Apprehension colored Nessa's thoughts. Neala was studying her too closely, and Nessa instantly felt on her guard. "Pleased tae meet ye," Nessa said after a moment.
"An' ye," Neala replied, her voice oddly stiff. "I'm glad Darren was able tae get ye back safely. I'm sure it wasnae easy tae get ye away from the prince."
Nessa frowned. "I suppose, though he was otherwise occupied," she replied. "Darren didnae have much issue."
"Hm." Neala fidgeted with her hands clasped in front of herself. "Did… that is… have ye been courtin' long, ye and Ansel?"
Ansel?Nessa blinked at that, taken aback by the familiar form of address. Why would Neala be referring to the enemy prince in such a way? "What concern is that of yers?" she asked, instantly suspicious, her sharp defenses snapping back into place.
"I'm sure she was just curious," Darren said quickly.
"Very curious," Neala replied. Her jaw twitched. "Is there a reason ye willnae answer? Did ye even wonder why he didnae come after ye?"
"I assume he's retreated tae plan," Nessa replied, folding her arms. "That's what he does, if ye dinnae ken. He's a very cunning man. More so than his father."
Something about that explanation seemed to anger Neala. Her eyes flashed and she shook her head. "Such diplomacy!" she said with a harsh laugh. "Nae wonder this is tae be the future queen. Ansel must have adored ye from the moment ye met."
The skin of Nessa's cheeks rippled with heat and she hated her body for showing her embarrassment and annoyance so plainly. "I didnae ask for any of this," she snapped. "I dinnae ken what yer issue is, but I didnae ask tae be wed tae that monster of a prince. I didnae ask tae be forced tae watch as he slaughtered villages and followed his father's orders like a dog."
"Like a dog!" Neala exclaimed. "Is that how ye talk of yer soon-tae-be-husband? Ye claim ye didnae choose this, but ye accepted the betrothal, did ye nae?"
"That's enough." Darren stepped forward in-between them, a new harshness in his voice that Nessa had never heard before. "Neala, I dinnae ken what yer issue is, but we're all victims here. Aye, Nessa may have accepted the betrothal, but so did Maeve and Breana when they were wed tae Malcolm and Kyle Darach. Would ye blame them, as well?"
Neala scowled, then turned and stormed away.
Nessa watched her go, shaken. She hadn't expected such an attack, though Neala hadn't been wrong—Nessahadaccepted the betrothal. When the offer had come, she'd even felt a thrill of excitement about it. It had been everything that she'd been raised her whole life to want. She'd always wanted the world to see the truth—that she had triumphed over Maeve, the bonny one, and been the one to be chosen as queen above her sisters. Only after she'd arrived at Blackthorn Castle had her dreams soured and reality shifted in ways she didn't know how to handle.
"Are ye all right?" Darren asked her. "She's nae normally like that, I swear."
"I'm fine," Nessa replied.
Darren shook his head. "Ye're nae. But come on. Ye will be."
Nessa followed Darren into a building a little further away from the festival in the center. She looked around and realized that they were standing in a vintner's shop, huge barrels of wine stacked up against the walls. It smelled of sweet strawberries and fresh grapes, all muddled in with the heady scent of alcohol.
Darren winked and grabbed a pair of goblets from a table, then took them over to one of the kegs. He opened the lid of a standing barrel and spooned some of the rich wine into each of the cups.
"Ye cannae just do that!" Neala exclaimed.
Darren laughed. "I'll pay for it, never fear. The vinter kens me well. He keeps the castle well stocked. Come, drink. It's strawberry wine."
He held out a goblet and Nessa nervously took it. She sipped at it and gasped at how tasty it was, sweet and tangy and delicious. "It's good," she admitted.
Darren nodded. "It's me favorite," he confessed. "I asked Gerard—that's the vinter—tae make an extra barrel for me. I'm glad ye're enjoyin' it."
Nessa gazed at him curiously over her cup. "How is it ye have the power tae charm everyone? From the winemaker tae yer rebel council tae me sisters and even the king himself, everybody seems tae love ye."
With sparkling eyes, he beamed at her. "The king?" he asked. "Is that how ye're referrin' tae Cailean now? Or has Edric Ashkirk declared a love for me I dinnae ken about?"
Blinking rapidly in surprise, Nessa realized he was right. Shehadreferred to Cailean as 'the king'. Just a few days ago, she would have never dreamed of such a thing. What had causedthat slip? She considered, then understood. It was this place, these people. The castle residents and the villagers of the castle town spoke so highly of their king that it only felt natural to think of him in that way as well. They loved Cailean McNair, not just for his name but for who he had consistently shown himself to be, and for the new Scotland he promised. It was far, far too easy to get caught up in it. She had never seen a person talk of Edric Ashkirk that way, not even those who had been his most loyal servants.
Things were so different here. Cailean was a king of the people—and so was his queen. That still sounded odd to Nessa's ear.Maevewas the queen in the eyes of these people, and, if the rebels succeeded, Maeve would officially be queen of all of Scotland. Of all three of the O'Sullivan sisters, Maeve would have been the last that Nessa had guessed would ever claim that title. And yet, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Maeve had always been a natural leader. She'd always been the strong one, the defiant one, and the one who followed her beliefs no matter what. As a child, Nessa had secretly admired her, though she'd never have admitted it.
Well. None of that mattered now. Maeve hated her, Nessa was certain of it. Her lightened mood soured as she thought of her confrontation not only with her sister, but also the one with Neala just a short time before. The queen hated her, and so, it seemed, did the king's sister. She put her goblet down, feeling drained and cold all at once.
Darren seemed to notice her shift in mood immediately. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong? Did I say somethin' foolish?"
Nessa shook her head. "Nay. I did. Darren, tell me truthfully now. Even if I was tae somehow change me ways—and I'm nae sayin' I will nor that it's even possible—but if I could suddenly be on the side of the rebellion and all that ye stand for, would I even be welcome here?"
