“Oh my.” Emily decided not to try another sip of the drink, fearing she would choke again in case Tayda had any more bombshell revelations. “So, the Fae really can hear a child? Even as early as conception?”
“Of course.” Tayda looked at her as if amazed that there was ever any doubt.
Trembling, Emily set her drink aside and hugged herself. “A baby.”
“Aye.” With an understanding nod, Tayda seemed to glow brighter. “Prince Gryffe is more pleased than I have ever seen him. He actually smiled.”
Inalfi entered the bedroom, commandeering the lads carrying not only the bathtub but the steaming kettles as well. When she turned and spied Emily, she flew to the side of the bed and dropped to her knees. “Please forgive me for lying to ye, m’lady. I swear it will never happen again.”
Uncomfortable with such an overt apology, Emily waved for the maid to stand. “It’s all right, Inalfi. You only did it because you were so angry with me for hurting Himself. I know how loyal to him you are.”
Eyes still downcast, Inalfi stood there wringing her hands. “I was still wrong to behave so poorly, m’lady, and I am sorry. May I please stay and serve ye?”
“Of course you may. As long as that is what you wish to do. I don’t want you to stay if you’re not happy here.”
“Fate indeed blessed our prince with such a fair minded lady,” Tayda said. “Would ye not agree, Inalfi?”
Bowing her head lower, Inalfi backed up a step to include Tayda in her groveling. “A most fair minded wife indeed, m’lady, and I am blessed to have her as a mistress.”
While Emily appreciated the apology, the excessive laying it on made her shudder.
“Our lady is chilled,” Inalfi said with a snap of her fingers at the lads. “Hie yerselves with the rest of that water. Now!”
Relaxing back into the pillows, Emily breathed a sigh of relief. There was the Inalfi to whom she was accustomed.
Tayda smiled and nodded while reaching for Emily’s cup. “Another, m’lady?”
“That would be lovely.”
Even the sting of sleet and snow didn’t faze Gryffe as he strode along the path atop the skirting wall. He was as warm and contented as if lounging in front of a roaring fire. His precious Emily had committed fully to their bond. If she hadn’t, their beloved bairn’s soul never would have taken root in her womb so early in their marriage. He almost smiled, silently thanking his father for such determined virility in siring bairns because the Unseelie struggled with procreation and the continuance of their race. Excitement thrummed through him like the wildness of a storm crashing waves against the shore. A wee bairn. His and Emily’s child. How would he ever find the patience to wait all those months to hold the babe in his arms?
Eyes narrowed against winter’s blasting tempest, he looked out upon his lands as he strolled, then came to a halt and frowned. That light skimming along the base of the mountains—he had only seen such a light once before. A Weaver was coming, the most powerful Weaver of all, from the brightness and hue of that beacon. That did not bode well for this auspicious day. A day when Clan MacStrath and the Dark Fae should know nothing other than celebration. The only time a Weaver, and most especially this Weaver, ever traveled past the boundaries of Seven Cairns was if something was terribly wrong, so wrong that the Highland Veil risked falling.
“Ferris!” Gryffe moved faster toward the battlement facing the ridgeline. “Ferris!”
“I see it.” Ferris stepped out of the storm’s white haze. “’Tis the old one, for sure. Her scent rides on the winds.”
“Triple the guard. Whatever news she brings canna be good.”
“I already have,” Ferris said. “Think ye she comes for yer lady? From everything shared with us, it seemed as though Lady Emily was their lost mortal.”
“And yet none of them knew her when I took her to Seven Cairns.” Gryffe bared his teeth, glaring at the light coming ever closer. “They broke her heart that day. I will not give them another chance to put her through such misery, especially not now.”
“We canna refuse her entry. Ye ken that as well as I.”
“I know.” As the light drew ever closer, it split into two glowing orbs. Gryffe tightened his fists, popping every knuckle. “Two feckin’ Weavers and one of them, Mairwen. I will not allow them to take her.” He turned to Ferris and thumped his chest with his fist. “Even if I must rescind my oath and position as Grand Chieftain of the Defenders. Nothing matters but my Emily and our bairn.”
Ferris bowed his head. “I understand.”
“More importantly, do ye support me?”
“Aye, I do. Without question.”
Gryffe bared his teeth at the orbs, willing them to feel his protective fury. If need be, he would call down the forces of the Unseelie to protect his own. For the first time in his long life, he was thankful for his ancestry. The Dark Fae were renowned warriors.
Chapter 14
“What if she refuses?” Ishbel asked quietly as they floated over the rugged, snow covered land, safe from the storm while enclosed in their crystal orbs. “And I still say we shouldha simply folded realities and stepped into their entry hall. Ye know they see us coming, aye? I spied them atop the skirting wall. They have tripled their guard, and knowing the chieftain, the army of the Dark Fae could very well be upon us before we know it.”
