Veronica snorted at that. “I take it you arehis best wizard?”
He sighed. “Yeah.”
She gave him a throaty chuckle. “Nice. So,basically it’ll be you, me, his mother, his sister, and some of hissoldiers?”
“In a nutshell, yes. The number of soldiersdepends on the day. It all comes down to who’s responsible for whatat any given moment.”
A thought struck her. “Do you wear yourglasses in front of the ones who don’t know where we really camefrom?”
“Never. I leave them on my desk. If themaids have questions about them, they’ve never said anything to me.I can tell they think of me as something of an eccentricanyway.”
Which wasn’t far from the truth. Spot onactually. All that aside, it was wise to leave the glasses on hisdesk. She and Victor were enough of an oddity without adding fuelto the fire. “Is it time?” Veronica asked. “To eat, I mean?”
Her brother nodded. “We’re slightly lateactually.”
“Might as well get it over with,” Veronicacapitulated. She took to her feet. “This is going to be weird ashell for me.”
“You’ll get used to it. Promise.”
“Pinky swear?”
Victor rolled his eyes. “You know I’m notinto old-timer sayings,” he muttered, “but yeah. I pinkyswear.”
She chuckled. “Alrighty then. Let’s go getour weird on.”
Granted, she’d take weird over deadly anyday of the week. Having lunch while wearing a dress and makingsmall talk with Lachlan’s mother and sister seemed a small price topay in exchange for not having to be on her guard for the undeadevery second of every minute.
“Let’s stop next door and grab Hero beforewe go downstairs,” she added. “He’s probably hungry again bynow.”
Chapter Fifteen
Having gleaned from Finn and Ramsay that thetub had been spilled in the borderlands at Victor’s behest, he thenwarned his men against confiding anything further in JamesCampbell. He knew Euan’s son had always been on good terms withFinn and Ramsay, yet the mon was still The Campbell’s heir. Inother words, confiding details—like Veronica’s arrival—could havebeen a verra bad mishap on their parts. Whatever James knew so toodid his sire.
“I would never gainsay you, Lachlan, butword would like as naught have reached Euan the soonest anyway,”Finn explained, pointing out his reasoning. There were Campbellwenches married to Gunn men after all. Occasionally, when the clanswere on good terms, their husbands would take them visiting acrossthe border. “I wanted to be certain he heard our concocted versionof how your lady came to us rather than whatever gossip might havebeen whispered in its stead.”
“Fair enough.” He grunted. “I just dinnahave a care for that bedamned Euan.”
“I challenge you to name someone who does,”Ramsay snorted. “The mon is as welcomed as the devil wherever hegoes. You can tell even his own son finds him unruly andexasperating.”
Lachlan found a half-smile. “True, that.” Hecould make out his keep in the distance just o’er the next hill.Their party was returning much sooner than any had expected.Leastways, time would allow for them to partake of the nooning mealafter all. He hoped Veronica was handling her new role as Lady Gunnwithout too much distress. “Let us speak of Euan no more. ‘Tis amon I choose not to give my thoughts to unless absolutelynecessary.”
“Aye,” Finn and Ramsay jointly agreed.
“My belly is rumbling,” Finn announced.
“Your belly forever rumbles,” Ramsayjested.
Lachlan grunted. He was hungry too, yet histhoughts were on his wife.
Reaching the inner bailey of the castle,Lachlan jumped off his destrier, patted the fine stallion on itsside, then handed the reins over to a stable lad. Finn and Ramsayon his heels, he threw open the keep’s massive doors and strodeinside. There she was—Veronica—looking more beautiful than evenhe’d remembered. It felt like days rather than hours since lasthe’d seen her.
Not that she noticed his arrival. She wastoo busy talking with his mother and sister to take note of aughtelse.
“Maisie!” Lachlan barked as he walked towardVictor and the women. “Three trenchers and much mead!”
Veronica at last looked upon him. Theirgazes clashed. She stood up to greet him from the head table of thegreat hall, apparently unawares ‘twas the mon who stood for thelady. “I was getting to know your mother and sister,” she told him,smiling. “We’ve been having a nice chat.”
“Aye we have,” his mum, Moira, cut in. Shesmiled at Veronica, her spine regally straight, her silver-streakedraven hair in a perfect coif. “You married well, my son. Your wifeis a delight.”
