“We will see,” Grandmamma allowed, a flat answer that could mean anything.
Bettie worried the edge of her oatcake and then set it down whole. “Will she be our maither?” she asked bluntly.
Grandmamma’s head turned hard enough to pull the muscle along her neck.
Alex kept his hands flat on the board.
“She will be herself,” he said. “Just as the two of ye will be yerselves.”
“That is nae an answer,” Bettie said.
“It is what ye get,” he said.
Grandmamma took in that line and set it beside the look he had given her a minute ago. She nodded once. “Girls,” she said. “Go wash yer hands again. Ye missed yer thumbs.”
“We didnae,” Katie said, checking her hands and then standing anyway. “We only missed a little.”
They slid off the bench and went to the basin by the fireplace, whispering in a way that carried to every corner. Even though they spoke like they were in a rush, Alex could hear everything they were saying very clearly. He could even hear the curiosity and concern in their tone.
“Maybe she likes dogs.”
“Maybe she can sew.”
“Maybe she has a scar.”
“Maybe she is from a story.”
They laughed at themselves and then tried to look serious for their Grandmamma.
Grandmamma, on the other hand, watched them go and spoke without moving her mouth much. “I just hope ye understand what ye’re doing,” she said.
“I do,” Alex affirmed.
“Then I cannae wait to meet her,” she said. “I hope she is lovely.”
He did not nod or try to look away.
Grandmamma lifted her cup and took a small sip, as if they had settled something that mattered to both of them.
The hall breathed again as a boy brought fresh bread. The maid returned with more oatcakes and pretended not to look at Alex’s face.
Calum crossed beneath the arch at the far end, saw the table, saw Grandmamma, and chose to look for him later. Alex was wellaware of the slight reservations his grandmother had about his man-at-arms.
“He let me bird fly away. I will never forget it.”
“Calum has been with me for years, Grandmaither. Ye need to find a way to get along with him,” he had responded, but the older woman was adamant.
The girls came back with wet fingers and the peace that came when a task gave them something to do.
“Are we done?” Bettie asked.
“Aye,” Grandmamma said. “Eat.”
They ate as Alex put meat on both their trenchers and watched them take it without argument. He recognized the small miracle and let it stand, grateful for not having to settle another fight.
He did not look at the door. He felt it like a weight in the hinge. The carriage was approaching the castle, which meant that in a few more minutes, Erica would walk through those doors.
He could still remember her face under the firelight, how full her cheeks had been, and how she filled out her dress with her curves.
