“Nothin’ at all.” Henry held up his hands in mock surrender. “Just observin’ how village politics suddenly need the presenceof a lady now that yer new wife is here. Pure coincidence, I’m sure.”
“She needs to learn her duties. The sooner she understands what’s expected of her, the better.”
“Aye, duties. That’s what this is about.” Henry’s grin returned full force. “Has nothin’ to do with the fact that ye want to spend the day with her. Keep her close. See how she handles herself when she’s nae covered in garden mud.”
The words hit too close because that was exactly what he wanted. To see Iris in her element, to watch her navigate the complexities of clan politics. To discover if she had the strength and wisdom to truly be the lady this clan needed.
To find excuses to be near her without admitting why.
“Ye’re oversteppin’ yer boundaries,” Elijah warned, his voice dropping to that dangerous quiet that made most men back down immediately.
But Henry didn’t seem intimidated. “Am I? Because from where I stand, it looks like I was just jokin’.”
“It looks like ye should keep yer jokes to yerself before I decide ye’re too comfortable in yer position.”
Henry’s posture straightened slightly. His friend’s expression sobered slightly though the amusement didn’t entirely leave his eyes.
“Aye, me laird,” he said with exaggerated formality. “I was just havin’ a bit of fun. Nae harm meant.”
“Then have yer fun elsewhere. I daenae need a runnin’ commentary on me actions.”
“Understood.” Henry turned back to the horses, but Elijah caught his muttered addition: “Though ye might want to ask yerself why ye’re so touchy about it.”
Knowing it had been more than thirty minutes, Elijah glanced toward the castle, expecting to see Iris making her way across the courtyard.
Nothing.
He waited another few minutes, his irritation growing with each passing moment. Where was she? He’d given her specific instructions, a clear timeline. Thirty minutes wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command.
Maybe she’s still angry about yesterday. Maybe she’s decided to defy me.
The thought sent a spike of something through him that might have been anger. Or anticipation.
“I’ll be back,” he told Henry curtly.
“Where are ye goin’?”
“To collect me wife.”
Elijah ignored the guffaw that followed his statement, striding toward the castle, his mood darkening with each step. He’d been perfectly clear about his expectations. If Iris thought she could make him wait, make him look foolish in front of his own men, she was about to learn otherwise.
He climbed the stairs to their chambers two at a time, already planning the sharp words he’d use to remind her of her place. But when he reached their door, he found the room empty. Her traveling dress was laid out on the bed, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Where the hell is she?
He was about to check the other likely places like the kitchens, perhaps, or Aliana’s room when he heard voices from down the corridor. One of them was unmistakably Iris, her warm laugh carrying through the stone hallway.
Elijah moved toward the sound, his steps careful and quiet. The voices were coming from what looked like a small sitting room, the door slightly ajar.
“... and once I’m back from the village, we can spend the whole afternoon together,” Iris was saying. “I promise.”
Elijah stopped dead, his hand clenching into a fist at his side.
Spend the afternoon with whom?
The thought of Iris making plans with another man, promising him her time and attention, sent a surge of something hot and violent through his veins.
What right does she have to make such promises? She’s me wife, and she’s supposed to be ready to leave with me.
