He could pretend he no longer wanted her, and give his full attention to another woman. No, he couldn't do that; he promised never to lie to her. Besides, he couldn't think of any other woman he wanted to spend that much time with. He might ask her sister what to do, but why would she help him? If Rachel married him, Anna would lose her wager with Kevin. Connor was looking down and biting his lip when he vaguely heard someone say his name. When he finally looked up, Kevin was standing right in front of him.
"Son, you have let that lass addle your brain."
*
Kevin and his five most trusted men had been in council for hours and Rachel was glad she didn't have to deal with Connor, who seemed to always be everywhere she went. For a moment, she remembered how it felt to be in his arms. Oh why did she have to think of that! She shuddered and took a different path between the many cottages. Walking always helped her think.
Earlier, she checked and Connor's dagger was gone. How did he dare enter her cottage while she slept? She didn't hear him or even feel his nearness. She had been too tired, but it was no excuse and she scolded herself harshly.
And how could he be so sure she wouldn't tell Kevin? The answer to the second question came quickly. If she told on Connor, Kevin would know she stole the dagger to begin with. That would not be good, not good at all. Stealing from other clans was one thing, stealing from a MacGreagor could get her a week of horse cleaning duty. She would remember in the future not to do that again.
The families were busy as usual. Children played, women cooked and men sharpened their swords. Rachel's mother, she knew, had her wet clothing hanging in front of the stone hearth to dry. Catherin liked to keep busy and normally didn't give Rachel many chores, so she had nothing much to do.
She invited some of the women to train with her, but they were too mournful over the slain family. For the first time she could remember, she couldn't go outside the wall and it bothered her. She didn't know why.
Rachel wandered around a while longer and then went home, but Catherin wasn't inside. The back door was open and soon she spotted her mother standing outside staring at the bush in front of the hidden door. The two people Rachel never snuck up on were her mother and sister. It caused them an enormous amount of terror, so she learned years ago never to do it. She began to loudly hum, walked to her mother and looked at the bush to see if she could discover something amiss. Everything looked the same. "Mother, what is it?"