A fireplace big enough to roast an entire cow sat in the corner, with a fire already burning even at that hour of the morning. The space was dominated, of course, by a huge table, half as wideas her room and much longer, with long benches running along either side.
Four places were set at the top of the table, and Megan walked the length of the room toward it. A cluster of guards stood at a respectful distance. She didn’t recognize any of the men who’d been on guard outside Alaina’s room.
Alaina herself was reading a book, the tome propped up behind her plate. Sophie balanced on her knee, munching on a piece of bread.
Ryder himself sat at the head of the table. As Laird, that was undoubtedly his place at every meal. He sat in a heavy wooden chair—a throne, really—and tapped his fingertips on the armrest. He didn’t say anything, but she felt his eyes on her as she approached.
Sophie glanced up when she heard Megan’s footsteps and immediately brightened.
“Good mornin’, Megan!” she chirped. “Was yer bed comfortable?”
“Very comfortable, thank ye,” Megan responded. Alaina and Sophie’s places were set side by side, and hers was clearly the place across the table, at Ryder’s right hand. Ryder was still looking at her, but Megan was determined not to givehimany attention. So, she flashed a smile at the girls instead.
“Did ye two sleep well?”
Sophie nodded eagerly. Alaina tore her eyes briefly from her book, giving a nod and a half-hearted grunt.
“What did ye dream of?” Megan asked, helping herself to a slice of bread and cheese. “Me Ma used to say that dreams meant somethin’.”
“Dreams? Yer Ma is a wee bit insane, then,” Ryder commented. “If I have a dream that I am bein’ chased by a giant cabbage that wants to eat me, what doesthatmean? Do I have a deep-seated fear of vegetables?”
“If ye dream that ye are bein’ chased,” Megan shot back, “I’d argue that ye fell asleep worried about somethin’. Somethin’ that ye feel ye cannae avoid.”
There was a brief silence. Alaina spoke up, never looking up from her book.
“I think she could be right there, braither.”
Ryder huffed in annoyance and said no more. Megan glanced back at the girls and lifted her eyebrows.
“I dreamt of ye, Megan,” Sophie volunteered. “I dreamt that ye were runnin’ in the woods, fast as anythin’, and that all the animals were yer friends.”
Megan had to smile at that. “That feels a wee bit too accurate there, Sophie. I’m sure I’ve done that many, many times.”
Sophie grinned happily and nudged her sister. “What about ye, Alaina?”
Alaina’s jaw tightened. She closed her book with a resounding snap and lifted her eyes to glare at her brother.
“I dreamt of freedom.”
The air seemed to tighten. The corners of Ryder’s mouth pulled down in a frown. He glowered at his sister, who returned his glare with just as much venom.
Abruptly, he brought his fist down on the table, hard enough to make the crockery rattle.
“Enough,” he snapped, voice ringing out.
Alaina did not flinch. She didn’t even bat an eyelid, but Sophie shivered, ducking her head.
Megan clenched her jaw. She stared at Ryder until he felt the tickle of her gaze and finally glanced her way.
“Best not to be so loud or sharp at this hour of the mornin’,” she said, her voice clipped and pointed. She let her eyes dart over to where Sophie sat shivering. “Some people daenae like it.”
Some of the anger drained out of Ryder’s face. He cleared his throat, shifting almost uncomfortably, and sat back in his seat.
“I daenae like all this talk of dreams. They mean nothin’,” he stated.
“Your opinion is not a solid fact, braither,” Alaina snapped. “Nor is it the only opinion in the world.”
Megan bit her lip, wondering if it would be too much to inch her hand forward over the table as if to take Alaina’s hand. It was too far anyway. She’d have to crawl across and stretch full length to do that, which really felt like overkill.
