Glynis slanted her eyes at him. “I’m no frail lass, like the sort ye knew at court or in France.”
“I didn’t say ye were, but ye are my responsibility now.”
“North Uist is a short sail from Barra, so I doubt it’s any more dangerous,” she said. “And if ye needed help fighting, my father would send men.”
If he had to have a wife, praise God she was a fearless lass. Still, he wanted to be honest with her about what awaited them there.
“Our clan has an old castle there, Dunfaileag, that should provide sufficient protection once it is repaired,” he said. “But it will take a good deal of work before it is either comfortable or secure.”
“I like to be busy,” she said. “And have ye forgotten I traveled to Edinburgh and back sleeping outdoors on the hard ground?”
“Nay, I haven’t forgotten a single night.” He met her eyes and gave her a smile that made her blush. He was glad for the opportunity to remind her that he knew how to please her under the blankets when he wasn’t dead drunk.
“I could see my family more often,” she said. “Please, Alex, I want to go.”
Praise God.
“My parents are expecting us, so we’ll have to pay them a visit on the way,” he said. “But then we’ll sail for North Uist.”
Glynis finally gave him a smile. They’d had a civil conversation and come to an agreement on an important matter without a fuss or fight. It bode well for the future.
Alex didn’t want to mention her former husband, but North Uist had one other advantage over Skye—it was further away from the Clanranald chieftain’s base at Castle Tioram.
“We took this boat from Hugh Dubh when we removed him from Dunscaith Castle,” Alex said, patting the rail. “How did ye know this was the one Connor wanted me to take?”
“Ilysa told me.”
Of course. Alex looked down the length of the boat. It was a full-size war galley, so Connor also had to give up the eighteen men it took to row it.
“I’ll need a war galley on North Uist,” Alex said, reconciling himself to it. He leaned his elbows on the rail to admire Shaggy’s boat, which was looking so pretty sitting out on the water. “Shame about losing that sweet little galley.”
“If I hear another word about that galley, which didn’t belong to ye in the first place,” Glynis said, “I swear I’ll set fire to it.”
And Alex had prided himself that he understood women. He had no idea why mention of Shaggy’s boat should upset her. Fortunately, he saw Ilysa making her way down to the shore with Sorcha and Bessie. Deciding it was best to let Glynis calm down, Alex went to meet them.
“I didn’t have a chance to tell ye before,” Ilysa said, when he reached them. “Teàrlag gave me a message for ye.”
“Wait in the boat for me, Sorcha.” Judging from past experience, Teàrlag’s message would not be something he wanted his daughter to hear. After Sorcha skipped off with Bessie, he said, “Teàrlag couldn’t wait to admonish me in person?”
“No admonishments this time,” Ilysa said, smiling. “She sends blessings on your marriage.”
“So that’s how ye knew to have enough food and drink on hand for a feast,” Alex said. “Thank ye for that.”
Connor had no notion of all that Ilysa did. Though she was young, Connor would never find a wife who could keep the castle half so well. Cha bhi fios aire math an tobair gus an tràigh e. The value of the well is not known until it goes dry.
“Teàrlag did say to remind ye that she was correct about the three women,” Ilysa said, “and about the gift being special and bright as a moonbeam.”
Alex glanced over his shoulder at his wee daughter, whose hair was the color of moonbeams and whose name meant “radiant.” “Aye, she is a special gift.”
“And the three women?” Ilysa asked.
“Three did require my help, though I can’t say any of them gave me a choice about giving it,” he said. “Glynis threatened me, Sorcha’s mother sailed off without her, and I couldn’t very well let the other one drown.”
Ilysa laughed. “I suppose not.”
“As Teàrlag predicted, one brought deceit and another danger,” he said, and his heart missed a beat as he thought of how he could have lost Sorcha. Attempting to regain his light tone, he said, “And I’m hoping my new bride will fulfill a few of my deepest desires tonight.”
Ilysa gave him a soft smile and touched his arm. “Open your heart to Glynis.”
