Page 5

The main table in the hall was long and wide. His position was to be seated next to Maeve, of course. She was already sitting there, still clad in black, which seemed to be an unflattering color on her. There were other tables for lower members of the clan, and Karl went to see one of these. The hall was filled with merry chatter, and people seemed to be in a good mood—at least most people did. Maeve was sitting in silence, as still as a stone. She rose when Gowan arrived and bowed her head to him in a polite greeting. He kissed her hand again, a hand that was still covered in a glove.

When he took his seat, Maeve remained standing. “Before we eat, we shall hae a moment’s silence for my father,” she said, and bowed her head.

The room suddenly fell silent. Gowan bowed his head out of respect, but when he did so, he peered out of the corner of his eye. Maeve’s hands were clasped, yet they trembled. He supposed he should have more pity for her considering what she had just been through, but he still hoped he would see something in her that would offer him some glimmer of excitement.

3

Maeve blinked away tears and sniffed back her sorrow after the moment’s silence. She was trying to be positive about the situation, but it was difficult when everything was changing so suddenly. Her father was gone, and this man was here, and she was supposed to adjust and move forward, but it felt as though she was being carried away by a storm, and there was no moment where she could be still.

As yet, she was not sure what to make of Gowan. His stature was certainly impressive, and the scars on his face spoke to the fact that he was a man of war. But no man could compare to her father, and she was just waiting for the moment when she would find out the true nature of the man. If there were a trace of villainy in him, then Maeve would discover it and stop this marriage before it had a chance to take hold.

After the moment’s silence, the chatter in the hall rose again, creating a layer of ambient noise that fell upon the night like a blanket. The servants came to serve the food, beginning with a serving of hearty soup that had been cooked with chunky vegetables. Following this, there would be cuts of meat with lashings of gravy, roasted potatoes, and other vegetable accouterments. Her stomach rumbled as she began to eat the soup, and it was soon clear that the only people who were not talking were her and Gowan.

He seemed determined to change this, though.

“I am sorry tae hear about yer da,” he said.

“We all are,” she replied curtly.

“Ye must miss him terribly.”

“Of course I dae. He was my father. What’s more, he was Laird of this place as well. It will be difficult to live up to him,” she said with a heavy sigh, wondering how she was ever going to be half the Laird that he was. She was so concerned with her own thoughts that she did not notice how Gowan recoiled at this and furrowed his brow.

“He must hae been proud of the clan, though. I enjoyed riding through yer village taeday. Everyone seemed busy and prosperous.”

“Indeed,” she said, blowing on her soup because it was a tad warm for her liking.

“Nae all villages are like that. I hae seen many in my time that hae been ravaged by bandits. Thankfully, I hae helped many of them in my region. Hae ye been told of my exploits?” he asked.

“I hae nae,” she said.

Gowan seemed deflated at this.

“Oh, well, I suppose given the circumstances, yer da didnae get a chance tae tell ye. I am sure that word would hae spread around here, though. Ye see, there was a bandit group called the Black Masks, and they terrorized the region, and—” He was interrupted by a woman sitting near him.

“Excuse me, sorry, but did ye say the Black Masks?” she asked.

“I did,” Gowan said, and he seemed pleased that someone knew who he was talking about.

“I shudder tae hear that name,” the woman said, leaning forward. “They forced me tae run from my home. A terror they were. Nobody could sleep at night because they were always running amok, stealing whatever they wanted and killing people for fun. When it started, I left because I could see that it was only gaeing tae end one way.”

“Well, it’s a shame ye did leave because it means I never haed a chance tae save ye,” Gowan said with a smile.

The woman blushed and giggled, quite taken with the man, although Maeve frowned. It didn’t seem right that he should so easily fall into comfortable conversation with other women. The conversation had caught the attention of a few other people, and they were all listening to Gowan.

“But aye, they were a terrible bunch. We haed the townspeople coming tae us in droves, pleading with us tae dae something. It was difficult tae know what tae dae since they were wearing masks and nobody knew what was happening. But I waited in the town until they attacked and saw them swarming around. Karl and I, he’s my companion, wore the same outfits, and when they traveled back tae their lair, we snuck back with them.”

He wore a proud smile, then continued.

“They didnae realize that we didnae belong. We found their camp, and then in the death of night, we stole away again. The next day I gathered an army and we rode back tae them. They haed no idea what was happening when they heard us coming up tae them like thunder. They never expected tae be discovered, and when they tried tae run, we picked them all up. Hunting them was easier than hunting rabbits!” he exclaimed, and the people around him joined in with the laughter. The women who were paying attention fluttered their eyelashes and were clearly taken with his masculine boasting. They were all lovely and pretty, and it seemed as though Gowan had an appreciation for women as well, for his body was angled away from Maeve’s and fully focused on the adoring crowd.

Frankly, to Maeve, it seemed like empty boasting that most men enjoyed, acting as though being in a fight gave them some sense of superiority. She finished her soup and leaned back in her chair.

“It’s one thing tae fight bandits, but hae ye ever fought the English? I hear there is trouble at the border,” she said.

The laughter died down at her interruption, and people looked at her as though they had forgotten she was there, including Gowan. He shifted his body to face her again.

“Aye, there is much fighting.”