Chapter 10

Ailis wokeup from a restless sleep, still unhappy with her conversation with Duncan the previous night. As she dressed, she was tempted to simply ask for breakfast to be brought to her rooms.

But that was impossible. Duncan was supposed to be announcing their betrothal to the rest of the clan over breakfast. With a grimace, she finished preparing for the day and then made her way toward the Great Hall, which Kara had given her directions to the night before.

As she walked, she recalled the decision she'd come to before she had fallen asleep. If Duncan Wallace did not want her as part of his life, that did not mean everyone else in the castle shared his feelings. If he truly had no care for her, he would not mind if she sought companionship, friendship, and amusement elsewhere.

And if he happened to object, then he would have to take steps to fill the void in her life. But she would not live a life devoid of affection. By his own sworn word, he only had the right to decide whether he would be a part of it in truth, or as a mere formality.

She arrived at the hall to find Duncan's brother, Jack, already at the table. The younger Wallace offered her a warm smile and pulled out a chair for her. "Good morn, Lady Ailis. ‘Tis good to see ye're an early riser."

"I had to be, with two younger sisters to look after." She sat down and shook her head at the wine he offered her. "Och, I'm nae for drinking in the mornings. I have a preference for a good, sweet tea."

"I'll have the servants prepare some for ye." He waved a maid over. "And I'll beg yer pardon in advance. Aside from the maids and Lily, the majority of the residents here are warriors, like meself and Duncan. It's made us all a bunch of gruff, uncivilized brutes, me braither included."

She smiled at him. "I understand. Though I'll confess, ‘tis a wee bit jarrin', seein' how I was raised with me two sisters, in a household that was all too aware that there were young ladies in the castle."

"Well, I'm sure ye'll have us mindin' our manners in nay time. Though, I warn ye, Lily's a little bundle of mischief once she gets to ken ye better, so ye may find her the greatest challenge of all of us."

"I dinnae doubt that. But it wouldnae be the first time. Me own sister, Grace, is quite a hellion when she's of a mind."

"Ailis!" A high, cheery voice made her turn around as Lily came scampering into the room, all wide smiles as she raced forward to cling to the edge of Ailis's chair. "I was afraid ye have left already."

"Nae at all, darling lass." She gave the child a quick one-armed embrace and shooed her toward a chair. "In fact, yer faither and I have an announcement to make after ye're seated."

The girl all but plopped into her seat, her eyes alight with curiosity and childish delight.

Ailis turned to Duncan, who'd entered just behind his daughter. Despite the temptation to admire his physique once more, she kept her eyes on his face as she greeted him, unwilling to give any sign of attraction or interest that he might respond to. She'd had enough of being confused by his hot and cold reactions.

"Me Laird, would ye care to make the announcement now?"

Duncan looked faintly disgruntled, but she couldn't make out why. With a small shrug of her shoulders, she dismissed the concern. He'd made it clear that his personal life was none of her business. Until he indicated otherwise, she would leave him be.

Duncan gave her a look she couldn't decipher, then stepped around to the front of the table and cleared his throat. Ailis moved to stand beside him.

"Councilmen, kinfolk, and clanfolk, I wish to present to ye Lady Ailis Anderson, the eldest daughter of Laird Clyde, and me betrothed as of two days prior. I ask that ye give her all the courtesy and make her feel at home."

Whispers erupted. Ailis gave her betrothed a sweet smile, bobbed a curtsy to the councilmen who had come to the meal, and then went back to her seat.

Jack smiled. "Now that it's official, let me be first to welcome ye to Castle Muir. I hope ye had a fair journey?"

"'Twas a wee bit perilous in places, but the lands between our clans are fairly beautiful. I'm lookin' forward to seein' more of them when I visit me friend, in a few days."

"Who is it ye're plannin' to visit?"

The curt question made her look up, only to see Duncan watching her with a sharp gaze.

"Och, ye ken which one, Me Laird. The ‘Beastly' Laird MacDean. I spoke to ye about his wife on our journey here, if ye recall."

* * *

Duncan watched, unable to respond, as Ailis turned back to his brother and continued speaking to him, utterly ignoring the fact that he was Laird and her betrothed.

Her whole manner this morning was both baffling and irritating. From her first greeting to the way she'd answered his question, then turned back to his brother, as if he was of no consequence.

Even worse, every time she spoke to him, her voice was soft, polite, and utterly unlike the woman he'd come to know over the past few days. All her emotions were hidden behind a veneer of the perfect, demure young lady and eldest daughter of a laird.

Worse, she was acting like the lass she'd accused him of truly wanting for a wife, and he was finding it utterly unsatisfactory. The behavior itched and niggled at his mind, in rather the same way his healing arm had stung while he was cleaning and rebandaging it that morning.

She laughed softly at something Jack said to her, and something hot and dark sparked to life inside him, a sort of anger that made him long to demand her attention and glare at Jack until his brother took his breakfast elsewhere.

But he couldn't do that. He'd promised her he would demand nothing from her. He couldn't even protest her decision to visit her friend.

