Constantine stopped. So did Ismay. Why had the Royalist general sent his emissaries here? Did it have something to do with the exiled king?
Constantine would be a fool to refuse them, and her husband was no fool.
Turning to her, he offered her an apologetic smile as if he needed to. He didn’t. She would have sent him off if he didn’t go on his own.
“I will see ye tonight, wife,” he promised.
She nodded, happy because she knew he would keep his word.
She watched him hurry off and prayed silently for peace to reign. She would go sew with Hilary and Joan while shewaited for him.
Her friends already knew who was there, thanks to Lachlan telling Joan. “Imagine if the king returns?” Hilary set down her needle to exclaim with enthusiasm. “Och, there will be dancing in the glens.”
“Not everyone is a Royalist, Hilary,” Ismay reminded her. In fact, there were other Camerons outside of Lochaber who sided with the Presbyterians. “I’m thankful my father sided with the Stuart monarchy.”
“Aye, ’tis a good thing to have in common, Cousin.”
Ismay glanced up at her and smiled.
Poor Hilary was still unwed, and it seemed as if she would remain that way for a time. She didn’t blame Ismay though.
“Whyever would it be yer fault?” Hilary had told her. “John MacBain chose to go against my cousin, and thereby me as well. Why would I want a man like that?”
Ismay didn’t know why any woman would, but still, Hilary often looked away and smiled warmly while something crossed her thoughts. Ismay guessed it was John MacBain by the way Hilary scowled just as darkly a moment later.
“Och!” Joan slammed her sewing into her lap. “I canna sit here another moment waiting to find out if our men will have to go back into battle fer the king.”
Ismay paled. She did her best not to think along those lines, but Joan was correct. The men of Lochaber would be called to fight for the king to whom they swore such staunch support.
Constantine didn’t want to fight. What would his heart be like this time when he returned from the battlefield?
“Let us take a walk,” Hilary suggested.
Joan gave her an incredulous look. “I wasna speaking of venturing oot. ’Tis freezing oot there, Hilary.”
“Come.” Ismay set down her sewing and stood up. “The brisk air will do us good.”
“Lady!” Joan looked up at her, betrayal staining her eyes.
“Do ye think ’tis too cold for a quick swim?
Now Hilary and Joan shared the same look of disbelief. Hilary was about to stand but rethought her position and stayed seated.
Ismay laughed quietly and shrugged her shoulders at them, then left.
As she suspected—and hoped—she heard the lasses’ footsteps hurrying after her. She rolled her eyes heavenward though when Joan shouted out to Lachlan and Hilary did the same to Fionn and Geoffry, that Ismay was off to swim in the icy loch!
She wasn’t going to actually do it. She wasn’t mad in the head, risking freezing to death. She simply was trying to lure her friends outside so the three of them could talk. But Lachlan joined them and wasted no time telling her that he would never let her freeze to death. Geoffry (surprisingly) was next, threatening to toss her over his shoulder and bring her back if she didn’t listen to him and stop this instant. He wouldn’t dare touch her. None of them would. She was the Lochiel’s woman and none of them were ignorant of the possible consequences if she were hurt by them.
She continued out of the castle using the kitchen’s back door, walking in the direction of the loch and causing an uproar behind her.
“Lady,” Geoffry said, hurrying in front of her. “I canna let ye enter the water. Ye will—”
“Of course, I am not going to enter the water, dear Geoffry.” He turned red when she called him that. It made her smile go warm on him. “Ye know how I like to rile things up.”
He sighed with relief just as an arrow flew between them. Even faster than she could take in, he pulled her under his arm and whisked her away behind a nearby tree. He set her down and then was gone an instant later, racing to the others. Lachlan was shooting arrow after arrow into the trees. Ismay had never seen arrows nocked and fired in a row so fast. But then she saw something else. Someone running toward them from the castle as if his life depended onreaching her. It was Constantine, gaining on them fast.
Suddenly, he detoured and ran into the trees.
