Chapter 22

22

Cameron entered the room as Lana and Skye skipped out of it. He gave Skye a pat on the head as she rushed past him.

"Look at this place," he said, looking around the extremely bright room. "I've never seen the castle look like this."

Daniel grunted. "Lana did it."

"Ye daenae say." Cameron laughed. "And here I was thinking ye were desperate to greet the morning sun. Me mistake, Brother."

Daniel felt his muscles twitch with annoyance. He wanted to hit something, and he knew if he wasn't careful, he would lash out at Cameron simply because of proximity. Well, not only proximity. His brother had a smart mouth that sometimes deserved a good smack.

"I need ye to call the council," Daniel instructed. "It's time to talk about MacDougal and his appearance last night."

"Now?" Cameron asked. "It's the day after yer wedding. Surely ye want a bit of time to celebrate."

"Nay," Daniel said. "I want to get on with me life. Lana is caring for Skye, which is the only reason I wanted marriage in the first place. Mission completed."

Daniel crossed the room, heading for his study and the darkness he would find there. That room only had one window, and he always kept the curtains drawn.

"Is that all ye care about?" Cameron asked, rushing after his brother. "Surely ye feel differently now that ye have gotten to ken Lana. Now that ye are wed."

"Nay," Daniel uttered. "I am the same."

"Ye are nae!" Cameron cried out.

Daniel was growing more and more frustrated with his brother. His fists clenched harder at his sides.

"I ken ye better than anyone. Ye are different!"

"Leave me be, Cameron."

Daniel strode into the hallway and felt relief as the bright light in the great hall receded. The hallway was cold and dark, exactly how he liked it, though a chill ran up his spine as he left the warmth behind.

"Tell me what ye feel," Cameron urged, at Daniel's elbow. "How does it feel to be married? To have all this new sunshine in yer life? Ye must see that it's good for ye."

Daniel stopped and threw his arm against his brother's chest, knocking him against the wall. He held him tight, his eye flashing with annoyance.

"I feel that I'll get burned if I'm nae careful."

He shoved his brother's chest one final time, pressing his back against the cold stone wall. And then he pulled away and stormed down the hallway.

"Has he always been like this?" Lana asked, feeling her shoulders slump as she leaned against the kitchen table.

Genevieve and Mary were kneading dough across from her, the tangy smell of yeast overpowering in the room. The kitchen door was open, and the sound of children's laughter floated to them as Skye and Clara, Genevieve's daughter, played in the courtyard.

"Like what?" Mary asked cautiously.

But Genevieve was quicker to respond. "Dark and brooding?" she asked. "He's certainly perfected it in the past few years."

"He lost his wife," Mary reminded her as she came to Daniel's defense. "We cannae blame him."

"What was Daniel like as a boy?"

Lana knew Mary had lived in this castle long enough to remember Daniel and Cameron as children. She had known Daniel for almost his whole life, and Lana wanted an honest opinion from the person who might know Daniel better than anyone.

"Oh, I couldnae say, Me Lady," Mary replied, her eyes fixed on the dough.

"Go on, Ma," Genevieve urged. "He isnae here."

"He was a very happy child," Mary began. Her eyes flicked over Lana's head, as if she were seeing the memory in front of her. "He loved running through the castle with his brother. They would always sneak down to the kitchen and beg me for treats."

"So he wasnae always angry," Lana noted. "He used to have fun."

"Aye." Mary nodded. "He wasnae born with darkness. But life gave Daniel some hard turns. Like I said, we cannae blame him for the way he is."

"We can blame him a little." Genevieve laughed. "He doesnae need to take out the hard things on us."

Mary and Genevieve launched into a playful argument, clearly enjoying how they could disagree. It gave Lana time to think about Daniel and his turbulent moods that made even the brightest room cloudy. She was still angry with him for snapping at Skye earlier today.

Luckily, a visit to the baby cows and some playtime with Genevieve's daughter had nearly erased the difficult moment from Skye's mind.

"Daenae fret," Mary continued, turning her attention back to Lana. "Ye will pull him out of it. Ye have already brought such happiness to Skye. He cannae fail to be warmed by yer joy, child."

Lana smiled in gratitude. "Thank ye for saying it," she said.

The mention of Skye made Lana remember the girl was due to be in her chambers. Her tutor would be there any minute, and Lana didn't want to face Daniel's wrath if they were late. She slid off the stool, popping a berry into her mouth.

"Let's go, Skye," she called. "Ye have yer lessons."

She listened for the girl's voice but didn't hear a response. Things outside had gone strangely quiet, devoid of the laughter and the slapping of the skipping rope that had been such a constant feature of the past half hour.

"Skye!" Lana called again, stepping toward the door.

Daniel pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes as Seamus read a long and wordy agreement established during Daniel's first wedding. It was a document he had signed in ignorance, filled with antiquated words that meant nothing to him as a young man.

"I daenae understand the point of this," Daniel groaned, interrupting Seamus's even and dry recitation.

"Ye're the one who called this meeting," Cameron burst out. Daniel wondered if his brother was a bit peeved at him for slamming him against the wall earlier today. "The least ye can do is listen."

"But how will documents about me wedding to Evelyn help us?" Daniel asked.

Groth looked over at him with a tilt of the head, and Daniel questioned if the man was holding back his annoyance. He wondered if these meetings would be a lot more productive if the men around him simply said exactly what they meant. He had no patience for their niceties.

"Ye are worried about MacDougal," Groth explained, his voice strained. "So we are reviewing the agreement between our clan and his."

"I daenae want paperwork," Daniel sighed. "I want to ken what we plan to do."

"We do nothing," Angus announced. "Nay good will come from sending threats to the man. His clan is large, and he has connections across the land."

"As do I," Daniel pointed out, but there was uncertainty in his councilmen's eyes.

"Perhaps," Seamus relented, speaking carefully. "But ye havenae fostered these connections. We daenae ken who would stand with us if it came to war."

"It cannae come to war!" Cameron declared, bolting from his seat. "Is that really what ye want, Brother? To send us back into battle? Think of yer daughter."

"I am thinking of her!" Daniel yelled, slamming his hand on the table.

He hit his fist so hard that pain radiated up his arm and through his elbow. There was something satisfying about it, and Daniel felt his body hum with the rush.

"Then let the man see his grandchild," Cameron said. "Isnae that the simple answer here?"

"And have the man take her away from me?" Daniel shot back. "I cannae risk that."

"And yet ye will risk war?" Cameron asked.

Daniel sensed his brother's rage bubbling beneath the surface.

Cameron took a deep breath before continuing. "We can protect her," he said. "If we let him see the child, we will stay with her. Ye can even let him come here."

"Never," Daniel growled.

The thought of inviting Laird MacDougal into his castle made him see red. Not after the stunt he had pulled at his wedding.

"Ye are being irrational!" Cameron cried, pacing in frustration.

"Ye cannae ask me to risk me daughter's life," Daniel said, turning to the council. "Nor that of me wife. It is too much to ask of me."

Images of Skye and Lana flashed in his mind, and he could think of nothing except his angry glares as he watched them leave the great hall earlier today. If only he could go back to that moment when he played with Skye. If he had another chance, he would smile at her and tell her he wanted to join them to see the baby cows.

"She's gone!"

Daniel looked up as Lana burst through the door, her eyes filled with fear. She scanned the large room to find him.

"It's Skye!" she cried. "She's missing."