Chapter 10
“The laird said ye were to stay indoors, and indoors is where yer staying.”
Annabel scowled at Gilly’s stubbornness, but tried to remain patient as she reasoned, “But Jasper needs to get out and run off some of his energy else he shall get destructive out of sheer boredom, and I need to go to the village and speak to a woman who may be able to help us with sewing. Surely with the two of you accompanying me, ’twould be all right?”
“Jasper can go out if he likes, and Seonag can go talk to this woman in the village fer ye, but yer not,” Gilly said firmly.
“Sorry.” Marach shrugged when she turned to him for help. “The laird was very specific that ye were to stay in the keep.”
Annabel wanted to stomp her feet and have a screaming fit. Instead, she turned on her heel and marched across the great hall to the stairs and up. Aware that the men were behind her, she picked up speed as she reached the top and nearly ran to the bedchamber door. She then rushed inside and slammed the door closed, narrowly missing hitting Jasper with it when he raced in on her heels.
“Sorry, Jasper,” she murmured, sliding the bolt home to prevent the men from following. She’d barely done so when one of the men tried to open the door.
“Me lady?” Gilly called out. “Open the door. Ye ken we’re supposed to stay with ye at all times while the laird is out.”
“Nay. I do not know that,” Annabel said sweetly. “My husband did not tell me so.”
“Aye, but we did,” Marach pointed out.
“Hmmm. Aye, you did. But how do I know ’tis true? After all, surely my husband would have mentioned something of such import to me himself?” she pointed out grimly. “Besides, I am sure if he did give such an order, he did not mean you were to enter our private chamber and watch me”—she paused briefly, searching for something he wouldn’t want them to witness, and then said—“strip and bathe myself.”
There was a brief silence and then Marach cleared his throat and pointed out. “Me lady, ye’ve no bath in there just now.”
“Nay, you are right,” Annabel agreed. “So mayhap you would be kind enough to go ask Seonag to have it brought up: the tub, water, soap, linens and so on.”
If it would gain her some privacy, she would take a bath despite not really needing one yet. In fact, Annabel suspected if that was what it took to gain some time without tripping over the two men presently outside her door, she would be taking a lot of baths. After just one morning of this nonsense, they were already driving her wild.
Grimacing, she turned and paced to one of the windows to peer down at the busy bailey below. The visit with Ross’s sister had gone very well indeed. Rather than go below and join the men once the first gown was done, the three of them had eaten their nooning meal in the bedchamber and mended a second gown as Giorsal and Seonag had given Annabel more advice and information on her duties as chatelaine. They had only gone below when Ross had come up to say that Bean was ready to leave.
Despite the hours together, Annabel had been sorry to see Giorsal go and had gone below to see her off. The two had hugged affectionately and Giorsal had promised to come back soon. Bean and Ross had watched this with raised eyebrows, but had not commented. It wasn’t until they’d returned inside that Ross had said anything at all, and then it was a simple, “Ye seem to like me sister.”
“Aye. She is lovely,” Annabel had responded at once. “I like her a great deal.”
Ross had grunted at that, scooped her up in his arms and carried her back up to their room to finish what his sister had interrupted earlier. By the time they’d gone back downstairs the great hall was filling with people claiming seats at the trestle table in preparation of dinner. Afterward, Annabel had sat by the fire with Seonag and continued sewing while Ross, Gilly and Marach had sat at the table discussing some business or other.
Annabel had sewn until Ross had appeared at her side. He hadn’t said a word, simply reached out to take her hand. She’d set her sewing aside and allowed him to walk her up to their room where he’d taken full advantage of it being Thursday. It wasn’t until afterward that Annabel even thought to be grateful that he hadn’t given her time to pack. She was glad not to have to wear the chemise carouse that had been left behind. She liked it when her husband touched her. On that thought, Annabel had drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
She wouldn’t have been smiling had she realized what today would hold, Annabel thought grimly. Ross was gone when the watchman on the donjon had blown his bugle to wake the castle. She’d hurried to wash and dress and had stepped out into the hall to find Gilly and Marach waiting there. The two men had been leaning against the wall on either side of the door, but had straightened abruptly at her appearance.
