Page 89 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander

But Ryder was just as confused as she was.

Ronnie kicked at the pebbles under his foot. “And I wanted to say that I might be gone in the mornin’, so if I dinnae see ye, I love ye,” he said, embarrassment and pride lacing his words.

Before Ryder could ask him what was going on, he took off for the castle.

Befuddled, Ryder turned his gaze to Morgana. She flashed him a bashful smile as she hoisted Eloise up into her arms. “What was that all about?”

“I told him he could leave with the others tomorrow,” she explained. “I think he’s just a bit overeager to go on such an important mission, ye ken?”

Ryder’s mouth went dry, and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He wondered if he should tell her about the delay of their trip. After all, they were still going to go…ifhe deemed it necessary.

The problem was that he wasn’t sure. Did he dare tell his wife that he had acted on her suspicions?

“The boys and Felix would have left earlier had I nae delayed them,” he confessed, the words tumbling past his lips.

“Ye delayed them? Why?” Morgana asked as they walked through the empty foyer, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

“For ye,” Ryder answered in a hushed tone, yet the sound echoed up the stairwell as they made their way to Eloise and Poppy’s room. “I ken how much ye wanted to have everyone there tonight. I’m sorry ye didnae get to spend much time with any of them.”

“I’m still tryin’ to figure out what happened with Orella. She was fine one minute and out cold the next. I’ve never seen anyone be affected by drink like that,” Morgana said.

Ryder pressed his lips into a tight line. Should he tell her that he suspected Cohen poisoned his own wife? Would that wake her up to the sort of man she called a friend?

But as much as he wanted her to see the truth, any attempt would only push her further away.

“Cannae say,” he murmured.

“Somethin’ wasnae right about any of it. She wasnae slurrin’ her words like some of the others. She was on her feet one minute and in Cohen’s arms the next. It was serendipitous for him to be there right when we needed him.”

“Are ye sure it wasnae odd? Or maybe suspicious?” Ryder asked.

But all it earned him was a stern look from Morgana.

She glared at him as she reached for the twins’ door and stepped into the dark room. Eloise and Poppy snuggled under their blankets and were out the second their heads hit their pillows.

“I think they enjoyed the cèilidh,” Morgana whispered. “Wait till they see what’s in store for tomorrow. I’ve got the archery contests and the axe throwin’. We’ve got the log toss and…” She paused, pressing her lips together.

“Go on,” Ryder prompted, nudging her shoulder. “Ye’ve already done so much tonight. The fact that ye’ve got three more days of revelry is outrageous. Are ye sure ye dinnae want to rein it in a bit? Ye ken as well as I do how fast I can clear a room.”

“Yer help willnae be needed,” Morgana snorted as she struck a match and lit a candle for the girls.

She and Ryder quietly made for the doorway and paused there for a moment. How peaceful her sisters looked in their beds.

Ryder wondered how long it had been since her siblings had felt safe. Was it years? Decades?

The thought disturbed him.

“Thank ye for this,” Morgana murmured as she closed the door. “Ye have nay idea how long it’s been since I’ve seen them this happy.”

Morgana threw her arms around his neck. She purposefully pressed her body against his, he was sure of it, because the spark in her eyes was fierce and taunting.

“And did ye like it?”

“Did ye need to invite Cohen?”

“I was hopin’ the two of ye would at least find some common ground. The man is too stubborn to leave this place, and ye’re too admirable to send him away due to his years of service,” Morgana sighed.

“And here I thought he was one of yer best friends.”