"What are you talking about?"

Johanna had never seen a grown man blush until now.

Keith was turning red with embarrassment.

"Never mind, m'lady."

She wasn't about to let the matter drop. "Exactly what did you tell my husband?"

Gabriel answered her. "He explained about the names, Johanna, and how Glynis came up with…"

She wouldn't let him finish. "She was most contrite, husband. You mustn't take issue with her. Promise me you won't talk to her about this."

Since Gabriel had already had a talk with Glynis, he felt it safe to give his wife his promise.

She nodded, satisfied. "I wondered where you'd heard I was being called a coward," she said then. She turned her frown to Keith. "It never entered my mind, however, that you would tell my husband. I believed someone else had overheard Glynis and then went to his laird with the tale."

"It was his duty to tell me," Gabriel announced. "You will thank him, wife, not sanction him."

"It all came out in the wash," Johanna announced.

"What in thunder does that mean?" Gabriel asked.

"She's giving us another lesson, Laird," Keith explained with a grin.

"I see," Gabriel replied.

"Nay, Laird, you won't see. None of your wife's lessons make any sense."

Johanna would have explained what she'd meant by her remark, but Alex drew her full attention when he came running into the hall. She saw the frightened look on his face and immediately stood up.

Alex circled the table and hurled himself into her arms. He buried his face in her plaid.

"What happened, Alex?" she asked, her concern apparent in her voice. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"There's something under the bed. I heard it."

Gabriel rolled his eyes in exasperation. He reached over to pull his son away from Johanna. Alex wouldn't let go until his father ordered him to.

"You're sleeping on a mat on the floor, Alex," Gabriel said. "It isn't possible for anything to get underneath."

"No, Papa," Alex argued. "I got in your bed. It's under there. It might get me if I close my eyes."

"Alex…" his father began.

"You'd better go up with him and look under the bed, husband. It's the only way he'll be convinced. Besides, there might really be something under there."

"There is," Alex insisted.

Gabriel let out a loud sigh before complying with his family's wishes. He stood up, lifted his son into his arms, and walked out of the hall.

Johanna took her seat again. She smiled at Keith. She was thrilled to have his attention without Gabriel. Her husband would certainly interfere in the discussion.

"Children," Johanna drawled out. "They're such a joy. When you get married and have a family of your own, you'll understand what I'm saying. You are going to get married someday, aren't you, Keith?"

"Aye, m'lady," he answered. "Next summer as a matter of fact. Bridgid MacCoy has agreed to become my wife."

"Oh."

She couldn't quite hide her disappointment. She turned her gaze down the table and settled on Michael as a possibility.

He caught her staring at him. He smiled. She nodded. "Children," she began again. "They're wonderful, aren't they, Michael?"

"If you say so, m'lady."

"Oh, I do say," she replied. "When you get married, you'll understand. You do plan to marry someday, don't you, Michael?"

"Eventually," he answered with a shrug.

"Have you anyone in mind?"

"Are you matchmaking, m'lady?" Keith asked.

"Why would you think that?"

"I'll marry Helen when I'm ready," Michael interjected. "I've told her I will, and she agreed to wait."

Johanna frowned. The possibilities were becoming a bit limited. She turned to Niall.

"Children…" she began.

"She is matchmaking," Keith announced.

It was as though he'd just shouted the alarm that they were under siege. The soldiers literally jumped from their stools. They bowed to Johanna and left the room in the space of a single minute. She didn't even have enough time to order them back into their seats.

Only the soldiers already spoken for remained. And Father MacKechnie, of course, but then he wasn't a viable possibility either, for priests couldn't marry.

Gabriel came back to an almost empty hall. He looked around him in puzzlement, shrugged, and then sat down again to finish his supper.

He smiled at his wife.

"Well?" she demanded.

He looked sheepish. "There was something under the bed."

She laughed, for she believed he was jesting with her. Then he explained, "Dumfries crawled underneath."

Leila and Calum both stood up. Leila bowed to her laird. "Thank you for giving me the honor of dining with you," she said.

Gabriel nodded. Leila blushed. "Thank you, too, m'lady."

"It's dark," Calum announced.

He didn't have anything more to add. Johanna tried not to smile. "Perhaps you should escort Leila home," she suggested, "if it's dark, Calum."

The soldier nodded. "As you wish, m'lady."

Calum motioned for Leila to walk ahead of him. Johanna turned back to her husband. Keith caught her attention then. The look of surprise on his face indicated he'd only just realized a romance was budding between Leila and Calum.

He suddenly grinned. He stood up, bowed to his laird, and then called out, "Wait up, Calum. I'll walk with you."

Johanna could hear the laughter in his voice. Calum wasn't amused by Keith's offer. "You don't need to…"

"Oh, but I want to," he said. He hurried to catch up with the couple. "It's dark outside."

Leila kept walking. Calum tried to shove Keith aside. The soldier wouldn't be shoved, however. They bickered hark and forth as they left the hall.

"I wonder if those two will ever learn to get along," Johanna remarked.

Father MacKechnie was feeling lonely. He picked up his goblet and moved to take Keith's place at the other table.

"It's just a bit of good-hearted rivalry between two commanders," the priest remarked. "Laird, that was a fine speech you gave tonight."

"Yes, it was," Johanna agreed. "I would like to ask you something, though," she added. "Why did you wait so long? Why didn't you give your speech a month ago or two months ago? You would have saved me quite a lot of aggravation, husband."

Gabriel leaned back in his chair. "They weren't ready then, Johanna."

"But they were ready tonight," the priest interjected with a nod.

She was still puzzled. "What made them ready tonight?"

"Not what," the priest said, "but who, lass."

She didn't understand. Gabriel nodded. A warm glint had come into his eyes. "You made them ready to accept the change."

"How did I do that?" she demanded.

"She's begging for compliments," Gabriel told the priest.

"It appears she is," Father MacKechnie bantered back.

"I'm begging to understand," she countered.

"It was your quiet defiance," Gabriel finally explained:

She still didn't know what he was talking about. The priest seemed to understand, however, for he nodded several times.

"Explain my quiet defiance to me."

Gabriel laughed. "You will never make me believe you. couldn't keep track of which plaid to wear on which day," he said. "You forgot on purpose, didn't you?"

"Gabriel, no one forgets on purpose," she argued.

"You put no importance on keeping track," the priest said.

She sighed. "That is true," she admitted. "I thought it was nonsense, but I…"

"Quiet defiance," Gabriel repeated. " 'Twas the reason you learned to read," he added. "Isn't that so?"

"Yes, but that was different," she explained.

"No, it isn't."

Johanna let out a sigh. She knew she shouldn't let her husband believe she'd deliberately worn the wrong plaids just to make the men realize how foolish they were behaving in their determination to maintain their separation from each other. It wouldn't be honorable to accept praise for something she hadn't done.