“I’m nae laughin’,” he said, failing miserably to sound serious.
“Daenae ye dare deny it! I can see it in yer eyes!”
And God help him, she was right, because Elijah Craig was trying very hard not to laugh and failing entirely. And he knew, if she had her way, at this point she throw something at him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Lady Iris?” Codie’s small voice cut through their heated exchange like a blade through silk. “Are ye and Faither fightin’?”
All the fight went out of her in an instant, replaced by shame and concern for this child who’d already witnessed too much conflict in his young life.
“We’re nae fightin’, sweetheart,” she said quickly, forcing her voice to gentle tones despite the lingering anger in her chest. “We’re just... havin’ a discussion.”
“It sounded like fightin’,” Codie said uncertainly, his gaze darting between the two adults. “Ye both looked angry. Really angry.”
Iris glanced at Elijah, who had the grace to look slightly ashamed. Whatever had been amusing him about theirargument seemed to have faded in the face of his son’s obvious distress.
“Sometimes adults disagree about things,” Elijah said carefully, his own voice gentling. “But that doesnae mean we’re truly fightin’.”
“Are ye sure?” Codie’s voice was small, uncertain in a way that broke Iris’s heart. “Because ye sounded like ye were really mad at each other.”
The innocent observation hit Iris, and she felt her anger drain away completely, replaced by protective tenderness for Codie who was watching them with such fearful hope.
He’s afraid we’ll hurt each other. He’s afraid he’ll lose another maither.
“I’m sorry we raised our voices,” she said gently, reaching out to take his small hand in hers. “That wasnae proper behavior, and it probably scared ye.”
“A little,” Codie admitted quietly.
“Ye’re right to be concerned, laddie,” Elijah added, his own voice rough with what might have been regret.“”
“But ye’re nae really mad at each other?” Codie asked hopefully.
Iris looked across the table at her husband, this man who’d just called her an idiot and then found her resulting fury amusing. Part of her was still angry with him, still stung by what she perceived as his criticism of her choices. But looking at Codie’s worried face, she realized that her hurt feelings were far less important than this child’s sense of security.
“Nay, we’re nae really mad,” she said firmly and meant it. “Sometimes people disagree without bein’ truly angry. It’s... normal.”
“Promise?”
The simple word carried so much weight, so much fear wrapped in hope.
“I promise,” Iris said, squeezing his hand gently. “Yer faither and I may have different opinions sometimes, but we’re nae goin’ to hurt each other. That’s nae who we are.”
“Aye, lad,” Elijah added quietly, his dark eyes meeting hers across the table. “Ye have me word on that as well.”
“Hamish told me the stag’s story. It was shot by Hamish’s great-grandfather!” Codie announced, suddenly relaxed and forgetting that anything had happened. “It took him three days to track it through the mountains, and when he finally found it, the beast was bigger than a horse!”
“How excitin’,” Iris managed; her voice was still shaky, but she was grateful for the distraction.
“Tell us all about it,” Elijah encouraged.
Codie’s face split into a grin, and he began speaking so quickly, Iris half-wondered if Elijah would catch a word.
“Well, first he followed the stag’s hoofprints all the way from Glenfinnan. The snow was so deep he almost gave up, but then he found a tuft of fur caught on a thorn bush. He kent he was close then!”
She leaned in slightly, her interest looking genuine despite the thoughts still lingering in her mind. “What color was the fur?”
“Brown, like the earth. Hamish says he carried it the whole way for luck. Then, when he finally saw the stag, it had antlers this wide—” He stretched his arms as far as they would go, nearly knocking over his cup.
