“I wasnae here to talk to ye,” she replied, waving a hand at him as if he was little more than a bother to her. “I was here to speak wi’ Ewan.” She paused, thinking of a good excuse. “About… training!”
“Training?” Tavish scoffed, and a small chuckle rose from the crowd around them.
She ignored it as Ewan made his way towards her, clearly surprised that he had been called upon for such an occasion.
“Aye, since yer guards will not give me any peace,” she shot back, feeling more confident about her decision by the second. “If I can take care of myself, then there’s no need for them to follow me everywhere I go, is there?”
“It’s fer your own safety,” Tavish snapped out in return, clearly frustrated by her, but she had already done enough in trying to go along with his way of doing things.
“Not long ago ye said ye were done trusting me with yer guards,” she retorted, raising her eyebrows at him. “Better that I can defend myself, should something happen, than having to rely on someone else to do it.”
She stared him down, daring him to argue with her. Ewan stood beside them, glancing between the two of them, clearly wondering if he was about to put himself in the midst of an argument that he would do better to stay out of.
“Ye’d rather pick up a sword than listen to yer husband?” he asked, with some incredulity.
“All I do is listen to ye,” she replied.
For the first time, she felt as though she was actually successful in getting under his skin. For all the ways that he had played with her since she had arrived here, he had clearly not expected her to be able to do the same in return.
“Ye won’t last a day,” he warned her, and she shrugged once more.
“Then what’s the harm in letting me try?” she pointed out. She turned to Ewan, her hands on her hips, her brows held high. “Would ye be willing to train wi’ me, Ewan?”
Ewan looked over at Tavish, who was glaring at Ailsa, hardly able to pay attention to anyone else in that courtyard. Getting no response, he must have decided that it would be a finer choice to just agree with everything that was being laid out here than it would be to argue.
“Aye,” he replied. “Aye, I can help ye wi’ that, my Lady. We can choose a time in the afternoon that suits ye?—”
“No, ye train in the morning,” she replied, gesturing around at the men surrounding them. “I’ll do the same. I can keep up wi’ ye all.”
Tavish snorted slightly but did not try to cut in again. She pretended she did not hear him, though she could easily sense that it was bothering him.
“If that’s what ye’d prefer…”
“It is,” she replied, and she flashed him a broad smile, intending to make sure everyone knew how pleased she was with the way this had turned out. “Thank ye for your help, Ewan. It’s much appreciated.”
And, with that, she turned on her heel and made her way back into the Keep, having to bite back a triumphant grin as she went. She might not have won entirely, but she had at least managed to land a blow in this war that seemed to be taking place between her and her husband. He might have thought that she would fail at the first hurdle, but she would show him. She was stubborn, and she would not let him throw her off when she was just getting started.
Chapter Eight
“Ye did well, my Lady,”Ewan remarked, as Ailsa caught her breath and leaned up against the stony wall of the Keep behind her. Beyond the courtyard, the sun was beginning to rise, casting a long, warm golden glow across the ground.
“Thank ye,” she replied, nodding her gratitude. “And please, Ewan, call me Ailsa.”
“Ailsa,” he corrected himself, nodding in apology as he reached to take her sword from her and carry it back to the armory.
She was glad to hand it over; today’s session had been particularly difficult, and her arms were aching as she made her way back into the Keep to wash and change into something suitable for breakfast.
She made her way back to her chambers, where Martha had drawn a bath for her; the maid had been stunned when she had told her that she was intending to begin training with Ewan in the coming days. In fact, it seemed to have been the talk of the whole Keep, much to her satisfaction.
She wanted it to find its way into Tavish’s ear, no matter how he tried to avoid it, just so she could see the look on his face as herealized that he had not married some innocent young thing who would be willing to go along with anything he asked for.
Once she had changed, a knock sounded at the door, and she glanced around in surprise. Martha was standing there, a slightly concerned expression on her face.
“What is it?”
“M’lady, the Laird would like to see ye,” she replied, bowing her head slightly, trying to warn her in advance that this would not be a happy meeting. “He’s in his study. He’s waiting, and he told me to tell ye not to make him hold out any longer.”
She nodded, thanking the girl for the message, and sent her away. She took her time as she prepared herself, intending to make him wait a little longer before she gave in to his wishes. She would go, of course, because she knew that if she didn't, it would turn into trouble for the maid who had been intended to send the message, but she didn’t need to run to him in such a hurry.
