Mathe dinna take his observation as a compliment. “I believe one of the younger retainers would be better suited for the duty.”
“Aye. Select the man and return to training in the morn. There is much to be done, Mathe.”
The captain bowed and departed for the kitchens.
Alex dragged himself abovestairs, immediately dismissing the guards standing at his bedchamber door. “I doona need ye tonight.”
He stepped inside, finding his wife curled up on one of the chairs in front of the hearth. She dinna acknowledge his presence, but Alex knew she wasna asleep. “Did ye enjoy yer first day as mistress of this keep?”
Her agitated sigh gave him the answer he sought.
“It will take time.”
“It will take a miracle,” she shot back, sitting up. “Why did ye provide that bloody linen for Mathe?”
“To keep peace.”
“Yer efforts are wasted on that man.”
Alex swallowed his temper as he sat on the end of the bed and started to unlace his boots. Patience was in short supply today. “Captain Mathe is a loyal servant and skilled warrior. My grandfather appointed him as his own squire and my sire made him a captain. And he dinna like what happened between ye and John. Ye must give everyone time to adjust to the idea of ye being here, Keely.” He dropped his second boot on the floor.
“I dinna want to stay.”
Alex growled. “Choose yer words more wisely.”
“Perhaps ye should follow yer own advice, Husband.”
“And what do ye mean by that?”
He stood.
“Ye should have used better judgment in choosing a wife.”
Alex rubbed his chin. The she-devil had a sharp tongue that he might never be able to change. “I chose well.”
“Did ye?” She hugged her center, not looking like she believed him. “I like Petro.”
The change in subject eased the tension between his shoulder blades. “Aye?”
“Aye,” she confirmed. “He has a talent for showing up when trouble is building.”
Alex smiled. “That he does.”
“Mathe and I were having words and he immediately offered his assistance.”
“And what kind of solution did he propose?”
“A walk.”
“And where did ye take him?”
“To the loch for a swim.”
“What?”
“Aye. With Leah and our guard.”
The picture in his mind made him feel uneasy—the idea of his wife stripping down in front of another man. Even on the hottest of days, the water was cold, and Alex knew her nipples would poke right through the thin material of her shift. The most honorable of men would have a difficult time not sneaking a peek at her lush breasts. But he kept his jealousy to himself. “I dinna know Petro could swim.”
