She felt her belly going warm and then remembered him waiting to go home. Away from her.
“Chief,” she asked tersely, “what are ye doing here?”
“Come home with me,” he said with authority, though his eyes betrayed his unsure heart.
She nodded without hesitation and let a small smile curl her lips. What would Bethia think of this? Ismay did not truly care. “I willna be a bother,” she assured him, knowing he liked the silence.
“Who said ye were a bother?” He turned his scowl on the door from which Bethia had left.
“No one,” she let him know, tugging his sleeve to regain his attention. “What changed yer mind?”
“What changed yers?” he countered. “Ye let me know on morethan one occasion that ye wanted to leave Tor.”
“Ye changed my mind, Lochiel. I will still leave if that is what ye want, but it isna what I want anymore.”
He stood stock still, staring at her until she began to squirm.
“I told ye because I know ye are not the kind of man who is influenced by anything.”
He nodded and looked away.
Ismay had the urge to pull her hair and let out a frustrated scream at his silence. But he had invited her to his home. That meant something, did it not? Did he have to actually say it? She definitely had his favor.
But was Bethia correct? Was his favor temporary?
What if she fell in love with him? The horror of it almost made her shiver. As it was, she liked being with him. She liked it very much. Was it more than that? How should she know? She’d never been in love before.
She let her gaze fasten to his when he looked at her again.
“I have meetin’s with the elders fer the next couple of days. After that, I will be free.”
She nodded happily. She would question if she were mad or not later. She still hated chiefs and men in power. But she liked Lochiel Constantine Cameron.
She was almost completely sure that he liked her too.
“About Bethia…”
“Hmm?” she urged when he paused.
“She loved Alison very much.”
“I am not concerned about that, Chief.”
“Yet ye revert to callin’ me chief.”
She smiled. “’Tis a habit.”
Another knock came to the door. The chief went to it and opened it to Geoffry. “A missive has arrived from Chief John MacKintosh.” He handed the parchment toConstantine.
The chief read this missive and Ismay felt a surge of pride that he could read. After a moment he crumpled the missive in his fist. “Prepare the men. If he wants to fight, let us go show him how ’tis done.”
Geoffry’s face lit up with a wide smile. He nodded and then hurried off to alert the others.
“What does the letter say?” she asked Constantine when they were alone.
“The clan chief threatens to attack if I dinna return his cattle along with two of my fingers fer killin’ his son.”
Horrified, Ismay threw her hands to her mouth. “Ye are not going to—”
