Chapter 33
Observing folk was a part of being a seer that Ghillie liked best, and a guid chance to really get to the heart of folk’s words—most oft not by what they said but by what they didnae say. The hands, the eyes, the briefest smile or shrug all told their own story.
Tonight as most sat at the high board and Ghillie watched frae down on the floor with the riff-raff, he could see the pride shining out of Gavyn and Kathryn. The top board was filled tonight. Men sat at the ends of the board looking up its length, splashed in colour frae the glass window that Kathryn had insisted they get made. Thankfully, the weather had become soft, and as the evening sunlight skimmed through the Comlyn coat of arms set into the western wall catching the sunset, everyone appeared dipped in some of the gold folks said Gavyn kept in tunnels dug deep through the mountainside. Frae what Ghillie’s father had told him, it had been a sight to behold, as he had taken part in the journey when Gavyn and his regiment of mercenaries returned to Dun Bhuird, laden with gold and silver and Ghillie’s Aunt Kathryn had shot an arrow at him in welcome.
Life felt tamer now at Dun Bhuird—safer. Yet as all whau had returned frae Caithness knew, that wasnae always so, outside of the purview of the Comlyn clan’s castle.
There were still two empty places at the high board, and it didnae take a seer to predict they were for Rory and Ainsel. What an afternoon they had experienced. In his lifetime, he couldnae remember one like it, but then he was still young. His father could probably tell him the rights of that. There had been chieftains, sons of chieftains, their wives and bairns and dogs running about the Great Hall, while Ainsel had been given a place of honour close to the fire. The warmth soon brought a splash of colour to her face as had the welcome given her by Kathryn. The four sat close and yon bairn passed frae knee to knee, pelted with kisses and tickled under its fat wee chins. Aye, it was a grand sight. Ghillie could tell folk were expecting some sort of an announcement, but he couldnae see it happening yet awhile.
Sometimes it did folk naught but guid to wait.