Page 35 of Her Scot of the Morrow
“You can count on it,”I returned, even more curious about what they were up to because whatever it was, I suspected it was purely for their own benefit.
“How unfortunate,” Robert said, because he was no fool. “I would have liked to know why my trusted warrior and longtime friend, Lorna’s father, made such arrangements without letting me know beforehand, as ‘twas once his fondest hope for his daughter to marry a MacLeod.”
“I couldnae say other than what he told us,” Elspet replied as she and Dugal escorted us up the stairs toward the front door. “He felt great distress over Lorna’s intended husband secretly communicating with another woman over the years, and he thought the familiarity they shared was highly inappropriate.” She shook her head woefully. “I would imagineanyloving, God-fearing father would find that difficult.”
“No doubt,” Robert agreed, remaining steadfast in his inability to be fooled by the Sutherlands. “Though it doesnae explain why he didnae tell me first, nor, if I were to be honest, yer not telling me either, as I have long favored ye and yer clan.”
“As I am sure ye realize, there was little time to do such,” Elspet said, more rueful by the moment as she pressed a bony hand to her chest. “Yet now ye know ‘tis a mighty weight off my chest, and I know Dugal feels the same.”
“Aye,” Dugal agreed roughly as though the whole thing bothered him more than it should. “It only seemed right to welcome them in when they sought us out and save them the indignity of what Lorna had suffered.” He shook his head. “The poor lass didnae deserve it, and if we Sutherlands are nothing else, we are compassionate to our countrymen in their time of need.”
“No doubt ye are,” Robert said swiftly enough. “Though ‘twould be well received if ye sent word to me if ever the occasion arises again so I might let my people know I am there for them in their time of need as well.”
“But of course,” Dugal said dutifully. “Now that I know ‘twould not be too much time away from yer battles against the Sassenach, I willnae hesitate to reach out to ye with such trivial things.”
Though no sarcasm tainted his words, it undoubtedly hovered just beneath the surface for those like me and Robert who weren't so easily duped and heard it clearly. King Robert,however, would not keep up the deceptive verbal exchange Dugal was clearly enjoying when he could focus on far more worthy, important things, such as the true Lady of the Castle.
“Ah, ‘tis so good to see ye again, Lady Sutherland,” Robert said warmly when Dugal’s wife, Lilias, greeted us in the great hall. “Thank ye for yer warm welcome.” He took in the crackling, newly tended fires and fresh rushes, giving Lilias the credit due her because she had, without a doubt, overseen the hasty preparations for his arrival. “’Tis always so nice to visit yer lovely castle.”
Lilias lowered her head and curtsied before offering him a genuinely lovely smile. “Many thanks, King Robert. I am humbled by yer visit and look forward to dining with ye. Food will be served soon. Might it be to yer liking.”
“I have no doubt ‘twill be,” he replied, still smiling warmly and treating her with the respect and dignity due her, despite Dugal being so callously eager to make another woman his. Robert surprised me when he gestured at Willow and kept her from having to go down to the dungeons. Better yet, he got her away from Elspet and Dugal, and I was never so grateful. “Might ye help Willow prepare for the evening, as ‘twas a difficult day for her.”
“Aye, my King.” Lilias looked Dugal’s way tentatively, if not a tad fearfully, and swallowed hard, because no matter what she did right now, she would likely suffer his wrath later. “If ‘tis yers and my husband’s wish.”
“’Tis,” Dugal snapped before he caught himself, and his tone gentled. “As our king’s request is above all others, is it not, wife?”
“Aye,” Lilias agreed graciously, her skin paling under Dugal’s unpredictable temperament. She curtsied again and gestured for Willow to follow her upstairs, but not before she wished the king a warm stay once more.
“Dugal really is a prick, isn’t he?”Willow said with disgust as she and Lilias left.“He’s not going to like me much if I end up staying because I’ll shove his balls right up his—”
“Nothing,”I intercepted, determined not to think it would come to that rather than entertain the alternative,“because you willnae be staying.”
She didn’t respond, and I understood why. We had no way of knowing whether she would be staying or not, so the conversation was moot at the moment.
I descended the same stairs I’d recently traveled down to the dank bowels of Sutherland Castle, only to find it better lit and less dismal. Torchlight filled the shadowy corners, and candles sat upon wooden tables with trays meant to bring down food and drink, making it look like the prisoners were well treated. If that weren’t convincing enough, firepits were staggered here and there to keep the dank cells warm on cold, windy nights.
Yet all that was by no means the most deceptive part of our journey, and that soon became ridiculously apparent when they led us past cells with clean cots covered in furs, definitely not the same place I was housed, and it only got worse.
After all, I soon realized just how far the Sutherlands would go to deceive our king.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
–Willow–
IHAD JUST reached the top of the stairs in Sutherland Castle’s great hall, keenly aware of Lilias, considering she was my long-lost sister, and this was the first time we’d met outside the Morrow, when I not only felt Sloan’s rage but caught a glimpse of what he was looking at.
“You’vegotto be kidding me,” I said aloud without thinking because I was just as baffled and angry by the state of the dungeon cell he had been imprisoned in days before. The blasted Sutherlands had knocked down even more of the wall, making it look like my dragon had caused truly substantial damage, and now King Robert was down there with them assessing things.
“Is all well?” Lilias wondered softly, eyeing me curiously as we continued down a long corridor with narrower walls than those at MacLeod Castle. I thought she was just as pretty as Aspen and Hazel said she was, with soft features and thickly lashed, earthy olive-green eyes.
“I think we both know it’s not,” I said just as softly, trying to muster up a small smile for her because I hated meeting like this. I wanted to give her a big hug and let her know how worried our sisters and I were about her and the terrible life she’d been thrust into. I could andwouldgive her something, though, however risky it might be. It was much-needed hope, I would imagine, and at the very least, she deserved that. “Evan’s fully healed and safe at MacLeod Castle, but he’s as worried about you as—”
“This way, please,” Lilias said, clearly interrupting me on purpose. She put a finger to her lips and shook her head. “We have a lovely chamber prepared for ye.”
Nodding in understanding, I followed her into a room with two sizeable windows round on top and flat on the bottom, as well as several ornate furnishings that spoke to someone of a higher rank. When I looked at her in alarm, thinking this might be Dugal’s chamber or worse yet, one he shared with her, she seemed to understand my concern because she shook her head no.
“I have ordered a basin to be brought up for bathing, then we will see ye into appropriate clothing for a royal visit,” she said, peeking out at the hallway in either direction, obviously making sure the coast was clear before shutting the door and looking at me with relief. “Thank ye for letting me know Evan’s well. I have been so verra worried.”
