“Perhaps,”Colby said, though it didn’t sound as though he truly believed what Ryan said. “I still think yer Sassenach has made ye soft.”
“Ye’ve got to stop callin’her that,” Ryan said. “She doesnae like it.”
“I told ye, Me Laird,”Colby said, crossing his arms triumphantly, “ye’re gettin’ soft.”
I supposeI have been a wee bit softer toward Margaret. But I have to. She pulls away when I act like a brute, and she isnae afraid to call me a beast over the slightest things.
“Perhaps I have to soften up,”Ryan said dryly. “Me wife seems terrified if I’m nae. I need an heir soon. I cannae make one if she doesnae want to be near me.”
Colby was quiet for a moment,examining Ryan. The playful demeanor he had possessed a few moments ago was gone. He scratched his chin, narrowing his eyes.
“Isthat the only reason ye’re softenin’ up, then?” Colby asked, almost accusatory. “Just because ye need an heir.”
“Of course, it is,”Ryan said, standing a little straighter, taking advantage of the slight height advantage he had on his right-hand man. “Why wouldnae it be?”
Colby scoffed,cuffing his hand on Ryan’s shoulder as he began to walk toward the door. His parting words rang in Ryan’s ears long after he was left alone in his study.
“Ye need to stop lyin’to yerself, Ryan.”
Margaret wanderedaround the quarters she had stayed in for the first weeks that she lived in the castle. She’d come here to find something to do but found that it was pointless. There weren’t any personal items here. It wasn’t as though she had been here long enough to accumulate anything.
She rememberedthe easel and the set of paints she had back in England. She’d never been very good at it, but it had been one of her favorite ways to pass the time. The last few days had been such a whirlwind that she hadn’t had time to miss it.
“Me Lady?”Cali said from the doorway, causing Margaret to spin around.
“Cali!”Margaret said excitedly. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Ye are?”Cali asked with a smile on her face. “Did ye need somethin’?”
“Yes,”Margaret confirmed. “I was wondering if there were any painting supplies in the castle.”
Cali’s browfurrowed as she thought. After a moment, she frowned and shook her head, saying, “I daenae think so. I’m sorry. I could see about gettin’ ye some though.”
“That would be lovely,”Margaret said with a grateful nod of her head. “It’s the first day I haven’t had anything to do. I hate to admit it, but I’m a little bored.”
“Haveye been to the gardens today?” Cali suggested. “Perhaps that could entertain ye.”
“I have been,”Margaret said, glancing out the window at the woods beyond the castle walls. “I was just hoping for something a little more… exciting.”
“Exciting?”Cali asked, her voice getting closer as she took a few steps forward.
I have my freedom.I don’t think I have to stayinthe castle. Perhaps…
“Cali,”Margarett said, turning to look at her maid, “would you join me for a walk?”
Cali seemed surprised,but then she asked, “A walk? Where would ye like to go?”
“Just around the castle,”Margaret said, gesturing at the woods in the distance. “I’d like to get closer to the forest. I’ve never seen anything like it in England.”
With a grin,Cali offered Margaret her arm and said, “Then let’s go, Me Lady.”
Margaret hookedher hand in the crook of Cali’s elbow, allowing herself to be led from her room. Cali navigated the corridors of the castle with ease, something that Margaret envied. And before Margaret knew it, they were outside.
“I’d been lookin’for ye,” Cali said as the two walked toward the tree line. “I havenae seen ye since yesterday mornin’.”
“Yesterday was a blur,”Margaret said, looking back on the day fondly. As crazy as it had been, she couldn’t deny that the day’s festivities were better than she could have expected. “And I slept nearly until lunchtime today.”
“Ach, so ye’re havin’a good time with yer new husband, then?” Cali asked, leaning in closer and wiggling her eyebrows in a way that made Margaret giggle.