“Dismissed? I've never been dismissed by any woman,” Colin replied, becoming genuinely irritated now. “The woman has a bairn to look after.”
“Bairn?” Alec laughed, moving a safe distance away. “Everyone saw that you weren't able to hold this woman's attention through dinner.”
“Hmmph,” Colin scowled, not wanting to let Alec know just how much he really had been disappointed at the sudden retreat of Lady Caithness. Last night he'd caught her looking at him. She was attracted to him, no question about it. It was in her eyes, her manner. But then, unaccountably, she had run.
“Well, because of your rudeness at dinner last night, I had ample opportunity to talk to Edmund about his niece.” Alec smiled, realizing he now had Colin's full attention.
“I wonder,” he continued, “if she'd be interested in teaching me to sail today. Spring has really come early this year. You wouldn't mind if we used one of your small boats, would you?”
“If there were a chance of just you drowning yourself, I wouldn't mind at all,” Colin answered. “But it is the lady's safety I'm concerned about. What would this woman know about sailing?”
“As Edmund tells it, she was sailing before she was walking.”
“This is sounding better and better. She'll really be impressed when you throw up on her.”
“As a matter of fact, Lord Campbell, sailor extraordinaire, her uncle says she even has a remedy for seasickness that she learned in the Far East.”
“Far East? Hmm, this woman has a considerable range of experiences,” Colin mused, thinking back over the very intelligent questions she'd asked over dinner about the village and his plans. “What else did you find out about her?”
“I'll tell you what,” Alec responded. “Tonight at dinner I'll sit next to Lady Caithness. That way you and Edmund can talk about her all night.”
“I do not think so. But thank you for volunteering.”
“Well, then, how about volunteering one of your boats for the day?”
“Alec,” Colin responded, pausing a moment, giving the request the grave consideration it deserved. “Only because you're my oldest friend, my clan's ally, and my guest, I have to say...no!”
There is no way in hell, Colin thought, that I'm going to let these two out on a boat without me. Whether she would go or not was hardly the question. After all, Alec has good looks and a charming way with women, and she apparently has her own reputation in that area. If anyone's going sailing with her, it is going to be me.
A few minutes later the two warriors entered the South Hall still arguing over the loan of the boat.
At the table Lord Hugh and Agnes were engaged in their own argument—over the appropriateness of hunting during the period before Easter. This was an annual discussion, and one that Agnes always lost, but not without making her position clearly known.
“I'm telling you, Hugh Campbell, it's wasteful to hunt meat during the one short period of the year when you cannot eat it.”
“Agnes, every year you tell me this, and every year you preserve the meat.”
“We have enough meat to feed the entire Western Isles for a year,” Agnes responded stubbornly.
“Then, I'm telling you, woman, we're going for the sport, for the exercise. Not that I need it, but the horses do. We're not going to slaughter every red deer and partridge on the island, you know.”
Agnes was unconvinced. Every year when the winter weather broke on the coast, Lord Hugh would plan his infamous hunt. Every year the dogs would get more meat than they were worth. There were skins taken and meat smoked, but there was no need for it. Period.
“Besides,” Hugh continued with a sparkle in his eyes, “Lady Caithness is sure to join in, given the amount of hunting that the king liked to do at court. This would be a great opportunity for her to get to know our island. To get to know our family a wee bit better.”
Agnes's objection vanished immediately, for at that exact moment Colin came up from behind and put his arms around her. Aye, this year hunting might produce something valuable, after all. Colin and Celia certainly looked enchanted with each other last night. Perhaps an opportunity to spend a full day together would move things along even quicker.
“Agnes,” Colin put in, smiling down at her. “Fighting that same battle again this year?”
“Not at all, dear!” Agnes replied. “I think hunting is a wonderful idea this year. The weather is most agreeable, and the ground has dried out remarkably in the past week. Why, we're discussing how soon you can all go.”
Hugh's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he listened.
“When would be a good day for you, Colin? We need to go soon, while everyone is being so agreeable,” Hugh said, recovering quickly.
