Chapter 11
“Y
e must have taken my advice to heart. Ye are all but radiating happiness,” an amused voice said behind her.
Sloane was standing on the open pathway that connected the west wing with the main house of the keep.
A breeze whipped in from the galley and played with the tendrils of her hair.
Since the west wing was only in use when they had guests, it was empty otherwise and a good place for her to gather her thoughts.
As Elspeth approached her, Sloane was glad to see her friend. “Aye. It was a wonderful night,” she admitted.
“And this morning?”
“I didna know what to expect, but he wasna distant. I was loath to leave his bed.”
Elspeth chuckled. “Aye, I know how that feels. I have been looking for ye most of the morning. Why are ye here?”
“I rose early to help with the morning meal, but I wasna well received. There seems to be much of that going on around here,” Sloane said ruefully.
“I thought I might come up here and think some. I must find a way to win over the clan, I just doona know how. They are not receptive to my desire to help and they take great glee in being cruel.”
“How so?”
It was going beyond just salted food and misinformation. This morning, when her newly cleaned clothes were returned, they’d all been cinched too tightly at the waist. Sloane would have to find someone to help her let them out. Freya was good with thread. Maybe she would help.
This was getting out of hand.
“The details are not important.”
Elspeth joined her at the rail and they looked over the horse pastures. “Ye must tell Lachlan if ye are not being treated well. He just has to say the word and the issues will cease immediately.”
“‘’Tis not what I want. I must earn their respect,” Sloane argued. “‘’Tis the only way to make this right.”
“We are a stubborn bunch. I doona admire the task ye have ahead of ye.” Elspeth paused. “I searched ye out for a reason and I doona think ye are going to like what I have to say, especially if ye are certain that ye want to win over the clan.”
As she fidgeted nervously, Sloane looked over at her with a frown. “I am listening,” she prompted.
“‘’Tis about Isla.”
“Has her mother already tried to banish her? I gave my word that I will help her and I intend to do just that. Ye have nothing to worry about from me.”
Elspeth smiled softly. “Ye are a strong woman. I wonder what Lachlan will do when he learns that? No, Sloane. ‘Tis not what I fear. In fact, ‘tis the very opposite. Isla’s mother has the ear of Lachlan’s mother and she wields power in the clan. If ye upset Robina MacFarlane, ye may never find a place here. Perhaps if ye could find her a home in the Fenton clan, she could start over. I think a fresh start might do well for her spirit.”
Sloane immediately shook her head. “If she wishes to start over, the Fenton clan isna the place to do it. My father is not an accepting man.” She was taken aback by the venom in her voice, but she couldn’t take it back.
“Perhaps the Brisbanes would take her in, but if the way to the heart of the MacFarlanes is to let a poor woman fend for herself simply because she is carrying then I doona wish to win their hearts. If she will stay, then she will stay here and with my protection.”
“And how will ye protect her?” Elspeth asked gently. “If ye doona have the respect of the people who would torment her.”
“Then we will face their torments together and we will be stronger for it.” The church bells began to chime and Sloane pushed away. “I am to meet Maggie for a midday meal. Would ye like to join us?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have a previous engagement that I must attend.” Elspeth hesitated. “I admire ye, Sloane MacFarlane. And I will stand with ye.”
“Thank ye. Ye have no idea what that means to me.” Embracing her friend for a moment, she released her and hurried to the stairwell. She did not want to keep Lachlan’s mother waiting.
The elegant woman was sitting quietly at the family dining table. There was a spread of bread and cheese and fruit on the table and Maggie nibbled delicately while she waited.
“Lady MacFarlane,” Sloane greeted.
“Please, Sloane. Call me Maggie.” The older woman rose with a brilliant smile. “I am so glad that ye wanted to join me. I have been wanting to speak with ye, but ye are a difficult woman to get a hold of. Lachlan was beside himself when ye decided to go exploring on yer own.”
“I did get a little lost.” Though it was through no fault of her own. “I am used to being on my own, so I didna even think to tell him of my whereabouts. ‘Tis a habit I must remedy.”
The older woman clicked her tongue against her teeth and gestured for her to sit.
