10
Finley shrunk into the shadows as Lady McIves walked past, her heart in her throat. While she hadn’t meant to listen to the conversation, they were blocking her path to the great hall, and she hadn’t anticipated anyone being up at this early hour.
But hearing the anger in Erik’s voice had caused her to draw up short, and now she was sorry she hadn’t turned heel and walked away. So, it was the lady McIves that Erik had recognized, not her husband. And by the sound of it, she had been someone that he had cared for greatly.
The lady had wanted Erik to help her get away from her husband, but Finley wasn’t so certain that it was the truth. There was no way that they could have known that Erik would be in attendance on their arrival. Even her aunt hadn’t known exactly when Erik was due to arrive, or at least that was what she had told Finley.
So, this was not something that had been other than by chance.
Finley laid her head against the stone wall behind her, her mind whirling with the words she had overheard. She hated the hurt in Erik’s voice when he had made the parting comment, telling Isabel that she had a home with him. Whatever had transpired between them had been love.
Was that the reason he was holding back with her?
Or was she not someone he was interested in at all?
It mattered not. After he had someone like Isabel, Finley wouldn’t hold a candle to the lovely woman. Why would Erik be interested in a scarred warrior like her anyway?
Swallowing the hurt, Finley stepped out of her hiding place and walked to her aunt’s study, where she had promised to stop in before she headed to the warrior’s circle for her morning sparring sessions. Her aunt was already dressed and enjoying a cup of steaming tea when Finley stepped in, her gentle smile fading as she saw Finley’s expression.
“Wot’s wrong?” she asked, standing immediately.
Finley bit her lower lip. “How much do ye trust the McIves?” she asked. “I dinnae think I trust them at all.”
Relief speared her aunt’s expression. “Bloody hell, Finley, I thought something had happened tae ye or yer sisters!”
“I’m sorry,” Finley said immediately, hating that she worried her aunt, who already had an entire clan to worry about. “I just, I’m not certain we should go into an alliance with them.”
Her aunt waved at the chair before the table. “Sit and tell me why.”
Finley did as she asked and fiddled with the cuff of her tunic as she spoke. “I dinnae like them.”
Aunt Edna chuckled, clasping her hands before her. “Ye are going tae have tae give me more than that, Niece.”
“Have ye ever had that gut-wrenching feeling?” Finley blurted out. “I have it, Aunt. I dinnae think they have the best interests of our clan in mind.”
Her aunt settled back in her chair. “Aye, I have those gut feelings often, but this is different, Finley. This is securing the clan’s future by making these alliances. I have tae give it mah best.” She then leaned forward, eyeing her niece. “I want ye tae take the second-in-command position.”
Finley sat up straighter in her chair. “Wot aboot Leeth?” He was the one that should take the position given his rank and the amount of time he had spent as a warrior.
The Lady snorted. “He keeps turning me down, and I cannae wait for him tae make up his mind. He is the one that suggested ye if ye must know.”
Finley drew out a long breath. Second in command. It was far different than being an advisor. She would have command over the warriors, ensuring that they were top form in the event of a skirmish or, heaven forbid, a battle would take place.
“I...”
“Ye are the right pick for this position,” Aunt Edna said quietly. “Leeth stated he will help ye along wherever ye would like for him tae. Ye have earned this, Niece, and not because ye are of relation tae me either.”
Finley smirked. “Others won’t see it as so.”
The Lady waved a hand at her and snorted. “I’m not concerned with wot others think. Ye have more than proved yerself tae this clan and tae me.”
“I, I dinnae know,” Finley finally said. “I cannae make that decision now.”
“Of course not,” Aunt Edna replied, her expression softening. “Nor would I want ye tae do so. Think aboot it and give me yer answer when ye are ready.” She picked up her quill. “I will take yer concerns aboot McIves as well to Erik and the rest of the council. If there is a reason we can find that they dinnae look tae be a good alliance, then we wilnae take it.”
“Thank ye,” she said softly before walking out of the study, feeling as if she had just been handed the keys to the keep. Her aunt wanted her to become her second-in-command! It was a lofty position, one that she would have never thought that she would be considered for. To have Leeth having offered her up was even more special. He had been the one she looked up to all these years past and the one that everyone should look up to.
Sighing, Finley fiddled with her braid as she moved past the breakfast table and toward the keep’s entrance. She couldn’t think about that now while the McIves were still in residence, and until they proved that they were not after something horrid for the clan, she would keep her suspicions at the forefront. If she were to be the second-in-command for the future, then she would be wise to keep her smarts about her and question everything and everyone.
