Liam grunted, nodding sharply. As he moved to step around Cillian, the other man stopped him with an arm out. Glaring at Cillian, Liam said, “I hope ye have a good reason for stoppin’ me.”
“Ye were listenin’ in on Katherine and the other ladies,” he said. It was an observation, not an accusation, like he was trying to put together a puzzle and Liam was at the center of it.
“I was walkin’ by,” Liam replied, his voice clipped. “And regardless, this is me castle. It is me responsibility to ken what is happenin’ here.”
“Ye daenae need to be so defensive,” Cillian said, dropping his arm to allow Liam passage. “It’s a good thing ye’re lookin’ out for yer wife’s safety. Even if ye’ll deny that’s what ye’re doin’.”
“I’m nae doin’ anythin’ for yer approval,” Liam said before stepping around Cillian and walking to his study without another word.
Chapter Twenty
“Why are ye eatin’ so fast, Father?” Agnes asked, tilting her head at him from the other side of the table.
Liam swallowed his mouthful and looked at his daughter. She had been growing increasingly bold, asking questions she never would have asked before Katherine moved in with them. If her confidence hadn’t also seemed to be blooming, Liam might have scolded her.
“I am quite busy today,” he said smoothly. It wasn’t entirely a lie though if he wanted, he could eat at a normal pace.
“Is it because ye’re worried about runnin’ into Katherine?” she asked bluntly, seemingly not caring that residents sitting around them might hear. “I ken she’s loud, but she’s nae that bad.”
Liam straightened his back and squared his shoulders. Slowly, with measured movements, he cut a piece of meat. Beforebringing the bite to his mouth, he said, “I daenae mind her volume, nor am I avoidin’ her. Me duty is simply more important than eatin’ slowly.”
Agnes watched him as he chewed, her attention unyielding. She waited until he swallowed to say, “The healer says it isnae healthy to scarf down yer food. Yet ye are doin’ so.”
“Aye, because ye could choke,” he told her. “If I choke, ye are free to lecture me. But ye may nae right now.”
Agnes nodded, clearly holding back a long-suffering sigh. She resumed eating though her eyes flicked between him and the hall doors every few seconds. He maintained a steady pace, not giving the girl any indication that he was eating faster than necessary. The last thing he needed was the rest of the clan paying too much attention to how he interacted with Katherine.
He was nearly finished with his meal when the air in the great hall changed. Carefully, he placed his fork back on the table. Before he looked toward the door, he already knew who’d be standing there.
Katherine was wearing a bright smile, a lightness hanging off of her that had settled over her after the afternoon she’d spent with the other ladies of the clan. Somehow, it made her even more radiant. It was like looking at the sun.
Suddenly, he pushed himself away from the table, the legs of his chair scraping loudly against the stone floor. All eyes were on him, but the only ones he seemed to notice were Katherine’s.She watched him, her face showing confusion, amusement, and something that suspiciously resembled warmth.
He paused, inclining his head toward her in respectful greeting. Then, he pushed his chair under the table and turned his back on her. As he walked away as naturally as he could, he could hear her hurried footsteps behind him. It was almost as if she were trying to catch up, but he had slipped into the kitchens before she had a chance to get close enough to say anything.
“Saints, I cannae stay away from her,” he grunted, closing his eyes and massaging the tension out of his temples.
When he opened them again, he looked around the kitchen. A few of the staff members glanced at him, but none of them seemed surprised at his presence. The head cook seemed to be attuned to Liam’s arrival though he was busy preparing bread for the following morning.
Liam walked over to him purposefully, playing off his sudden arrival as a genuine business visit. He took a moment to observe the way the cook kneaded each loaf, the steady movement of his hands. When he placed aside the bread ball he was working on, Liam asked him, “Have ye received Lady Katherine’s menu for the upcomin’ ceilidh?”
“Aye, sMe Laird,” the cook said, wiping away the excess flour from his hands onto his apron. “We’ve started the preparations already, sourcin’ only the best ingredients for the gatherin’. Is there anythin’ ye’d like to add?”
“Nay, I trust that she’s put together enough,” Liam said, glancing around the kitchen at what the rest of the staff was working on. Several of them seemed to be portioning out the ingredients that wouldn’t spoil over the next two weeks. “Ye daenae need me to look into tradin’ for anythin’ else, aye? I can redirect funds for anythin’ we cannae trade for.”
“I believe that all of our shipments have been adjusted to accommodate the ceilidh,” the cook replied, stepping out from behind the counter. “Allow me to fetch ye the inventory forms so ye look them over.”
Liam grunted, welcoming the mental challenge. He trusted he wouldn’t have any issues with the list he was given and was glad to have something to distract himself. And if he stayed here long enough, Katherine would be back in her quarters.
He accepted the list from the cook and began reading through it. As he expected, the adjustments were accurate. There would be more than enough for the ceilidh without creating too much waste, and anything leftover could be sent to the orphanage in a neighboring village.
After checking the math twice, he returned the inventory list to its place. Then, he left the kitchens, avoiding the great hall completely and using the servants’ corridor. As soon as he emerged from the main hallway, he nearly collided with Katherine.
She came to a skidding stop, looking up at him with wide eyes. Softly, she said, “Liam. I missed ye at supper. I hope everythin’ is all right.”
Her politeness felt forced, as though she were holding back some of the familiarity she’d been trying to build with him. It should have been a good thing. Yet, he felt as though there was something fundamentally wrong between them now.
“I had to take care of the inventory list with the cook,” Liam said, tearing his gaze away from her and beginnin’ to walk forward again.
