Page 37 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander
If talkin’ distracts her, perhaps she wouldnae work herself into a frenzy before we even reach Ryder’s door.
“What did ye do?” Damon prompted, keeping his tone conversational.
Lilith’s lips quirked into a faint smile, and for a moment, some of the tension left her shoulders. “I went with Ariah,” she replied. “We needed to make a few purchases.”
Damon chuckled. “Fair enough. So, ye came down here to shop. What else?”
Lilith tilted her head, her gaze becoming distant as she recalled the details. “We stopped at the bakery first. Ariah had this notion that freshly baked Selkirk bannock would be good to calm me nerves, and to her credit, she was right!”
“Selkirk bannock?”
“Aye! Branloch’s baker is from the borderlands, and I’ve never tasted bannocks such as his.”
“I see,” Damon said thoughtfully, filing away the information.
“After that, we wandered a bit, checkin’ on some of the villagers I hadnae seen in a while. Branloch’s always been a bit of a hub for the clansfolk, but it’s located at a crossroads, so there’s every sort comin’ and goin’ more often than ye would think for such a small place.”
“And the oddities?” Damon asked. “Surely something must’ve happened to warrant a story.”
Lilith gave him a look, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Oddities? What makes ye think there were any?”
“Because I may nae ken ye entirely, but I ken ye well enough to recognize that little lilt in yer voice. Ye have a tale to tell, and I’m inclined to hear it.”
She huffed, though the sound lacked any real irritation. “Fine, if ye must ken,” she began, her tone shifting to something more conspiratorial, “there was a bit of a scene outside the pub.”
Damon’s eyebrows rose. “Go on.”
“Ariah and I were leavin’ the dressmaker’s shop when we passed by,” Lilith continued, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation. “There were a few rowdy men lingerin’ outside, already deep in their cups despite the fact that it wasnae yet noon. They spotted us, and—well, let’s just say their attention wasnae particularly subtle.”
Damon’s jaw tightened instinctively. “What did they do? Are they from here?”
“Nay, I didnae recognize any of them. They called out to us,” Lilith said, waving a hand dismissively. “Nothing too inappropriate at first. Just the usual nonsense about how they’d never seen two lovelier lasses. But then one of them decided to be bold and asked Ariah if she’d let him buy her a drink.”
“And what did she do?” Damon asked, his curiosity sharpening.
Lilith hesitated, furrowing her brow slightly. “That’s the thing. I’ve only remembered it now, but she didnae seem to mind. Ifanything, she looked… amused? Almost like she was enjoyin’ the attention.”
Damon frowned. “She’s gettin’ married, aye? Ye’d think she’d care more about appearances.”
“Aye,” Lilith agreed, though her tone was quieter now. “She’s to marry Tristan Gunn.”
Damon shot her a sharp look. “Tristan Gunn? Me councilman?”
“The very one,” Lilith confirmed, sounding confused, as if she was sure he had already put that information together. “Sorry,” she added quickly, “I thought ye already kenned that.”
Damon exhaled slowly, turning over the name in his mind. “Nay… I mean, I rode out with him the other day. He showed me a few weak points on the border and near Kiel,” he said. “He seemed just as well, though a bit shifty in conversation. But since he didnae bring that up, I’m more intrigued.”
Lilith nodded. “He’s always been that way. I dinnae ken much about him, truth be told, but I do ken that he’s never been particularly fond of Magnus. He’s been careful about it, never outright defyin’ him, but he’s made his opinions kenned in subtle ways. He’s from Branloch, ye ken. Just on the eastern edge out by the road. Everyone always kenned he went to the pub and dropped little comments here and there to assert his dislike of Magnus.”
“He doesnae sound like a man I want on the council,” Damon admitted, his tone darkening.
“If ye were Magnus or anything like him, then nay, he doesnae,” Lilith agreed. “But Magnus fielded several reports about it and never did anything. Tristan is clever. Too clever, really, and young. He’s a Branloch boy, lived here his entire life, and he’s got the people on his side. It’s how he’s managed to keep his position all this time.”
“And Ariah’s to marry him?” Damon asked, his disbelief evident.
“Aye,” Lilith sighed. “He’s been in love with her for as long as I can remember. I think she agreed to the match out of practicality more than anything else. She’s only recently started to speak of him with true affection, which has been lovely to witness. She seems happy with the arrangement. They’re a strong pair.”
Damon shook his head. “Content isnae the same as happy.”
