Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Is he gone yet?”
Iris peered around the corner of the stone corridor, her heart hammering as she watched Elijah’s broad form disappear down the main staircase.
Two days. Two days since that kiss at the river, and she’d managed to avoid being alone with him completely. She rose only after hearing his boots on the stairs, took her meals when she knew he’d be busy with clan business, and retired to their chambers well before he returned each evening.
Their chambers.
The thought still made her stomach flutter with both anxiety and fear.
She waited until the sound of his footsteps faded completely before letting out a sigh she did not know she had been holding and stepping out from her hiding spot behind the thick stone pillar. The corridor was finally empty, and she could make her way to the kitchens without—
“Me lady?” Aliana’s voice came from directly behind her, making Iris jump nearly out of her skin. “Were ye... hidin’?”
Iris spun around, heat flooding her cheeks as she found her maid standing there with an armload of fresh linens, one eyebrow raised in obvious amusement.
“I’m nae hidin’,” Iris said quickly, standing straighter and smoothing down her skirts as if she’d been doing something perfectly normal instead of lurking behind pillars like a common thief. “I’m just... bein’ cautious.”
“Cautious of what? Yer husband?”
“I daenae want to discuss it.” Iris lifted her chin, trying to salvage what remained of her dignity. “’Shouldnae ye be attendin’ to yer duties instead of sneakin’ up on people?”
Aliana’s grin widened. “I was deliverin’ fresh linens to the guest chambers when I saw ye duckin’ behind that pillar like ye were avoidin’ the plague. What’s got ye so skittish, me lady?”
“I said I daenae want to discuss it. Now, has Codie had his breakfast yet?”
“Aye, he ate with his faither this morning.” Aliana’s voice grew thoughtful. “The laddie has been askin’ about ye.”
Aliana’s innocent comment felt like a lifeline. She’d been so focused on avoiding Elijah that she’d only seen Codie a few times since the celebration. And the boy needed her—she’d heard it in his voice when they’d spoken and seen it in his shy smiles.
“Where is he now?”
“In the gardens, last I saw. Playin’ by himself as usual.”
Twenty minutes later, Iris made her way through the castle’s herb garden, her simple brown dress perfect for an afternoon outdoors. The summer sun was warm on her face, and she could hear the distant sound of laughter echoing from somewhere among the flowering shrubs.
She found Codie exactly where Aliana had said, sitting by the small pond, intently focused on sailing leaf boats across the water. He’d traded his formal clothes for simple breeches and a shirt, and his dark hair was already mussed from play.
“Those are fine vessels ye’ve got there, Cap’n,” she called out.
His head snapped up, his entire face transforming when he saw her. “Lady Iris! Did ye come to see me boats?”
“I did indeed. Mind if I join ye?”
“Please!” He scrambled to make room on the stone bench beside him. “This one’s me favorite. See how he has the biggest leaf for a sail? I call him Thunder because he’s the fastest.”
Iris settled beside him, genuinely charmed by his enthusiasm. “Thunder is a perfect name for a flagship. And what about this smaller one?”
“That’s Whisper. She’s nae as fast, but she’s sneaky. Watch!” He gave the smaller boat a gentle push, sending it gliding silently across the pond while Thunder rocked dramatically in the wake.
“Very clever! Where did Thunder come from? What’s his story?”
Codie’s eyes lit up. “He used to be a merchant ship, but pirates attacked and stole all his cargo! So now, he sails the seas lookin’ for revenge!”
“And what kind of cargo did he carry?”
“Gold! And... and spices from faraway lands! And maybe some magic stones that glow in the dark!” Codie pushed Thunder across the pond with more force. “But the pirate captain, Black Beard MacGillicuddy, took it all!”
Iris gasped dramatically. “Black Beard MacGillicuddy? That’s the most fearsome name I’ve ever heard!”
“Aye! He has a beard down to his knees and three gold teeth and a parrot that speaks seven languages!” Codie was warming to his tale now, his hands gesturing wildly. “But Thunder is brave and clever, so he’s goin’ to get his treasure back!”
“What about Whisper? Is she Thunder’s ally?”
“Sometimes. But sometimes she’s a spy ship for the enemy! Watch—” He maneuvered the smaller boat behind a lily pad. “She’s hidin’ now, waitin’ to see what Thunder does next.”
“This is quite the adventure. What happens when Thunder finds Black Beard MacGillicuddy?”
“They’ll have a great battle! Thunder has twenty cannons on each side, and his crew is the bravest in all the seas!” Codie stood up, nearly bouncing with excitement. “And when he wins, he’ll share the treasure with all the poor villages that the pirates robbed!”
