“Ye sound almost wounded,” Lenora said, which irritated Lillith. Her sister could often read emotions in Lillith that she did not express aloud.
“Certainly, nae,” Lillith declared, but she did not miss the swift looks exchanged between her grandmama and aunts. “I do nae have injured feelings!” she protested. “I was simply pointing out I feel I’m fairly safe from his turning his eye back to me, but I agree that, to be safe, I should do what I must to ensure he continues to feel I am utterly unsuitable.”
“You cannot shoot him again!” Eve decreed.
Lillith glared at her stepmama. “That was an accident! Though the notion is tempting.” Her comment drew muffled laughter from all the women. “I’m certain I can find other ways to make my unsuitability glaringly obvious.”
“The challenge,” Eve cautioned, glancing toward the door to ensure no servants were lingering nearby, “will be to make him despise the match without causing irreparable damage to relations between our clans. We need him to reject the marriages, not start the scrimmages up with his clan again.”
“A fine line to walk,” Aunt Elena agreed, tapping her fingers against the wooden tabletop thoughtfully. “Perhaps ye could challenge his masculinity, Lillith. Men like the Hammer of the Highlands pride themselves on their strength and prowess. If ye were to best him repeatedly, publicly…”
Lillith hitched her eyebrows at her aunt. “The Hammer of the Highlands?”
“Aye,” Elena said. “He’s known far and wide for his skill with the sword in combat.”
Lillith snorted. “Well, I do nae ken about his skill with a sword, but he kinnae keep upon his horse verra well,” she said, recalling him falling off when her arrow struck him.
Laughter rolled through the room, but then her grandmama held up a silencing hand. “You struck a blow to his pride. You must keep doing so. This is your tactic. He will never wed a woman who continually humiliates him.”
“Why must I pretend to be dull while Lillith gets to deliver blows to our enemy?” Lenora demanded.
“Because ye do nae have any competitive skills,” Lillith answered truthfully. She stared into the dancing flames of the fire, considering what she could do. “I can best him at archery for certain. And mayhap horse racing? I know the hidden paths through the woods better than any outsider could.”
“Perfect,” Aunt Sebille said. “And ensure ye do it before witnesses—preferably his own men.”
“I can also ensure the servants spread rumors about my wild nature,” Lillith added, the plan taking firmer shape in her mind. “How I have a dreadful temper, how I kinnae cook or sew or do any of the things some men think a proper wife should.”
“All of which is true,” Lenora murmured, the first hint of a smile touching her lips since they’d begun this discussion.
“Those are fine things, but the blows to his pride mostly need to be direct and public,” her grandmama said.
All the women fell to silence once more, thinking. “’Tis so bothersome this is happening during the Winter Solstice season,” Eve said. “There are so many activities already I need to plan and—”
“That’s it!” Lillith shouted.
Eve glanced toward the door again, her face suddenly tense. “Let’s keep our voices down. The stone walls of Dunvegan have ears, and this plan depends on secrecy.”
Lillith nodded, as excitement surged within her. For once, her wild nature would serve a purpose beyond her own entertainment. It would free her sister from an unwanted marriage and perhaps herself as well. “I can challenge him andhis men to different contests built around our traditional Winter Solstice activities!” Lillith exclaimed, taking care to keep her tone lowered.
“That’s an excellent idea!” Eve agreed. “The first challenge can be the torchlight procession!”
“Aye, ’tis perfect!” Lillith said, given the object of the torchlight procession. People would compete to race from cottage to cottage all over the MacLeod Land, lighting torches at the cottages as they went, but one could only light the torch after drinking a goblet of mead. Normally, the person who lit the most torches at the end of a certain amount of time won, but this year, she would propose making it the MacLeods against the Mathesons, and the teams would be made up of however many warriors he had with him, she had counted four at first sight, matched against her and her grandmama, sister, and aunts. Lillith quickly shared her idea for the team challenge with her family, and they all agreed it was excellent.
“The next challenge could be the Fireball games!” Lenora said, her enthusiasm amusing for someone who had never wished to participate in the tradition of the Winter Solstice games.
But the idea was excellent, so Lillith nodded. “We could form two teams—women against men.”
“How would we throw as far as the men?” Eve asked.
“Simple, dear,” Grandmama Marion said. “We will distract the men with our feminine charms.”
Low chuckles erupted from everyone at once.
“What about the ice plunge?” Sebille asked. “Do ye think ye could best him at that?”
“Aye!” Lillith answered confidently. “I won the ice plunge contest the last three years!”
“Her lips turned blue!” Eve said.
