But how might he hide it if she kept doing things that brought her out of the shadows and to everyone’s attention?Things that made people uncomfortable?
Her knife fight with the Keith man was only the latest event.
Hiswife.In aknifefight.
William exhaled a hot breath.
If he hadn’t seen her standing over the prone man himself, he would not have believed it.
He flicked his eyes to the heavens.And God help him, he loved her all the more for it.
If that made him a lovesick fool, so be it.He had always been thus with Ailith.
Yet, how was he going to keep her safe, not only from herself, but from the rumors that were surely spiraling out of control?One wrong word could lead to the most dire circumstances.
William wasn’t exactly sure what that circumstance might be, but something in the back of his mind told him it could not end well.
He had made a vow, both to Ailith and to God himself, to keep her safe.And by that same vow, he was going to do just that.
Exactly how, that was another matter, the one keeping him from focusing on Eoghan and his dark-haired lass.
“So what should I do, Will?”Eoghan asked as he nudged William’s arm.
The jostle brought William back to his meal with Eoghan.
“About what?”William asked, sighing inwardly.He should have been paying better attention to his friend.
“About Agnes?Do ye think she might be able to visit Grant lands?”
“Weel, no’ unless her father thinks it sound.And if ye were acting free with his daughter, he might not be very agreeable to that.”
Eoghan nodded, his lips pulling downward.
“Ye were barely listening to my tale of woe.And I would never lay with a woman before the sacrament of marriage.”
William snorted.“I recall ye doing quite a bit along those lines when ye were younger.”
Eoghan tilted his head to the side as he raised his eyes to meet William’s.“I’m a different man now.The Abbot has taught me much.And what have ye heard about myself and the lass?”
William snorted again and stuck a piece of dry bannock between his teeth.“No’ too much, but I dinna have to listen.I saw ye with the lass last night, like a smitten lad ye were.And if I saw it, then her father did, too.”
With a dip of his head, Eoghan groaned lightly to himself.Then he cut his eyes to William.
“Your wife’s actions distracting ye, William?”Eoghan asked with a bit more seriousness than William was used to hearing from the man.
William rubbed the palm of his hand against his stubbled chin.“How bad are the rumors?”he asked, bracing himself for the answer.
Thankfully, Eoghan laughed aloud, some merriment returning to his dear friend.“Ailith was always an odd, wild child.Remember how she tried to ride the sow?And always tried to come with us hunting?”
William nodded, smiling at those memories, Ailith in bare feet and wild, unbound hair cascading behind her like a red banner, taking up a challenge at every turn.
“I guess most hoped she would grow into a proper lady.”Eoghan pointed a finger at William’s nose.“And that, my old friend, has no’ happened.If anything, she’s more wild.‘Tis something of concern, aye?”
“Aye,” William agreed.“A hard truth, that one.”
Eoghan elbowed William’s ribs.“But if she’s this wild in front of everyone else, I can only imagine how wild she is between the furs.”
“Eoghan!”William socked Eoghan’s shoulder.“Speak respectfully of my wife!”