For the next half hour, they sailed their fleet across the pond, inventing elaborate stories about sea battles and treasure hunting. Codie’s imagination was remarkable; he created entire worlds with nothing but leaves and twigs, and his eyes sparkled with joy in a way Iris had never seen before.
“A noble captain indeed. But how will he fight without proper ammunition?”
Codie paused, looking puzzled. “Ammunition?”
“Cannonballs of course. Every proper naval battle needs cannonballs.”
His face brightened as understanding dawned. “Ye ken what would make this even better?” he said suddenly, jumping up from the bench.
“What’s that?”
“Mud! For cannon balls!” Before she could respond, he’d scooped up a handful of soft earth from the flower bed and was shaping it into small spheres.
“Codie, I daenae think that’s right.”
“Look, they’re perfect!” He held up his muddy creations with obvious pride. “Now Thunder can really fight the enemy ships!”
He lobbed one of his “cannonballs” toward the pond, but his aim was off. Instead of hitting the water, it splattered against the side of the stone fountain, sending mud flying in all directions.
“Oops,” he said with a giggle.
“Codie. Perhaps it would be best if we stop.”
But Codie, fueled by childish excitement, ignored her. And soon, another mud ball flew through the air, this one landing with a satisfying plop in the center of the pond. “Did ye see that? Direct hit!”
“Aye, I saw it, but ye should stop.”
“Here, ye try!” Before she could protest, he’d pressed a mud ball into her hand. “Aim for that lily pad there!”
Iris looked down at the muddy sphere in her palm then at Codie’s expectant face. He was practically bouncing with excitement, more animated than she’d ever seen him. How could she refuse?
“Well, if ye insist...” She took careful aim and let the mud ball fly. It landed just short of the lily pad, sending up a small splash.
“Good try! But watch this!” Codie scooped up another handful of mud, but instead of aiming for the pond, he turned and hurled it directly at her.
The mud hit her square in the shoulder, splattering across her brown dress and leaving a distinctly hand-shaped print.
“Codie!” She stared down at herself in shock. “What are ye doin’?”
“Mud war!” he declared with delight, already reaching for more ammunition.
“Nay, lad, we’re nae havin’ a mud war.” Another mud ball caught her in the arm. Then another hit her skirt.
“Stop throwin’ mud this instant,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm and authoritative. But watching his joy, seeing how his whole body seemed to vibrate with happiness, she found it impossible to be truly angry.
“Cannae catch me!” He darted around the fountain, leaving muddy handprints on everything he touched.
“Codie, ye need to stop this right now,” She ducked as another mud ball sailed over her head. “This isnae how we play.”
But she was fighting a losing battle against her own smile.
There was something infectious about his laughter, something pure and joyful that she hadn’t experienced in years.
When was the last time she’d played like this?
When was the last time she’d been allowed to be anything other than proper and contained?
“Just one,” she muttered to herself, scooping up her own handful of mud. “But then we stop.”
Her aim was better than his. The mud ball caught him right in the chest, and he squealed with delight.
“Ye got me! Ye got me!” He stumbled backward dramatically, clutching his chest like he’d been mortally wounded then he popped back up with a grin. “But I’m nae dead yet!”
What followed was absolute chaos. Mud flew in every direction as they chased each other around the garden.
Codie’s laughter rang through the air like music, and despite her better judgment, Iris found herself laughing too.
When was the last time she’d felt so free, so unconstrained by expectations and propriety?
“Truce!” she called out finally, holding up muddy hands. “I surrender!”
“I win!” Codie crowed, doing a little victory dance that involved a great deal of jumping and arm waving. “I beat Lady Iris at mud war!”
They were both completely filthy, mud in their hair, streaked across their faces, coating their clothes. Iris looked like she’d been wrestling with a pig, and Codie looked even worse. But his smile was so bright it could have lit the entire castle.
“Aye, ye won,” she conceded, trying to wipe mud from her cheek and only succeeding in spreading it around. “But ye ken we’ll have to clean all this up, do ye nae?”
“That’s the best part!” he said happily. “We can splash in the fountain to wash off!”
“Oh, I daenae think that’s the best thing to do.”
“Codie!”
The sharp voice cut through their laughter like a blade.
Iris spun around to find Elijah striding toward them, his face like a thundercloud.
He took in the scene, the mud-splattered garden, their filthy clothes, the destruction they’d wrought among the carefully tended flower beds, and his expression grew darker still.