Annabel had murmured a perplexed, “Good morn,” and headed for the stairs, aware that they were following. The men had taken up a seat on either side of her as she’d broken her fast, and then had stood on either side of her as she’d attended mass in the chapel.
“Where is my husband?” she’d asked when mass ended without his making an appearance.
“He had some business in the village,” Gilly had answered, following her along the hall toward the great hall. While the chapel at Waverly was across the bailey by the gatehouse, at MacKay it was in the keep itself, down a long hall off the great hall.
Annabel hadn’t commented, but had allowed the men to escort her back to the great hall. She’d been relieved, however, when they’d both settled at the table and let her continue alone when she’d spotted Seonag and had commented that she would have a word with the woman.
Mostly, Annabel had wanted to ask Seonag what she should be doing that day. She had a general idea, but was feeling uncertain enough to want a suggestion. She’d been glad she had when Seonag had told her that she’d found out that there was a woman in the village said to be handy with a needle. So handy, in fact, that many of the men were going to her when they had items that needed mending. She’d wondered if the woman might be interested in a position at the keep as an embroiderer if the pay was sweet enough.
Excited by the prospect, Annabel had assured Seonag she would speak to the woman and had headed for the keep doors intending to travel down to the village at once. She was vaguely aware of Gilly and Marach standing to follow when she passed the trestle tables. However, she was still stunned when they’d suddenly hurried around to block her way as she reached the keep doors. And she’d been positively shocked when they’d told her that she wasn’t allowed to leave the keep until her husband settled this business of the man who had attacked her.
Annabel now propped her elbows on the window ledge and rested her chin in her hands. This business with the attacker was a great nuisance. And restricting her to the keep just seemed silly to her. The man had only ever appeared outside of the castle walls. She was perfectly safe in the bailey. Of course, the village was not within the walls, but she was perfectly happy to allow Gilly and Marach to accompany her there, only they wouldn’t allow her to go. How was she to do her job as chatelaine if they would not allow her to do what needed doing?
Sighing, she watched the stable master lift a hand and call out a greeting to someone she couldn’t see. Curious, she leaned out to see who he was hailing. She had to lean out quite a ways to see the priest standing in a doorway further along the wall on the ground floor. It was the second door to the chapel, she supposed—one entrance to the keep for the lord and lady to use and one leading out into the bailey for those coming from outside.
Annabel stilled briefly, and then straightened and turned for the door.
Gilly was alone when she stepped into the hall, and Annabel raised an eyebrow as she pulled the door closed behind Jasper. “Where is Marach?”
“He went below to tell Seonag yer wanting a bath.”
“Oh aye.” She nodded. “I shall take it after confession.”
“Confession?” Gilly barked with surprise, and then scrambled after her when she headed for the s
tairs.
“Aye. I have not confessed since leaving England, and have a confession or two to make,” Annabel said mildly.
“Well, that’s fine, but it’ll ha’e to wait until Marach returns,” Gilly said with a frown.
“I do not need Marach for confession,” Annabel said with amusement. “ ’Tis a priest I need.”
“Aye, but—Oh there he is,” Gilly said with relief and Annabel glanced ahead to see Marach stepping into the great hall from the kitchens.
She didn’t comment and simply continued down the stairs as Marach rushed to meet them.
“I thought ye wanted a bath?” he asked with a frown.
“She’s wanting confessing first,” Gilly said for her.
“Now?” Marach asked with a frown. “But I’ve just told the maids to fetch ye a bath.”
“Perfect,” Annabel said lightly as she headed across the great hall. “First a clean soul and then a clean body. Will that not be nice?”
Marach muttered something under his breath about the vagaries of women, but fell into step beside Gilly at her heels and followed.
