Ilysa knew they had forgotten her completely and was grateful for it. Connor's apparent celibacy since becoming chieftain had been the subject of a good deal of speculation and gossip. The men of the castle seemed almost as amazed by the chieftain's failure to take any lass to his bed as the women were disappointed.
The distance to the door suddenly seemed too far. As soon as Ilysa could trust herself to walk, she forced herself to get to her feet. She crossed the floor with her head down and bit her lip hard to keep from weeping.
* * *
Connor let them have their laugh though he had little humor for this particular subject. He took a long drink of his whiskey. By the saints, he needed a woman.
His father and grandfather were great warriors, but the strife they caused with all their women had weakened the clan. His grandfather's six sons by six different women had all hated each other. After the murder and mayhem among them, only two remained alive. Connor's own father's philandering had caused another round of turmoil.
Connor was determined not to follow in their footsteps in that respect. During his years in France and before, he had taken pleasure in the company of women, as young warriors will. But when he returned to find his father and brother dead, everything changed. He could never again do as he pleased. As chieftain, his every decision had consequences for the clan.
He could afford no missteps. Connor's half uncle, who was called Hugh Dubh, Black Hugh, for his black heart, had nearly destroyed the clan before Connor took the chieftainship from him. Thanks to the help of the three men sitting with Connor now, the clan had recovered much of its strength. Relying on their swords and their wits, they had taken control of the clan's castles and secured most of their lands. All that remained was to reclaim the Trotternish Peninsula.
Connor would not destroy all he had built by leaving a legacy of strife and sorrow as his father and grandfather had done. He was determined to wed only once, provided he was not widowed, and to have no children except with his wife.
"This decision of who I marry is vital to the clan's future," Connor said when he grew tired of his friends' jests about his celibacy. "We must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each possible alliance."
"The best match would be a daughter of the MacLeod chieftain," Ian said. "Remember, the oldest method of subduing an enemy is through the marriage bond."
"And it has the distinct advantage of requiring the sacrifice of only one man," Alex said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Alastair MacLeod will never agree to settle matters between our clans without blood," Connor said. "Besides, his daughters are too young."
"The MacLeod waited even longer than you to wed," Ian said. "Ach, he must have been well over forty."
That was unusual, indeed. The attempt on Connor's life had been a harsh reminder of his duty to produce heirs and made him decide he could wait no longer to wed. In the violent world they lived in, it was important for a chieftain to have many children, both to be assured of an heir and to have children to make marriage alliances for the clan. In fact, it was common for chieftains to "put aside" wives who could not bear children - or who could no longer do so. Connor's father and grandfather had not bothered using that excuse.
"There are plenty of other chieftains with marriageable daughters," Ian said. "The upcoming gathering is the perfect opportunity."
So many chieftains and their sons had died in the Battle of Flodden that there was an abundance of chieftains' daughters in need of highborn husbands. Connor had avoided gatherings up until now for that very reason. But the time was ripe, and the chieftains would all be at this gathering, except for the few who were still in the rebellion. The Campbell chieftain, as the king's Lieutenant of the Isles, had summoned them to re-pledge their loyalty.
"No matter which chieftain's daughter I wed, I risk offending half a dozen other chieftains." Connor rubbed his forehead. If he had five or six siblings, he could spread alliances out like the Campbells did, marrying into clans all across the Western Isles.
"Shaggy Maclean said he'd make a gift of that sweet galley we stole from him if ye wed one of his daughters," Ian said, stifling a smile.