“Aye, Mama.”
Feeling slightly relieved now, she went to the kitchen, where she found Bridie livid. “Lass, that witch cannae treat ye like this. She has no right to lay a hand on ye. The laird won’t stand for it, I tell ye.”
“Bridie, please, don’t give her a reason to target you, I couldn’t bear it. Let’s just keep her ire focused on me until the laird returns tomorrow.”
“Target me? Lass, what are ye talking about?”
“Bridie, Lady MacIan is like my uncle. I can protect myself, but if she thinks anyone here will stand up to her for me, she will retaliate against them to strike at me. Please ignore anything she says to me. I’m going to take some bread and cheese to my chamber and try to avoid her this evening.”
Bridie continued to steam, but said no more.
When Katherine returned to the great hall, Lady Eithne and Laird MacLennan were already seated at the laird’s table, with Eithne in Niall’s place. Katherine approached the table and Eithne spat, “I told you to dress appropriately and to remove that rag from your head. Do you defy me? You may wear a proper veil if you feel the need, but you won’t sit at my table looking like a common born Highlander.”
“Eithne,” Malcolm said in a disapproving tone.
Common? There was only one common born Highlander in this conversation and it wasn’t her. Katherine knew better than to react and take the bait. She had slipped earlier but she would not do it again. She took a deep breath and replied calmly, “I beg your pardon, Lady MacIan. It is not a question of defying you. I do not have more appropriate clothes than these. I only wish to inform you and Laird MacLennan that my husband has been detained and will not return to Duncurra until tomorrow. I do not wish to offend you any longer with my presence, so please excuse me.”
“Well, dear,” said Eithne, rising from the table, “if it is only a matter of you not having other clothes, I will be happy to loan you something. Come with me,” Eithne commanded, reaching forward and snatching the kertch off Katherine’s head, taking with it the last of Katherine’s self-control.
Katherine grabbed the kertch out of Eithne’s hand and said, “I am sorry, perhaps you misunderstood me. It isn’t that I don’t have other clothes. I consider these to be my most appropriate garments. Good night, my lady, Laird,” she said, giving a nod to each of them before turning to leave.
“Stop!” commanded Eithne. “What is that you have in your hand?”
Katherine looked down to see the bread and cheese crushed in her left hand and turned back to her saying, “It is bread and cheese, my lady.”
Eithne smirked, “I am sorry, perhaps you misunderstood me. When I said if you didn’t dress properly you would not eat, I didn’t mean just at this table.”
“As you wish, my lady,” Katherine said, shrugging. Resisting the urge to throw it at her, she put the food down on the nearest trestle table and, with supreme control, walked toward the east tower.
“Perhaps hunger will make you more agreeable in the morning,” Eithne called.
“I doubt it, my lady,” Katherine answered and ducked out the door.
~ * ~
Niall and his men had a successful raid. They stole a score of sheep. Niall decided to take a few extras rather than burning anything. When his men had secured the sheep well clear of the area, Niall pounded on the door of a farmer’s cottage. The old farmer looked terrified by the furious warrior, but Niall did not intend to harm him. He said, “I am Laird MacIan and I want ye to give your laird a message from me.”
“A—A—aye, Laird,” the old man stammered.
“Tell him to stay the hell off my land!” Niall roared.
Fourteen
“Stay off his land? What in the hell is he talking about?” Tadhg Matheson demanded furiously. He had barely finished breaking his fast when Hamish, one of his commanders, reported to him about the raid and MacIan’s message. “Was anyone harmed?” he asked.
“He scared the wits out of old Angus, but nothing else, Laird.”
“Hamish, I consider myself to be a reasonable man, wouldn’t ye agree?”
Hamish chuckled. “As reasonable as they come, Laird.”
“Last winter was a hard one, and ye know as well as I do Alastair MacIan had huge debts in Edinburgh, so when a few of my sheep walked away, did I grumble?”
“Now, Laird, would ye be asking me to lie?”
“Fine, I grumbled, but I didn’t retaliate. I wasn’t going to be the reason his clan starved.”
“Exceedingly generous, Laird.”
“Let’s not go straight to ‘generous,’ at least not where the MacIans are concerned. I’ll stick with ‘reasonable’,” Tadhg said dryly.