Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Two days had passed since the unpleasant scene in the great hall.
Arianna had avoided the supper table since that night, choosing instead to take her meals quietly in her chambers.
On this particular afternoon, she sat in the castle garden, the soft grass beneath her skirts, while her small bunny hopped lazily beside her.
Melissa sat nearby on a low stone bench, weaving small stems of clover together while watching the animal nibble contentedly.
“He seems quite fond of ye, me Lady,” Melissa said with a small smile as the bunny twitched its nose at Arianna’s fingers.
Arianna gently stroked the creature’s ears and gave a faint laugh. “I believe he’s fond of the clover more than me.”
Melissa tilted her head thoughtfully as she watched Arianna. “Ye’ve been quiet these past days,” she said gently. “Has something been troublin' ye?”
Arianna hesitated before answering, her fingers still resting against the bunny’s soft fur.
“Mayhap I’ve simply been thinkin'' too much,” Arianna said lightly.
Melissa studied her face carefully, clearly unconvinced. “That usually means somethin weighs on yer mind,” she replied.
Arianna gave a small sigh and leaned back against the warm stone wall of the garden. “Tell me more about the babe,” she said instead. “Does it already feel different, knowing ye carry a wee bairn?”
Melissa’s hand moved unconsciously to her stomach as her expression softened.
“Aye,” she said quietly. “It feels… strange and wonderful all at once.”
Arianna smiled faintly. “Does it frighten ye at all?”
Melissa laughed softly. “A wee bit.” She looked down thoughtfully before continuing. “But Flynn says the clan wives will help me through it. They’ve all done it before.”
Arianna listened with quiet fascination.
“The midwives assisted a birth in the village. The women gathered to help a woman during the long hours of labor,” Melissa said.
“That is good to hear of such support,” Arianna replied.
“Aye, I think so as well. Then the castle kitchens prepared broth for the mother afterward. It seems as if the entire clan celebrated the birth of a healthy child,” Melissa said.
Arianna felt warmth stir in her chest as she imagined the scene.
“It sounds… wonderful,” she said softly.
Melissa nodded with a proud smile. “Aye, it is.” Then she tilted her head curiously. “And havin' bairns yerself, me Lady?”
The question struck Arianna more deeply than she expected.
She looked down at the bunny Bramble, again, watching it nibble quietly at a stem of clover. “I suppose every wife thinks of such things eventually,” she answered carefully. Yet the words carried a faint sadness.
“Ye and the Laird will make fine parents,” Melissa said kindly.
Arianna forced a small smile.
But inside her thoughts twisted painfully.
Will we?
Ian had barely spoken to her since the night of the supper hall argument.
“Truth be told,” Arianna admitted quietly, “I’ve nae shared a supper with Ian for a long time. I eat alone. I thought it best to stay out of the hall,” she said. “The clan has already seen enough embarrassment from me.”
Melissa frowned gently at that. “Well,” she said firmly, “if ye feel lonely, I’ll gladly eat with ye.”
Arianna blinked in surprise before a small smile returned to her face. “I would like that very much.”
Later that evening, a small meal was prepared in Arianna’s sitting room. A servant laid out roasted chicken, warm bannocks, and a small bowl of root vegetables before leaving them alone. The quiet chamber felt far more peaceful than the noisy hall below.
Melissa sat comfortably across from Arianna as they began eating.
“This is far nicer than the great hall,” Melissa said with a small laugh.
Arianna smiled faintly. “It is certainly quieter.”
For a while, they spoke of small things, village gossip, the progress of the autumn harvest, and the preparations for winter stores. Yet Arianna’s thoughts slowly drifted back toward the same troubling question. At last she set down her cup of ale and spoke more quietly.
“There is something I’ve never told ye about Ian.”
Melissa looked up with interest. “Oh?”
“When I first came here,” Arianna said slowly, “I feared he would treat me like everyone else always had.” She folded her hands together thoughtfully. “Back home, me brothers were given responsibilities while I was kept inside like some delicate flower.”
Melissa listened carefully as Arianna continued.
“But Ian did not treat me that way,” she said. “He showed me how to chop wood.” A faint smile touched her lips at the memory.
“And he took me on an overnight camp through the woods beyond the castle and allowed me to gather wood for the fire.”
Melissa chuckled softly. “That sounds like the Laird. He's fair to womenfolk.”
Arianna nodded slowly.
“For the first time in me life I felt… useful,” she said quietly. “As if I had a purpose beyond sitting quietly in a room.” Her gaze drifted toward the window as the smile faded.
“But now?”
She hesitated before finishing the thought.
“Now I feel like nothin' again.”
Melissa’s expression softened immediately.
“Me Lady,” she said gently, “ye are far from useless.”
Arianna shook her head slightly, though her eyes remained fixed on the floor. “Ian will hardly speak to me.”
Melissa leaned forward slightly. “Give it time,” she said kindly. “Men are stubborn creatures.”
Arianna let out a quiet breath.
“Ye are Lady McGuire,” Melissa continued firmly. “That is no small thing.”
Arianna looked up at her friend with a faint, grateful smile.
Yet deep in her heart, the uncertainty remained.
The next day, Arianna pushed open the heavy door of the library and entered. It slammed behind her.
“Is there a reason the door takes all yer anger?” a voice said.
Arianna gasped. She turned to see Ian sitting at a table with a few books spread out before him.
“Ian. I didnae ken that anyone was in here,” she said.
“Am I to announce every room I am going to inhabit?” he said.
She narrowed her eyes at him, “I can see that ye are occupied by yer black temper, therefore I shall leave ye to it.”