“I still have a few things to do,” Colin said. “How about next week.”
“That's settled, then,” Hugh stated emphatically, rubbing his hands briskly together. “Then Alec, you and I have a lot of work to do. We're just finishing up getting two new Welsh falcons ready out in the mews. They came in with the shipment from France a few weeks back, and they look like beautiful birds.”
“Wonderful,” Alec said happily. “I believe I enjoy watching those birds move better than the kill itself. I'd be happy to help out for the next few days...especially since I will not be doing any sailing.” As he said the last words, Alec sent a wry look Colin's way.
Alec was well known for his abilities with falcons. Hugh knew that a tercel trained by Alec was often better than the finest Welsh falcon. Besides, Hugh thought, smiling at his own cleverness, it would be good to keep Alec busy.
“Good. And I'll tell Edmund and Lady Caithness when they get back from the village,” the laird said.
“Village?” Colin said, surprised. “What are they doing in the village?”
“Sir Edmund has been going there every morning since they arrived,” Agnes replied. “But I've no idea why he goes.”
“I do,” Lord Hugh added. “He's waiting for a priest who was traveling with them. He needed to go up to the abbey near Argyll's castle for some reason. Edmund says that when he returns, which should be any day now, they'll be on their way.”
“Nay! We have to convince them to stay until Easter,” Agnes said with dismay. “There's no reason for them to be on the road during Lent.”
We need more time, Agnes thought.
We do need to keep them here, Lord Hugh thought. We need more time.
What's her hurry? Colin thought. Why should she be pressed for time?
“Aye, two more weeks here would certainly be good for her bairn,” Agnes continued. “And going through the Highlands, they'll still be facing some bad weather.”
Even though Colin was quite irritated at the thought of Lady Caithness running off, he couldn't help but smile at Agnes's contradictory use of the spring weather in her arguments.
“Well,” Lord Hugh said. “We should be able to convince her to stay till Easter...for the bairn's sake, anyway.”
“Colin,” Agnes said sweetly, turning the discussion, but only slightly. “Have you seen her son yet? He is the most handsome little tiger. He was out with her this morning, in fact, poking at your dog's eyes and pulling his ears. I've never seen Bear so docile and patient. They say dogs are very good judges of character.”
Colin and the rest burst out laughing at Agnes's innocent expression. To be any more subtle in her matchmaking, she'd need to hit him over the head with a stick. And this was so different from Agnes, who in the past had found reasons to disapprove of any potential match for him.
“Did Lady Caithness take this marvelous bairn with her to the village?” Colin asked, smiling.
“Nay,” Agnes replied. “Ellen has the child in their rooms.”
“I believe that Edmund was going to show her the village,” his father added. “Something you said last night caught her interest.”
“Oh, Colin,” Agnes said. “You should be showing her your projects.”
“Definitely,” Alec added with a smirk. “In fact, if you get going right now, Agnes will pack your breakfast.”
“Alec Macpherson!” Agnes scolded. “I'm sure I do not know what you're talking about.”
As the words were leaving her mouth, Agnes had Colin by the arm, turned him toward the door, and shoved him on his way.
Colin smiled at the roar of laughter that followed him out of the hall.
Agnes did, indeed, have oat bannock cakes, smoked salmon, and a jug of ale ready for him when he left the castle.
By the time Colin and his dog completed the short walk to the village, the sun was well up in the sky, and the good weather had brought the inhabitants out into the open air. Winters were wet, windswept, and bitterly cold in the Isles, and when the opportunity presented itself, his people came out of their stone houses en masse.
As he walked down the slope of the stone paved main street, Colin thought with pride that there were only a handful of towns outside of Edinburgh that had even the main street paved. Colin, in laying out the new plan for the town two years earlier, had insisted that even the narrow side streets be paved and sloped to accommodate waste and water drainage. As a result, the village would be even cleaner than the capital. That is, if Edinburgh ever rises out of the charred timber and ash that the English left.