He needed to see Fergus Dunbottom about placing a little bet.
“Are you certain that I shouldn’t be better dressed for such an occasion?” Nora asked Wee William as they headed toward the kirk.
Wee William thought she looked beautiful in anything she wore and today was no exception. The pretty dark blue dress with the arisaid made of MacDougall plaid made her look all the more like a good Scottish woman. With her hair in a simple braid that tumbled over her ample bosom, it was all he could do not to scoop her up and have his way with her. He was thankful that she could not read minds, for he knew she’d slap him silly for all the lustful thoughts bouncing through his.
“Nay, lass, ye look quite bonny this day,” he told her as he hurried along the path to the kirk, pulling her along behind him. He was unable to see the way her face blushed or the smile she held at his compliment.
She’d been on her way to speak with Angus when Wee William stopped her. He was rather excited about something and more than once she had to ask him to slow down and to speak in the English. Finally she was able to make out that there was a little ceremony that he and his men wanted to perform, one that would make her an official member of the MacDougall clan.
He went on to further explain that the entire ceremony must be performed in Gaelic or Latin. He’d act as translator between her and the priest. Daniel and David would act as witnesses.
Nora’s heart swelled with pride. They wanted her here. As a member of their clan. She’d never felt quite so honored in her life. All thoughts of talking with Angus rapidly fell to the wayside.
Happily, she followed along behind Wee William. Her heart was pounding wildly and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the excitement she felt at becoming an official member or the way his skin felt as he held her hand.
“’Tis a simple ceremony, but an important one,” Wee William explained as he pushed through the door to the kirk.
Father Michael stood at the head of the kirk with Daniel and David waiting on either side of him. They greeted her with warm smiles as Wee William led her to the front of the kirk.
It was a beautiful spring day and sunlight streamed in through the leaded glass windows. Little bits of dust danced in the air. The sound of the birds singing filtered in, along with the distant bleating of newly born lambs. Nora thought it would have been a most perfect day for any ceremony, including the one she was about to participate in.
She smiled happily at all the men and gave each of them a small curtsy. “I am speechless, I truly am.” She gushed first at Daniel, then to David. “I feel so very honored to be…”
Wee William stopped her from finishing her sentence. “Lass,” he said in a hushed and reverent tone. “We’re glad to have ye here as well. But let us begin now, shall we?”
Deciding it was perhaps a far more serious ceremony than she had first imagined, she took on the same reverent expression as Wee William.
Wee William had sent Daniel and David ahead earlier to explain his plan to Father Michael. It was more of a curiosity than anything else that drove the priest to agree. He could barely wait to see how Wee William would get her to utter the words.
“Father,” Wee William said as he stood next to Nora and faced the priest. “Ye may begin with the ceremony.”
Father Michael wasn’t quite sure what he was supposed to say or do at this particular time. All that he knew was that he was to speak in Latin and Wee William would act as translator. He cleared his throat and began with a prayer.
“Hic sponte venis?” He directed his question to Nora.
“Do ye come here of yer own free will?” Wee William translated.
“Aye, I do.” Nora whispered.
“Te delectat hic apud nos?”
“Do you like it here, among our people?”
“Aye, I do.”
“Usquequo sunt tibi nupta Horace?”
Wee William was not sure he wanted to ask any questions regarding Horace, at least not yet. “How long were ye married to Horace?”
Nora looked confused. “Why does that matter?”
“We’ll be asking all manner of questions this day lass. We be askin’ questions to make certain ye do in fact want to be a member of the clan. We’ll be askin’ of yer past, yer present and yer future.”
It sounded plausible enough. Not knowing anything to the contrary, she answered the priest’s question. “A year and a week.”
“Erant beatum te in vestri matrimonium?”
“Were ye happy in yer marriage?”
Nora wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but supposed it had something to do with making sure she had no regrets with her decision to come to Scotland and start her life anew.
