Page 88 of Tales of Highland Loyalty

William waited a while for the room to quieten down before continuing.

"Thank ye all for coming here today."

Another rousing cheer broke out. William waited, a firm grin on his features; but inside, he was a mess. Nevertheless, he was the happiest he had ever been. Heaven knew it had been a long time coming.

"I am verra proud to be yer new laird," he said simply, as the crowd erupted in cheering.

William's crazy red curls exploded around his head, drawing out the azure in his eyes. Steadying himself on the lectern, he cast his eye across the hall.

In the front row were his sisters, all with their bairns and men. To their left were the elders, counselors, and dignitaries from other clans; Kennedy, Anderson, Ferguson, and of course, Douglas.

William's eyes flashed at the pale counselor, who was the sole representative of the Douglas clan. The laird and his daughter could not make the ceremony, and William had to steel himself, with an air of foreboding, not to take this to heart.

There will be time enough to make relations with the Douglas clan, he thought. For now, there was this.

"An' I swear," said William, with a glance at McTavish. The elderly counselor looked as if he needed to sit down, which he probably did, but he did his best to cling to the lectern. Consequently, William had to take care not to elbow him off from it. The last thing he wanted was the oldest clan member being knocked unconscious in front of everyone.

Not long ago, that was exactly the type of thing that he might have done, albeit unwittingly. William's rosy cheeks colored at the thought of his many past indiscretions.

"I swear to work hard an' to nae let ye doon, the people o' Duncan."

A huge cheer was raised as peasants and nobles alike brayed and stomped their feet. William grinned. This was the moment he had waited for. If only he did not mess it up!

"An' I hereby do swear nae to abandon ye to oor enemies..."

Just the swiftest of glances off toward the Douglas counselor was given as William proudly smiled at the pale elder, reassuring him that they and their clan were now firm allies, if not exactly friends just yet.

Clearing his throat, William continued. "An' nae to eat the clan jewels. Again..."

William looked up. There was a bit of a pause as silence struck the packed crowd. For a moment or two, William wondered if this had gone down wrong, but then an uproar of laughter swept the hall. At the front, his sisters, Aileen and Grace, were in stitches as Fiona looked disapprovingly ahead.

But this was the only slight glimpse of the old Billie. As soon as the hall quietened, he took a different tone. More considered, quieter, outlining his vision for the future; the expansion of the clan, the improvements to the farming, and their hopes for greater land.

By the end of the speech, even his most conservative of counselors was nodding along. Well, at least the ones who weren't nodding off.

Looking across at McTavish, now finally seated at the side of the hall, he saw he was reclined, head back in his chair, snoring for all the worlds.

If William was a more sanctimonious person, he could feel offended. As it was, he just smiled.

"An' so, ye've clearly had yer fill o' me blethering on, so wi' nay more ado, l invite ye all to charge yer cups"—William lifted his goblet up high and beamed—"an' mak' a toast. To the clan!"

A loud cheer rang up from the packed hall, with general slurring and shoving as all tried to find a dram at the same time. Looking around at Fiona, William smiled. From the front row, she smiled back, then busied herself tending to her bairns.

As William's eye wandered along the first row, he saw the same story. Grace, Aileen, Lissie, all of them chatting away or embroiled in children. Besides them, their men were all laughing and joking.

William sighed, relaxing his tensed shoulders. He did not realize how hunched he had been. It would take some time before he was entirely comfortable with a crowd.

Not that anyone had noticed it. William's speech had gone over extraordinarily well, and from the back of the hall, his advisor and friend, Alasdair, came over to say so.

But watching his sisters, a ripple of something passed through William. He could not be more content, but he envied them slightly. There was Fiona, laughing and gay, the weight of the clan no longer upon her.

Just as he was thinking, Alasdair tapped him from behind.

"Billie!"

A hand appeared on his shoulder. William gave it an acerbic glance. Then he glared at Alasdair. Immediately, Alasdair removed the hand.

"Ach, I mean, William," he corrected hastily.