"I dinnae ken how we managed without ye," Fiona said one morning as she hauled up a bucket of water using Lileas's pulley system."Ye've made everything so much easier."
Soon, it seemed like everyone in the keep was seeking out Lady MacNeil when they had a problem that needed solving.
Lileas listened to each request with genuine interest, often disappearing into her workshop for hours before emerging with exactly what they needed.
"How do ye do it?"Patrick asked one day, watching in fascination as she demonstrated a new crossbow device that would increase both accuracy and speed.
"I just look at how things work and think about how they could work better," Lileas replied with a shrug."Everything can be improved if ye're willing to think about it differently."
Word of Lady MacNeil's remarkable abilities began to spread beyond the keep.Other clans sent emissaries to see these inventions for themselves, and soon MacNeil Keep was receiving offers for trade and alliance that would have been unthinkable just months before.
It was true that not all the attention was welcome.They had heard rumors that various clans were taking interest in MacNeil's sudden prosperity and the remarkable woman behind it.But the Ferguson threat seemed to have faded into the background.Their increased security appeared to have deterred any immediate attempts at kidnapping or raids.
When the wagon arrived from MacDonald Keep carrying Lileas's belongings, it felt like Christmas morning.Her precious equipment, her detailed notes, her carefully preserved samples, everything she had left behind was carefully transported to her new workshop.
"I can't believe ye thought to bring everything," Lileas said, tears in her eyes as she unpacked her most treasured possessions."Even the little bottles of trial mixtures."
"I wanted ye to have everything ye needed to be happy," Ewan replied simply."This is yer home now, and I want ye to feel that completely."
And she did feel it.For the first time in her life, Lileas felt like she belonged somewhere completely.She was valued, appreciated, and loved for exactly who she was.
The whiskey production in her workshop was coming along beautifully.Using her improved brewing methods, she had already produced several batches that were far superior to anything the clan had achieved before.
"At this rate, we'll be one of the wealthiest clans in the Highlands within a few years," Ewan marveled, sampling her latest batch."This is exceptional work."
"It's just the beginning," Lileas replied with satisfaction.
Life settled into a rhythm that felt both productive and deeply satisfying.Days were filled with clan work, and nights with passionate lovemaking that left them both thoroughly content.
As autumn deepened into winter, life at MacNeil Keep continued to thrive.The improved crops had been harvested and stored, providing more food security than the clan had enjoyed in years.The whiskey trade was bringing in valuable goods and strengthening alliances.
And through it all, her relationship with Ewan continued to deepen.They had moved beyond the initial passion of new love into something richer and more enduring.
"I never thought I could be this happy," Lileas confided to him one snowy evening as they lay entwined before the fire in their chamber."I never imagined that marriage could be like this."
"Nor did I," Ewan admitted, stroking her hair."I thought I would be fortunate to find respect and companionship with my wife.I never dreamed I would find my perfect match."
They were planning for the future now.Everything seemed possible, everything seemed bright.
They should have known that such happiness couldn't last unchallenged.
It was on a bitter winter morning, when the loch was edged with ice and the Highland peaks were shrouded in snow, that the horns sounded from the watchtowers.Not the measured calls that announced friendly visitors, but the urgent, discordant blasts that meant only one thing:
Attack.
The peaceful interlude was over.The enemies who had been watching and waiting in the shadows had finally made their move, and this time they had come prepared for war.
***