“My son needs someone to keep him on his toes. He is a good man, but I fear that he has gotten too complacent here. A little excitement will do him some good. I hope that ye will speak frankly with me, my dear. I have some questions about my children that I would like to ask ye.”
“Lachlan and Freya?”
Puzzled, Sloane sat and reached for the cheese spread and bread.
Her stomach rumbled and reminded her that she hadn’t eaten much of her disgusting breakfast. After a small taste, she was relieved to find that no one had salted the bread or cheese.
Either they didn’t dare to mess with Maggie’s food or they didn’t realize that Sloane was dining with her.
“Aye. There has been tension between them since the agreement was made. Freya is a… strong woman, though I have no idea where she gets it from. She can be quite willful at times.”
Sloane smiled shyly. “I imagine that she gets it from her mother. From my short time here, ‘tis obvious that ye are a strong woman in yer own right.”
Maggie blushed and waved her hands dismissively.
“I must ask for yer help in easing the tension between them. Freya does not approve of Lachlan gambling her freedom and yers for an alliance. At the same time, Lachlan is giving Freya exactly what she wants, so they are at odds with each other. I doona want the unease to continue between them.”
“Freya wants to marry Brisbane,” Sloane said slowly. “She should be happy with Lachlan.”
“Aye, but my daughter is a stubborn woman and I am afraid of what she will do in retaliation. I fear that she will do something that she cannae take back.”
Sloane remembered what her father had said about Freya, although she had seen no evidence to support her father’s theories. Simply because the woman was strong and stubborn didn’t mean that she was a light skirt, but what would she do if she wanted to rebel?
“Perhaps it will be best if they just cultivate a friendship. Are ye sure that Freya has feelings for Gair?”
“Aye, my daughter is madly in love with him and I know that Brisbane feels the same, but neither wants to admit it. For one, Gair and Quinn were friends since they were lads, so Gair never wanted to see Freya like that. Not when she was Quinn’s favorite cousin and Lachlan’s sister, but my son is no fool.
He could see the relationship that was blooming between them even after that unfortunate incident with her previous fiancé. ”
“But she wants the relationship to progress naturally,” Sloane said thoughtfully.
“I can understand that. Simply because she is in love with Gair doesna mean that she wants to be forced into a marriage with him. What if she doesna know that he feels the same? What if she fears that love is not enough to make them happy? I am beginning to see that marriage can be fragile.”
Maggie cocked her head. “What do ye mean? Are things not going well with ye and Lachlan?”
“He is easily irritated with me,” Sloane muttered. “Honestly, I didna know that he would care what I did or where I went. I am used to certain freedoms.”
“Not being loved or cared for is not the same as freedom,” Maggie pointed out softly. “Lachlan has sworn to protect ye and he will uphold that no matter what. Part of that protection is making sure that ye were safe in these first few days.”
A strange cold swept through her. How much did Maggie know about her upbringing?
Did she know that Sloane was allowed to run wild in the deserted parts of the keep or that the only people who cared to make sure that she was fed and bathed were the servants?
Did she know that her father wouldn’t even look for her for weeks and only summon her when he thought she might have overheard something useful?
Abruptly, she stood. “Forgive me,” she whispered. “I doona feel well. I think I should go rest for an hour or two.”
“Sloane, my dear…” Maggie began, but Sloane didn’t stop. Hating the pity that she saw in the woman’s eyes, she fled and tried to keep from crying. She would not feel shame about how her father chose to raise her.
Mostly, she prayed that Maggie would never tell Lachlan what she suspected because Sloane couldn’t bear to see the same pity in his eyes as well.
“That was the most lackluster training session we have ever had,” Blaine commented as they walked from the armory. “Are ye feeling all right?”
Lachlan tried not to cringe. Today was the most relaxed day that he had ever had.
It was difficult to leave his bed, not just because of the warmth but also because it still smelled of his wife.
He desperately wanted her in his arms again so he could slide into her heat and listen to the sweet music of her whimpers and moans.
“Long night,” he said shortly.
Blaine shot him a knowing smile. “Marriage must suit ye,” he teased.
Rolling his eyes, Lachlan quickened his pace.
It was a fairly quiet day. So far, no emergencies had arisen and it appeared that Sloane hadn’t gotten into any trouble.
