Page 76 of The Winter Laird

“Carry on.” Nioclas waved at them. He winked at Bri. “We aren’t going to eat here. I’ve set us a table in a much quieter locale.”

Bri was still trying to recover from the wink when he led her outside into the falling snow. She turned her face up and caught a snowflake on her tongue, then blushed when she caught Nioclas staring.

“I used to do it when I was a girl,” she explained sheepishly. “The first snow of the season, and Colin, James, and I would run outside to see who could catch the first one. Force of habit.”

“We will need to have speech about that,” Nioclas said quietly, steering her toward the kitchens, “but perhaps not until tomorrow. Today, you have your matching to accomplish.”

“Matchmaking,” she corrected him. “And yes, you’re right. Did you—”

“Aye, there were minstrels about last night, and I managed to procure them for an evening of…” Nioclas trailed off, trying to remember the word.

“Fun,” Bri supplied.

“Aye. An evening of fun. And tomorrow, we shall have speech.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. At his bemused look, she said, “For giving me today. Speaking of, do you know the day of the month?”

“It’s two days before the solstice,” he replied, ushering her into the kitchen, where the prep table was set for them.

About a week until Christmas, then.

She hoped her family would celebrate. She hoped they weren’t so worried about her that they couldn’t enjoy the season - it was Evelyn’s favorite time of the year.

Bri breathed in the scent of freshly baked bread and forced her shoulders to relax. She caught sight of Keela and immediately smiled at her frazzled countenance.

Squaring her shoulders, Bri sat down and began to outline their plan of attack.

* * *

Erin sat nextto Brianagh on the raised dais, looking over the fifty-seven candidates they were preparing to question. “This is a wonder,” she whispered. “I can’t believe how many men are here.”

Bri shuffled her parchment, then smiled. “Keela is young, pretty, and can fill a man’s belly with the best-tasting food in Ireland. The only thing that surprises me is that there aren’t more.”

Bri already went through the initial list with Keela, who had agreed for the selected ones today to be interviewed. Brianagh called the first man—she decided to call them alphabetically by first name, to ensure everyone had their chance. She explained to Erin that she would first ask a standard set of questions; then, if she thought he might be a potential match, another, smaller set of more personal questions.

Back home, Bri also explained that this was her cousin Colin’s job. She claimed he was talented at figuring out how genuine a person was in his or her desire to find a soul mate. Ironic, she had laughed, that he couldn’t ever seem to find someone of his own. Brianagh thought his standards might be impossibly high, but he claimed otherwise.

After hearing about how many women were interested in Sir Colin, Erin tended to agree with Brianagh.

ri began to question Annan. Four questions in, Erin realized he was more interested in finding a mother for his seven children than love. Understandable, but not for Keela. Bri must have agreed, for she quickly concluded his interview and moved on to the next.

Erin watched with fascination. She listened as Brianagh asked questions, sized them up, then made decisions based on she-only-knew what. Some men were looking for a good meal, some were looking for the status Keela would bring his family as the laird’s cook, and still others were looking to start a family of their own. Brianagh treated them all with the same kind, patient smile that would firm when a suitor asked her if he was one of the chosen ones. She refused to give any indication as to who would be in what she called her Top Five, but Erin had a good idea, based upon the amount of writing Brianagh made on her parchment.

At one point, Erin leaned over and asked, “Did you learn to write in a convent?”

“No,” Bri whispered back, scribbling furiously. “Kindergarten.”

Erin nodded as if she understood. Kindergarten sounded like a place of learning. She’d have to see about Donovan taking her there. Erin had never met any woman in Ireland who could read, much less write. Perhaps Kindergarten was the name of Brianagh’s homeland. She was very tight-lipped about it, but Erin figured it caused too much pain for her to speak of it, so she didn’t ask.

Two very long hours later, Brianagh declared them finished and thanked the last man in line. He bowed, then joined the other men at the far end of the great hall.

“I shall announce the five men we’ve selected tonight at dinner. Those five men will be allowed to dance with our fair Keela during the evening’s entertainments.”

“When will we find out if we get to marry her?” one of them called out.

“When Keela determines which one of you she’ll have,” Erin said loftily. “It is, after all, her choice to make. We’re simply aiding her.”

The silence in the room was deafening, then a loud burst of laughter broke out. Brianagh scanned the men and quickly wrote some more. She glanced up at Erin. “Clever.”

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