Relic - Jaid Black Page 0,36
woman who very much wanted to put a dagger in his good knee. “I see. So in other words, nobody is pledged to me. Never mind that all of you put your swords in the ground and swore fealty to me. I guess that was a lie?”
“Nay,” Alistair assured her, “We pledged to protect you with our lives and so we do.”
“Ohhhh you’re a sharp one,” she laughed without humor. “Et tu, Alistair?”
Angus held up a palm. “’Tis me you are vexed with, lady wife.”
“No shit.”
He frowned. “But you canna be angry at my men for doing naught but following their laird’s orders.”
“No?” Octavia said. She marched toward the heavy double doors. “Well watch me!”
Angus grimaced as the doors swung shut behind her. He looked at his men and frowned. “I dinna think that went too well.”
“She hates me,” James muttered, unblinking. “Hates me.”
“We are all dead men walking,” Niall agreed. “Bugger it all, I’ll be dodging daggers for the whole of my days.”
“I do believe she’s even angry with me,” Dr. Kincaid muttered. He frowned at James. “Thanks to you.”
“Well she likes me,” Colban said, blinking, which Angus understood to mean he was well humored. “I was the mon who kenned she knows what she is aboot.”
“Oh shut up!” the men said in unison.
Octavia did her level best to ignore her husband throughout supper no matter how purposely irritating he became. She ignored all of his most trusted men too for that matter, minus Colban. With Colban, she went out of her way to make chitchat even though the man seemed most ill at ease with both chitting and chatting. A man of few words, she supposed it would take time for him to grow accustomed to dinner talk.
“This apple tart is quite tasty, is it not, Colban?”
“Uh… aye.”
“Would you care for another?”
“Uh… aye.”
“Did you hear that, Millicent?” Octavia said to the serving girl behind her. “Sir Colban wishes for another of your mother’s delicious apple tarts.”
Octavia could practically hear Angus rolling his eyes at her. “I’ll take another as well, wife,” her great big dumb idiot of a husband said. “And Colban is not a knight.”
“Colban,” Octavia asked, “am I allowed by the rules to strip James of his knighthood and give it to you instead?”
“Oh come on!” James rallied. “I said I’m sorry!”
“Uh… I dinna ken.” Colban’s face flushed. “Mayhap you should ask our laird.”
“Nay,” Angus grumbled, immediately shutting down the conversation. “Mayhap she should ask me something less crazed.”
Octavia’s lips pinched together, but she quickly rebounded. “Isn’t this a lovely dress, Colban? Lady Iohanna gave it to me.”
“Uh… aye.”
“Oh for the love of the saints!” Angus swore. “I’m to believe you wouldst rather discuss ladies’ fashions with Colban than the next hunt with me?”
“Colban, please inform your laird that no hunts will be happening without my presence.”
“Laird, your lady wife said—”
“I’m not deaf, Colban! And stop blinking at me!”
“Imagine that,” Octavia muttered to no one and everyone. “A man can’t even blink around Laird Know-It-All.”
She mentally conceded that Colban was blinking a bit too much, but she’d never say so aloud. She chalked it up to a nervous tic.
“Wife,” Angus bit out with more patience than she knew he was feeling, “I wouldst speak to you alone now.”
“Colban, tell my—oohhh!” Octavia’s nostrils flared as Angus plucked her from her chair in the great hall and proceeded to carry her upstairs to their bedroom. “How dare you!” she bit out under her breath. “I wasn’t even close to being finished with supper.”
“You are finished now.”
“I’m still hungry!” she said desperately.
“Then the servants shall bring up a tray for you.”
Angus allowed the servants to finish lighting the candles in the bedchamber afore turning to Octavia. He waited for the door to close soundly behind the last of them. “Dinna gainsay me again in front of my men, wife.” He was furious with her and permitted her to see so. “I canna have that.”
“Do you expect me to feel contrition?”
“Aye. Aye, I do!”
“You’ll be waiting forever for it then.”
He ran a hand over his jawline. “What is this aboot, Octavia? I have apologized. I have made a vow to you never to mislead you again.”
“You mislead me in your damn apology about not misleading me!”
“Nay, I dinna. I vowed to never lie to you again and I willna.”
Her green eyes narrowed. “You know good and damn well I thought you were promising not to hunt without me again. Then what happens this morning? I overhear that traitor James talking