Ashlynn allowed the wave of exclamations and shocked whispers to spread through the Great Hall for a dozen or more heartbeats before holding up her hand to call for silence.
"Thank you, Lord Loghlan," Ashlynn said, smiling at Liam's father as she gestured for him to return to his seat. "Your loyalty and your service will not be forgotten. I expect that we'll be able to finalize the borders of your expanded domain soon, but it will not be smaller than the lands ruled by Dame Sybyll Hanrahan."
"Your peers would do well to accord you the respect they would accord a count in the days to come," she said, sweeping her gaze over the assembled lords and ladies. "With both the privileges and the duties that such a position requires. I'll be relying greatly on your help in the coming years," she said, bowing her head slightly in Loghlan's direction.
