“I love bein’ with ye,” he told Elayne.
Dumbfounded, Elayne blinked up at him a few times. “I love bein’ with ye, too.”
Dunn didn’t turn to look at Laird McCoy as he stomped away, leaving the three of them alone. The moment he was gone, Elayne turned back to Dunn, a curious look on her face.
“Why did ye dae that?” she asked, though she didn’t sound angry with him; only vaguely amused.
“I only wanted tae show McCoy how wrong he is,” Dunn said with a small shrug, refusing to elaborate. He didn’t want Elayne worrying for no reason. Instead, he beckoned Blaine closer, and once he was certain that no one else was there to hear them,he took the opportunity to discuss their most pressing matter. “There is only one key fer the study. I saw Laird MacGillivray give it tae McCoy earlier today. If Elayne is tae take it from her faither, then we have tae make sure he has it first.”
“I’ll take it at the first chance,” Elayne assured him.
“Good,” said Blaine. “An’ then Dunn an’ I will copy everythin’ we need. Will ye be able tae return the key, Elayne?”
“Aye,” said Elayne confidently. “Dinnae fash. I can dae it.”
Dunn nodded firmly. The plan had been set in motion. Now all they needed to do was find the right moment.
There was tension in Dunn’s shoulders. Even from her seat on the bench in the training grounds, Elayne could see it: the rigid expanse of his back, the way he looked like a coiled snake, ready to lash out at the first sign of danger. He was sparring with Blaine, but she doubted that had anything to do with all the stress he carried in his body.
She could hardly blame him. She, too, was nervous about their plan, though she tried to keep it hidden from him. The last thing she wanted was to make him worry about her, too, when he already had so much else to think about. She simply told herself that everything would go well. It had to; too much hinged uponthis plan and they couldn’t fail. If they did, they wouldn’t be the only ones to pay for it. A war would destroy many more lives.
With a sigh, Elayne stood and made her way to Isobel’s quarters. If there was anything that could take her mind off the danger of the plan, it was a conversation with her best friend.
She found the healer’s quarters almost entirely empty when she entered. Only Isobel was there, grinding some herbs into a paste and smiling at Elayne when their gazes met.
“Are ye alone?” Elayne asked, closing the door behind her.
“Aye,” said Isobel. “Maither has gone tae the town.”
Elayne was glad about it. It meant she could talk to Isobel freely, without worrying that someone else would hear. She took a seat next to Isobel on the large table, where she kept all her papers and her books, along with a mess of vials filled with different things, taking a sprig of lavender in her hand and twirling it idly around her fingers.
“I will have tae find a way tae take me faither’s keys from him,” she said. She had already told Isobel about the plan, and she had been concerned from the moment she heard it, but now she froze entirely, an apprehensive frown appearing on her face.
“It will be dangerous,” she said.
“Aye,” said Elayne with a sigh. “But what other choice dae I have? I must help Dunn stop this war.”
Isobel abandoned her task and turned to look at Elayne, her hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “Promise me ye will be careful. This is nay game, Elayne.”
“I promise.” Elayne rested her own hand over Isobel’s giving it a reassuring pat. “Naething will happen tae me. I’ll be very careful.”
Isobel didn’t seem entirely convinced, but at least she knew better than to ask Elayne to change her mind. There was no going back now. Elayne had to do this, and so she would.
“Talk tae me about somethin’ else,” said Elayne. She needed to take her mind off things, to think about something pleasant for a while. At her request, Isobel gave her a small, shy smile, color rushing to her cheeks.
“Blaine kissed me,” she said with a giddy laugh. “I had begun tae think he never would.”
Elayne couldn’t help but gasp, her hand coming up to cover her mouth in surprise as she smiled. “He did? Was it good?”
Isobel’s cheeks were painted an impossibly deep shade of red. “It was,” she said quietly, nodding. “I’m hopin’ he will be bolder now.”
Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, Elayne looked at Isobel, trying to decide whether she should ask her what she truly wanted to know. In the end, her curiosity won over her embarrassment, and she looked for a moment over her shoulder to make sure no one could hear them, though there was no one else there.
“Isobel, ye have some… experience, dae ye nae?” she asked. “Well, more than I dae, at least.”
Isobel’s smile was both mischievous and infectious. “I suppose I dae. Why? Is there somethin’ ye wish tae ken?”
Elayne nodded. “Dunn, he… he kens how tae pleasure a woman.” Isobel, of course, knew all about it, since Elayne had run to her the moment she got the chance, telling her everything that had happened between them. “But I worry I ken naething. He has bedded so many before me an’ compared tae them, I’m useless!”
