“Aye, she does,” Leona agreed, smiling despite everything weighing on her. “Go on, ye can pet her. Gently, though. She’s particular about how she’s touched.”
Skye began stroking Nyx’s fur with reverent care, each movement slow and deliberate. The cat’s purring grew louder, and Skye’s face lit up with pure joy.
For several minutes, they sat in comfortable silence, watching the girl and the cat together.
“Ever since Aunt Ailis married and left the house,” Skye said suddenly, her voice soft and wistful, still focused on Nyx, “it’s been pretty lonely. She used to play with me, tell me stories, teach me things Da didnae have time for. Now, there’s nay one.”
Leona’s heart clenched painfully. She moved to sit on the floor beside Skye, close enough to offer comfort but not so close as to intrude. “Is that why ye lied to the councilmen?”
Skye’s cheeks flushed pink, her hands stilling on Nyx’s fur. But she nodded, not meeting Leona’s eyes. “Aye. I thought… I thought if I could make ye stay, maybe things would be different. Maybe Da would smile more. Maybe I’d have someone to talk to who wasnae always busy or worried about clan business.”
She finally looked up, her brown eyes wide and anxious. “Are ye mad?”
“Nay.” Leona reached out, tucking a strand of dark hair behind Skye’s ear with gentle fingers. “Ye actually helped. Truly. Just next time ye make such a decision, maybe tell yer da first? Give him a chance to be part of the plan.”
Skye’s face transformed, her smile so bright it could have lit the darkening room. “All right, I will. I promise.”
A knock interrupted the moment.
A maid appeared in the doorway, her expression apologetic. “Pardon, me Lady, but it’s time for the young mistress’s bath.”
“Already?” Skye pouted, but she carefully lifted Nyx and set her down before standing. The cat immediately jumped back onto Rufus’s lap, settling in as if she’d never moved. “Will I see ye at dinner?”
“I’m nae sure,” Leona said honestly. “That’s up to yer faither.”
“I’ll ask him,” Skye declared with the confidence of a child who didn’t yet understand the complications adults created. “He’ll say aye if I ask.”
She practically skipped out of the room, and Leona felt something warm and complicated settle in her chest. At least she’d made one person happy today.
“She’s sweet,” Rufus observed once they were alone again. “Lonely, but sweet.”
“Aye.” Leona stood, brushing off her skirts. “And she deserves better than what she’s getting.”
“So do ye,” her brother pointed out, his voice taking on an edge. “A fake marriage to a man who says he’ll never love ye? That’s nae what ye dreamed of, Leona.”
Before she could respond, another knock sounded. This time it was a different maid, younger, with kind eyes.
“Pardon, me Lady, but the Laird requests yer presence at dinner. Both ye and yer brother. The meal will be served in the smaller dining hall in half an hour.”
“We’ll be there,” Leona said, her stomach knotting with nerves. “Thank ye.”
As the maid left, Rufus looked at her with concern. “Are ye ready for this?”
Was she? Ready to sit at Murdock’s table, to play the part of his betrothed in front of his people? Ready to pretend her heart didn’t race every time he looked at her?
“I have to be,” she said simply.
Murdock stood near the head of the table in the smaller dining hall, listening to Hamish drone on about grain stores and winter preparations, but his mind was elsewhere. The council had wasted no time spreading word of his betrothal, and now he’d have to endure an evening of congratulations and speculation.
He should never have let Skye’s lie stand. Should have corrected it immediately, the consequences be damned.
But then he remembered Leona’s face when she’d realized what his daughter had done. The flash of panic, yes, but also something else. Hope, perhaps. Or relief that she wouldn’t be sent away after all.
“Are ye even listenin' to me?” Hamish asked, amusement in his voice.
“Nay,” Murdock admitted. “What were ye sayin'?”
“I was saying that the clan is already plannin' the festival. Apparently, they’re quite excited about their Laird finally taking a wife.”
