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Alastair MacLeod insisted on escorting Ilysa back to the keep hi eyes on her for a long ave her a stiff nod and left her No sooner had he gone than Ilysa felt another set of eyes burning into her She turned to see Connor striding toward her from across the room He looked ready to do battle

"I didn’t expect to find Alastair MacLeod a your admirers," Connor said in his hard, chieftain’s voice "Why were ye talking to our enemy?"

"He doesn’t seee all the time Perhaps the two of ye could settle your differences"

"The only way the MacLeods and the MacDonalds will resolve our differences is by sword and blood"

"I liked him," she said, which erous," Connor hissed "Stay away fro she had no plans to visit Dunvegan Castle, the fahold, since Connor did not appear to be in the mood for a jest

"As your chieftain, ’tis ," he said "Yehere"

"None of the clans will raise trouble at the gathering," Ilysa said

"That’s no what I mean" Connor leaned closer "Ye don’t have experience with these sorts of h she thought she knew

"Men of power and wealth"

"Ye mean chieftains?" Ilysa kept her voice pleasant, but she was not accusto lectured about her behavior, which had always been so far above reproach as to be la lectured on this particular point by Connor

"I’ll speak plainly," he said "If ye want a man and a home to yourself, don’t look to any of these chieftains or their sons"

As if she did not know this Connor’s very being reminded her of it every day

"Your brother could rise to be keeper of a castle through his skills as a warrior," he continued, apparently assu her silence showed a feeble lack of cohborn, but for a lass to be a chieftain’s wife, she e"

"I appreciate your explaining ue to tell hie offer, but it iser to keep that to herself until she decided what she wanted to do

"I did not say ye were unworthy" Connor spoke in a measured tone, as if she were sloitted "But ye e they seek"

"I have been watching out forout the words "You were all gone, so I did it without your help or my brother’s or anyone else’s"

"I can see that it’s fortunate we are leaving tory when she argued She had always found it far more effective to face opposition with perfect cal at that now Luckily, they were interrupted before she resorted to raising her voice

"Pardon me," a tall, curly-haired man said as he took her arm, "but this sweet lass made a promise to sit with me at supper"