“Precisely,” Annabeth said with a pleased tilt of her head. “I will see all of ye again at the ceilidh.”
“I’ll help ye carry yer bag,” Olivia said, standing. “I’ve been sittin’ for far too long.”
“I could stretch me legs as well,” Marigold admitted, placing her teacup on the table. She turned toward Katherine and Elspeth. “Would ye like to join us on a short walk?”
“Nay,” Elspeth said politely. “I’m a wee bit tired. I’ll stay here for a bit, thank ye.”
“I think I’ll stay as well,” Katherine conceded, glancing at Elspeth. “As long as ye daenae mind the company.”
“I welcome the company,” Elspeth said, reaching over to pat Katherine’s hand. To Olivia, she said, “Thank ye for invitin’ us. Perhaps we’ll take a walk together soon.”
Olivia nodded before trotting after the other women. Once Elspeth and Katherine were alone, Elspeth turned to her and said, “Ye ken, ye’re nae at all what they expected.”
Katherine’s eyes widened. She didn’t know whether to take the words as a compliment or if they were a sly dig at her. Before she floundered through a response, Elspeth started laughing, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she waved her hand.
“Daenae look so concerned,” she said jovially. “I find it refreshin’.” She leaned in a bit closer, her voice lowering as if there were anyone else in the solar to overhear them. “We’re allsurprised. We never thought that Laird MacDougal would marry again. Ever.”
“I see,” Katherine said. Then, quietly, she said, “But I daenae think he made the decision on his own. Lady Agnes was the one who encouraged him to go to the auction. It was her wish, nae his.”
“It was still his choice,” Elspeth said, soundingsosure of the fact. It was so strong that Katherine felt herself believing her. “Lady Agnes may have made her opinions kent, but if the Laird truly didnae wish to do somethin’, she couldnae force him. And she wouldnae be upset with him for choosin’ for himself.”
“I suppose ye may have a point,” Katherine murmured after a long pause. “But he married me for Agnes, nae himself.”
Elspeth hummed thoughtfully, leaning back into her own space. She took a long sip of her tea. Then, she sighed and said, “Aye, ye may have a point there, but he still picked ye out of everyone else. He must have kent ye’d be good for his daughter.”
“Thank ye,” Katherine said, letting the words wash over her. They soothed the doubts that crept in at the edges. “I’m doin’ me best for her.”
“I can tell,” Elspeth said. She turned her head to watch the distant trees blowing in the wind. “Between the two of us, I rather wish me father would sell me as well. It would save me the trouble of endurin’ him. Awful man.”
Katherine blinked, completely caught off guard by the bluntness. Then, she laughed, an incredulous, relieved sound. Elspeth glanced back at her, grinning.
“Ach, ye understand then,” she said, not needing Katherine to say anything else. “Ye will do just fine here. I think that everyone is goin’ to love ye as they get to ken ye more.”
“I do hope so,” Katherine said, her heart seeming to expand in her chest at Elspeth’s belief in her. “I’ve made a few friends in the castle, but it would be nice to have more people. I do worry that I may be impedin’ on their work.”
“Well, I will be yer ally,” Elspeth declared. She tilted her head to the side slightly, her smile tempering into something soft and genuine. “And hopefully someday, I will be lucky enough to call ye me friend.”
Katherine leaned forward, grabbing her teacup from the table. Softly, her entire body warming with Elspeth’s acceptance, she said, “I’m lookin’ forward to it.”
* * *
Liam walked past the solar once more, listening to the sounds of the women’s laughter filtering out of the room and into the hallway. Ceilidh planning wasn’t something that he wanted to involve himself in though he couldn’t seem to stay away.
I cannae leave her alone with new people. Even if I ken these women’s families, it doesnae mean that she’s nay in any danger.
“I’m too paranoid,” he scoffed to himself. He began walking down the corridor, his hands balled into fists at his side as he went. “It’s the damn rusted fork.”
The object had been driving him crazy, tucked away in the locked drawer of his desk. Every time he settled in his study, he looked at it, finding more evidence of salt on it. Though he knew it could have belonged to anyone who had visited the sea, something about the discovery sat wrong with him.
“Cillian,” he barked when he saw his man-at-arms passing in front of him, “have ye received any information from those missives ye sent?”
Cillian stopped, his eyes tracking the path that Liam had come from. He said nothing about it, but the slight twitch of his mouth told Liam everything he needed to know about the assumptions Cillian had made. Liam’s eyes narrowed as he approached the other man.
“Nay,” Cillian said, all of the humor leaving his voice. “The responses that we’ve received at this time have all reported nay movement from any pirates. There arenae even new reports of bandits. It’s been quiet.”
“And how many missives have gone unanswered?” Liam challenged, not accepting that the sinking feeling in his gut was wrong.
“We are still waitin’ for word from two of our allies,” Cillian reported dutifully. “Both from the far north and the southern borders.”
