She left the dining hall, just as the servant reappeared with the box of chocolates. Daisy clapped her hands together as it was placed directly in front of her. Finlay swallowed more of his ale, watching as she tore the lid off and grabbed a handful of pieces.
“Daisy! Daenae eat all of them!” he cried.
“Sowwy,” she murmured around a mouthful of chocolate.
He gave her a stern look, trying hard to ignore how silly she looked with puffed out cheeks, and got up to move his chair so that it was placed beside hers. He took a chocolate square and popped it into his mouth as she worked to chew on the ones in her mouth. She swallowed, watching as he grabbed another square.
“How come ye didnae have to eat all of yer food before havin’ sweets?” she asked.
“That’s because I am a laird and a grown-up,” he explained. “When ye are a lady with yer own castle, ye can have sweets whenever ye want.”
“Promise?” she asked with wide eyes.
“Promise,” he repeated, ruffling her hair. “Are ye excited about the cèilidh tomorrow?”
“Aye! Thalia finished makin’ our dresses yesterday, but…” she trailed off, the smile fading from her face.
“What is it?” he prompted.
“Well, when we tried on the dresses, they were really nice, and I told Thalia about how pretty she looked.” She looked down at her hands. “But when she looked in the mirror, she looked so sad. Do ye ken why she was sad?”
“I cannae be sure,” he said, not quite a lie.
Of course, he had his suspicions, but nothing had been confirmed.
Daisy sighed. “Ye’ve been sad, too. Shouldnae betrothed people be happy?”
“Aye,” he agreed. “They should.”
“Maybe ye should talk to her then?” Daisy suggested, looking up at him with a childlike innocence that made it hard for him to say no.
“Maybe I will,” he relented.
CHAPTER 25
Finlay knockedon the door to Thalia’s room. It was late, but not late enough that he thought she would be asleep.
There was no answer. Rather than knock again, he put his hand on the doorknob and entered the room.
Thalia’s back was to him as she sat at her desk. Her quill quivered in the air as she wrote something down. The only sound in the room was the scratch of the nib on the paper.
“Thalia?”
She stiffened for a moment, her quill freezing, but then it quivered again.
“Ye really should have waited until I told ye to come in,” she said, without taking her eyes off her task. “I could have been naked, for all ye ken.”
He didn’t like that she had yet to turn to look at him. He curled his hands into fists as he strode further into the room, kicking the door closed behind him.
“I own this castle, lassie, and I own ye, naked or nae. I havenae seen ye in days, and I wanted to check that ye’re ready for tomorrow.”
She finally turned to him, and he could see nothing but exhaustion on her face. Deep purple bruises rested under her eyes, and her normally bright face sagged with resignation.
“I willnae be.”
The words shocked him more than her appearance. “Excuse me?”
She stood up from her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “I willnae be ready for tomorrow because I am callin’ off the betrothal.”
