“We are finished here,” she said gently, as though nothing had changed at all. “And there is work tae be done in the healer’s chamber.”
Catriona blinked once, then followed her lead without question, standing as well.
“Aye,” she agreed with a smile. “We should get tae it.”
Elaina turned slightly toward Duncan. Their eyes met, and although there was no time for words, it was enough to show his gratitude. It passed between them in a single glance. Then it was gone.
Elaina inclined her head slightly and turned away, moving toward the doors with Catriona beside her, and the warmth of the morning still lingering faintly within her as she stepped away from it.
As she left the hall, she carried the quiet warmth of his look with her, as though it might follow her wherever she went.
Once the door had closed behind them, and the last echo of their departure had faded, Iain wasted no time.
“Ye cannae put this off any longer, me laird,” he urged. “Fraser’s offer still stands, and the Council grows less patient by the hour.”
Duncan did not immediately reply. He reached instead for the cup before him, though he did not drink from it. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed upon the dark surface as if it might yield some clarity.
“I am aware of the Council’s disposition,” he replied.
“Then ye must also be aware,” Iain continued, “that they will soon cease tae regard yer silence as deliberation and begin tae see it as refusal.”
That earned him a sharp glance.
“And if it is?” Duncan asked.
Iain did not hesitate. “Then ye will be expected tae answer fer it.”
A brief silence followed, broken only by the quiet crackle of the hearth. Duncan set his cup aside.
“Like I said once, I will nae decide this without speaking tae her.”
The words were calm, but they carried a finality that did not escape Iain’s notice.
“Aye,” Iain nodded. “Ye’ve already said that. And have ye spoken tae her?”
“Nay,” Duncan admitted, inhaling deeply, then raking his fingers through his hair. “As I’ve also already said, I dinnae ken whether she would accept such a match, nor dae I intend tae assume that she must. She has already been treated as a means tae an end once before. I will nae dae the same.”
The comment was controlled, yet unmistakably personal, and that gave Iain pause.
“Ye would refuse Fraser’s alliance for the sake of her opinion?” he asked, although there was no judgment in his tone. He was merely worried, just like the rest of them. Duncan could understand that.
“I would refuse it if it were nae freely chosen,” Duncan replied. “I will nae bind her tae me for the sake of strategy alone.”
Iain regarded him in silence for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly as he weighed both the man before him and the consequences of such resolve.
“Ye place a great deal upon a single conversation,” he pointed out.
“I place it where it belongs.” The answer came without hesitation.
Iain watched him more closely now. “Ye speak as though this concerns only principle.”
Duncan did not answer at once. He gave it a moment’s thought.
“It concerns what is right.”
A faint, knowing look crossed Iain’s face, though he did not press the point.
“What isright,” he said quietly, “may soon stand in opposition tae what is necessary.”