He tried to remind himself that there was no danger in her going to visit Clan MacDean. After all, it was a clan that shared a border with his lands, and he'd heard only good things about the young Laird MacDean, especially since the man had married a young lady from another clan.

Besides, Keith O'Neill was reputed to be a fierce warrior, and if Ailis was his wife's friend and under his care, Duncan had no doubt the man would defend her with all the skill he had, and all the ferocity that had earned him the nickname "the Beastly Laird."

He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on what Lily was telling him—something about the stables.

"… and then Micah came and got me, and Blaze was all pantin' and huffin'. And then she had puppies! Five of them. Micah said she had to recover but that I could come to see them today. Can I, Faither?"

He was interrupted by a delighted, girlish noise from Ailis. "Puppies. Och, I love puppies. It would be wonderful to go see them." She noticed him watching her, and her expression turned neutral again "That is, if the Laird doesnae have other plans for the day."

He had several things he needed to do, but at that moment, all he wanted to do was shake her out of that mask of false politeness. If it meant taking time to take his daughter and his betrothed to the stables to look at the newest litter of hunting hounds—well, he enjoyed spending time with Lily, so he was more than willing to set aside the paperwork for a little while longer.

He finished his breakfast, waited until Ailis and Lily had finished theirs, and then rose from the table. "Come on, then."

Lily got up obediently and followed after him. Ailis remained where she was.

Duncan arched an eyebrow in her direction. "Ye wanted to see the puppies, aye? Ye'd do well to follow me then, for I'm goin' to check on them now."

Lily was bouncing beside him. "Come on, Ailis!"

Even with his daughter's encouragement, Ailis looked at his brother and didn't rise until Jack nodded encouragingly at her. Duncan fought the urge to snarl at both of them. He was the Laird of Clan Muir. And he was her betrothed. There was no reason for her to look to his brother for permission.

He swallowed the hot surge of irrational anger that threatened to set him aflame.

Ailis was smiling as she joined them, and Lily took her hand. "What's yer favorite type of puppy, Ailis?"

"Och, I dinnae ken that I have a favorite. They're all so very small and cute, are they nae? Until they grow up to be adult dogs—usually big, slobbering hounds." Ailis laughed.

Lily giggled as well as the two of them followed him out into the courtyard and to the back of the stables, where the kennels were kept.

Duncan rolled his eyes at their behavior, but he could feel a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he led them to where the kennel master would have kept the nursing mothers.

There was one of his favorite female dogs, who looked briefly and lovingly at him before she returned her attention to the five small, round-bellied little balls of fur nestled into her belly.

Lily squealed quietly with delight, and Ailis cooed happily. "Och, look at the wee things. Are they nae cute?"

"Aye!" Lily giggled again and tugged her down so that she could whisper—not nearly quietly enough for him not to hear, but she made an effort—in Ailis's ear, "I'm hoping Faither will let me have one! Nae a hunting puppy, but one to play with, like the one Shelly the gardener has in her cottage."

"Well, that's up to yer faither, little lass. But there's nothin' wrong with gettin' to know them now." Ailis inclined her head to catch his gaze. "Unless, of course, ye have some concern, Me Laird?"

And there was that false-sweet, overly modest, overly polite tone again.

Duncan struggled to keep his tone neutral as he beckoned them closer to the dogs. "I've nay concerns. Blaze is a well-tempered b—girl—even when she's just whelped a litter. So long as ye're careful with the pups, there should be nay problems."

Ailis smiled, and she and Lily flopped down to offer Blaze their hands to sniff before they scratched her ears and picked up a tiny puppy each.

Duncan watched as Ailis showed Lily how to properly hold the small animal, and how to make it feel safe. Both girls laughed as the puppies wiggled and nuzzled against them, seeking warmth and comfort.

He wanted to join them, but he couldn't bring himself to relax. It was hard enough to watch Lily interact with a woman he barely knew, without being afraid it was some sort of trick or plot.

He hoped that Ailis would realize he was attempting to change his behavior and that his invitation to spend time with Lily was as close to an apology as he could bring himself to offer.

He'd thought about it for a long time, between sips of scotch last night, and he'd realized she was right. He couldn't ask her to be his wife and also demand she keep her distance from his daughter or remain a stranger to his kinfolk.

He might not be able to give her his heart or be a loving husband, but that didn't mean he had to keep her isolated.

His thoughts were interrupted by Jack, who joined him at the door to the kennels. "Do ye have a moment?"

"Aye."

"In private."

The soft words made him turn to look at his brother more closely. Jack's expression was more solemn than usual, and it contrasted sharply with the easy-going smile he'd had at breakfast only a few minutes ago.

Duncan nodded. "Lily." Lily and Ailis both looked up at him. "Yer uncle and I have some business to attend to. We'll leave ye here with the guards for a few minutes. Behave yerself, and I'll return soon."

Lily nodded. After a moment, Ailis did as well.

Duncan followed his brother and tried to ignore the voice in his head that insisted that nothing Jack might want to tell him in private could be good news.