“Lady MacKay,” the priest greeted her with obvious surprise when Annabel led the men into the chapel moments later. If he was surprised at her returning, she was a little surprised at being called Lady MacKay. It was a new title and he was the first to address her so, but she decided she liked it. “Good morn again, Father …” Annabel paused uncertainly, realizing with some shame that she did not even know the priest’s name. She hadn’t even managed to make it to mass until that morning. The abbess would have fits if she heard about that.
“Gibson,” the priest said helpfully.
“Gibson.” Annabel smiled widely at the man. “You are English?”
“Aye.” He nodded. “Fortunately the MacKays do not hold that against me.”
Annabel grinned at the light words, and then said, “I have come for confession.”
“Of course,” the man said, immediately becoming solemn and serious.
“Thank you,” Annabel said and then turned to eye Marach and Gilly with arched eyebrows.
The men hesitated, glanced at each other and then backed away to give her some semblance of privacy, but Annabel simply scowled at them. They moved a couple more feet back, and then all the way to the door when she simply continued to glare at them.
“Can you hear me?” Annabel asked solemnly.
When both men nodded, Annabel turned to Father Gibson and said with regret, “I guess I shall have to bypass confession for now, Father. I apologize. But thank you for—”
“Oh, no, no, no,” he interrupted and started toward the men, waving them away. “Come now. Off with you. Lady MacKay deserves some privacy for her confession. You shall have to wait outside.”
“But we’re no’ to leave her alone, Father,” Marach protested, even as he backed to the door. “She was attacked yesterday in the woods and we’re to—”
“Well, no one is going to attack her here. She is perfectly safe in the chapel. You can wait outside until she comes out,” Father Gibson insisted.
“But—” Gilly tried.
“Out,” the priest repeated, and the two men backed reluctantly out into the hall.
“We’ll be right outside this door,” Gilly said.
“Yes, yes,” Father Gibson said impatiently and then closed the door in his face. Turning, he smiled at her with satisfaction and walked back, saying, “There. We are all set now. Would you like to—”
“I am sorry, Father, but I really do not have a confession,” Annabel interrupted quietly, taking his arm to urge him as far away from the door as she could. Pausing then, she frowned and said, “Although I suppose I should confess that I lied about confessing.”
“What?” Father Gibson said with bewilderment.
Annabel patted his arm and explained, “You see, I am chatelaine now.”
“Aye, of course you are, my lady,” he agreed.
“And part of my responsibilities is to oversee the spinner, weaver and embroiderer here. Only there are none.”
“Aye, I know,” Father Gibson said sadly, peering down at his somewhat frayed vestments. “ ’Twas a sad day indeed when we lost Miriam and her brood.”
Annabel nodded solemnly, but inside she was smiling. The man had just told her how to get him to agree with her plan. “Well, the good news is that I hope to replace them all, and the better news is that I understand there is a woman in the village who is excellent with a needle.”
“Is there?” he asked with interest.
“Aye, and I was hoping to slip down to the village and have a word with her, to convince her to come work in the castle. It would be the first step in setting things to right in the matter of clothing here. The first step toward being able to have you made some fine new vestments.”
“Oh, that would be lovely. It has been such a trial this last year.”
“Aye,” Annabel agreed, and then heaved out a little sigh and said, “Sadly, my husband has told Gilly and Marach not to let me out of the keep because of a couple trifling little incidents the past two days.”
“Oh yes, I did hear about the attacks, my lady.” Father Gibson patted her arm and shook his head. “I was not prying, of course, but did wonder why you had not yet attended mass since arriving and so I asked around and was most distressed to hear about the attacks on your person.”
