And the ensuing argument wouldn’t be pretty.
Ailean had just finished laying his last stone for the day when Rowan and a group of guards approached on foot. They all looked as sweaty and dirty as he now felt.
“We’re off for a swim.” Rowan greeted him with a grin. “Ye want to join us?”
Ailean threw down his trowel. “Aye, ye need not ask twice.”
Bidding Fife and the lads good afternoon as they put away their tools, Ailean joined his friends. It was a short walk along the shore path, then down a bank to the strand below.
None of them hesitated. Ribbing one another, the banter rising and falling in the humid air, they stripped off their clothes, leaving lèines, braies, and weapons strewn across the shore before diving in.
Ailean was one of the first, embracing the slap of the chill water. Even with the weather as hot as it had been, the Sound of Mull was always cold enough to rob a man of breath. Usually, when he swam here, he had to clench his teeth and battle through it. Today, it came as a blessed relief.
They swam like dolphins in the crisp, clear water. It didn’t take long before some of them started horsing around. Rowan kicked water in Ailean’s face. In retribution, Ailean grabbed him by the shoulders and dunked him under.
And for a short while, he forgot the encounter with his father.
For a short while, he had no responsibilities. No worries.
Eventually, despite the heat, the chill got the better of them, and the men waded back ashore. They let the sun dry their bodies before pulling on their clothing and making their way back to the castle.
Along the way, in the field where preparations for the games were underway, Ailean spied his aunt Tara and his cousins Grace and Arabella, hanging bunting from poles around the edge. Lyle was there too, overseeing the unloading of the archery targets from a cart.
Spying his elder brother, he waved.
Ailean waved back. His gaze then flicked to where his cousins were now arguing. It was rare to see Arabella outdoors in the afternoons these days, for she spent a large part of her time with Fiona.
And that meant the weaver worked alone this afternoon.
Entering the barmkin and finding it largely deserted—most servants sheltering from the heat or taking an afternoon rest—Ailean glanced at the large first-floor window. It had once been a guest chamber, but Kylie had converted it into a workshop for Fiona.
“Will ye join us for some ale and knucklebones in the barracks?” Rowan’s voice drew his attention. He glanced over to see his friend watching him. The question had been friendly enough. However, Ailean noted the groove between Rowan’s brows, the scar crossing one eyebrow more evident than usual.
Was something bothering him?
“I’m going to go upstairs and rest for a while,” Ailean replied, waving them off.
He flashed a grin at the others. “Go easy on Rowan with the knucklebones. Don’t fleece him of all his coin like last time.”
Rowan snorted. “That was pure chance,” he grumbled.
Laughter echoed off the stone walls.
Ailean glanced once more at the window, his belly tightening as something stirred within him.
Longing to see Fiona Mackinnon.
The lass was on his mind these days far more than he cared to admit. The taste he’d had of her left him craving more. Seeing her the other day had reignited the fire between them. He knew he shouldn’t seek her out. He’d promised her he wouldn’t. But today, he found himself weakening.
And so, without another word to Rowan or the guards, he turned and made his way back inside the tower house.
Fiona was sorting through her butterflies of yarn, searching for the right shade of grey for the castle’s curtain wall, when a knock sounded on the door.
She looked up, surprised at the intrusion. To her knowledge, everyone was away this afternoon.
The laird and lady had gone off for a ride; she’d heard the clatter of hooves and looked out to see them disappearing beneath the portcullis. And this afternoon, instead of joining her at the loom, Arabella had gone out to help her mother and sister prepare for the upcoming summer games.
And since Carrie still avoided her these days, she couldn’t think who would be outside her workroom.
