Yes, lots of work to do.
Andrew didn’t move. Biting back an annoyed sigh, Nora glanced up at him and lifted her eyebrows.
“Have ye got yerself a lass, Andrew?”
Andrew turned an interesting shade of red. “Nay, of course nae!”
“Why of course nae? Handsome lad like ye could get one easily. Then ye would have somethin’ to do with yer time, and nae loomover me. What do ye want, Andrew? If ye want to ken if I’ve accepted yer apology, the answer is aye. Of course I have. I bear ye nay ill will, ye are nae cursed, and the only advice I will give ye now is that if ye everdomeet a real witch, ye should probably be a wee bit more polite to her.”
Andrew did not seem to be enjoying this conversation. He shifted from foot to foot, clearing his throat anxiously and glancing around as if he hoped to be rescued.
“Can I visit Laurie? Theo and I wanted to see her.”
“Nae today, but soon, I’m sure. She’s weak; fevers often leave people in such a state. She needs rest, food, and very little excitement, just until she gets back some of her strength.”
Andrew nodded tightly. “Aye, of course.”
He stayed there, staring at her, as if waiting for her to do something. It made her feel like an animal in a cage, being watched with mingled horror and curiosity. The feeling was not a pleasant one.
“Was there anythin’ else?”
Leave me alone, ye fool,she wanted to yell. Really, it did not seem that there was any harm in Andrew, beyond his panicky fear of witches. He didn’t want her to be hurt or thrown out of the Keep, or anything like that.
Perhaps he wants to be me friend, now.
Nora eyed him again through a narrowed gaze. Andrew gave off the perfect appearance of a warrior. Now, with the wind blowing his pale hair away from a weather-reddened face, he looked almost handsome. Not Nora’s taste, not by a long shot, but he was the sort of man Margaret might have liked, once upon a time.
But do I even ken what sort of man me sister likes anymore? When was the last time we properly saw each other?
With a flinch, Nora remembered something Margaret had said, weeks before she disappeared.
‘I wish ye would find somethin’ else in yer life to love besides me, Nora. I willnae always be here, and then what will become of ye?’
She could hear the words echoing in her head, spoken in Margaret’s tired, almost exasperated voice. She closed her eyes, just briefly.
“Well, in any case, I came here because Laird MacColl sent me,” Andrew said at last, interrupting her thoughts. “He wants to invite ye to supper tonight.”
Nora opened her eyes. “Ye mean I willnae be eatin’ alone in me room? What a magnanimous man he is.”
Andrew frowned. “Ye daenae like him, do ye?”
“I didnae say that.”
“Ye might as well have done.”
She folded her arms and tossed the small shears into the basket. She would have to remember to return them to her belt before giving the basket to Donal. Like a good knife, a good, sharp pair of shears could be hard to find.
“I think ye like him enough for us both. Ye and Theo hang off his sleeve like ye think the sun shines out of his…”
“All right, all right,” Andrew interrupted hastily. “Ye are his betrothed, are ye nae? Should ye nae act as if ye like him a wee bit more? I’m nae criticizin’ ye,” he added, flushing again. The man’s head appeared ready to explode. “Think of it as advice.”
“Good of ye,” she remarked wryly. “And daenae worry. He’s growin’ on me. This new year will go by before ye ken it, and then I’ll be gone and out of yer hair forever.”
Andrew nodded, somewhat reassured. “Anyway, he asked ye to wear a nice dress to the supper tonight. Two of the councilors will be there, and Theo and I will be there too.”
Nora clenched her jaw. “Seriously? After all that has happened, after hissisterbeing ill, he cares what I wear to dinner? Forget it. I daenae have anythin’ decent.”
Andrew folded his arms. “He said that ye would say that, and that there are dressmakers in the Keep that can have a dress ready for ye by tonight.”
