As though piercing into his thoughts, Iris pressed on, “Ye’re what he has, and he loves ye despite yer flaws. The question is, what are ye goin’ to do about it?”
Before he could answer, she was moving toward the door.
“Where are ye goin’?”
“To clean meself up. And then I’m goin’ to find yer son and make sure he kens that what happened in the garden wasnae his fault.” She paused with her hand on the latch. “Think about what I said, Elijah. About what kind of man ye want to be and what kind of father. Because Codie is watchin’, and he’s learnin’ from everythin’ ye do.”
The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the terrible possibility that his new, meddling, annoying wife may be right.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“And then he started throwin’ mud balls at me like we were soldiers in battle!”
Iris gestured wildly with her hands, still animated from recounting the afternoon’s events to Aliana. They sat in her chambers as evening light filtered through the windows, and despite everything that had happened with Elijah, she couldn’t help but smile when she remembered Codie’s pure joy.
“Ye should have seen his face, Aliana. He was so happy, so alive. I’ve never seen him like that before.”
Aliana burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand. “I wish I could have seen it! Ye, covered head to toe in mud, havin’ a proper battle with a ten-year-old boy!”
“It was wonderful,” Iris admitted, her smile growing wider. “When was the last time I did somethin’ just for fun? Just because it felt good? Nae in me parents’ castle, I can assure ye.”
“And when was the last time poor Codie did the same?” Aliana’s expression grew thoughtful. “That boy’s never had someone to truly play with. The servants are too worried about their positions to play with their laird’s son, and his faither...”
“His faither treats him like a small adult who should already ken better,” Iris finished bitterly.
“Aye, exactly. The poor lad’s been tryin’ to be perfect his whole life, desperate for his faither’s approval.” Aliana shook her head sadly. “Today might have been the first time he’s ever just been a child.”
Iris felt her chest tighten with protectiveness. “Which is exactly why I daenae regret it. Nae the mess, nae the mud, nae any of it. That boy deserved to laugh like that.”
“But ye’re upset about somethin’ else,” Aliana observed, studying her face. “What is it?”
“It’s Elijah.” Iris’s smile faded completely. “The way he interfered. I’m supposed to be Codie’s new mother, but he swept in like I was some incompetent servant who couldnae manage a simple task.”
“Do ye really think that’s what he meant?”
“What else could he have meant? He took one look at the situation and decided I couldnae handle it. That I needed him to step in and fix everythin’.” Iris stood up, pacing to the window.“How am I supposed to build a relationship with Codie if his faither undermines me at every turn?”
Aliana was quiet for a moment, considering. “Me lady, can I say somethin’ without ye gettin’ angry?”
“Of course.”
“I daenae think that’s what happened at all.”
Iris turned back to face her. “What do ye mean?”
“I mean, I’ve been watchin’ the Laird since ye arrived. The way he looks at ye, the way he... well, the way he pays attention to things that involve ye.” Aliana’s eyes grew thoughtful. “I think he saw what was happenin’, what he thought was trouble, and his first instinct was to help.”
“Help? That’s what ye call humiliatin’ his son and makin’ me look incompetent?”
“I think he saw a situation he dinnae understand and reacted the only way he kens how, with authority and control.” Aliana stood up as well, moving closer. “But I daenae think he meant to undermine ye. I think he was tryin’ to... protect ye, maybe?”
“Protect me from what? A ten-year-old throwin’ mud?”
“Protect ye from lookin’ bad in front of the servants. From bein’ seen as someone who couldnae handle her responsibilities.” Aliana’s voice grew gentle. “Men like the Laird, they fix things. It’s what they do. When they see a problem, they solve it, even when nay one asked them to.”
Iris considered this, her anger beginning to cool as she thought about it from Elijah’s perspective. “Ye really think he was tryin’ to help?”
“I think he’s spent so many years bein’ the one everyone turns to for solutions that he doesnae ken how to step back and let someone else handle things. Even when that someone is his own wife.”
