With a sigh, McKellen turned back to Arthur, defeat written in the slump of his shoulders. “Ye better have her ready for the cèilidh,” he bit out, before turning on his heel and exiting the room.
Councilman Shaw shot Arthur an apologetic glance, but the other council members said nothing as they turned around and filed out of his study.
As soon as he was certain that they were out of earshot, Arthur let out a long sigh and leaned against his desk. A headache had begun to take form, pounding in the very center of his forehead behind his eyes.
Massaging his temples, he went back to his chair behind the desk. He still had a little bit of time to finish his work before he had to go meet with his siblings and his bride-to-be.
“Today is goin’ to be a long day,” he murmured, grabbing his ledger and pen and getting to work.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Marissa sighed contentedly, her eyes closed as she turned her face up toward the sun. The book she’d been reading just moments ago rested heavily on her lap.
She was sitting on a bench in the rose garden at the back of the castle grounds. Earlier that day, she’d been taken on a tour of everything the castle had to offer by one of her maids. But this part of it had been her favorite.
From the moment she’d seen the garden, she had wanted to go back to the massive library in the castle, pick a book, and come out here. So, after the tour had ended, that was precisely what she had done.
Birds chirped overhead, singing their merriment on the beautiful, warm day, until a voice fractured the small bubble of peace she had carved for herself.
“There ye are!”
She yipped in surprise. The book fell from her lap, tumbling and closing as it hit the ground with a thunk. Marissa looked down at it, sad to have lost her spot before turning in the direction the voice had come from.
Ayla, her soon-to-be sister-in-law, was walking towards her, her dark hair shining in the early afternoon sun. Beside her was a young woman. She wore plain clothes, the apron draped over the front of her skirts marking her as one of the maids. Marissa racked her brain, trying to think if she’d seen the girl since arriving at Castle Reid, but she could not recall.
“I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for ye!” Ayla exclaimed as she drew closer, her lovely face breaking out into a warm smile.
The moment she was close enough, she reached forward and pulled Marissa to her feet and into a hug. Marissa started at the sudden touch, her arms hanging awkwardly at her sides as she thought of how to respond.
She had never been an overly affectionate person. With her sisters, hugs and laughs came easily. But with anyone else? She often found that physical touch made her quite uncomfortable.
She’ll be me sister too, though. So that should count for somethin’.
The thought eased some of her discomfort, and she relaxed, returning Ayla’s hug before stepping out of it.
“I was just readin’ and enjoyin’ the sunny day,” Marissa explained, swiping the back of her hand across her forehead.
She had been so lost in her book and her thoughts that she hadn’t realized just how warm the day had gotten. And now, a thin sheen of sweat had broken out across her brow.
“Do ye mind if we join ye?” Ayla asked, not waiting for her to answer before ushering the maid over to the bench across from where Marissa had been sitting.
“Nae at all.” Marissa beamed at them.
Bending to pick up her book, she spared one final thought to the story she’d been reading and regretted that she hadn’t marked the page, before setting it down beside her. When she glanced back at the other women, she found them watching her with open interest.
“Are ye enjoyin’ yer time here so far?” Ayla asked, immediately diving into the conversation.
Marissa had gotten the sense that it was something she did often. Something that further set Ayla apart from her brothers.
“Aye.” Marissa nodded, giving her a brief smile. “The castle is quite bonnie. And the grounds? I’d nae admit this to me family, but it’s grander than where I was livin’ before.”
Ayla nodded. “Me braither takes a lot of pride in our lands. When our faither died, he employed a lot of people from the villages, gettin’ them work to fix the place and to get a little more coin flowin’ amongst them.”
Marissa’s eyebrows shot up, impressed by what Ayla had just revealed. But if her soon-to-be sister-in-law noticed, she didn’t say anything. Instead, Ayla’s grey eyes, which were identical to her brother’s, flicked to the maid seated beside her.
“Me sincerest apologies,” she said abruptly. “I just realized I havenae introduced ye. Marissa, this is Amara. She’s me maid—but that’s in name only. She’s actually me dearest friend.”
The two women beamed at each other, the affection they shared palpable.
