Page 84 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
Magnus sighed, tempted to stay slumped in his chair and send his man-at-arms away. But he really did need to catch up on the latest goings-on in the castle.
After dinner, Magnus had stolen away to his study to continue working a bit longer. There had been little time between when he and Ciara had arrived home and when he was due for dinner.
Their trip back had been delayed by the injured duck, but he found he couldn’t regret that extra time with his wife, regardless of what they were doing.
He smiled a little to himself, thinking of her face when he’d first told her his plan to feed the birds over the next fortnight. His wife was not the most outdoorsy person he’d ever met, but he was happy to stay inside with her as much as she wished.
Thinking about their dinner together made him smile wider. He could see just how well Ciara was getting along with Elspeth and Olivia, and it filled him with joy that she would have a family here.
Now, though, Magnus was settling in to work through all of the problems they left behind. None of them had disappeared while they’d been gone, unfortunately. Despite a successful trip to the village, they were no closer to discovering who had left that note in his study on the night of their wedding.
The most likely suspects were still the members of his council. Ewan had been running things for the last day, so hopefully there had been some progress on that front.
Doubtful.
“Come in,” Magnus called out.
Ewan quickly opened the door and stepped into the room. “I have some updates for ye,” he said, getting right to the point, as he always did.
Normally, Magnus would tell him to proceed and dismiss any pleasantries, but his time with Ciara had him reconsidering they way he interacted with people. She made him realize that there could be more than just the serious, no-nonsense way in which he dealt with those around him. He barely knew his man-at-arms, and it seemed past time to change that.
“How are ye doin’?” he asked tentatively.
The words sounded forced even to him, but when his man-at-arms reared back in confusion, he cursed himself for even trying this.
“Aye, good, Me Laird…” Ewan replied stiffly.
What a nightmare.
“Right… well, the updates,” Magnus prompted, putting both of them out of their misery. He could try again another day.
Thankfully, Ewan jumped into updates about their plans for the village, the clan’s borders, and the castle itself.
“Any leads on the threat?” Magnus interrupted.
“Nay…” Ewan trailed off. His mouth opened and closed, as if he was hesitant to continue.
“If ye have somethin’ else to add, say it,” Magnus bit out, ready to end this meeting and go see his wife.
So much for pleasantries.
But he wasn’t going to change all his habits overnight.
“I ken that Ciara has been… scared lately. Might it be a good idea for her to return to her faither’s castle for a little while? Just until the threat has passed…”
Ciarais…scared?
The Laird must have pulled a face because Ewan was looking increasingly uncomfortable, the furrow between his eyebrows deepening.
“I just mean… I’ve seen her…” Ewan stammered.
“Spit it out,” Magnus ordered.
His mind raced with the possibilities. Had he been so wrong about everything? Ciara seemed to be settling in here… with him. But maybe he was missing something and only seeing what hewantedto see.
Ewan’s words put a different lens over all of his interactions with Ciara.
“I think it would be a good idea for Ciara to be with her family for a bit while we figure this out,” Ewan replied, more firmly.