“Aye, it was most unfortunate that I was forced to miss mass,” Annabel murmured, thankful that whoever had told him the tales had somehow made it sound as if she’d missed mass both days because of the attacks when the truth was she’d slept through the first and had been cleaning up dog dung during the second. Neither was a very good excuse to miss mass and she should be ashamed of herself, especially when she’d spent the better part of her life in an abbey where they held seven services a day starting at two o’clock in the morning. Honestly, it had been hard to get anything done when they were constantly forced to stop for this service or that one. Annabel had always been glad to help out in the stables because of that. You simply couldn’t leave an ailing animal to attend service and she’d missed several over the years thanks to that excuse.
“Just as distressing is the fact that those attacks have now made my husband overly cautious to the point that it is interfering with my ability to go to the village and convince this woman to come work for us,” Annabel said sadly.
“Oh, aye, that is distressing,” Father Gibson said unhappily. “Very unfortunate indeed.”
“Aye.” Annabel nodded. “Then you will help me?”
Father Gibson blinked with confusion, and then frowned. “Help you with what exactly, my lady?”
“Well, nothing really,” she said with a smile. “You need only stand here and say nothing while I slip away to the stables, fetch my mare and ride out to the village.”
“Oh,” he said, still frowning, and then his expression filled with realization. “Oh! You mean to let the men think you are in here confessing and—Oh nay, I could not possibly.”
“Oh, but Father, they would never know,” Annabel assured him.
“What if something befell you? What if you were attacked again? Nay, I could not possibly be a party to putting you in harm’s way.” He shook his head firmly.
“I would ride quickly, and Jasper will accompany me,” Annabel argued, the words drawing the priest’s attention to the dog at her feet.
He scowled as if just having noticed the animal was in his chapel, and then turned his attention to her and said firmly, “My lady, you presently have two very unattractive bruises on your face from your previous encounters with your attacker. I will not risk being responsible for a third. The next one might kill you.”
Annabel tapped one foot with exasperation as she thought, and then peered at him consideringly. “What if you only waited until I fetched my mare and started out of the stables with her, and then went to tell Gilly and Marach?” When he started to shake his head, she rushed on, “They would hurry afte
r me and I would be sure to allow them to catch up enough that I was in their line of sight all the way to the village. That way I could speak with the woman and be safe at the same time.”
Father Gibson frowned, but at least he was no longer shaking his head.
“Your fine, new, rich vestments would be the first thing I ordered done,” she wheedled. “Even before I had gowns made for myself and surely you have heard I arrived without anything but the gown on my back.”
“Aye. Ross confessed that he was so eager to get you away from your horrid parents that he did not even allow you time to pack your things,” Father Gibson murmured.
“Did he?” Annabel asked. She hadn’t realized that was the reason he’d rushed her away from Waverly. Giorsal had said Ross had seen her welts and thought her parents beat her. Apparently, that was why he’d rushed her off so abruptly. The man was just such a surprise at times. Truly, he showed her more care and concern than anyone previously in her life. She was so lucky to—
“Very well,” Father Gibson said suddenly. “I shall watch you to the stables. But the moment you come out with your horse I am fetching Gilly and Marach and telling them you slipped out while my back was turned and when I looked about for you, I spotted you on horseback in the bailey.”
“Thank you,” Annabel said, squeezing his hands.
Father Gibson grunted unhappily, and frowned as he walked her to the chapel door leading into the bailey. He caught her arm there and muttered, “Just promise me you shall wait for the men before riding far.”
“I promise,” she assured him.
“And keep them within sight all the way there,” he added.
“Aye.” She squeezed his hands again. “ ’Twill be all right. I promise.”
“I will pray for you,” Father Gibson announced.
Recognizing the doubt entering his expression, Annabel simply nodded and slipped out of the chapel, afraid if she waited any longer or said anything else, he would change his mind. She crossed to the stables at a dead run. She was a bit surprised that she made it without being stopped or hearing shouts or the sound of running feet behind her. Even so, she didn’t slow but ran straight to the stall holding her mare before even glancing around to see who was about. She was a bit shocked not to have the stable master rushing her way to try to thwart her plan, but the man was nowhere in evidence. In fact, no one was. The stables were empty.
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