“I really wish ye would wake me when things like this happen,” Lily said.
Sorcha shook her head. “Daenae worry, me Lady. Most of them were already back to full health. ‘Tis why I saw nay concern.”
Lily sighed but did not press further. She stepped from one cot to another, greeting each man, hearing their stories. A few of them even laughed when she teased them, and for a while, the weight in her chest grew lighter.
When she reached Ian, she crouched by his side and touched his arm.The color had returned to his cheeks.
“Better than yesterday,” she noted.
He nodded with a weak smile. “Much better, me Lady.”
She pressed her palm to his wrist and felt his pulse. Stronger. “Ye need more food heavy with iron. Barley bread, black pudding, and liver, if they can fetch it. Tell the maids. Ye must eat it all.”
Ian swallowed. “Aye.”
As she straightened, a young maid entered the hall and hurried toward her. Lily turned to her as she bowed her head. “Me Lady, the council waits in the castle. They’re askin’ for ye.”
Lily’s heart sank, and she turned to Sorcha, who stood with her arms crossed. “It would be poor if I daenae show up again, would it nae?”
“Aye,” Sorcha said. “Go on. We will tend to the men. They arenae going anywhere.”
Lily gave a small nod, then turned back to Ian. “I will return later. Stay strong.”
She left the hall with Daisy by her side. The air outside was thick and heavy, and the clouds were even darker than before.
Lily tilted her head up to the sky. “How does it grow so dark and never rain?” she asked.
Daisy looked up as well with a shrug. “‘Tis the way of it here. The sky often shouts, but it rarely weeps. Nothing more than false alarms.”
Lily shook her head, though a small smile curved her lips. She gathered her skirt and hurried toward the castle.
It was just the council. She could handle them.
The great doors of the council chambers creaked open, and she stepped inside. The men ahead immediately all stopped talking, and they swallowed as she approached them.
She could get used to this, to the power she possessed. As she drew closer and heard the door slam shut behind her, the men stood up, one after the other, giving her slight bows.
“Gentlemen, please,” she said, her voice even and her lips curving just slightly. She lifted a hand to dismiss the formality. “There is nay need for that.”
She felt their eyes on her as she moved, but she refused to pay them any mind. There were seven men in total, all seated around the table, including Alasdair. Their eyes were still on her as she moved, and she knew they wouldn’t stop until she sat down.
Alasdair also didn’t take his eyes off her. He was staring at her like he wanted to scream. And a part of her knew why.
The dress.
The dull green fabric fell heavily against her figure. It was another one of the dresses he despised. Yet here she was, wearing it in front of his councilmen. She held her chin high and let no hint of self-consciousness show, though she could see the muscle in his jaw tick.
Before she could pull out her own chair, Alasdair rose slightly and waved a hand toward the elders. “Lily,” he said, his voice rich and measured, “may I present ye to me councilmen? Colm. Trevor. Thomas.” He paused on the last, his mouth hardening. “Me uncle.” Then, he continued. “Jacob. Angus.”
They dipped their heads in stiff acknowledgment, and Lily’s smirk widened.
“So many fine names, and yet nae a woman among ye,” she remarked, letting her gaze sweep across the table. “Seems I must navigate me place amongst all men. That shouldnae be too difficult.”
Her words elicited laughter from a few, while others shifted uncomfortably.
Alasdair gestured toward Finn, who sat at the other end of the table, his expression unreadable. “Ye ken Finn, of course.”
Finn grinned and rose from his chair. He crossed toward her, took her hand, and bowed over it. A shiver ran down her spine as his lips brushed her knuckles lightly, though his eyes sparkled with mischief.
