Chapter 11
That evening, Dominik’s friends were still within the keep walls, and it was truly a delight to have them there.
Ashton and Odhran agreed to stay for the evening, leaving in the morning.
As all of them sat in the Great Hall, chairs pulled up to the roaring fire in the hearth, Dominik turned to Rose, who cleared her throat.
“Aye, lass?”
She blushed slightly, the pink of intoxication flaring subtly in her cheeks. Holding onto her glass of the fine wine they’d pulled up from the cellar, Rose gestured at his friends with a grin.
“You haven’t told me how all of you met. I am very curious how you became such good friends.”
“Och, that is indeed a tale, me lady!” Ashton quickly cut in. “Dominik must regale ye with the gruesome story!”
Ashton was also very well into his cups, and Dominik couldn’t restrain the snort as his companion nudged him with his elbow, leaning far out of his chair to do so and nearly falling onto the floor.
Odhran rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Ashton.
The man so often needed to play the role of Ashton’s better judgment that it was likely exhausting.
“Verra well. We met, Rose, as young lads, but became our closest when we went to war together.” He watched her eyes flare wide. “We fought side by side, earning something of a reputation in the Highlands.”
“‘Something of?’ Ye downplay our fierce notoriousness!” Ashton pounded Dominik on the shoulder playfully. “We sliced through our enemies like stalks of wheat!”
Dominik chuckled, even Odhran joined in momentarily, but Rose’s skin paled ever so slightly. He attempted to steer the conversation into a less grotesque direction.
“Perhaps so, but it was the fact that I could ken ye were all trustworthy, that ye all had me loyalty and I had yers in return that truly united us.”
“All?” Rose asked, latching onto the brighter mood of conversation and pulling it like a thread she intended to weave with.
“Aye, lass. This isnae all of us.” Odhran offered. “There are two of our little cabal of braw soldiers missing.”
“Caiden and Fletcher,” Dominick said with a nod. “Have either of ye heard from them lately?”
“Nae over much,” Ashton answered, bobbing his head in a steady, drunken nod. “They are busy as we all are. Running a keep and protecting yer land is hardly a position that sees much quiet and lack of work. There is always something to be done.”
Even into his cups like this, Ashton had a point.
Since the council had brought up Dominik’s marriage, it had been an endless search for someone he could deem worthy and a suitable match.
He’d turned to Miss Wood to speed up that process, and indeed, was genuinely grateful that she had mentioned Rose.
They might not have been exceptionally glad that she was English, but she came with land that had access to a port, and hopefully, so much more than that. She was a fair match, and Rose had already proven that she was willing to listen to Eilidh and learn about the ways of the clan.
That was a powerful statement.
His mother had never been one for the customs and had distanced herself from nearly every aspect of life that could be considered “clan” traditions. Scotland remained beneath her nose until the day she died, and it stung. Even now.
“Verra true, Ashton. Perhaps the drink has come all the way ‘round again. Ye’re so bewildered that ye’re making sense once more.”
Odhran eyed their friend as he spoke, earning himself a feverish glare in return. But Rose laughed, and the light chime of her voice interrupted what might have become an argument.
“I can tell that you are all quite close. You bicker just like siblings.”
“Och, certainly, me lady!” Ashton was right back to speaking very loudly at his wife. “We’ve killed for each other! Ridden into battle alongside one another. Dispatched villains where they stood, standing back-to-back with our swords dripping in crimson!”
Rose blanched once more, and Dominik knew it was time to redirect the conversation again or his new bride would be delivering her dinner to the floor.
“Ye are full of the drink, ye braggart!” Dominik stood, taking the cup from Ashton’s hand. Odhran followed him up, and then of course Ashton did as well, quickly wobbling on his feet and then plopping back down into his chair, his eyes crossing.
After a beat, the room erupted in laughter. The horrors had been forgotten by Rose, and it would be he and his friends alone who would think about the ghastly sights of war, as it should be.
Still, Dominik knew what Ashton did. He knew why his friend drank just a bit more than the others, why he flirted, and why he portrayed his time in battle as a glorious thing.
Because it had been a nightmare for all of them, and Ashton in particular, having been severely injured.
He’d fought against so many for as long as he could, holding the line until the others arrived, and those moments were sealed in his brain.
As the room settled, Rose set down her cup, letting out a deep sigh.
“I shall be making my way up to my chambers. It was lovely to meet you all.”
“The pleasure is ours, me lady.” Ashton took Rose’s hand, kissing her knuckles again, and when it stretched on a bit too long, Dominik nudged him away.
“And I’ll be taking these two to the chambers they will be using for the evening.”
“I daenae need ye to guide me around as if I’m a lost pup,” Ashton interjected. But he stumbled once more, landing against Odhran, who grumpily got him back up.
“Ye do, and ye willnae be arguing about it.” Odhran shoved Ashton playfully forward, and Dominik followed behind them, bowing his head to Rose as they passed.
She smiled, waving gently at them, and not for the first time, Dominik wondered too much about what it might be like to consummate their marriage at last.
The next morning, Dominik walked down the long, quiet stone halls only to run into Odhran, who was up far earlier than one might expect. Ashton was nowhere in sight, and he wondered if his friend was seeking a solitary moment of reprieve.
Odhran, after all, was a grim sort of fellow, his air brooding and on guard. He was always so alert, so ready for any sign of trouble, and Dominik knew that was precisely why he was so valuable to Ashton, who readily seemed to forget that the world could be brutal outside of battle as well.
