19
SHADOWS OF THE SOUTH
“Istill dinnae see what we have to gain from a union such as this.”
Aila was nearly ready to pull her hair out as Finn dissented yet again. It seemed as though that was all he was here for. She couldn’t understand what a woman like Iona, lovely and welcoming and kind, saw in a man like him. But there was no missing the love that shone in her eyes for her husband, so Aila supposed Finn must have some redeeming qualities.
A glance at her own husband told her that he was just as frustrated with the way the conversation was going. They had all skipped breakfast in the Great Hall and opted to eat in the war room instead, diving straight into debating strategy.
“What do ye mean, ye dinnae see how it will benefit ye?” Lachlan asked incredulously. “How could it be anything but beneficial? Is it nae a wise strategy to always create more allies?”
“Nay,” Finn answered curtly. “Sometimes, more allies only means more battles to fight that are nae our own.”
“That is harsh,” Iona told him with a gentle touch to his forearm.
He looked momentarily apologetic before slipping right back into his role as Captain of the Guard.
“I ken it is harsh, but nae nearly so bad as having to tell a woman that her husband will nae be coming home. Or a bairn that their father is dead.”
He let out a heavy sigh, and Aila wondered if this deeply hidden compassion was what Iona loved about him.
“I only mean to say that the English have nae been a problem for us in many generations. And should they start to take more ground in the south, we will keep an eye on it. We will be prepared.”
“Ye would leave my people, my home, to act as a torch signal for ye? Wait until they are all burning before ye care to join the fight?”
The two men were both standing, poised over the long table, locked in a cold stare. From over their heads, Iona sent Aila a look as if to say, “Let them bicker, but we both know who has the final say.”
Content to let the men continue debating back and forth, Aila rose from the table and moved to look out of the window. As she went, Aila took notice of the details that made up the room. There was, of course, a large table sitting in the center of everything. The rectangular slab of wood had enough leather chairs stationed around it to host Iona’s entire council and several guests. Aila was grateful that there were only a handful of others in the room, rather than the full thirty it was made for. The walls were a rich green that spread from corner to corner and wall to ceiling. A map of the Highlands and all the jagged edges of Scotland hung on one wall, facing Iona’s seat. Beside it were two candle sconces that were already glowing despite the morning light pouring in from the windows.
Aila let her fingers dance over the red and green plaid curtains, made from the same fabric as the tartan all the McKenzie men were wearing. Part of her wondered if the Kincaid Castle would ever feel like this, like home.
“Ye dinnae understand,” Lachlan continued to rant behind her. “Baron Dudley is a man who will stop at nothing once he believes he has been wronged. He wiped out my entire clan because I helped a woman escape him. Do ye truly believe that ye can reason yer way out of a war with him?”
A sigh slipped through Aila’s mouth. Talk of war and death and that dreaded Englishman had overtaken her honeymoon. She longed for the days when she was free from such pressure.
Beyond the cold window panes, Arran jumped around in the snow with Iona and Finn’s son and daughter—Rory and Alexandra. They were in the midst of a snowball fight, with walls of snow acting as their defense. Despite the uneven numbers, Arran was holding his own well enough. Every time one of the children would hit their mark and snow exploded into the air, all three burst into laughter. Aila wanted nothing more than to run around outside with them, pretending war was just that—pretend.
“The simple matter is the Englishman does nae pose a direct threat to us. But if we get involved, then he certainly will.”
It had been hours of this; each man going round and round trying to convince the other they were right. Aila’s head spun. The advisors had all but agreed with Finn that the Baron didn’t pose a danger to them. No one wanted to go to battle, to put their men at risk. It was as though they couldn’t see that they were already in danger.
The Baron had wiped out an entire clan in one day and from the rumors of what was happening in the McGregor Clan, he had nearly taken control of that land too. It was only a matter of time before he had overtaken all the Highlands. And with an English army to back his greed, the only way the clans were going to survive was if they joined forces. Aila was at a complete loss at how to make their hosts see that.
Lachlan was clearly at a loss as well, his voice rising with every argument he threw their way.
“It will be a much harder battle to win if ye wait until ye have nay allies left to call on. And that is assuredly the direction we are headed. What will ye do then?”
Finn crossed his arms over his shoulders, not budging. Iona remained quiet and pensive. Aila wanted to appeal to her directly, to speak from one woman to another, but in this room, she was so much more than just a woman. She was a Laird, considering what was best for her people. That was a weight that Aila didn’t know very well. One that she was only just now becoming familiar with. And the McKenzie Clan was so much larger than the Kincaid Clan. There were so many more lives to consider, so many more families who risked breaking should a war truly break out.
“How can ye ken that war is where things are headed? As far as I can see, the Baron only has issues with ye and those who have broken their word against him. We have nay qualms with the man.”
“I ken because a man like this does nae stop at a reasonable place. If he did, my clan would still be alive. If he was the kind of man to be content with getting even, he would nae have slaughtered the Kincaid women and children in their own beds. But that is exactly what he did. He was nae pleased until my entire clan was burned, the few of us left scattered to the wind or imprisoned. And now that I have escaped, he is hunting for me again as if I were nay more than a wild bear he wants to skin and put on his floor.”
Aila winced. She turned her back on the war table discussions once more and looked out of the window. Sitting on the cushion on the ledge, she pressed her cheek against the cold, frosty glass. It gave her some relief from picturing her new husband as a throw in an English castle.
Laughter drifted towards her, the children giggling at a new game they had agreed on. It reminded her that they had something worth fighting for. People worth protecting, futures that they were trying to guarantee. That was why they were here.
Pushing away from her spot, Aila strode to Iona’s chair, no longer caring if she was breaking tradition or some rules of etiquette that she shouldn’t be. There wasn’t time to spare for politeness. Not when there were so many lives at stake. Especially the lives of those she loved. Lachlan continued his shouting match with Finn and the other advisors, while Aila’s movements went unnoticed.
