The next morning dawned sunny and brilliant. Outside the wide-open windows, flowers bloomed as far as the eye could see. Petals floated from downy trees, pale pink and blushing in the morning sun. The grass waved back and forth in a calm breeze. Everything was green and fruitful — new. Caught in a dreamy stupor, I smiled at the memories of last night.
Pulling the covers up under my chin, I snuggled down into the bed. It was stifling as Alex's body heat mingled with my own, yet it was comforting in its warmth. He dozed peacefully beside me. I laughed at his sleep-slack face, squished against the pillow.
Briefly, I worried I would have to invent a lie. An excuse to cover up what we had done. But I was quite certain that aside from Robert, no one had seen us leave. Given the raging celebration, it was unlikely anyone had thought about me at all. So, instead of fear and shame, I only felt contentment. With a smile, I slipped from the bed. The sunlight and inviting beauty of the morning was too tempting for me, I felt compelled outside.
I dressed quickly, marveling at the fresh gown and underclothes folded up on the couch. Alex had a similar stack of clean clothes and our discarded garments had been picked up and taken from the room. A faint blush warmed my cheeks as I realized a servant had seen us together in the bed, but I found I did not mind. Let them talk. Who cares? They had likely seen my brothers in equally compromising positions, and that had never been an issue.
Outside, I wandered toward a stone outcropping and sat there, looking out across the sloping valleys stretched out on either side of the castle. The savage, light-speckled ocean was a mere suggestion on the horizon. Despite its distance, I could smell the salt in the air and taste the brine on my lips. Opening my arms wide, as if to catch the wind, I felt complete. At home at last; in myself, my castle, and my family.
Movement caught the corner of my eye. A man on horseback, racing toward me at a full gallop. He diverted from the well-worn path that led to the castle and came at me with thundering speed. Barely reigning in his horse before colliding into the boulder on which I sat, he threw a letter at me. Without a second glance, he turned his mount and shouted over his shoulder, "To be given to the Laird MacLeod without delay!"
He went as swiftly as he arrived.
I picked up the letter. The paper was rich and lush against my fingertips. A deep purple seal with a rearing stag — a Mainland sigil — secured its contents. Turning it over a few times in my hand, I stood and made my way back inside.
I found Father in his study, pinching his nose between two fingers and wincing. A crystal tumbler idled in his other hand, half full with an amber liquor.
"Hair of the Dog?" I asked by way of greeting, sticking my head into the room.
Father grumbled and looked up, "Come in, Eilean. Don't haunt doorways."
I walked toward him, tossing the envelope onto his desk. "A messenger just brought this." Stepping away, I approached the fire and let its heat seep into my legs. Too late, I realized I was too far away to read the mysterious letter over his shoulder.
Father opened the envelope and read it once, twice, three times. I watched as his face shifted from its hangover pallor to a near-demented brightness. He grinned maniacally. His eyes shone magnificently.
"Ha! ha!" He exclaimed, clenching the paper in his hands, crushing it. He dropped the letter and stormed out of the room without a word or a glance in my direction.
Fast as a shot, I picked up the discarded letter. In very plain and terse language, a Lord from the Mainland explained that he had secured the funds and vital alliances amongst a handful of Mainland families. If my father wanted conquest, the time was now. He urged my father to bring every man he could spare, commanding him to be ready to sail within a week.
All the air rushed out of my body. All of Ian's suspicions were proven true. I found it very difficult to think clearly, my mind scrambling with questions. Before I could recover, my father rushed back into the room and pulled a thin book from the shelves; storming out as quickly as he had the first time. Trying to hold on to my senses, I grabbed the letter and followed him, tracking him through the castle before he entered Mother's chambers. He slammed the heavy wooden door shut behind him, nearly in my face. I heard as he slid the iron bolt into place on the other side of the door. Locking them in.
"Damn it!" I swore, pressing my ear to the wood. I couldn't hear anything.
Thomas, leaving his room, saw the entire scene.
"Eavesdropping again, Buggy?" He asked with a lazy raise of the eyebrows. He had the bleary-eyed lethargy of someone very hungover.
"Be quiet, I'm trying to listen," I snapped. Something in my expression must have betrayed my agitation, for Thomas joined me at the door, pressing his ear against it too.
"What is going on?" He whispered. His breath stank like sour ale, but his eyes were now alert.
"Father just received this from a Mainland lord," I passed my brother the letter. "He says you — all of you — have to sail in a week for some kind of... conquest."
Scanning the note, Thomas went still. His face turned a sickly gray. "What is this?"
