She hesitated, acutely aware of how thin her reasons felt compared to the weight of what lingered between them. Still, this was practical. Safe. Something she could say without unraveling herself.
“Mairi asked that I relay a message to ye,” she said.
His brows lifted slightly. “Did she?”
“She did,” Ariella replied. “She and Callum would like us to visit tomorrow afternoon. To see the baby. At their cottage.”
The words hung in the cold air.
Maxwell did not answer immediately. His gaze drifted toward the inner wall of the keep, toward where the nursery windows glowed faintly with lamplight. Ariella watched his face carefully, the tightening at his jaw, the controlled stillness that had become so familiar to her.
“She should be resting,” he said at last.
“She is,” Ariella assured him quickly. “Moira all but threatened Callum with bodily harm if he let her overexert herself. This would be brief. Only when she feels ready.”
Maxwell nodded once. “And she does?”
“Yes,” Ariella said. “Very much so.”
Another pause. The wind tugged at her cloak again, and this time she did not adjust it. She waited.
“She asked for both of us,” Ariella added, softer now. “Nae only me.”
That did it.
Maxwell’s gaze returned to her, sharp but unreadable. “Did she?”
“Aye,” Ariella said, meeting his eyes. “She said it would please her greatly.”
He exhaled slowly through his nose, as if weighing something unseen.
“We will go, then,” he said.
The simple agreement sent an unexpected warmth through her chest.
“Thank ye,” she said, then frowned slightly. “Ye sound as though ye are agreeing to a council meeting.”
He huffed quietly. “I am agreeing to a room full of noise, questions, and a very small person who will likely judge me.”
A smile curved her lips before she could stop it. “She will.”
He glanced at her mouth, then away. “Tomorrow afternoon,” he repeated. “If the weather holds.”
“It will,” Ariella said, too quickly, as if daring the sky to contradict her.
He stepped back, reclaiming a careful distance. “Now ye should truly rest.”
She nodded. “And ye should nae stand out here all night.”
“I will manage,” he replied.
She turned toward the stair once more, heart lighter than before. As she descended, she heard him add, quieter than before,
“Ariella.”
She looked back.
“Thank ye,” he said. “For telling me yerself.”
