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“Oh, aye?” Nathair asked, folding his arms. “So, I have nae kent ye since we were bairns, then? Jeanie dinnae grow up wi’ Cicilia? The whole Castle has nae spent a week under a dark cloud?”
“If ye came here to lecture me—” Alexander started.
“I did,” Nathair told him unrepentantly. “Because ye need a lecturin’. But there’s another reason I’m here as well.”
“Aye?”
“Aye. I’m meetin’ wi’ Munroe today. Ye ken, Sinclair’s war dog,” Nathair told him, making no attempt to hide the obvious distaste in his voice. “Apparently the Sassenachs keep tryin’ to cross into their territory an’ he wants our clan’s help. As if we’ve got time for such nonsense, but I have to do what I have to do.”
Alexander sighed. “Sinclair’s Man-at-arms is a good man, Nathair. I ken ye dinnae like him, but please try to show some respect when ye meet wi’ him. I dinnae want ye showin’ me up again.”
“All the more reason for ye to come with me,” Nathair said brightly. “Come on, man. A distraction may do ye some good.”
Alexander scowled at the implication, but he wasn’t fool enough to pretend that Nathair did not have a point. He had been moping all these days, and every time he tried to move on, in his thoughts, all he saw was Cicilia hurling those poisonous accusations again and again.
Besides, if Munroe was coming, it was very likely he’d bring the Laird of Sinclair with him. Perhaps Sinclair would even bring the children. That would be pleasant. It had been some time since Alexander had seen his niece and nephew.
One o’ the most surprisin’ things about this fight wi’ Cicilia is how much I’ve missed the racket her wee siblings make runnin’ about the place. It’ll be nice to see some happy bairns.
“Aye,” he said. “Aye, all right. I’ll come. Give me an hour to change, an’ I’ll ride out wi’ ye. Where are we headed?”
“Oh,” said Nathair with a grin. “Just down into the village.”
Alexander frowned. “But it takes days an’ days to get between the Sinclair lands an’ here. It’s impossible that they’d be here unless—”
“Unless some smart lad invited them days ago without tellin’ ye, aye,” Nathair agreed innocently. “See ye in an hour.”
Before Alexander could even react in surprise, much less reprimand him, the Man-at-arms had slipped through the door and left him alone.
It took a mixture of bargaining, wheedling, and threatening on Jeanie’s part, but Cicilia finally agreed to put aside her daily mission and accompany her friend. Jeanie had been going on and on for days about a woman she’d met in town and become fast friends with, and she insisted that Cicilia meet her.
Well, it cannae do any harm, I suppose. An’ if she’s from the clan, perhaps I can persuade her o’ Alexander’s innocence, an’ all.
The hardest part was leaving the twins behind, but one of the stable lads insisted that he and his team were happy to keep them for the day. The children had been begging to play amongst the animals since they arrived at the castle, and the stable master and his team had taken quite a shine to them.
“Dinnae ye worry, Cil,” Annys told her, her eyes shining with excitement. “I’m gonnae work real hard helpin’ to muck out the horses, an’ Mr. Patterson an’ Mr. Jamieson are gonnae tell ye I’ve been such a good lass!”
“Aye!” Jamie agreed. “They’ll nae be able to believe just how much work we O’Donnel bairns can do!”
And so, with no other form of protest available to her, Cicilia had dressed simply and joined Jeanie on a stroll down to the village—this time, without any goal in mind. It felt strange to approach it without an agenda after how she’d spent the last week.
Freein’, in an odd way.
Jeanie looped her arm through Cicilia’s as they walked. “I feel like it’s been such a long time since the two o’ us were able to just spend time together,” she chirped. “Are ye nae glad?”
“O’ course I am, Jeanie,” Cicilia assured her. “I just have a lot on me mind. I’m always happy to be spendin’ time wi’ ye.”
Jeanie smiled sweetly, and Cicilia suddenly felt a looming sense of foreboding. This wasn’t, she suddenly realized, the innocent walk she’d thought. Jeanie had something to say, and Cicilia wasn’t getting away until her friend had a chance to say it.
She sighed. “Out wi’ it, then.”
Jeanie shrugged. “I’m just worried about ye, is all. Ye’ve been awfie down since yer tiff wi’ Alexander. Ye’ve told me yer side, an’ Nathair’s told me Alexander’s, an’ frankly I think ye’re both bein’ a wee bit ridiculous.”
Cicilia pursed her lips, frustrated. “Aye, I ken I was ridiculous. That’s why I keep tryin’ to fix things. But the stubborn fool will nae listen to a word I have to say, nay matter what I do. What do ye want me to do, lock meself in a room wi’ him?”
“If that’s what it takes? Aye,” Jeanie replied seriously. “It’s nae only the two o’ ye affected. The twins ken there’s somethin’ odd about yer daily trips down to the village, an’ me an’ Nathair are sick to the back teeth o’ seein’ ye both so miserable.”
She didn’t pull her arm away, but Cicilia did speak a little more coldly as she said, “I dinnae ken what ye want me to say. In case ye have nae noticed, Alexander is the Laird o’ our clan.”