“Nay, I was not happy in my marriage to Horace. He was a cruel man, William.”
Wee William smiled sympathetically at her before looking to Father Michael.
“Sunt beatum te hic?”
“Are ye happy here, lass?”
Her face lit up with a warm smile. “Aye, William, I most assuredly am.” She noticed that Daniel and David gleamed proudly at her answer.
“Do ye have any regrets in comin’ here?” He didn’t wait for the priest to ask the next question. He was lost in Nora’s pale blue eyes.
“No, William, I have no regrets.”
“Do ye wish to stay here, among us for all the rest of yer days?” His voice was low and soothing.
“Aye, I do.”
Father Michael interjected. “Illa non interrogavit quaestio de adnullacione, William.”
Wee William blinked before turning back to the priest. In Gaelic he said, “I ken she hasn’t asked the question yet.”
The two men looked at each other for a moment before Wee William turned back to Nora. “Lass, we need to ken more of yer life back in England. Do ye miss it?”
“I miss some things, William. I miss the friends that I had there. But nothing else.”
“Do ye miss yer cottage?”
Nora’s brow knitted into a knot of disgust. “Nay! I do not miss anything about my life with Horace, not even that hovel he called a home! Had I known then, what I know now, I would have done things quite differently. But as it is, I can’t change the fact that he is dead.”
Wee William looked confused by her statement. “What would ye have done differently?” His stomach tightened into a hard knot, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.
“Well, I would never have married him to begin with!”
Wee William waited for her to expand upon that. When he saw nothing forthcoming, he dared ask another question. “And?”
“And what?”
He rolled his eyes. “Ye said, to begin with…”
“Oh!” She’d gotten lost in the soft timbre of his voice for a moment. What was it about this man’s voice that was so calming? Giving her head a slight shake, she continued. “Well, I would not have married him had I known he was so cruel. And afterward, when I met the real Horace Crawford, the one with the harsh hands, the cruel mouth, I would have gone to the priest straight away.”
Wee William raised an eyebrow. “And done what?”
Nora stood a bit taller, glad that he was holding her hands. “I would have gone to the priest and said, ‘Father, I want an annulment. Horace broke all the promises he made before we married. He’s cruel, mean, spiteful and I wish to no longer be married to him.’”
Father Michael would never have believed it if he hadn’t heard it with his own ears. “Tute quidam tu forsitan petisses pro an adnullacione?”
Wee William smiled at the priest before looking back to Nora. “Ye would now, would ye?”
“Aye, I would! You have no idea, William, just how cruel Horace Crawford could be. I am glad he is…”
William stopped her short. “Lass, ye needn’t say anything else on that matter.”
Nora smiled up at him.
“Non crediderim fecistis!” Father Michael exclaimed. He truly could not believe Wee William was able to entice her to u
tter the words. Daniel and David nudged one another with their shoulders and smiled up at the priest. They had no doubt that, one way or another Wee William would realize his goal.
Nora could not figure out why the priest looked so surprised. “What did he say?” she asked Wee William.
“He says, ‘welcome to the clan!’”
Spring was in full force across the Highlands. Bluebells, daffodils, and buttercups were scattered across the bright spring grass. Newly born lambs walked on unsteady legs alongside their mothers. Countless birds flew about the blue sky. Normally, Aishlinn would have loved how beautiful Scotland looked on this warm and brilliant spring morning. This day however, she was unable to enjoy the splendor.
As Nora and Aishlinn walked along the path toward the castle, Aishlinn nodded toward the lambs in the fields. “It seems every mum can give birth but me!”
Nora smiled as she walked at a snails pace so that Aishlinn wouldn’t feel as though she were holding her back. She knew Aishlinn was growing more frustrated as each day passed without her pains starting.
“I have no doubt, now, Nora,” Aishlinn said with labored breaths, “’tis a boy I carry.”
Nora looped her arm through Aishlinn’s to help her along the path toward the castle. “You will find out soon enough,” Nora told her.
