Arianna accepted it with a grateful nod. “Thank ye.”
The cook waved a hand dismissively. “Think nothing of it, me Lady.”
She tucked the folded cloth and the sack neatly against her arm. Arianna slipped back out of the bustling kitchen, the noise fading behind her as she reentered the quiet corridor. But now her nerves prickled slightly.
Had the cook looked at me strangely? Had the weavers wondered why I needed cloth?
Her mind began to churn with uneasy possibilities. Perhaps people were beginning to notice. Arianna slowed her pace deliberately, forcing herself to breathe evenly. She must act normal. Nothing must appear unusual.
With careful steps, she returned to her chamber, glancing only once over her shoulder before slipping inside and closing the door.
The quiet of the room settled around her like a protective cloak. Arianna crossed quickly to the small chest near her bed and lifted the lid. Inside lay the map she had taken from the library. She added the folded cloth beside it. Then she placed the empty sack on top. For a moment, she simply stared down at the small collection of items.
A map. Cloth for carrying provisions. A sack to hold everything together.
It was not much. But it was a beginning. Arianna closed the chest gently and rested her hand on the lid. Her heart beat faster as the reality of her plan took firmer shape in her mind.
Soon she would gather food. Soon she would prepare a horse. And when the time was right… She would ride for Castle McDonald herself.
With a wounded heart, I do this, but I must think of me family.
Evening settled slowly over the castle, and Arianna stood near the narrow window of her chamber watching the last light fade beyond the hills. Melissa folded linens in the sitting room.
Arianna thought about her own behavior. It weighed heavily on her thoughts. She had wandered the corridors too often these past days, asking for odd items and avoiding conversation when she could.
If anyone suspects I plan to leave the castle in secret, me path would be blocked before I ever reach the gates.
She straightened slowly and turned from the window.
“Very well then. I shall behave normally, and like a loyal wife,” she muttered. “Though me heart wishes that I daenae have to stoop to such behavior. Why can we nae be a true bond?”
Tonight, she would attend supper in the Great Hall beside Ian like the proper Lady of the clan. If she must play a part to protect her plans, she would perform it well enough that no one questioned her.
“Melissa?”
“Aye, me Lady,” Melissa entered the bed chamber.
“I wish to dress for supper. I shall need me best dress, the blue one, and me hair shall be braided,” Arianna said.
“As ye wish, me Lady,” Melissa began to gather the clothing.
Determination settled into Arianna's chest, though dread lingered beneath it. She moved to the small mirror near her desk and began the process of dressing carefully for the evening meal. She chose a gown of deep blue wool, simple yet elegant enough for the high table. Melissa's fingers worked slowly as she fastened the ties. When she finally lifted her gaze to the mirror, she paused.
The woman staring back at her looked unfamiliar. Her eyes were shadowed with worry, and a tension lingered around her mouth that had not been there weeks ago. Once, she had looked forward to these evenings, eager to sit beside Ian. Now the thought of being near him filled her with uneasy dread simply because she felt he could see through her.
She feared the man she could not fully trust. And yet she longed for him all the same. Arianna closed her eyes briefly before straightening her shoulders.
I will endure it because I must. No matter how much it hurts.
Moments later, the heavy doors of the Great Hall opened, and she stepped inside. The room burst with the usual life of the clan. Tankards struck against wooden tables as warriors drank and laughed loudly. Servants hurried between benches carrying platters piled high with roasted meat and fresh bread.
Yet when Arianna crossed the threshold, the noise seemed to dim within her ears. Her heart beat faster as she walked through the hall.
Do they ken me plans?
For a fleeting moment, she felt as though every eye turned toward her. The sensation left her strangely exposed, as if the secret of her plans were written plainly across her face. She forced herself to keep walking calmly.
At the far end of the hall, the high table stood upon the dais. Ian was already seated there speaking with two councilmen. The moment Arianna saw him, her pulse quickened sharply.