After all their years together, however, Dominik knew that all his friends, whether in attendance or not, were fiercely loyal to one another.
As he was to them. They were a unit, and thanks to their pact of friendship, so much of the Highlands had been allowed to grow and prosper without the horrors of infighting and clan wars once they were over.
“A fine morning to ye, Odhran. Have ye broken away from yer charge for a moment?”
He spun around on his heel to see Dominik standing there, offering the Laird a tired smile.
“Aye, I have.” He nodded once at Dominik.
“That is verra fine then. And it was most wonderful to see ye both. It’s been too long.”
“It has. Though…” Odhran hesitated, his eyes dropping to the floor before meeting Dominik’s again. “…I will say that we were both quite surprised at the news of yer nuptials, and the heritage of yer bride.”
Dominik nodded, letting out a long-held sigh. He’d been aware of the shock this would cause for some time. It had not escaped him. Still, it had been the only solution he could see to his predicament.
“Aye, I am certain it will shock many. But there was little choice. I needed to quiet the council, and Rose’s dowry provided an incredible opportunity for the clan. I aim to have a look at the land for meself in the next day or so.”
“Land,” Odhran repeated, bobbing his head in a slow nod, “aye, a fine dowry indeed. And ye say it has port access for trading?”
“Indeed. And with its location, I hope to find something in the soil as well. It’s in a prime location for a number of deposits and resources.”
“I wish the best of luck with it, truly.” Odhran chuckled to himself, a hard sound that while echoing with a tinge of humor was also still so dark, so gruff.
“I will admit that I have nay interest in ever wedding. There is too much work to be done, and I believe me own council is well aware of that.”
That darkness clung to Odhran, shadowing his expression and sharpening his stare as if he were looking out into the world from some dank cave. His mood was off, an even graver countenance than usual. And that was saying something.
Still, Odhran would not be compelled to speak. If there was something he wished to get off his chest, he’d do it no sooner than the moment he decided to. Dominik knew better than to argue with him, to probe for the details of something he would never be afforded even a glimpse of.
So, Dominik let it be, trusting that his friend would come to him when the time was right.
“A bonny morn as ever, eh, lads?” Ashton’s exuberant voice echoed through the stone hall, and the two men turned in the direction of the sound, each rolling their eyes.
“I cannae believe he is so lively in the morning when he drank enough to drown a fish.”
Dominik bit back a bark of laughter, and when Ashton reached them, he threw his arm over his friend’s shoulder, walking him down the corridor so that they might find their breakfast in the Great Hall.
Their walk was a constant stream of conversation and revelry, a surprising amount indeed, considering how much Ashton had imbibed.
He clearly had the constitution of a workhorse, which was an advantageous thing as the man could still be counted on first thing in the morning regardless of how he’d spent his evenings.
At the Great Hall, the men entered the long chamber to a sea of faces, all glad to see them, exchanging morning greetings and conversations to welcome them. While Dominik could not deny that there was still a mood of uncertainty in the keep, today seemed markedly better.
As the three of them walked toward the far end to take their places at the head table, Dominik found himself falling into easy conversation with Odhran, who expressed some of his concerns about ensuring his clan would be unmolested by an enemy that had grown somewhat.
Odhran, as always, spoke in vague terms, but it was still easy enough to understand his concerns, and Dominik provided the insight he could.
Ashton was gone quickly from that conversation, making a direct approach to the table where Rose already sat waiting for them. She was as bright as ever, and Dominik found himself watching Ashton conversing with her a bit too intently, so much so that he lost track of Odhran’s story.
“Have ye decided to take the least productive route to yer table this morning, Dominik?” Odhran joked, and at once, the Laird looked down, realizing that he was about to collide with one of the other tables in the main hall where his clan members were dining.
He swiftly adjusted his course, his stare finding Rose and Ashton again as he apologized to Odhran. “Apologies, friend. I willnae say that I am nae distracted.”
“I can see that.”
Just then, Dominik caught sight of Ashton lingering his lips on Rose’s knuckles for far, far too long. He hurried up to the table, catching the end of his words.
“Ye look so fetching this morning, me Lady. Should we all be so lucky as to wake up to the sight of something as bonny, I say mornings would nae be so dreadful.”
“Step back, Ashton.” Dominik’s voice boomed, and Rose shot her eyes up to him, her cheeks blazing pink. “If ye wish to keep yer hand, of course. If ye’re keen to lose it, then by all means, keep touching me wife.”
“Och, Dominik.” Ashton stood up, rolling his eyes with too much humor for the Laird’s liking at present. “I sincerely apologize. I meant nay offense.”
Ashton stepped back, and their stares locked for a moment.
Dominik could see the fiery will to fight until the last flaring in his friend’s pale irises.
While the man did not mean any harm to Rose or Dominik, the Laird could see in his friend that drive, that challenge that would ensure any violence brought against Ashton’s person would be answered in kind.
It was impressive and concerning at once.
Dominik nodded at him, and they both sat down at the table, dropping the matter.
Conversation returned to humor and alacrity in short measure, and the tense moment was forgotten.
While Dominik wondered about Ashton’s response to his words, that he needed to stand firm regardless of the threat, he admitted that it was not so unreasonable an action considering everything that his friend had been through.
Odhran would not be married, and Ashton was leaning away from it each time he flirted with any lass in his vicinity. Perhaps Dominik would be the only one of them married, indeed.