“Thank ye, Kevin,” she replied steadily. “I appreciate yer observation.” She wanted to ask what he’d told Kevin about her,but she knew it would be silly to have the conversation with Kevin instead of Lachlan.
Ailis lay in her chamber, heart racing from Lachlan’s fervent kiss. The memory of his touch filled her dreams with longing and whispered vows. In sleep, she imagined a world where love was not a pawn in power games.
*
The call ofthe bagpipes woke Ailis the following morning. She dressed and she and Moira descended the stairs together for breakfast in the great hall. Lucas, Horas, and Bearnard were already there, their presence an unwelcome burden. Ailis counted in her head, as she wondered how long it would take one of them to say something stupid. She reached ten when Lucas spoke.
“Which of ye shall grace the field this day?” Lucas inquired mockingly.
“Neither,” Moira replied sternly. “On the morrow, ’twill be I who competes in swords.”
Laughter erupted from the men. However, it died as they realized the sisters were serious.
“Ye speak in earnest?” Bearnard asked, eyebrows furrowed. “A lass cannae compete against men with swords. Ye’ll be slaughtered!”
“Aye, we are very serious,” Ailis affirmed with quiet strength. “We are daughters of the McAfee clan, versed in more than what men like ye would call women’s work.”
*
Ailis watched thecaber tumble through the air, Brodie’s strength belying its weight. Moira’s voice rang out in support of him, Ailis adding her own cheer as he succeeded.
“Marvelously done!” Ailis exclaimed, feeling pride well up inside her. It was as if all three of the brothers had joined their family when Alisdair had married Fiona, though Lachlan did not feel like a brother to her.
As dusk fell, Ailis entered the great hall dressed elegantly for the dance. “Ailis,” Lucas inquired smoothly while they danced, “why do ye seek the company of the McClain brothers so fervently?”
Horas added his thoughts on alliances. “Ye already have an alliance with the McClains. Wouldn’t it be smart to make an alliance with another clan? It would most certainly help the McAfees.”
Ailis replied, “We are not going to pursue men to fulfill a need for alliances. We are not those women. We are comfortable with the McClain men, and they treat us with respect.”
Bearnard, booming with conviction, passionately stressed the significance of forming alliances in times of turmoil.
Ailis, her mind consumed with thoughts of peace and politics, took a moment before finally speaking from her heart. “We will not be used as political pawns. We are women who understand our own minds and hearts, and we shall follow them. And we need no advice from the three of ye.” She didn’t say what she wanted to say and tell them all to go away. A tinge of pride tickled her for that. She grew a little prouder when she realized she hadn’t kicked any of the three. That was truly something that she would tell her grandchildren someday. She had not kicked the lairds’ sons who drove her crazy.
*
Ailis and Moiramade their way to their chambers. “I believe those men live a thousand years in the past.” Moira shook her head.
“At least two thousand,” Ailis replied. “They make me want to scream. What is so wrong about three strong women?”
Rounding a corner, they encountered Fiona and Alisdair. Drawn together in the hallway, Ailis murmured, “Someone is keeping us from spending time with Lachlan and Brodie. There are suitors following us about.”
Fiona’s eyes narrowed as she assessed the possibilities. “Lachlan and Brodie are working to find who is dictating their moves. The truth is, the suitors dinnae like us any more than we like them,” she added, frustrated yet resolute.
Moira mused, “Who could benefit from such manipulations?”
Alisdair regarded them for a moment, weighing their words, his determined eyes addressing the sisters. “I’ll find a way to speak with me brothers. Together, we’ll expose this unseen force.”
Ailis warned that time was running short, her fingers betraying her calm by trembling slightly. “We only have one more day of games. If we are to discover who is doing this, we must work quickly.”
“Let us waste no more time worrying,” Alisdair replied before disappearing into the shadows to speak with his brothers.
The chamber door closed, enclosing Ailis and Moira in their temporary bedchamber. Ailis sighed wearily.
“Are ye not troubled by this cloak of secrecy?” Ailis quietly asked.
“Troubled? Nay, sister,” Moira replied, unpinning her hair. “For on the morrow, I shall wield a sword with such fervor that no one may dare approach me with devious intent. I plan to best every man here.”
“I love yer confidence, sister,” Ailis chirped, loosening her own braids. “The men will surely get to the bottom of this.”