Aishlinn grunted. “I should have had this babe a sennight ago!” She paused to catch her breath. Her back ached from all the extra weight she carried and her feet were so swollen it hurt to walk. But Isobel had encouraged her to walk in hopes it would help bring on her labor pains. She was beginning to think the babe would never come.
“Aye,” Nora agreed, trying her best to lighten her friend’s spirits. “It must be Duncan’s son you carry, acting just like a true Highlander, taking his own good time.”
Aishlinn rubbed her back, let out a long breath and tried to smile. “The day Duncan proposed, he was so nervous, he said ‘I want to have yer bairns -- I wish now that he could!”
Nora could not help but laugh at the image that brought to her mind. “Can you imagine Duncan or Wee William heavy with child?” Nora puffed out her cheeks and stood on her tiptoes, and spoke in a thick Scottish brogue. “Och! I be a Highlander. I can do anythin’! Bravery and honor will ge’ me through me pains. And a wee dram of the chief’s best will no’ hurt!”
Aishlinn laughed until her eyes filled with tears. “Please, Nora! It hurts to laugh!”
While Nora did not envy Aishlinn her discomfort, she did envy Aishlinn’s life with Duncan and the life they created, even though he seemed intent on never leaving his mother’s womb.
“Aishlinn, what does it feel like?” The question was out of her mouth before she realized she had even thought it.
Aishlinn rubbed a hand across her stomach and smiled. “’Tis a good feeling most of the time. More the thought of having a babe to hold in my arms is better than actually carrying him around.”
Nora looped her arm through Aishlinn’s and they began walking again. Nora longed to know what it felt like to have a good husband to share her life with. Aishlinn had everything that Nora wanted: a good husband, a happy life, and a babe on the way.
It wasn’t jealousy or envy that Nora felt. It was a sense of longing. Longing to have a life similar to what Aishlinn and Duncan had together.
She wanted a home of her own, one where she could raise John and Elise. But she also wanted to share her life with someone. Someone like Wee William. A good, kind man.
Aishlinn sensed there was more that Nora wanted to ask or say. “Nora, what are you thinking?”
Nora gave a slight shake of her head as if to say her thoughts were of no importance.
“Nora, are we not friends?” Aishlinn asked.
“Of course we are! Don’t be silly,” Nora said with a smile.
“Then please, tell me what is on your mind. I fear we talk more of my problems and life than we ever do yours.”
Nora giggled. “That is because your life is far more exciting and happy a thing to discuss than mine.”
“That isn’t true, Nora.”
“Oh, but it is, Aishlinn. You are the chief’s daughter. You’re married to a most wonderful man who loves you so very much. You’ve a quaint home and a babe on the way. You see? Far more exciting and happy than my life.”
Aishlinn gave Nora’s arm a gentle squeeze. “You need a husband.”
Nora laughed aloud at that statement. “Aye, a husband would be a fine thing to have. But I fear that will never happen.”
“Why do you fear that? You’re a beautiful woman, Nora. And you have so much to offer a man.”
“That is very kind of you to say, Aishlinn. But I fear not all women are meant to marry. I tried it once, remember? It was an abysmal failure.” Nora did not like thinking about her marriage to Horace and her smile quickly faded at the memories.
“That is because you were married to the wrong man!” Aishlinn exclaimed. “I think you would feel differently if you were married to a kinder man, one with a heart!”
Nora smiled and nodded her head in agreement. “That is probably true. But what man would want to take on a widow and her little brother and sister? That is an awfully large burden to ask any man to bear.”
“It isn’t a burden when you are doing things together, Nora. It isn’t a burden when you are in love.”
Nora snorted. “Love? I think love is far too much to hope for. I’d settle for a husband who didn’t beat me and would let me keep John and Elise.”
