Keeper of my Heart by Laura Landon Read Free Book Online Page A

passageways as she made her way past narrow arrow slits then down the wide stairway. She thought herself very brave to leave by herself. If she did not stay away long, her mother would never find out.
    Sounds of laughter and music echoed in the silence and she skipped with excitement as she came closer. There was another world outside their tower and she could not wait to see it. She could not wait to glimpse the merriment. It was inconceivable that people lived where it was common to openly laugh and sing and sound so jovial. All she knew of life was the quiet loneliness she and her mother endured every day in their tower.
    She made her way down the stairs, then down another long hallway, then along the wide balustrade that overlooked the great hall below, making sure she always stayed in the shadows. She could not let him see her. She remembered the last time her mother had angered him. She did not want his anger directed at her without her mother there to protect her.
    She searched the great hall first to find him. Her gaze stopped when she spied his huge figure sitting on an elaborately carved chair on the dais at the front of the room near the fire. He had not changed from how she remembered him. He was still as broad shouldered and commanding as he’d been before. His lordly presence dominated the room. She looked around to compare him with the other warriors. None of them seemed nearly as powerful. She stared at him in awe. No wonder he was the laird.
    A pretty dark-haired lass sat on his lap feeding him a piece of fruit. He licked the juice dripping from her fingers in a way Màiri found disgusting, then pressed his mouth against hers and held it there. Màiri couldn’t imagine letting a man touch you like that but the lass must have liked it because she whispered something in his ear and kissed him back.
    Whatever she’d said to him was humorous because the laird dropped his head back on his shoulders and laughed with a deep rumble that echoed through the hall. With robust enthusiasm, he kissed her again while his hand roamed her body.
    Màiri turned away. She would never let a man touch her like that. Even if he was the laird and as handsome as her father.
    She shifted her attention to the rows and rows of trestle tables lining the great hall, filled with platters of roasted meats, steaming loaves of warm bread, and bowls of candied fruits that crowded every inch of space. She had never seen such a feast. Her mouth watered when she thought of the thin broth she and her mother had eaten hours before. She breathed in the delicious aromas, wishing she could sneak down and steal some of the food from the tables. She was sure such a treat would bring a smile to her mother’s face.
    Scores of warriors filled the room, making jokes, then slapping each other jovially on the backs. Some pulled serving wenches to their laps, kissing them the way her father had kissed the dark-haired lass, then lifted tankards of ale and toasted each other in reckless abandon. Their empty cups were refilled by lasses with broad smiles and friendly greetings. Everyone seemed happy. Could this be the normal way of life in her father’s keep? Could laughter and gaiety be a part of life outside the somber chambers she shared with her mother?
    The happy sounds of a gay tune drew her attention. She listened as a red-headed Scottish warrior held a small stringed instrument in his hands and sang a lively tune. Although she could not understand some of the words, the ribald laughter they inspired made her laugh along with the warriors. She sank to her knees and stared through the bars, engrossed in watching some of the lasses dance to the music while the warriors clapped their hands in rhythm.
    Something deep inside her exploded with a lightness she’d never experienced before. Even though she did not know why, she soon found herself bouncing to the music and clapping and laughing with the rest. Never before had she felt so free. So happy.