"Aye, I do," he insisted earnestly, twisting his face away to dislodge her hand. "I love ye, Evelinde. I do. And I ken ye doona love me back. How could ye when ye hardly know me? 'Tis all me own fault. As ye pointed out, ye've told me everything about yerself. I know about yer childhood, yer family, yer beliefs… everything. But ye ken nothing about me. I would change that. I would have ye love me, too."
"I do love you," Evelinde said quickly.
Cullen blinked. "Ye do?"
She chuckled softly at his startled expression, then hugged him tightly. "Aye, husband. I do."
"How can ye love me when ye hardly know me?" he asked with confusion.