Page 20 of The Anguish of the Scottish Lairds
“You are. You’re only thinking with your cock. You are so taken with your new wife that you can’t see what’s in front of you. Eva doesn’t want me.”
“Then why the hell did you ask? I’m giving you what you want and you’re going to refuse me now?”
“Aye. If Eva can’t come to me willingly, I don’t want the match.” He did his best to lower his voice, but he couldn’t stop it. And of course, out of nowhere came his brother.
Rinaldo approached. “What’s all the yelling about, Sloan? Can I help with something?”
“Nay, we’re done here. Take your leave, MacVey.” Sloan’s hand went to the hilt of his weapon, though he’d never draw it on his friend.
Lennox nodded. “I’m sorry you feel that way. As I said, we accept your offer. We’ll come on another day to discuss the impending nuptials. She’ll come to understand it’s best for her.” He headed up the hill with a nod.
Sloan waited until he was gone and turned to Rinaldo. “If you speak a word of this to anyone, I’ll beat you until your tongue swells so much, you’ll never be able to speak again.”
Rinaldo paled but then smiled. “But from what I heard, Eva is going to marry you. Does that not make you happy?”
“Not when she’s being forced!”
Sloan headed up the hill, yelling behind him. “Remember what I said, Rinaldo. Tell no one.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Eva
Eva sat on the floor in the great hall, just outside her brother’s solar, where her two brothers argued on about some seed discrepancy, a topic she found totally uninteresting.
“Come, Goldie. Sit with me.” Absolutely enamored with her new plaything, Eva smiled when the wee hound ran straight for her, bounding onto her lap and landing in the middle of her skirt. Shadow followed, his nose pressing against the wee dog as if to tease it, then ran away in a wide circle.
Goldie responded, leaping off her lap and falling face-first because she’d misjudged the distance. Shadow rushed to the pup’s side, encouraging her to get up again, which she did, frolicking behind Shadow.
The two were such a delight to watch that Eva had been sitting ever since Taskill had gone inside the solar.
His voice carried to her now. “I’m telling you that there is not enough grain for everyone. I counted it out carefully this time, and Jasper confirmed my count. Your calculations must be wrong, Lennox.”
Lennox paced, the same way he always did while the newest member of the family, Meg, asked, “May I look at your calculations, husband?”
Lennox said, “Of course, sweeting.”
Jasper asked, “You can do numbers, my lady?”
“Better than any of us,” Taskill said. Eva knew he grinned from ear to ear when he made that statement. It tickled all of them that Meg was such a whiz with numbers, able to multiply and calculate in her head faster than any of them.
“I think there is a mistake here, Lennox,” she said.
Eva lifted her head, leaning back, that statement calling to her. Oh, how she would love to be in there to witness the horroron her eldest brother’s face at being caught in a mistake. She waited, ignoring the dogs for now, her mother coming down the stairway.
“Meg, you are correct. I did make a mistake. Let me look again, if you please.”
All was quiet while Lennox probably studied the paper over and over again before making a final decision, if she were to guess.
Lennox said, “I did. Let’s recalculate, and we’ll go into the storeroom and hand out more bags of grain to those who need it. My apologies to all, Taskill. Please tell them it was an honest mistake, that my head was clouded by this beauty in front of me.”
Taskill laughed and Meg giggled, but then the group left, all headed to the cellars.
Once they were alone in the hall, her mother called out to her, “Eva, how many times must I tell you that those dogs do not belong in the hall. Dogs belong outside.”
“But she’s just a baby, Mama.”
“A baby with fur that is getting everywhere. I see that no matter what I say, you’ll ignore me, so please would you at least confine the wee beasts to the area in the corner? I do not care to have dog hairs all over the bottom of my fine gowns. How I wish your sire were still here to set you straight, young lady.”