I shook my head, "Ian thinks Father wants to invade the Mainland. Take territory for himself, for Ellesmure. That's why he held the Gathering. That's why he's been in so many meetings with the generals."
Thomas blinked, his mouth went slack. "Find the others. Bring them here at once. Start in the breakfast room. See who is awake. I... will check their beds."
I nodded, thankful my brother seemed to know what to do. Gathering my skirts into my arms, I ran off. If my brothers' had already finished breakfast, rounding them up could take all day. I stopped all the servants I passed and told them that if they saw my brothers they were to tell them to go to my Mother's chambers without delay. They bowed and rushed off to spread the news, leaving behind bundles of firewood or baskets of dirty laundry in their wake.
I stole a quick moment in an alcove to settle my thoughts. My hands shook with fear. Talking about potential war had been one thing... knowing it was reality was entirely different. I could feel it, the day tearing apart. As if now there was a monumental rift between the world I had known and the mystery of what was to come. The air was thinner, the sun too bright. Everything was the same and yet nothing was familiar. I gulped for air, desperate to keep my wits about me. It was possible I didn't fully understand, that I had misread the summons.
My gut told me otherwise. I did my best to silence the onslaught of worry. I fought back the rising panic with long, deep breaths. I bent over, steadying myself against my knees.
Once in control of myself, I sprinted toward the breakfast room.
~
Rounding up my brothers kept me busy until lunch. One by one they joined the secret conference in Mother's chambers.
Around them, the castle erupted into widespread chaos. Inside and out there was nothing but boisterous frenzy. Everywhere I looked there was bedlam. The laundresses boiled sheets in massive cauldrons in the courtyard. Once dry, they ripped them up and rolled into tight bandages. The kitchen staff emptied the pantries, its contents packed into crates and stacked in the cool cellars. Boxes of ammunition were collected from storage and stacked in neat pyramids — oiled tarps covered the mounds to protect against moisture. Guns and swords were pulled down from the walls and placed in one of the barns. Stable boys brushed and shod the horses.
The guests that had come for Walther's wedding and had counted on staying through the month packed up their trunks and rode off in haste. As my father's residents, they had their own preparations to make.
The din of the castle was remarkable. Shouts echoed down every corridor as servants ran desperately from one errand to the next.
Denied access to my mother's rooms and the family deliberations within, I became the de facto hostess of Stormway. I wished guests luck and sent them on their way with bundles of leftover cake and jugs of ale. I thanked them for attending my brother's wedding and did what I could to pass along the scant information I had. For many of the lords and ladies, it was the first time they had ever heard my voice. They would blink at me and shake their head as if struck by lightning. I saw them piece together who I was.
"Oh, you must be that MacLeod girl. The daughter he always tells stories about."
It was an effort not to roll my eyes as I escorted them to their carriages. It didn't matter that they did not know who I was. What mattered was I was busy. That I was doing something in the middle of the madness that had descended upon my home. No one asked, but if they had, I would have told them I felt useful. And feeling useful felt good.
As darkness fell and my family remained locked away, I knew the kitchen would be my only hope for dinner. Downstairs, I ordered a simple dinner prepared for me and whatever wedding guests remained. A frazzled girl stirring a bubbling pot informed me that the only guest still at Stormway was Alex. Eager to see him — and to make things easier for everyone — I collected bread, cheese, and fruit onto a tray and carried it to his rooms.
"Evening," I said, breezing through his door without knocking. "Madness is afoot, and you are the only one still here that isn't family. I hope you don't mind a casual dinner."
Alex looked up from the book he was reading, smiling. "There you are. I was looking for you all day. Everyone had a different answer on where to find you. Some said the stables, others the cellars. It was suggested a few times that you were in the courtyard. But you were never where they said you would be."
I sat the tray down on a table before the fire. "I was all of those places and more," I grunted. "My feet ache from running from one side of the estate to the next."
Alex eyed the food, nodding, "Then sit. Did you eat at all today?"
"I have not," the realization took me back. My stomach growled in response. I sunk down onto the couch and slumped over until I was lying on my side. Had it only been one day?
A kitchen maid hurried into the room. She carried two large bowls of a spicy smelling stew and set them on the table. The broth still bubbled with heat.
"Thank you," I muttered, closing my eyes, desperate for a moment of quiet.
"Cook didn't want either of you going hungry," the girl explained before exiting. She closed the door behind her.
"What in the world is going on? I've never known Stormway to be in such a state." Alex asked.
I felt his fingers toying with the ends of my hair where it splayed out near his hip. Undoing the ribbon, his fingers combed through the curls, slowly inching closer to my head.
