Page 60 of The Empire and the Wolf King

“If we’re here for much longer we’ll need to rent a wall that you can go pace on in the night.”

“Tis true, if I canna do that I will need tae offer my services tae the local night watch, or I will grow bored.”

He sipped from his tea, then put the cup down in the saucer. “I hae been thinkin’, mo reul-iuil.”

“While I dressed?”

“Aye, twas somethin’ ye said about the night on the deck after Ben’s birthday celebration, twas a verra good night. I made a good speech, Fraoch loved it — it comes tae me that the best chance we hae at a do-over is tae begin then.”

My eyes wide, I said, “That’s abigdo-over.”

“Tis before everythin’ bad happened, the Campbell family was at peace.”

“Here I was trying to think of small do-overs that wouldn’t affect anything much, an hour before you went to Kippen, the day before you went to Stirling, the afternoon before you went to Riaghalbane, and now you want to doeverythingover?”

“Aye, If we are goin’ tae do it we ought tae be bold.”

“The problem with that date is Lochinvar hasn’t even met Ash yet.”

He nodded. “Twould be a tragedy, but I hae done it before with Hayley, ye ken, I told her about Fraoch and sent her back. She had tae do-over. For Lochinvar twill be even easier, he likes Ash, he wants tae meet her, he will ask us tae meet her and it will be redone.”

I sipped my tea and then bit a toast point. “Sounds easy enough. How do we set the do-over in motion?” I chewed, thinking, then swallowed. How about this... we could get a message to ourselves right before that, ‘don’t go to the Palace,’ and instead, ‘Go to war with Asgall instead andthengo to the Palace and introduce Lochinvar to Ash,’ That might do it.”

“Aye, it might work.”

“But how would we get a message to ourselves? We were all there.”

“Except Lady Mairead, once again an entire plan hinges upon m’mother.”

I chuckled. “Well, at least we have a plan.”

Having finished my breakfast, I pushed the plate aside. “Thank you for this, Magnus, it gives me hope. I needed that. Unleash the do-over shenanigans!”

He smiled. “I thought ye would like it, now we just need tae get rescued so we can set our plan in motion.”

I said, “And until then we go shopping?”

We walked through the crowds on the busy thoroughfare with my arm wrapped around my husband’s elbow, my skirts flowing around my ankles. The road was cobblestone, the shops in orderly rows. It was warm out and sweltering in my layers, but the bonnet gave my face some shade.

A wealthy woman walked by in a dress of luxurious brocade. I turned to watch her pass and whispered, “Can we afford something like that?”

He had a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek. “Of course, mo reul-iuil, we need tae look like American royalty. Tis imperative. Especially if we get called tae speak tae Washington.”

“Good point, I need to look fabulous. We also need something new for you, too.”

“For me? Nae one cares what an auld husband looks like.”

“I saw how that woman admired you as she walked by, even in our poor farm clothes she suspected you were a king.”

“The royal seeps out in m’sweat.” He pretended to sniff his armpits. “Och nae, we are verra royal on this day.”

“Is that the royal we?”

“Aye, I am includin’ m’bonny wife, she is resplendent with royal aroma.”

I laughed and joked, “Och nae, and I bathed with the little washrag in the pitcher of water in the room. Lord knows whythatwouldn’t be good enough in high eighty degrees.”

We came to the shop and Magnus walked me in. There were two other women shopping and the tailor sitting on a stool behind a counter. The walls were covered in ribbons and laces. Shelves held baskets of buttons and bolts of fabric. There were a few fine dresses ‘on the rack’ and some undergarments and aprons ready-made for sale.

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