“I… Ryan!”she sputtered, her face flushing.
“Ye should eat, Margaret,”he said, smirking at her as he picked up a fork and scooped up some of the chopped potatoes from her plate.
She glareddown at the utensil before reluctantly opening her mouth and allowing him to feed her. As the flavors burst on hertongue, she made a satisfied sound. Ryan watched her, seeming satisfied with himself.
“That’s delicious,”Margaret said, surprised that such a simple-looking dish could taste so good. “What is it?”
“Stovies,”he said, already scooping up another portion for her to try.
“I—”she began, getting cut off when he shoved the fork between her open lips. She glared at him but chewed, savoring the richness of the meat. When she swallowed, she asked, “And what was that?”
“Mutton,”he said. Then, he paused and asked, “What were ye about to say?”
“I just wanted to thank you,”she said as a blush overtook her. “Though I might take it back now that you’ve decided to behave as though you were an animal.”
“I wasnae aware that feedin’me wife made me an animal,” Ryan told her with a smirk.
“It doeswhen you catch me unaware,” Margaret huffed.
“Ach, so prim and proper,”he scoffed, passing her the fork. “Ye pick yer next bite, then.”
“Gladly,”she said, scooping up something at random.
As she ate,Ryan took his time to name each dish. There wasn’t a single thing on her plate that wasn’t delicious. She was surprised, truthfully. She was certain that he’d pick out something that was an acquired taste simply to see her squirm. Instead, he’d piled her plate high with the best that Scotland had to offer.
“Ye’ll wantto save some space in yer stomach for dessert,” Ryan warned when he finished explaining how haggis was made. “Me cook’s—well, our cook’s now—scones are the best in the Highlands.”
Right.Everything here isoursnow. What an odd feeling.
“I’m notsure how I’ll stop myself from eating,” Margaret admitted, smiling down at her plate.
“Well,now that yer the Lady of Castle McGhee, ye can ask for whatever ye like,” he said. “So ye daenae have to stuff yerself at the moment.”
“I suppose you have a point,”she conceded. Then, because shedidstill want to get to know him despite what she’d witnessed the day before, she asked, “So which dish is your favorite? What do you bother your kitchen staff for?”
When Ryan laughedat her teasing, Margaret couldn’t help but sit up a little straighter, proud of herself for pulling this reactionout of him. She wondered if perhaps her sense of humor just wasn’t meant for the English. She didn’t seem to have a problem making the people of the Highlands laugh.
“Ach,me cook gets tired of me askin’ for neeps, but I love them,” Ryan said, spearing the perfectly cooked turnips on his plate and taking a bite to prove his point. After he swallowed his mouthful, he said, “I cannae get enough of them.”
“Really?”Margaret asked, taking a forkful from her own plate and examining it.
“Is that so surprisin’?”
“Well,”she murmured, tapping her finger against the silverware thoughtfully, “I suppose I was expecting you to tell me your favorite food was a meat-based dish.”
Margaret frownedas Ryan barked out a laugh. She was aware of the way it drew attention to the two of them although she supposed that this cèilidh was in celebration of their union. Perhaps the eyes of all those in attendance were already on her and the Laird.
“Well,nay matter how much ye believe me to resemble a beast, I have more sophisticated tastes than one,” he teased, giving her a true smile.
“I supposeyou’re full of surprises,” Margaret said, ducking her head as she blushed at the reminder that she’d called him a beast more than once.
“I’m lookin’forward to continuin’ to surprise ye.”
After the twofinished their meals, and Margaret ate more scones than Ryan thought her tiny body was capable of holding, they remained at their table. The cèilidh was picking up. All the guests had arrived and were flocking to the center of the great hall to dance.
A steady trickleof people had come to their table to offer their well-wishes before shifting to participate in the festivities. Margaret surprised Ryan by enthusiastically engaging with each person who greeted them. It seemed that she fed off the energy.
“The ceremony was beautiful,”Agnes said, gripping onto Margaret’s hand. The seamstress was their most recent visitor, and Margaret was ecstatic to see her. “And ye make this dress look as if it were made for royalty.”