"Are the rumors true?" Alex asked gently. "Everything Ian thought..."
"Yes," I whispered, squeezing my eyes tight against the truth. I kept my eyes shut until I saw stars.
Alex grunted, inhaled sharply, cursed, and grunted again. "Eilean — "
Opening my eyes, I was surprised to see him hovering over me. He looked agitated. Momentary softness smoothed his features as I offered him a weak smile. I sat up.
"It has been whispered for years that an Islander Laird was plotting to strike the Mainland. I never would have dreamed it was your father." Alex shook his head, bewildered. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging against it. "The man practically raised me!"
I sank into the couch, remembering the crucial role Alex could play, might play if he took sides. I didn't let myself think about what that could mean for our friendship... what that might mean about last night. He had promised neutrality, but that had been theoretical. Now that the potential for war was real, would he change his mind?
"They are leaving in a week," I said, wondering if that information counted as treason. Alex was as much my family as he was a friend. Even if he was from the Mainland, he deserved to know.
"Do you know where they will make land?"
I shook my head. "I hardly know anything. When Ian was telling me his suspicions, I don't think he believed father to be so prepared."
Alex scrubbed his face with his hands, "This is not at all what I want to talk to you about — ever — but least of all tonight." When he looked at me, the kindness on his face smoothed over the jagged edges of my nerves.
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, trying to tease him. My face warmed.
"If you felt alright after... after last night."
"I feel fine," I admitted, smiling. I hadn't given it a second thought since waking up. The day had been too hectic. "I had fun. Did you?"
Alex laughed. "Yes, I had fun, Eilean," he ducked his head bashfully and my stomach plummeted at his blush. The concern that made his eyes and jaw tight abated. Reaching across to the table, he passed me a bowl of stew. Once he saw I was eating it, he scooted toward me. Resting his hand on my knee, his thumb made slow circles against my thigh.
"Why?" He asked.
I shrugged, "Because I wanted to. And I wanted it to be you. It felt right." I placed my hand on top of his, forced myself to stare into those eyes that churned like ocean depths.
Alex smiled and nodded, "I get it."
"Do you mind?"
He laughed, "Do I mind that the girl of my dreams practically dragged me to bed? How could I say no?"
My chest tightened with an indescribable feeling. Girl of his dreams. His words made my heart do a flip into my stomach. "You could have said no," I started to protest.
Alex dipped his head and kissed me on the nose, the cheek. He pressed a gentle kiss against my lips. "I wanted it too, Eilean."
I shivered, my heart flipping again. Interrupting the moment, a fear bright and potent flooded my body. Trembling, I asked, "Will you have to fight?"
Alex sighed and looked into the depths of the fire. "I don't know. Depending on the... technicalities... my desire is still to remain neutral."
I chewed a piece of meat slowly, savoring the taste while thinking. As the owner of the largest territory in the Mainland, he had the power to remain neutral. Whether he considered it the honorable thing to do while the rest of his country was attacked remained to be seen.
"Would you? Could you, bear to stay out of it, I mean?" I asked.
"Your father is starting a war on my land. My people. Eilean, I don't know if neutrality is possible." Anger flashed in his eyes and the muscles of his jaw tightened. His grip on my leg was hard but not painful. I saw again the sharpness and determination of Lord Leslie in every line of his face.
Biting my lip, I nodded. Without further comment, I continued to eat. After a few minutes, Alex dug into his own stew, chewing with slow, deliberate bites. It was clear his thoughts weighed on him. As I sopped up the remaining gravy with some bread, he laughed. It wasn't the sound of amusement but of bitter disappointment.
"Your father has played me like a fool," he ground out. "To think that he thought that — " Alex stopped himself.
"We were both game pieces to him," I said, looking down at my empty bowl. "It's like you said, he wanted to manipulate our friendship. No doubt he thought he could get The Fist one way or the other. His relationship with you or in some kind of contrived marriage to me."
I looked up and met Alex's gaze. His brows were flat and he frowned.
"Eilean I want to — "
Before he could finish, one of Mother's ladies' maids rushed into the room in a panic.
"There you are, Miss!" She said, bobbing once in a sloppy curtsy. "Your mother requests your presence at once." The girl's voice was high and shrill.
"Finally," I grumbled. Forgetting that he was maybe now my enemy, I shot Alex an annoyed look at my mother's neglect.
In return, he offered me a small, pained smile. He held out his hand for my bowl and took it from me as I stood. With only a parting squeeze on his shoulder, I followed the maid out of the room.