“Are ye crying?”
“By all that is holy, Niall,” her voice cracked, “even Tomas knows I don’t like to be seen crying. Can’t you please, just this once, please let me be?” He was out of bed instantly. When he scooped her into his arms, she could no longer hold back the sobs.
“Wheesht, lass. Why are ye crying?”
She sobbed, “B—be—because—y—you’re an idiot.”
“What did ye say?” he asked, astonished.
“I said—I’m crying—because you’re an idiot.”
“That’s what I thought ye said.” He said nothing more, but held her while she cried. When her tears finally subsided, he asked, “Do ye want to tell me why I’m an idiot now?”
“Niall, after you saw how badly Uncle Ambrose beat me, you made me promise never to hide anything from you. Then, that day in the glen, you said you would try not to assume the worst, but you have. The one time I needed you, I needed to talk to you and tell you something, you wouldn’t listen. You ordered me to stop.”
“Is this about the day my mother arrived?”
“Idiot,” she said under her breath.
“Aye, that’s been established,” he said dryly, “and ye are right. Ye made me a promise and I made one to ye. I did warn ye it might take a few tries before I got the knack of it. Sweetling, I am sorry. I was tired and angry and I should have listened to you. Will ye tell me now?”
“Why bother?”
He tilted her chin up to look at her and said, “Because I asked you to.”
Katherine shook her head in frustration, but launched into the whole story. She started with Eithne’s chastisement for addressing her as “Lady Eithne.” When she reached the point where Eithne scolded her for not having a bath prepared, Niall said reasonably, “But she hadn’t asked for one.”
“She called me simple-minded when I made that observation. That is when she told me to remove the rag from my head. I said I understood she was a Highlander and I knew she would appreciate why I didn’t want to remove my kertch, and she slapped me. After that I was rude, and I should not have been, but—”
“She struck ye?” Niall’s eyes grew dark.
“Aye but—”
“She struck my wife in the face? In front of clansmen?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. That’s why I hid Tomas. Why wouldn’t you listen? I swear I tried to keep the peace. I—” she couldn’t hold back a sob.
“Wheesht,” he said, carrying her back to bed. When the new wave of tears had quieted, he said, “Katherine, ye are right. I am an idiot.”
The next morning when they rose, Katherine started to put on a kirtle and Niall shook his head, “Nay, Katherine, I was wrong.” He handed her a léine and an airisaidh. “She was Lady MacIan, but I am laird now, and ye are my wife, the lady of this castle. He retrieved her kertch, and giving it to her he said, “In the future, I won’t let anyone forget that.”
“This isn’t going to be pretty,” Katherine said, tying her kertch on.
When they descended to the great hall, Eithne sat at the laird’s table. “What’s the meaning of this?” she spat when she saw Katherine’s attire.
Niall answered, “Lady Eithne, there has been a mistake. Ye were my father’s wife and ye are Lady MacIan.” She smiled smugly. “However,” Niall continued, “I am laird here now. Ye chose to leave this keep more than twelve years ago, and during that time ye managed to impoverish this clan.” Eithne opened her mouth to protest, but Niall put his hand up to silence her.
“Ye have given up the right to any authority at Duncurra. Ye are welcome to live here, or in Edinburgh, or anywhere else ye choose, on the allowance ye have been given, but Katherine is the lady of Duncurra. Ye will show her the respect she deserves as my wife, and which she has earned by caring for this clan.” Eithne appeared to burn with fury, but before she said anything, Niall added, “One more thing, Lady MacIan, if ye ever strike my wife again, I will banish ye.”
Eithne stomped off to her chamber and did not emerge for the rest of the day.
Under Bridie’s strenuous objection, Katherine did have the evening meal sent up.
Once again Duncurra ran smoothly, but with Eithne in residence, things were not always pleasant. Katherine continued to find herself in the role of protector as she had been at Cotharach. Although she had the authority to prevent some of Eithne’s punitive behavior, she had no power to curb her acid tongue. Eithne continued to be an irritant to everyone who lived or worked at Duncurra, and the comfortable rhythm existing before her arrival was shattered.