to tripping over her own feet.
After a moment, Lachlan said, ‘Besides, I do no’ think Meghan will thank me if I allow ye to spend all your time looking after the bairns. I ken she is looking forward to having ye near on this journey, for she says your studies have already been too hurly-burly.’
‘Well, that’s true!’ Isabeau laughed at him. ‘What wi’ being on the Spine o’ the World and then chasing your laddiekin all over the Muir Finn, it’s a wonder I’ve won any rings at all.’
‘I ken and I’m sorry,’ Lachlan said rather awkwardly.
Isabeau regarded him sceptically. ‘Sorry for what? That my studies have been a wee bit haphazard? Och, that was no’ your fault, though o’ course I’m glad to blame ye if ye want!’
Lachlan flushed, opening his mouth angrily, then shut it with an exasperated glance at her. ‘Here I am trying to be nice to ye and all ye do is provoke me!’
‘Och, I’m sorry,’ Isabeau said sweetly. ‘It’s just I’m no’ used to ye trying to be nice.’
Lachlan swung round, his wings opening a little, his flush deepening. ‘Isabeau!’
‘Aye?’
He glared at her for a moment, then reluctantly laughed. ‘True enough, I suppose, and for that I’m sorry too. I’ll try harder.’
‘It must be hard,’ Isabeau said sympathetically. He looked at her suspiciously and she grinned at him, saying, ‘Being nice, I mean. It’s so alien to your nature.’
As he struggled between anger and laughter, she skipped away down the hall, Olwynne and Owein both hanging off her hands, Buba fluttering from chair back to balustrade. Halfway up the stairs she turned back and called, ‘And o’ course, I’m such a difficult person to be nice to.’
He laughed despite himself, and she smiled at him, before turning away to help the twins once more.
Elfrida was waiting for her on the landing above, saying, ‘I thought I’d give ye a room close to the babes, Isabeau, for I ken they would fain have ye near.’
‘Thank ye, that was thoughtful,’ Isabeau answered, looking about her with great interest as Elfrida led theway up the stairs. The palace was very richly furnished with finely woven carpets and tapestries, many very large paintings in ornate frames, and bowls and vases of the finest porcelain. The device of the flowering thistle was everywhere—engraved on doors, set in mosaic on the floor, embroidered on velvet cushions, and worn on the breast of every one of the hundreds of servants that moved soundlessly through the corridors. It was even set at regular intervals in the gilded balustrade of the grand staircase.
‘It is very nice to be home again,’ Elfrida said. ‘It is odd, even though I lived in Tìrsoilleir all my life and am now its banprionnsa, I still think o’ Arran as being home.’ She smiled at Isabeau shyly. ‘It was the first place I was happy, I suppose.’
‘Ye were raised in the Black Tower, though, were ye no’?’ Isabeau asked. ‘I imagine that was no’ a happy place.’
‘Nay, no’ a happy place at all. Happiness was no’ an objective o’ the Tìrsoilleirean. I was whipped across the hand if I was ever caught smiling, and dare no’ think what punishment I would have been given for laughing.’
‘How horrible!’
‘It was no’ pleasant, particularly when I was naught but a bairn myself.’
They came into a big sunny playroom that was filled with every imaginable toy a six-year-old boy could want. There was a miniature castle complete with a moving drawbridge and tin soldiers dressed in the Arran livery; there were balls and building blocks and a chest of clothesfor dress-ups and a rocking horse as large as Cuckoo’s own pony. The children all ran forward with cries of delight and were soon busy playing, as Elfrida showed Isabeau where they would all sleep. Cots had been set up for the twins in an antechamber to the room that Donncan would share with Neil, while Bronwen had been given a room across the hall, right next to
After a moment, Lachlan said, ‘Besides, I do no’ think Meghan will thank me if I allow ye to spend all your time looking after the bairns. I ken she is looking forward to having ye near on this journey, for she says your studies have already been too hurly-burly.’
‘Well, that’s true!’ Isabeau laughed at him. ‘What wi’ being on the Spine o’ the World and then chasing your laddiekin all over the Muir Finn, it’s a wonder I’ve won any rings at all.’
‘I ken and I’m sorry,’ Lachlan said rather awkwardly.
Isabeau regarded him sceptically. ‘Sorry for what? That my studies have been a wee bit haphazard? Och, that was no’ your fault, though o’ course I’m glad to blame ye if ye want!’
Lachlan flushed, opening his mouth angrily, then shut it with an exasperated glance at her. ‘Here I am trying to be nice to ye and all ye do is provoke me!’
‘Och, I’m sorry,’ Isabeau said sweetly. ‘It’s just I’m no’ used to ye trying to be nice.’
Lachlan swung round, his wings opening a little, his flush deepening. ‘Isabeau!’
‘Aye?’
He glared at her for a moment, then reluctantly laughed. ‘True enough, I suppose, and for that I’m sorry too. I’ll try harder.’
‘It must be hard,’ Isabeau said sympathetically. He looked at her suspiciously and she grinned at him, saying, ‘Being nice, I mean. It’s so alien to your nature.’
As he struggled between anger and laughter, she skipped away down the hall, Olwynne and Owein both hanging off her hands, Buba fluttering from chair back to balustrade. Halfway up the stairs she turned back and called, ‘And o’ course, I’m such a difficult person to be nice to.’
He laughed despite himself, and she smiled at him, before turning away to help the twins once more.
Elfrida was waiting for her on the landing above, saying, ‘I thought I’d give ye a room close to the babes, Isabeau, for I ken they would fain have ye near.’
‘Thank ye, that was thoughtful,’ Isabeau answered, looking about her with great interest as Elfrida led theway up the stairs. The palace was very richly furnished with finely woven carpets and tapestries, many very large paintings in ornate frames, and bowls and vases of the finest porcelain. The device of the flowering thistle was everywhere—engraved on doors, set in mosaic on the floor, embroidered on velvet cushions, and worn on the breast of every one of the hundreds of servants that moved soundlessly through the corridors. It was even set at regular intervals in the gilded balustrade of the grand staircase.
‘It is very nice to be home again,’ Elfrida said. ‘It is odd, even though I lived in Tìrsoilleir all my life and am now its banprionnsa, I still think o’ Arran as being home.’ She smiled at Isabeau shyly. ‘It was the first place I was happy, I suppose.’
‘Ye were raised in the Black Tower, though, were ye no’?’ Isabeau asked. ‘I imagine that was no’ a happy place.’
‘Nay, no’ a happy place at all. Happiness was no’ an objective o’ the Tìrsoilleirean. I was whipped across the hand if I was ever caught smiling, and dare no’ think what punishment I would have been given for laughing.’
‘How horrible!’
‘It was no’ pleasant, particularly when I was naught but a bairn myself.’
They came into a big sunny playroom that was filled with every imaginable toy a six-year-old boy could want. There was a miniature castle complete with a moving drawbridge and tin soldiers dressed in the Arran livery; there were balls and building blocks and a chest of clothesfor dress-ups and a rocking horse as large as Cuckoo’s own pony. The children all ran forward with cries of delight and were soon busy playing, as Elfrida showed Isabeau where they would all sleep. Cots had been set up for the twins in an antechamber to the room that Donncan would share with Neil, while Bronwen had been given a room across the hall, right next to
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