Duncan smiled suddenly at a comment from Laird McInnes, and Iliana found her breath catching in her throat. She had seen that smile once before. On the day she had arrived at Dunbar. It had taken her by surprise then and managed to do so again now as she realized that her husband was truly an attractive man beneath all that grime. Very attractive.

“McInnes ends here. Ye’re now on Dunbar land.”

Iliana took in her husband’s grim expression, then turned to peer at their surroundings.

They had dined with the McInneses, enjoying far better fare than had yet been served at Dunbar, then sat on for a while, the women chatting about various things as the men continued discussing Duncan’s plans for his home. Iliana had learned a thing or two about her husband while listening to the conversation flow back and forth. First, beneath all of that dirt and gruff behavior, was a very intelligent man. It had become obvious as he spoke that a lot of the plans he had outlined had been well thought out. It had also become obvious that he was not simply cheap. At least not when it came to updating and reinforcing Dunbar keep. His miserly manner when it came to dressing and feeding his people was merely a matter of necessity to save the coins he needed to ensure their future. Something she found herself admiring deeply. He was very disciplined. Far more so than she herself.

Iliana had also concluded that evening that her husband was very ambitious. She actually found herself in awe of the grand plans he had for Dunbar. Plans he had already set in motion, she had realized at one point as Duncan had explained the renovations already underway. He’d been accomplishing it bit by bit over the years, and now the large dowry had made it possible for him to do much at once. It seemed that while she had been busy scrubbing the great hall, Duncan and his men had been working diligently on the moat and wall. Deepening, expanding, reinforcing…

’Twas a large undertaking, involving heavy work and long hours. This had been something of a relief to her. It explained the air of weary satisfaction that had hung over him these last three days, and why he had not pestered her unduly over his husbandly rights. Iliana had fully expected there to be a nightly battle over the matter, so she had been surprised, mayhap even a bit insulted, that he had seemed so indifferent to her. He had not even bothered to come to their room since their wedding night. That had truly annoyed her at first, for she’d feared that he had turned his attention to one of the village women.