He knew that she’d enjoyed lunch with his mother and he hoped to learn from his mother what they had spoken about.
Despite knowing his wife’s body intimately, he still felt like he didn’t actually know her.
It was something that he wanted to remedy.
After entering the keep, he headed to his parents’ chambers. Instead of his mother, he found his father eyeing two trays of food rather suspiciously.
“Worried that they are poisoned?” Lachlan asked with a snort as he entered the open door. The idea of anyone poisoning his beloved parents was almost ludicrous.
“Son,” Calder greeted. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I was hoping to speak with Mother, but I see that she is not here.”
“No. I have not seen her since she had her meal with Sloane, although I do believe that there was a miscommunication of sorts.”
“A miscommunication?” Lachlan sat heavily in the chair by the fire and stretched his legs. He was starting to feel the fatigue of his late night. “What do ye mean?”
“The servants seemed to have thought that Maggie was meeting Sloane here for lunch. They brought up two trays and cautioned me that this one was made for Sloane to make up for her specific dietary needs.”
Lachlan frowned at his father. “Sloane doesna have any dietary needs.”
“Aye,” Calder nodded. “And I admit that I was curious, so I tasted the cheese.”
“And?”
“Tis salted.”
Remembering Sloane’s strange comment about food not being salty, he rose and walked over to the trays. Tasting the cheese himself, he screwed up his face and spat it out. “They will all be relieved of their duties immediately.”
“Lachlan?”
“‘Tis the reason she hasna been eating. The cooks have been salting her food to make it inedible. How could she not say something to me? This is shameful behavior and ‘tis happening right under my own nose! I willna tolerate this treatment of her. She is the mistress of the keep!”
In a fury, he turned to storm out of the room. Heads would roll for this, but before he could go anywhere, his father put a steadying hand on his arm.
“Lachlan, stop a moment and think. There must be a reason that yer wife didna tell ye of this.”
“Like what?” Lachlan snapped. “Like she didna believe I would help her?”
“Like she thought she should handle this on her own and I believe her to be right. The MacFarlanes expected Kenzy to be yer wife. They are not tolerating Sloane because she is an outsider and many blame Errol Fenton for Quinn’s death.
They cannae take their vengeance out against him, but they are taking it out on her.
To change that, she must earn their respect.
She willna do that if ye fight her battles for her.
The fact that Sloane didna say anything to ye about this speaks to her strength of character. ”
It was on the tip of his tongue to admit that he did not believe Sloane to be of strong character, but he quickly realized that his father was right.
His wife was constantly surprising him. He expected to be unsettled by this, but instead, he felt nothing but pride.
She wasn’t the meek little waif that he’d first encountered.
“She is an enigma. I know that her father has never disciplined her or prepared her for anything, but she isna wild or carefree. I want to ask her if she is happy, but I am not sure she even knows what that word means,” Lachlan sighed as he sat back down.
“She is a woman, but there are times when the look in her eyes is child-like wonder.”
“‘Tis a long time since Errol Fenton and I were alone, but if it were not for the fact that Maggie and his wife were friends, I doona think I would have ever learned that Sloane existed.” Calder pressed his lips in a thin line. “To think that he neglected his own child is deplorable.”
Lachlan shrugged. He didn’t like or trust Errol, but it was not uncommon for widowed men to let the women raise their children.
Although he didn’t like it, Lachlan couldn’t fault him for it.
The MacFarlanes had felt hardships and seen men going out of their mind with grief for their lost loved ones and incapable of raising children.
Idly, he wondered if he and Sloane would share that kind of affection. Several days ago, he would have said no, but things were changing. His wife was making an attempt to connect with him and that meant more to him than he thought possible.
“I want to know what else is happening to Sloane,” he said as he stood. “If ye see or hear anything, I want to be told immediately. I will let Sloane handle this, but if it becomes too much, I will step in.”
“All right.” Calder nodded his head. “Should I tell yer mother that ye were looking for her.”
Lachlan sighed. “No. ‘Tis fine.”
If he wanted to discover more about Sloane, he wanted to trust his wife to open up herself and tell him. He would not turn his mother into a spy.