“She does not remember,” Isla replied to him.
“What do ye remember?” Jack asked Penelope.
“I was in the fields, My Laird. I was to get more vegetables for the kitchen. I work in the kitchen, and I have served for eight years here. I was workin’ when a man in black approached me. I dinnae see his face, and he moved quickly… I thought he was to walk past me, but—” Penelope stopped and shook her head. She sounded strained and Jack saw sweat break out on her forehead as she began to shiver.
“I dinnae remember,” she finally added and gasped. Isla moved from where she sat and returned with water for the girl.
“Did ye say he wore black?” Jamie asked.
Penelope nodded. “Aye, he did.”
“Did he cover his face?”
“I could only see his eyes.”
“Have ye ever heard of the blacks, My Laird?” Jamie asked as he turned to Jack.
Jack shook his head. “Nay,” he answered.
“They are assassins trained in the farthest valleys of Isle Lewis. They are known to be Norsemen mainly and are trained to kill.”
“Ye think one of them is in my Castle? Killin’ people?”
“It is highly likely that whoever murdered the stable lad and his sister have tried to do the same to this lass.”
Jack did not want to discuss these matters in Isla’s presence as he did not want to upset her, so he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I will investigate this matter. In the meantime, ye keep her safe,” he said and turned to Isla. “She is yer responsibility now.”
The rest of the day, Jack worked on tax reports, declined many outrageous requests from his village heads who believed he had too many resources to waste simply because they found gold on their land.
Jack wondered what their Clan would be like years from now in Isla’s time. He slowly found himself thinking of her as those thoughts entered his mind.
Night came and passed by slowly. Jack was out of the Castle by dawn again and this time he spent his entire day in the village inspecting the goldsmiths working to make blades, sheaths, and armor out of the gold they found for their armory.
They also made lots of artifacts and jewelries to be sold to other clans and used to fund his treasury. Jack was certain his Clan would be back on their feet once he had gathered enough funds and weapons.
He returned to the Castle later that evening and was on his way up to his chamber for a quick wash when Isla approached him.
She grinned wide as she called him, “Jack.” Then she ran toward him.
He caught her before she tripped, then steadied her again. “Careful,” Jack whispered. “Ye will fall over and hurt yerself.”
Isla nodded, then swallowed and spoke. “Are ye headin’ out of the Castle again?”
“Nay, nay tonight,” he replied as his eyes searched hers.
“I made ye somethin’… a pie,” she said as she beamed. Jack’s gaze searched hers and he loved the twinkle he saw there.
How was it possible that she wasn’t happy here? He constantly found himself wishing that she was.
“A pie?” he finally replied after his initial shock had passed.
“I made it specially for ye,” she said. “I’ll bring it to yer chamber.”
“All right.” Jack replied with a laugh that tickled his sides, then he put his right hand on her cheek. “I can’t wait to taste it.”
Other thoughts entered his mind when he mentioned ‘taste’, and his gaze drifted to her lips.