Stealing a Kilted Heart – Bonus Prologue
One year earlier
The tavern was unusually crowded that day, with people milling about, drinking and feasting on what Fia could only think of as mediocre stew. Duror had never been particularly popular as a destination or even as a rest stop, but there were travelers there that day on their way to a nearby town, so there were more people in the small tavern than Fia had ever seen.
Nevertheless, she and Callum had managed to secure a table—a small one, near the entrance, right under a window that let in the scant light from outside.
It was a cold day with grey clouds gathering above, but it was nothing strange for Duror. If anything, Fia would have been more surprised if it had been sunny.
The tavern smelled more of spilled ale and wine than ever, the tables and floors sticky with it. The crowd was not particularly rowdy, but it was loud, mostly men who were looking for a good time on their travels, and Fia had already begun to feel the first stirrings of a headache in the back of her forehead.
However, nothing could ruin Fia’s day. It didn’t matter how crowded and loud the room was, or even that she wasn’t feeling so well. The only thing that mattered was that Callum had come to see her, and he was staying for at least a couple of hours.
It wasn’t often that she saw him those days. Though at the very beginning of their courtship he had been around all the time, now he was so busy with his duties in the castle that Fia felt like she rarely saw him. But that was the life of the soldier, she supposed, especially a high-ranking one like Callum. His father was the war leader of Clan Stuart; he, as his son, had to act accordingly, giving his all to the clan and its laird.
Still, Fia couldn’t help but think he was working too hard. She only wished he could rest a little and maybe go to see her more often. Until they were a married couple and could live together in the castle, she didn’t know how she could bear to see him only once every few weeks.
Sometimes she even saw him around Duror unexpectedly or one of her neighbors did, but she tried to keep a level head and not hold a grudge against him when he went without notifying her or seeing her. There were rumors about him—of course there were, seeing as he was a handsome man, with his dark hair and grey eyes, the chiseled jaw, the strong, straight nose, and that smile that had every woman in the village falling for him—but she never listened to them. People could say whatever they wanted. Fia knew the real him, and she knew that the only reason he ever came to Duror without seeing her was because he was, once again, busy. She had complained the first time it happened, accusing him of not wanting to see her, but that had only served to hurt him. She still remembered the look in his eyes at her harsh accusation, the way he had stared at her, utterly betrayed; the soft tone of his voice telling her that this was precisely why he hadn’t told her he was coming, because he had known she would be disappointed and get angry at him.
After that time, she had never dared complain again.
Pushing all those memories out of her mind as she watched him approach with two cups of wine in his hands, Fia sat a little straighter in her seat, smiling at him. Callum took his seat across from her, handing her her drink, but said nothing as he looked around, his gaze passing over the crowd.
Some of them were from the castle, Fia knew, though she couldn’t always tell them apart from the villagers. It was only those select few men who stood apart from anyone else, much like Callum, whom she could recognize as being from the castle, simply because of how well-groomed and well-dressed they were.
Two of them, specifically, caught her eye—a man with brown hair gathered at the nape and green eyes, with a kind of rough handsomeness to him that would surely make him popular with the ladies, but also a seemingly cold and closed-off demeanor that would push them away at the same time, and then another man next to him, someone Fia had never seen before.
Someone the likes of whom she had never seen before either.
He, too, had a rugged look, his exposed forearms covered in scars, some bigger and others smaller, most of them looking old and silvery over his pale skin. He had short, dark hair, black as the night sky, and a pair of blue eyes that, once they glanced her way, completely captivated Fia.
There was something about that man. The mere sight of him made her heart beat faster, her stomach filling with butterflies. She could feel her cheeks heat as she gazed at him, her thighs pressing together on their own accord.
“What are ye starin’ at like that?” Callum demanded and Fia jumped, startled by the sudden sound of his voice. Then, she blushed an even deeper scarlet, the blood rushing to her head at the thought of how shameful her actions were. “Close yer mouth, it looks unattractive.”
Fia snapped her mouth shut, her gaze falling to her cup of wine. She didn’t know what had gotten over her, staring at a stranger like that, with Callum right there in front of her! Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have noticed. Fia didn’t want to know what would happen if he knew what had gone through her mind at the sight of that man, but she was certain she would never hear the end of it.
“I thought…” she started, desperate to change the subject. “I thought perhaps afterwards we could take a walk in the woods? Or perhaps in the market? It’s been so long since we last saw each other. Ye can stay fer a few hours, can ye nae?”
Callum dragged his gaze back to her from where he was looking at a group of women at the other side of the room. Fia couldn’t help but wonder if he knew them, but he said nothing on the matter.
“Why?” he asked, sounding a little bored. “Isnae it fine enough here?”
“Aye,” said Fia. “But I thought—”
“Fia, I walk around all day, every day,” Callum said with a weary sigh. “If I wished tae walk around more, I’d stay in the castle, workin’. All I wish tae dae today is sit an’ enjoy me drink.”
Fia had nothing to say to that. She understood, of course, that Callum was tired and she didn’t doubt how hard he worked, but she also didn’t think a leisurely stroll would tire him out so much. Still, she said nothing as he went back to gazing around the room, knocking the rest of his wine back.
“Will ye drink that?” he asked her, pointing to her own cup. Fia shook her head and pushed it towards him, watching him as he knocked that one back, too, finishing it in one big gulp.
For a while, silence stretched over their table. Fia wracked her brain for something to tell him, anything to get the conversation going, but each time she thought of a topic, she had the same realization—Callum would find it either frivolous or dull and cut the conversation short. So, she didn’t even bother trying, drumming her fingers nervously against the table instead.
The wood was sticky under her fingers. The atmosphere in the tavern was stifling, the air heavy with alcohol and the smell of people. But Fia was simply glad to be there with Callum, to know that he still loved her and was still serious about them.
Everything would be better once they were a married couple, she told herself. Then Callum would be able to see every day just how much Fia adored him. She would take care of him, of the household, of their children. She would do anything to make him happy.
Eventually, she let her own gaze roam around the room. It kept drifting back to that man, the one with the blue eyes. Despite his ruggedness, Fia thought, there was a warmth to him, something in his smile that told her he was a good man. Then again, everyone always told her she wasn’t the best judge of character.
Just as she was about to force herself to look away, the man looked straight at her and time seemed to stop. When he caught her looking, though, he only smiled and raised his cup in a toast, never once breaking eye contact as he downed his drink.
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