She turned back to the door and yanked the handle, but the door did not open. She tried it again.
A low chuckle came from behind her.
“Is there trouble, Lady McGuire?” he teased.
“Nay. The door is stuck is all. I shall manage,” she said.
She tried the door a few more times, putting all her weight into it. The door did not budge.
“Allow me,” Ian said. He stood up from the table and crossed the room to her.
Arianna felt the warmth of his presence, his manly scent. It made her knees weak despite her feelings of frustration with him. She watched as he grabbed the handle and pulled on the handle.
“Ye are right, it is stuck,” he said.
“Aye,” she replied.
Her eyes roamed over his bulging biceps as he put more strength into pulling on the door.
Why does it grow hot in here?
She felt embarrassed at the blush that flooded her cheeks.
That familiar tingle, deep in her belly, started to form.
Quickly, she moved across the room to pour herself a glass of water to cool down.
However, she knew it was to put distance between her and the man who brought such a reaction out of her.
Ian turned to her. “It seems that we are stuck together.”
“Aye, in more ways than one, it seems,” she said.
“And what does that mean?” he asked.
“It’s nothin'. How do we remedy this situation?” she asked.
“Simple,” he said.
She watched as he moved to the window and opened it.
“Hello there?” he shouted.
There was no response. She crossed her arms.
“Now what?” she asked.
“We wait until someone passes below. It willnae be long,” he said.
He strode across the room to her, putting only inches between them. Arianna inhaled a sharp breath.
If he kisses me, I willnae be able to resist.
Ian loomed over her. There was silence for a moment.
“What are ye doing?” she asked.
“Gettin' a drink,” he said. He finally turned his body to the table she stood next to and poured himself a drink.
“What did ye think I was going to do?” he asked.
“Nothin',” she said and quickly moved away from him to the window to search for a passerby.
She heard Ian release a sigh of frustration, but she didn’t turn to him.
“There! Melissa! Hello there!” she shouted out the window.
Ian moved to her and pressed his body against her side. She felt his heat radiate through her. He called down below, his voice louder and more robust. “Melissa! Up here. We are locked in the library! Get Flynn!”
But Arianna could not concentrate on his words to Melissa; she only felt him. His strength, his muscular form.
“There, she heard, and we will be rescued,” he said.
“Aye,” Arianna said, but it came out in a weak whisper.
He turned to her and looked down at her. She swallowed as she looked up at him. Their gaze locked.
“Ye will be free of me soon,” he said.
“Will I?” she said, understanding the double meaning of his statement. “And if I daenae want to be free of ye?”
“Do ye not? It seems to be that is the case,” he said.
“I… I think that…” Arianna said.
A loud pounding came at the door. “Me Laird! I am here!” Flynn shouted.
Ian moved to the door and began to give the orders. “The door is jammed. Try to push from that side while I pull on this side.”
Arianna observed as Ian and Flynn set the door free. But now she was locked in another turmoil, of the heart.
The following morning, Arianna walked slowly through the upper corridors of the castle, her steps quiet against the worn stone floor.
She had no particular destination in mind, only a restless feeling that kept her wandering from hall to hall.
Her thoughts were still tangled from the conversation with Melissa the night before and from continuing to feel useless.
As she rounded a corner, the sound of voices drifted toward her.
Arianna slowed instinctively when she realized the voices belonged to servants standing just beyond the bend.
They could not see her where she stood, hidden by the stone arch of the corridor.
At first, she intended to walk on, but what they spoke of made her pause.
“I’m tellin’ ye, the council spoke of the marriage contract,” one maid whispered. “I heard them say so when I brought in their tea.”
Another servant gave a soft gasp. “The lady has only been wed a short while.”
The first maid lowered her voice further. “Aye, but they’re worried about the heir for some reason.”
Arianna’s stomach tightened.
“That’s nae our business to discuss,” the servant replied.
The first one huffed softly. “Perhaps nae, but the entire castle’s whispering about it now.”
A third voice joined the conversation, a boy judging by the rough tone. “I heard the steward mention the contract when he was speaking to a council member in the library. Something about the terms of the marriage.”
Arianna felt her pulse quicken.
“What kind of terms?” the second maid asked uneasily. The boy lowered his voice even more. “I didnae hear it clearly… only that the council seemed mighty concerned about the heir.”
“Well, of course they are,” the first maid muttered. “That’s how these clan marriages work.”
The second maid sighed. “Still, it feels unkind to gossip about the Lady like this.”
The boy chuckled awkwardly. “I’m nae gossipin’, I’m only sayin’ what I heard.”
Arianna remained frozen behind the stone corner, her breath shallow.
The contract.
The word echoed uneasily in her mind. She had known there was an agreement between the clans when the marriage had been arranged. Yet the servants spoke as though there were details no one openly discussed. Suspicion slowly began to creep through her thoughts.
Is there more to this marriage than I was told?
The servants continued their quiet chatter, unaware that she stood only a few steps away.
“Perhaps the Laird will sort it soon enough,” one of them said.
“Aye,” another agreed. “He always does.”
Do I truly know Ian at all?
The question lingered painfully in her mind.
She had allowed herself to believe Ian was different from the men she had known all her life.
He had treated her with unexpected respect, even allowing her to take part in tasks that most ladies would never attempt.
Yet now doubt crept into those memories, twisting them with uncertainty.
And what of the clan itself?
Perhaps they had all known something she did not. The thought stung sharply. Arianna straightened suddenly, anger replacing the uneasy confusion in her chest. She turned and began striding down the hall.
There was only one way to learn the truth. She would find Ian.
And this time, he would answer her questions.