Emeric’s fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. He looked around the room again, at the rows of stacked sacks filling the barn and then at the smaller row Angus had set aside for the keep.
“I will speak to my uncle,” he said at last. “Perhaps we could come to an arrangement with the crofters further south or else buy in grain from elsewhere.”
Anna glanced around the barn, her brow furrowed in puzzlement. “But...but there’s loads of grain here,” she said. “Why would you need to buy in more? I’m no expert but it looks to me like there’s enough here to feed everyone for months.”
Emeric and Angus exchanged a look.
“The rest of it doesnae belong to us, lass,” Emeric said.
“Doesn’t belong to you? I don’t understand. If it doesn’t belong to you then who does it belong to?”
Emeric’s jaw tightened, a tiny vein in his temple throbbing. “The MacDonalds. Our neighbors. It’s their portion of our harvest.”
Anna glanced between the two men. “But—”
“Leave it, Anna,” Emericgrowled.
Anna drew back, stung. She turned to look at Angus, who shrugged helplessly.
“Land politics, lass.”
She knew nothing of land politics or crop shortages and all it did was remind her of how very out of place she was.
“Come,” Emeric offered, his voice softer now. “Let’s return to the castle. I need to speak to my uncle.”
Anna nodded, and after saying goodbye to Angus, let him guide her out of the barn and back towards the looming structure of Dun Achmore under the setting sun.
Her mind was a whirl of thoughts as they walked, the landscape passing by in a dreary blur. The early evening chill nipped at her fingertips and pricked at the tiny hairs on her nape, but she paid it no mind. Her attention was on other things, lost within the confines of her swirling thoughts.
She glanced at Emeric from under her lashes. He was silent, his eyes focused on the path ahead as he guided them through the moors. His brows were furrowed slightly, his jaw set in a stern line.
Anna felt a fresh wave of helplessness wash over her. Far from making her feel more at home, her tour of Mackintosh lands had done the opposite. These people, with their clan bonds, their customs and traditions, their daily struggles and strife, were so far removed from what she knew that she might as well have landed on another planet.
How was she ever going to fit in here?
“There ye are!”
She looked up to see Aislinn running towards them through the keep’s gates. “Where have ye been? Never mind.Ye are here now, that’s what matters. Everything is ready and we’ve just been waiting for the number one guest!”
Emeric blinked at his sister. “Aislinn, what are ye talking about?”
“Didnae mother tell ye? We’ve arranged a feast in yer honor, to welcome ye home! Come on, everyone is waiting!”
Emeric shot Anna a helpless look as Aislinn took both their arms and dragged them towards the great hall. She could only describe the expression on Emeric’s face as one thing. Terror.
