When it was time to leave, Kevin asked Catherin if she wanted to go with them, but she seemed unwilling to answer. Instead, she whispered to Athena…she wanted to see Anna, but she didn't want to go back upstairs to get her things. Athena understood and did it for her. Then, when Athena announced she was going with the King to find Rachel, Catherin was so used to being told what to do, she didn't demand to go with them.
The king, on the other hand, wasn't so sure taking Athena was a good idea. He didn't want a war with the Highlanders and couldn't be sure he wouldn't do or say something to offend her. But Athena was having none of it and stood with her hands on her hips glaring at him. The king shot Kevin a silent plea for help, but Kevin only shrugged. Finally, the king gave in.
*
The two men agreed on a place in the forest where the Highlanders and Catherin would wait, and it had already been three days. Kevin hadn't brought an army with him. Instead, he only brought three men, plus the two he sent earlier to watch Stoneham, and there wasn't much to do. A couple of the men caught fish in a pond, which provided them with plenty to eat. The men practiced their warrior skills in the small clearing, and then told stories around the fire at night. They were careful to speak in their native language. Some of the stories were unfit for the ears of a lady.
Kevin kept a close eye on Catherin, but tried not to let her know. She seemed to want to see and touch everything, just as Anna had and she rarely spoke. The first night, she looked at the stars for so long, he thought she would never rest. The next morning, she got up and walked fully dressed right into the pond. He was ready to hurry in after her, but she knew how to swim quite well and didn't go too far out. She played in the water like a child, swimming, backstroking and even floating.
It was Justin who pulled the chain apart and he felt a desire to see to her, so he grabbed her bundle of things and took them to the pond. Then he set the bundle down and hung a plaid over the low branch of a tree so she could have privacy when she dressed.
The King was right. When she smiled at Justin, Kevin thought she really could make the birds sing. He wondered if his wife had the same smile. In fact, if she looked at all like her mother after her face healed, he would be very pleased. He left the pond, sat down with his back against a tree and closed his eyes. Would she really be glad her father was dead? He was her father, after all. Would she want the details of how he died? He hoped not, it was a gruesome affair. Most importantly, was she thinking about Kevin too? He remembered every moment he spent with her from the time he lifted her out of Thomas' arms, to the last moment when she listened to his heart. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. The whole time he'd been away, he'd actually been thinking about his wife and not the woman on the horse.