“So that is all you want in a man? One who won’t beat you? And one who will let you keep your brother and sister?” Aishlinn shook her head and clicked her tongue in dismay. “You deserve more than that, Nora. You need someone who will love you like Duncan loves me.”
Nora felt that the love Aishlinn and Duncan shared was a rare and special gift. Aye, she might secretly wish something like that for herself, but knew the probability of ever experiencing such a thing, was as rare as a unicorn.
“What do you think of Wee William, Nora?” Aishlinn asked.
Nora felt her face grow hot and her heart skip a beat at the mention of his name. “What of him?” she asked, hoping her feelings for him were not too obvious.
Aishlinn grinned and cast a sidelong glance at Nora. “He’s a very nice man, Nora. He’d make anyone a fine husband.”
Nora cleared her throat but remained quiet. She believed that Wee William would make any woman a good husband. He was kind, warm, and generous, but Nora believed he needed a woman with more to offer than what she could.
“You could ask my father to help you find a husband.” Aishlinn suggested.
“Find me a husband?” Nora asked incredulously. Did Aishlinn believe she was incapable of finding one of her own accord?
“Aye,” Aishlinn answered. “If all you want is a man who will not beat you and allow you to keep John and Elise, then it shouldn’t be too difficult a task. I’m sure you could turn away anyone he might suggest, if the man wasn’t to your liking.”
They had finally reached the keep and paused outside the kitchen door. Nora pondered Aishlinn’s suggestion. She had no desire to continue to live in the women’s solar. John and Elise needed a home to call their own. They had been through so much in the past year. Mayhap a home of their own would help John to get over his anger and resentment.
Aye, she not only needed a husband, she wanted one as well. She wanted babes of her own someday and she was not getting any younger. Enlisting Angus’ help could only help her gain that which she so desperately wanted faster than she could accomplish on her own.
“I think that is an excellent idea, Aishlinn,” Nora said.
“Ye want me to do what, lass?” Angus was not sure he had heard her correctly the first time.
“I’d like you to help me find a husband.” Nora repeated. She was doing her best to sound more enthusiastic than she actually felt about the decision she’d made. She needed a husband.
It was true that she’d been
a widow for less than a month. With no discernable skills to offer, she felt she would be better off trying to find a husband than a position with another castle. Besides, she was now an official member of the clan. Certainly that afforded her not only Angus’ protection, but his help as well.
More than a sennight had passed since the ceremony in which she’d become an official member of the clan. She could not understand why she was made to swear an oath of secrecy, but she’d made the solemn oath nonetheless. Daniel had explained the oath was necessary to ward off evil spirits. She supposed it was part of Gaelic traditions and superstitions, so she swore the oath.
In the days since the ceremony, some things had changed. She was learning to read, along side her brother and sister. They were fully recovered and now allowed to play out of doors along with the other children. Elise had no problems making friends. John, however, was a bit slower to warm up to the idea of Scotland being their new and permanent home. Nora could only hope that with time and kindness, he would eventually adjust.
She had moved into the women’s solar, along with Elise. Their pallets were side by side and the room was in sharp contrast to the women’s solar at Castle Firth. This one was bright, sunny, and warm. The walls were draped in beautiful tapestries; the women were kind and graciously tried to teach Nora and Elise a few words in Gaelic.
But other than that, nothing else had changed. She had noticed that all the men did their best to stay completely away from her. She found that very unsettling and could not fathom why they behaved in such a manner.
Where the women were fun, generous, helpful, the men all acted as though she carried a pox! All save for Wee William, Daniel and David, and the other men that had brought her to Gregor. They were the only men to speak to her.
So here she was, standing before Angus McKenna, asking for his help. She held no idyllic notions that she’d ever find a romance like the one between Aishlinn and Duncan. She needed to think logically about the entire thing. Mayhap, if Angus were to spread the word that she was in fact seeking a husband, the men might treat her differently.
Wee William's Woman, Book Three of the Clan MacDougall Series Page 19
