I asked, “How long do you think we will be there?”
He grinned. “As long as we need tae get a proper vacation.”
“This is a new side of you, Magnus, a vacation! You’re usually all about duties and responsibilities.”
He chuckled.
Quentin said, “Boss, I’ve never once heard you say you wanted a vacation.”
Fraoch said, “Ye hae wanted a ‘Time of Calm’ perhaps.”
James said, “You’ve wanted your mother to stay far away and give you some peace and quiet, but a vacation? Seems out of character.”
Lochinvar said, “I give ye two days before ye will be on guard duty.”
Magnus chuckled, swigging some beer. “Och, who said anything about givin’ up guard duty? Even on vacation I think ye hae tae go on guard duty.” He began making a list, using his fingers to keep track. “And ye hae tae take care of yer horses. Ye might need tae hunt. Fetch the firewood. Ye canna hae a good vacation if ye daena hae ale, ye will need tae bring the barrels up from the cellar.”
“Other than that you’re ‘resting’?”
Magnus nodded with a big grin. “Tis resting! Tis not resting?” He screwed up his face. “Maybe I daena ken what vacation means. I think we will go tae Balloch and see m’family, and we do all the normal things, we just arna fleeing danger,that is the part I am lookin’ forward tae — a visit without fleein’ danger.”
He raised his glass and we raised ours too.
“Hear hear!”
I excused myself to go get a notebook and pen and when I got back I overheard whispers.
“What?”
Everyone at the table looked shifty.
“Honestly,what?Are you talking about… me?”
Hayley leaned forward, jabbing her finger on the table. “Why’s it always gotta be about you? Maybe I was talking about my husband’s clicking joints? Maybe I just want to talk about it without you overhearing it?”
Fraoch said, “M’knees are verra loud, hae ye heard them?”
We all said, “Yes.”
I said, “So you’re talking to a hundred people about Fraoch’s clicking knees that we’veallheard click?—”
“A hundred people can’t fit at this table!”
“And you won’t repeat it in front of the one person who was out of the room?” I narrowed my eyes. “What are you up to?”
She scoffed. “The queen of Riaghalbane thinks it’s all about her.”
“It is, right? I mean, as queen, aren’t I the…” I sighed. “I don’t even want to argue, let’s talk about my list of what we’re taking to the past.”
I started on a clean sheet. “Chests. Numerous.”
Quentin said, “We only have two actual chests, the rest are boxes. Put packing tape on your list. Sharpie. Boxcutters.”
Magnus was staring out at space, looking thoughtful. “We hae been through difficult times, I think we hae made a good decision in moving Sean and Lizbeth.”
I patted his hand. “You’re still trying to convince yourself?”
“I am convinced, I just daena like big changes. Everything is always shifting, I wish I had more control.”
