Graeme couldn’t deny that.
“So she just dragged you down the hallway and you surmised that she wanted to know the way to Graeme’s chamber?” Teague asked incredulously.
Rorie glared at her brother. “I don’t expect you to understand, but trust me, if you’d been there, you would have known what she wanted. And the moment I showed her which chamber was Graeme’s, she dragged me back down the hall to her chamber and wanted my help in moving all of her belongings.”
Graeme let out a deep sigh. “Who knows what was going on in the lass’s head.”
“She didn’t seem happy with your choice of rooms,” Rorie said, her lips twitching as she glanced up at Graeme. “In fact, I think she took insult that you didn’t install her in your chamber from the beginning.”
Bowen shook his head. “The poor lass is …” He broke off and tapped his temple with his finger several times to signify his thoughts of her mental capacity.
Graeme scowled in his direction. “I have yet to determine just how off she is. I have a suspicion that all is not as it seems. Regardless of how touched she is or isn’t, I expect you all to treat her with respect and kindness. She is no threat to us. She cannot help her parentage. None of us wanted this alliance, but here we are anyway. We should make the best of a bad situation.”
Teague’s lip curled. “Blood agreement or not, I do not consider any Armstrong an alliance. ’Tis just words on parchment that have no meaning. Saying I will not attack is not the same as saying they are a trusted ally.”
“Agreed,” Graeme said through his teeth. “I don’t think anyone has suggested such. What I need and want from the three of you is understanding and patience. It won’t cause you great harm to be kind to the lass. She doesn’t deserve to be treated as a leper by our clan.”
“You cannot control what the clan thinks,” Bowen said.
Graeme’s patience was thinning. “Nay, I can’t, but you can lead by example. Our clan’s acceptance of her won’t happen overnight, but you can aid me by not treating her with the same disdain as the rest of our kin. In time, perhaps she can make a place for herself here. Think of how she must feel. She’s been taken from the sanctuary of her home where she’s surrounded by people who love and protect her, and she’s been thrust into a hostile world where she likely fears for her life, especially given how she is viewed by others.”
He swept his gaze from Bowen to Teague and then back to Bowen. “Imagine if it was Rorie taken from us, as I tried to make you see when we were at the Armstrong Keep. Would you not want her to be treated decently and kindly when we were not there to see to her protection?”
“I won’t be taken away, will I?” Rorie asked sharply.
Graeme cursed under his breath at the sudden fear in her eyes.
“Damn it, Graeme,” Teague snarled. “ ’Twas a stupid thing for you to say.”
“Nay, sweeting,” Graeme said. “ ’Twas just an example. Your place is here with us and that won’t change.”
“But it could,” Rorie persisted. “I’m sure Eveline’s family told her the exact same things you’re telling me. They likely offered her the same reassurances, but who’s to say that our king won’t be offering me up on the sacrificial plate?”
“If he was going to do so, he would have already done it,” Bowen said in a soothing voice. “The king has already asked us for too much. Even he won’t press us this far.”
Graeme wasn’t as certain, and he didn’t think Bowen and Teague were either, but they wouldn’t say anything otherwise in front of Rorie.
“I’d prefer to discuss your attitudes toward Eveline,” Graeme said, directing the conversation back to the matter at hand. “I want your promise that you’ll ease her transition and show her a friendly face among many hostile ones.”
“Very well,” Teague said grudgingly.
“I like her,” Rorie piped up.
All three of her brothers turned to her in surprise. She’d said nothing until now about her judgment of Eveline. She’d only given an account as to what had happened earlier.
Rorie shrugged. “There’s just something about her. She seems … determined. I expected to find her cowering in a corner or facedown on her bed in tears. Instead, I found her dragging trunks into the hall and demanding I tell her where Graeme’s chamber was. I found it all rather amusing.”
Then she turned her gaze on Graeme. “I know not whether she’s afflicted or daft or whatever it is that’s said about her. I only know that she’s courageous. And whether she speaks or doesn’t has little to do with the fact that she can communicate because she made it very clear what she wanted—nay, demanded—from me.”
“And if she’s not daft, then what the hell is she?” Graeme murmured.
CHAPTER 14
Graeme awoke to a female body snuggled up tight against his side. Eveline’s arm was draped over his chest and she was tucked securely underneath his shoulder.
For a moment he didn’t even breathe. God’s teeth, but this was awkward. The night before, he’d eased onto his bed after warring with himself about whether to even sleep in his own chamber. He’d positioned himself on the very edge so there was plenty of space between him and Eveline, who at the time was scooted all the way over against the wall.
But now? She’d gravitated across the bed and was flush against him. Perhaps she’d grown cold during the night and sought out his heat.
He ground his teeth when his morning erection went more rigid than was normal. Guilt plagued him, no matter that it was a normal male response to having a woman’s body pressed against his. He had no business thinking of her in that way. Surely it was a sin.
The dilemma that presented itself was how was he to extricate himself from her hold without waking her and causing even more awkwardness? The last thing he wanted was for her to come to sudden awareness and be terrified.
After pondering the matter for another long moment, he slowly inched his way toward the edge of the bed, lifting her arm just enough that he could move away.
He held his breath when she stirred, but then she rolled to her other side. Sighing in relief, he rose and dressed hurriedly so she wouldn’t awaken while he was still here.
Just as he was about to leave, he turned suddenly, staring at the bare hearth. She’d moved against him during the night, likely because she was cold. There was a distinct chill to the morning and she’d awaken to chattering teeth.