Page 73 of The Highlander's Virgin Widow
Stella nodded and gently escorted her out of her room. They walked down the passageway, and Keira couldn’t help but study the tapestries she had asked to be put up. Her servants did too good of a job because they were everywhere, and if she was being just a little frank with herself, some desolate part of her couldn’t help but feel frustrated by them.
“The tapestries. Do ye think they are a little too much?”
Stella raised her head, studying them as well as they approached the dining hall. The smell of venison and cheese drifted to them, and Keira could tell before she even saw the table that it was going to be an elaborate spread.
“I…” Stella trailed off.
“Ye can be honest.”
“I dinnae ken. Perhaps ‘tis a little?—”
“Aye,” Keira muttered. “’Tis a lot, and I agree.”
The remainder of the walk was spent in total silence, and they moved on stealthy feet. Soon, they got to the dining hall.
Keira’s eyes immediately landed on Shona and Tommy, who were both seated on one side of the table, their gazes sharp as they looked at the entrance. She plastered a smile on her face and approached the table, ready to do whatever it took to get through this dinner—and as soon as possible.
“Glad ye could join us,” Shona offered, a smile playing on her lips as well.
Keira’s eyes darted to Tommy, who had the most curious expression on his face as he briefly studied her dress.
“Please. The pleasure is completely mine,” she responded, the humility in her voice quite surprising even to her.
Soon, they were all properly settled before the spread on the table. The one Keira had been right about. There was a giant plate of venison accompanied by lettuce on the side. The other plates were laden with cheese, butter, and wild berries. A giant jug of ale took up a rather significant space on the wooden surface as well.
“Shall we?” Keira prompted.
Shona responded with a smile as the maids began to serve the food.
“I havenae had a good meal in quite a long time, if I’m being honest with ye,” she admitted. “Ever since our castle burned, we had to manage with a few of the meals we could get back at the village. Now, me braither did his best, ye ken, but sometimes…”
“I understand what ye mean.” Keira nodded her head. “One of the things ye never notice but miss is always the food. When I travel across the land to discuss clan matters, I feel the same as well.”
“Ye used to travel?” Tommy’s curious voice rang out from beside his mother.
Keira shifted her gaze to him, briefly appreciating the slight wonder on his face. “Aye. Quite a lot, I will tell ye. There is a lot of the world out there that we dinnae ken.”
“I would love to travel, too. Ride out of Scotland and see what else is out there, apart from mountains and grass.”
Keira laughed and noticed Shona doing the same. “I am certain once ye’re old enough to take care of yerself, ye can do whatever ye want.”
“Aye,” he responded, his voice still thick with curiosity as he tapped his fork against his plate. “I shall be able to travel the world like me faither someday.”
Keira wanted to give another encouraging response, but she noticed almost immediately the slight change in Shona’s demeanor. One that seemed to have occurred the instant Tommy mentioned his father. She didn’t know whether to probe further, but she decided to keep quiet anyway.
She returned to her food and continued to eat. The tension in the air grew so thick that she could cut it with a butter knife if she tried well enough. She swallowed.
“His faither was a soldier,” Shona started.
Keira felt a long breath escape her lips. For the briefest of minutes, she was beginning to enjoy her talk with them, and itwould have frustrated her greatly if the mention of Shona’s dead husband ruined it.
“He was the former Laird of Clan Kincaid,” Shona continued anyway, oblivious to Keira’s thoughts. “He was a brave man. He was never the kind to send his men into war and then wait for them to return while sitting in his chair. Nay, he would follow. He was always on the front lines, and he fought like his life depended on it. Because it truly did. It was one of the traits I greatly admired in him. His courage. His bravery. His ability to finish a whole turkey in one sitting came second.”
Keira laughed. There was something inane about the way Shona spoke about her late husband with such admiration and love. She could see the twinkle in her honey-brown eyes, no matter how dull they still looked.
Shona loved her husband, that much was quite obvious.
“Ye ken, a part of me had always feared that his bravery might very much kill him someday. This was something he kenned very well, too. We talked about it several times at great lengths. I remember when I had him in me belly…” she trailed off, gesturing toward Tommy, who continued to eat his food with almost little to no regard. “He was in the middle of a war then. One that lasted way longer than it should have. I’m talkingyears, Lady Blythe.”
