“The boot’s on the other foot,” Finn growled.
All of the kitchen staff were hanging on to the exchange of conversation by now and marveled at his words.
“What d’ye mean?” the cook wanted to know. “Are ye implying that it is Lady Erica who cast the bewitchment?”
Some of the servants laughed, and the scullery maid interjected her opinion. “The Lady Erica is nay witch! Ye can tell from just lookin’ at her. She is plain and boring. She should cast a spell to put some gold into her hair and some blue in her eyes before she hopes to beguile a man!”
Titters of laughter from the kitchen maids accompanied this statement, but the cook frowned them down.
“Ye saucy japes! Be quiet now. Ye display yer ignorance in such matters…some men would find Lady Erica’s fresh innocence an’ aloof nature most enticing.” She turned to Finn. “Is that nae so, Mister Finn?”
Finn looked around the kitchen and saw every eye glued to his face, waiting for his answer.
“Lady Erica O’Donnell is very enchanting indeed. She requires no artificial tricks to make it so. I believe her chief appeal to be this: her beauty can only be understood and appreciated by men with excellenttaste.”
The double meaning behind these words sent the servants into a frenzy of speculation. The giant werewolf hero had tasted Lady Erica along their journey together, but instead of changing her, one bite of the girl had changed the hero instead! Finn watched with amusement as spit boys and maids ran out of the kitchen to tell their friends in other parts of the castle.
Good. That will give them something else to talk about besides the contents of that blasted letter.
It was time to go and see what effect the message from Buchanan Castle was having on its laird.
The sentries, recognizing him as the man who had brought the laird’s daughter safely home, raised their pole axes and let him into the hall. Laird and Lady O’Donnell were seated on the dais. Erica was standing in front of them; it was not a good sign that her parents had not invited their daughter to sit down.
“Are ye insane!” the O’Donnell was asking Erica in a chillingly restrained tone. “I go to all this trouble to have ye delivered to Buchanan Castle in style, an’ ye go an’ ruin it all by flouncin’ off without yer maid in the company of a wild man!”
“Ye have disappointed yer faither, Erica,” Lady O’Donnell said, as if the words Laird O’Donnell was saying needed translating. “An’ what’s this about Gertrude forgettin’ to pack a box of jewels? Ye wish to add prevarication to yer sins?”
Laird O’Donnell was not finished blustering.
“Ye left the castle accompanied by a man who had insulted his hosts! Jamie Buchanan writes to me to say Finn was jealous of Jamie’s handsome figure and manly demeanor and went around the castle spreadin’ rumors and casting aspersions about Jamie’s superior masculine prowess!”
At these words, Erica had to stifle a giggle. It made Laird O’Donnell roar out, “This is nay joke! Ye should ken better than to listen to such nonsense.” He lifted up his head and saw Finn leaning against the wall, watching the exchange of words in silence. “The accusations made against ye are serious ones, Finn. Have ye lost yer mind? Allowing me daughter to leave her betrothed under a cloud, escorting her back home alone, granting her access to control her own destiny… It is unheard of!”
Finn strolled into the center of the hall, bowed to the laird and lady, and finally to Erica herself, then he replied, “According to the parameters of me contract—witnessed and signed by six people other than ourselves, Laird—I was granted leave to use me own judgment when it came to assessing dangers to Lady Erica. I deemed the castle to be in a singular state of wretched unpreparedness. The Buchanan was laid up in bed; his proxy, Jamie, was making free with the ale an’ wine; and there was every sign of a forced beddan occurring before the wedding vows had been made. Would ye have preferred I bring Erica back to yer roof without her maidenhead intact?”
Laird O’Donnell did not miss a beat. “Those parameters were set in place whilst the two o’ ye were on the road! Ye overstepped yer mark when ye used them under Jamie Buchanan’s own castle roof!”
Finn did not lose the cool tone he was using. “My duties were no’ over if ye consider Lady Erica’s journey’s end to be the altar. Wee Jamie—” Erica gave another stifled giggle at these words. “Beggin’ pardon, I meant to sayproxyLaird Jamie Buchanan would have pushed his privilege and advantage with yer daughter, an’ if she had nae been made of such stern stuff, Erica might have been bedded before a ring was on her finger.”
“Outrageous!” Laird O’Donnell roared, but Erica and Finn had the comfort in knowing his anger was not directed at them. “We shall personally return to Buchanan castle forthwith and make sure this wedding takes place before any beddan. Erica, go and make ready!”
“I will go and saddle the horses,” Finn said, but Laird O’Donnell halted him.
“Yer part is played, Finn. I cannae have yer presence upsettin’ the groom all over again. Consider our contract at an end an’ me great thanks for the way ye have behaved during this complicated time. Visit the purser on yer way out; he’ll pay ye what ye are due, an’ tell him I say he must add on a wee bit more for the trip back.”
Finn seemed to hesitate, nearly looking over to Erica to say farewell. He halted midway, checked himself, bowed once more, and left.
