I nodded, leaning down to pick him up. “Yeah, something like that.” It wasn’t a complete lie…we had been on the floor for part of the night.
“Maybe tonight you should ask E-o if you can switch places. You get the floor and he gets the bed. That would be only fair. I bet he’d let you.”
I laughed, kissing his temple as I walked out of the room with him still on my hip. God bless the innocent minds of children. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to ask him.”
“Hey, guess what, Mom?”
“What, Coop?”
“There’s even more people coming! Ba-o, that’s my new name for Mitsy’s husband, and this other guy Donal, just told everyone. They said like a bunch of clans or something. I don’t know what a clan is, but it sounds like a lot of people are coming to stay here for a gathering.”
He really emphasized the word ‘gathering.’ It had clearly been spoken of as if it were something very special.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, I bet it’s going to be tons of fun.”
It was a reasonable thought for a child to have, and I imagined the men who had decided on such a gathering thought very much the same thing.
As for the women, I could all but hear the internal groan of every woman in the castle, thinking that instead of “tons of fun,” it was going to be tons of work.
*
Cooper and I were greeted at the bottom of the stairs by Jeffrey, who smiled knowingly and much too wide at the sight of me.
“Hey Coop, I think Lady McMillan has a job for you if you’re willing to help.”
He immediately squirmed out of my arms. “Yeah, yeah, where is she?”
Jeffrey pointed in the direction of the kitchens. “I think she’s in that direction.”
“I bet I can find her. I think I’m gonna make a nickname for her too. Lady Mac, I think.”
At the same time that Jeffrey shook his head, I said. “Uh, no Coop. Sorry, some people don’t need nicknames.”
“Oh, come on. I bet she’d like it.”
I’m sure he was right. Still, it was too casual a name.
“No. I agree with your mother. You call her Lady McMillan. Understand?” Jeffrey stepped in to end the conversation.
“Yes, sir.” His face drooped for just a second but he lifted it quickly, smiling and shrugging his shoulders before he took off in her direction. “It was worth a shot, huh?”
Jeffrey and I laughed in unison as we watched him leave. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jeffrey turned to me, that same creepy grin on his face. “Good on you, Gracie.”
I held up both hands in question to him. “What’s with this ‘good on you’ stuff? Are you British or something? I’m pretty sure that’s like a UK thing. And don’t call me Gracie.”
He laughed. “Hmm…I don’t know, maybe it is. I’ve watched a lot of BBC in my day. Still, you get my drift. You clearly had fun last night.”
“Why would you say that? There’s no way you can tell anything by looking at me.”
“Oh yes. Yes I can. You have circles under your eyes, which means that you didn’t sleep, but your cheeks are rosy and your skin is all aglow which means you didn’t mind it.”
“That’s quite the scientific observation.”
“It is. I’m an expert.”
“Pffhh…” I made the sound as I shook my head at him, ready to change the conversation. “So where is everybody? I guess it’s time I show myself.”
“They’re all outside. You’ll like them. Cool bunch. So…after last night…I guess that means we’re staying?”
We started walking toward the outside doors together, and I turned my head to regard him skeptically. “I thought you were staying regardless?”
He smiled. “Forgive me, I am. I just misspoke. I meant to say, ‘I guess that means you’re staying?’”
“Yes, I’m staying.”
“Good.”
Just as we reached them, the grand doors of the castle swung open. Immediately, Mitsy latched onto me, sweeping me into the crowd, introducing me rather excitedly.
“There you are, Grace.” She held onto my arm but extended her neck to call after a group of women standing near the pond. “Bri, Blaire, Adelle, come meet Grace!” Three women, two of which I could have sworn were twins, all smiling, made their way to me. “This is Bri,” she pointed to the first woman bouncing a baby on her hip. “This is Blaire,” she pointed to the second woman. “I know they look like sisters, but they’re not; although, most people think they are. Long story, Eoghanan can tell you sometime. And this,” she pointed to the last woman, “is Adelle, Bri’s mother.”
I smiled, shaking all of their hands. “Nice to meet you.”
Mitsy allowed them no chance to respond, quickly yanking me toward another group of people, and so the routine continued until I had been introduced to everyone in their party.
“You’re glad to have some people about, aren’t you?”