Page 19 of Kilted Sins

“Perhaps it would be good for Lady MacLeod tae become acquainted with the customs o’ the clan,” said one of the elders who had been following the conversation. “Duncan is right, Mrs. Selkirk can assist her if needed.”

Many of the elders expressed their assent through nods and hushed whispers. With the council in agreement, there was little Cillian could do to avoid handing over the reins to Thora, even though he was still suspicious of her. If anything, he wondered how the council wasn’t suspicious, considering her previous behavior. Shouldn’t they be wary of how much power they were handing her, he wondered? Or could it be that they were trying to give her a second chance to prove herself?

Maybe I am bein’ too harsh with her. What if she truly wishes tae help?

“Very well,” said Cillian, relenting. “If Miss MacLeod so wishes, she can assist with the feast an’ the plannin’.”

“Excellent,” said Thora in a tone that was a little too enthusiastic for Cillian’s liking, clapping her hands together in delight. “Fer me first request, I wish tae have a feast fer the common folk.”

All eyes, including Cillian’s, were drawn to her at those words. Before long, his councilmen were all talking over each other, all of them protesting the cost of such an endeavor and the impossibility of holding such a feast in the first place, chaos descending over the table. Cillian couldn’t say he was surprised, though; he had known something like this had been coming.

“Enough!” he called, the shouts around him slowly dying down until there was a relative silence over them all. “This isnae feasible. I’m sure ye understand that, me lady.”

“Why would it nae be feasible?” Thora asked, once again feigning ignorance. Cillian was certain by now that every time she seemed simple-minded, it was nothing but a ruse. The woman was much smarter than she wanted people to think. “There will be a hunt, will there nae? There is always a hunt fer Yule in me clan.”

“Aye, o’ course there will be a hunt,” said Cillian. “But I dinnae see how that is relevant.”

“How many animals are usually hunted, me laird?” Thora asked. “Dozens, surely, if all the nobles participate. Or is it perhaps that ye are nae as skilled in a hunt?”

Thora asked her question innocently, but that didn’t blunt the sharpness of her words. Cillian took it as the insult it was meant to be, his eyes narrowing as he faced her.

“I can assure ye I am perfectly skilled,” he said in a flat tone, doing his best to keep his anger at bay. She was simply trying to provoke him and the more enraged he allowed himself to become, the more satisfaction he would end up giving her. “I still dinnae see how this is relevant tae a feast fer the common folk.”

“What ye hunt can be distributed tae them as well,” Thora said simply, giving him a small shrug. “The castle has plenty o’ food fer the feast. Why should we nae share the spoils o’ the hunt with the people?”

“That is outrageous!” one of the elders said, going so far as to stand from his chair in protest. “Such a thing has never happened afore.”

“It could happen now fer the first time,” said Thora with a bright smile, as though the elder’s anger didn’t even register in her mind. “The people will surely be very pleased.”

“Are ye aware o’ how far MacDonald land extends, me lady?” the man asked. “Tae feed so many o’ the common folk would have unprecedented cost! How, precisely, dae ye suggest we ship the perishables tae the other isles?”

“Ach, I’m certain there are lesser nobles on each isle,” Thora said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Dae the nae have their own hunts fer Yule? If the hunts are bountiful, why would they nae share the spoils with the people?”

Cillian recalled what Thora had said the previous day about her desire to help people. It seemed that this was no different and though he could understand the logistic limitations of such a request better than anyone, he also couldn’t help but think it was a noble idea. He had expected to hear some frivolous request from her, something that would simply enrage him with its ostentatiousness, but instead a part of him thought it was not such a bad idea after all.

“I think it could be done,” Archibald said a little timidly, drawing the elder’s attention to himself. “We could send some letters, even arrange some small ships if needed⁠—”

“Surely, yer nae considerin’ this,” said the elder, before turning his gaze to Cillian. “Me laird, put an end tae this madness.”

Cillian gestured at the man to sit and then waited for him to do so, even though he was reluctant. For a while, he remained silent, pondering his response before finally saying, “Archibald, let us discuss this further later an’ see if we can find a way.”

Once again, there were whispers around the table, this time followed by gasps, but Cillian ignored them all—all but one. Thora, too, gasped in surprise, as though she had never expected him to agree; and perhaps she hadn’t. Her look of shock pleased him greatly, but it didn’t take long for her expression to harden and turn into something else entirely.

“An’ we need a large log tae burn,” she said. “The largest we can find, o’ course. We shall decorate the halls with holly an’ berries an’ many candles tae burn all night an’ day. I’ll have Mrs. Selkirk bring out all the gold so it shines in the candlelight.”

There it is, I kent she would soon turn unreasonable.

“There is nae need fer all this,” Cillian said. “The log will suffice. Some holly too, perhaps. Mrs. Selkrik will ken what tae dae.”

“I think it is absolutely necessary,” said Thora. “Dinnae ye wish fer a grand celebration?”

“It will be grand without ye bringin’ all the gold the castle has in its possession out,” Cillian said. “We would be askin’ tae be robbed.”

Thora turned her inquisitive gaze towards him and smiled curiously. “Are ye claimin’ there are thieves among us, me laird? Dae ye nae trust yer own people?”

Cillian’s gaze hardened as he stared at Thora. He could feel the blood rushing in his veins, sending pulses of white-hot fury through him at the accusation that had brought the entire table to a sudden silence. Everyone’s eyes were on him now as they waited for his response, and he didn’t know what he could say to make this sound any better.

“O’ course I trust them,” he said through gritted teeth. “There is nay question o’ that.”