Page 33 of A Sinful Night with a Scot
Had her thoughts not seeped into his mind, he certainly would have kissed her. But upon hearing her, and more so, hearing the desire in that same thought, he had drawn away, halted in his tracks. He couldn’t deny his own want of her in the moment, and upon leaving, he had concluded that the cave truly was enchanted, for it had relieved him of all rational thought.
Perhaps he had also been drawn in by her story, for what she told him of her father had angered him as much then, as it had when Alisdair had relayed the same. It was evidently clear that she had had experienced a callous childhood, and while Keane now suffered with his own pain, he could, in no way relate, for his father had been nothing but kind, caring, generous, and loyal to both his children and his people.
They were now inside the castle. Keane noticed a considerable difference in the atmosphere since they had left, for the corridors were far busier with servants and maids hurrying one way or another, getting things ready for the feast that would occur later.
Michael approached, and with a warm smile aimed at Elsie, he introduced himself. “This must be the new lady o’ the castle,” he said, bowing toward her. “What a delight tae meet ye, me lady.”
Elsie smiled nervously.
“Michael, may I introduce tae ye, Lady Elsie Mackay,” Keane said. “Elsie, this is Michael Mackay, one o’ the clan’s councilmen. Ye will likely meet the rest o’ the council this evening.”
“How nice tae meet ye,” Elsie said smiling.
“I can tell ye, me lady,” Michael beamed as he gazed at her, “the pleasure is all mine.”
Clearly, he was swept up with Elsie’s exquisiteness, and Keane, watching the old man with a smile of his own, could hardly blame him. She was striking, with a graceful beauty about her.
“We are having a feast in yer honor,” Michael continued. “I dae hope ye will enjoy it.”
“I’m sure, I will,” Elsie replied.
He then gestured to the rock in Keane’s hand. “And I see ye chose yer stone,” he said, looking from Elsie to Keane and back again.
“Aye, I took Elsie tae the waterfall,” Keane said.
“What did ye think o’ our sacred waterfall, me lady?”
“Och,” Elsie gushed, “it is such a wonderful and enchanting place. In fact, I think it is one o’ the most beautiful places I have ever seen,” she said, repeating her earlier words.
“It is rather special,” Michael agreed.
The councilman seemed to linger then, and Keane understood that he wanted to speak with him.
“Go and rest now,” Keane said, looking at his new wife. “I will come and collect ye fer the feast later.”
Elsie nodded to them both, and then headed down the corridor alone.
Keane looked at Michael, his eyebrows lifted expectantly. “Ye want tae speak tae me, Michael.”
“I dae,” the older man said, taking Keane by the elbow and leading him slowly as they walked together. “I cannae help but feel a sense o’ unease among the council after our earlier meeting.”
“Aye.” Keane nodded. “Their arguments were certainly made with passion. But I remain steadfast in me decision.”
“Och, and so ye should.” Michael nodded eagerly. “I suppose I am only worried that with so many being against ye, there might be room fer dissension tae fester. It takes only one spark tae light a fire.”
Michael had been involved in councils long enough to have seen many things in his lifetime, but on this occasion, Keane thought the man was worrying about nothing, and said so.
“I dinnae think we have anything tae worry about, me friend. They will come around. Laird Gunn attacking us was inevitable nae matter what action I took.”
The old man smiled and looked up at him. “Aye. And I can see now, why ye couldnae have done it. Taken her life, I mean,” he said knowingly.
Keane smirked. “There were other reasons.”
“Aye. Course there were,” he chuckled. “Well, I have taken up enough o’ yer time. I will look forward tae seeing ye later at the celebration feast.”
Keane nodded, and as the men parted ways, he took long determined strides in the direction of his study. He could well do with a rest himself before tonight’s festivities, but a laird did not have such privileges. Besides, there was something he needed to do.
Once sat at his desk with his tools beside him, he cleaned the stone of any debris and looked at it for a long moment. Traditionally, the stone was marked with simple engravings, something that reflected the clan or the person the clan was welcoming into their fold. Keane now had to decide what, other than the symbol of Clan Mackay, he desired to put on it.
