He sighs before mockingly placing both hands on his heart. “I will absolutely endeavor to please ye, Your Majesty,” he bows low.
Lachlan’s breathy laugh causes a shiver to walk its way down my spine, and he throws a wink at me as I leave my room. He follows behind but doesn’t go too far, just to his room across the hall. I pause and follow him with my eyes the entire way, drinking in the saunter of his walk. I turn to face Mathilda, who’s a few steps ahead. Her eyes ablaze with mischief.
“And what the hell was that about?”
24
HOME
The bustle of this place is exciting. Everywhere I look, there’s a person coming and going. The exact opposite of the hollowness that was the Great Hall. This place seems to effuse so much morelife. We pass portraits of my ancestors as we walk down the candlelit hallway and to the dining hall.
Long, colorful rugs line the walkways, softening our thudding footsteps on the wooden floors. Carved oak tables boasting poppies, ravens, and Viking runes are sporadically placed along the perimeter of the halls. It’s like I’m walking through a museum or a time capsule of ancient history. The decor of this place is so similar to the Hall that I wonder if Gran had things brought from here.
Mathilda nudges me with her shoulder. “Are you going to tell me what that was about?” Her eyebrow arches, and my smile grows, but I shake my head. “Seriously, you’re not going to share the details?”
I laugh loudly, shaking my head. “There’s nothing to share. He just apologized—again.” But my smile is giving me away, obviously hinting at something more.
“Oh, there’s definitely something you’re not sharing,” she mutters, frowning.
A large painting of my mom and dad hung at the end of the hall stops me in my tracks. Mathilda stops alongside me.
“Are you okay?” she asks quietly, tracking my sight to the life-size painting in front of me.
My parents smile softly at me, the artist perfectly capturing an exact likeness of them in royal garb in the throne room of the Great Hall. My mom is seated on the throne, but not the one Odessa sits on now. This one is a white marble that matches the construction of the Great Hall. The timeless arching seat is a much better fit than the ostentatious one that sits there now. My father stands just beside her, on her right.
For once, my chest doesn’t ache as I gaze at them.
“Yeah, it’s just weird. There’s so much about them I never knew anything about.”
Mathilda takes a step closer to the painting. “I didn’t realize how similar you look to them.”
My eyes crinkle a bit as I study the portrait. But there’s something a bit different about my dad that the artist managed to capture. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
“Does my dad look human to you?” I ask Mathilda, my brows furrowing in concentration.
“Not really.” She shrugs, and her stomach growls.
The sound breaks through my concentration, and I giggle. “Let’s go eat.”
She grins sheepishly at me. “Sorry, I didn’t want to rush you, but I am starving.”
We continue our way to the dining hall, but the painting tugs at me.
The dining hall is boisterous, and the food smells divine. Long tables are set up in even rows, their seats actually occupied by many of the warriors and the servants that live here. Light streams in from the long, leaded windows showcasing theirviews of the stunning landscape, and a roaring fireplace makes up the entire wall by the kitchen door. Young women and even a few men stream in and out of the doorway, taking platters full of food or bringing back empty plates to the kitchen.
Tane has beaten us here and has a table all to himself with several full plates. He waves us over, and I don’t miss the way Mathilda’s eyes sparkle when she spies him. I nearly have to jog to keep up with her as she marches across the room and to the chair next to him.
“I didn’t know what you would want, so I grabbed a few things,” he mumbles while chewing on what looks to be a turkey leg.
Mathilda plops down right next to him and grins timidly. “Thank you for thinking of me.” A slight blush creeps up Tane’s neck, but Mathilda doesn’t seem to notice as she pulls a plate of pasta to herself.
“Uh, I’ll just help myself, I guess?” I mutter, but I don’t think they’ve even heard me.
I walk over to the long buffet table that has a large spread of different types of food all laid out. Seafood, roasted meats, vibrant fruit, and vegetables are all mouthwatering. I’m busy loading up a copper plate when Lachlan hops in line behind me.
I briefly look him up and down, appreciating how his wet hair gleams in the sunlight. He must’ve freshened up before following us down here.
“Are ye sitting with the love birdswho aren’t love birds?” he jokes.
