Page 164 of Moon Craving

Not at all.

"What's got Niall in a more foul mood than usual?" Earc asked. "Even with a

hangover, he isn't usually such a bastard."

Barr glared at the warrior.

"That is, I mean . . ." Earc stumbled over his words most uncharacteristically.

Barr looked at Abigail's hand still resting on Guaire's. "I believe you will find the

reason for my brother's anger in something other than the tail end of a whiskey cask."

Abigail dropped her hand, still not really understanding what had Niall so upset.

She thought it was discovering her secret, but now Barr implied Niall was jealous maybe?

Of what? Her friendship with Guaire? That made no sense.

He was not so petty.

Without further elucidation, Barr led the horse toward the stables.

Guaire watched the other man's progress for several seconds before shaking his

head and sighing. He turned to Abigail. "Are you ready to return to the keep?"

"I don't think you can call that stone castle a keep," she said, renewing an

argument they'd had when she first arrived.

"But castles are taxed, my lady."

"Then by all means, lead me to the keep."

They made it there eventually. After several clan members had expressed both

their gladness that Abigail had not been hurt and their appreciation of her cleverness in

moving out of the horse's way despite her inability to hear the shouted warnings.

Talorc returned to the fortress just before the evening meal. His hunt had been

successful and he delivered the boar to Una in the kitchens.

She praised his hunting skills and then gave him a look of commiseration. "I am

sorry, laird."

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, with little interest. His thoughts were

elsewhere, as they had been all day.

"That you were tricked into marrying a woman both flawed and so full of deceptive

wiles." She made a tsk sound and shook her head. "I don't know why the rest of the clan is

behaving as if she managed some great feat in deceiving us all."