by B. J. Scott
“What’s wrong, Lady Catriona? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.” Lily huddled under her plaid arisaidh and peered over her shoulder.
An ironic choice of words, Katherine thought, given the strange things that had happened to her since her arrival in Scotland. After doing her own quick survey of the area, she met Lily’s gaze. “I thought I heard something in the bushes and could swear someone was watching us. Does anyone live in these woods?”
“Not that I’m aware of. But there are rumors that Seonag lives in a cave not far from here. But I have never seen it.”
“Seonag?” She didn’t know why, but the name sounded familiar and when she heard it, her chest tightened.
“Aye. The local seer. Some claim she’s a witch. And other say she has ties to the ancient Druids and knows all.” Lily cocked her head and stared at Katherine, frowning. “But you are aware of the stories of Seonag as well as I.”
Katherine nodded. “I am. Sorry, my mind is on other things today. Best we keep going,” she said, and hurried down the path ahead of her companion.
As they left the woods, they slowed their pace to a brisk walk. If she had any hope of convincing Lord Grant she’d never left the grounds, she didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention as they returned to the cottage. She smiled and nodded politely at people they passed, and even paused to briefly speak to the man she’d met earlier — the one tending the spit. Satisfied no one suspected anything, she dashed through the door to the kitchen.
“There you are.” A stout, older woman stood before Katherine, blocking her way. “Your da has been scouring the estate, looking for you.”
“The bannock is made, Cora, I hope twenty-five loaves will be enough,” a woman interrupted.
“Aye. More than enough. Now go and see to the wine,” Cora said, and waved the woman off with a sweep of her hand.
The brief distraction gave Katherine a minute to think, a chance to hopefully come up with a viable excuse as to why she was not in her room when her father came looking. Knowing this woman was Cora — the woman Lord Grant said he’d send to help her dress — would also come in handy. However, if this dream added any more to its cast members, she’d soon need a program to keep them all straight.
Cora narrowed her gaze. “What have you to say for yourself? Your da was in quite a state. Did he na tell you to stay in the cottage?”
“I needed some fresh air, so I went for a short walk around the grounds. Lily can attest to it, since she accompanied me.” Feeling more like a twelve-year old caught smoking their first cigarette in the girl’s washroom than a twenty-four year old advertising executive, Katherine shifted her weight from one foot to the other, hoping the lass would not betray her. While she was aware women in the 1300s accepted being treated like a child, told what they could do and where they could go, they were barbaric customs she could never condone. But since there was no telling how long she’d be lost in this dream world, she had no choice but to play along..
With downcast eyes, Lily bobbed a curtsey. “Aye, Cora. What Lady Catriona says is true. We merely went outside for some fresh air.”
Cora glanced from one lass to the other, then addressed Lily. “I’m na sure I believe either of you, but there is no time to discuss it further. Be off with you, now, Lily. I would imagine you have chores to attend to, do you na?”
“Aye,” Lily bobbed a curtsy and hurried off, after giving Katherine a quick nod.
“I was told to stay at home, but was never forbidden to go outside. I’d already spoken to his lordship, so never dreamed he’d wish to see me again before the feast.” She was using a technicality to justify her absence, but it was the first logical answer she could come up with. If Cora bought it, perhaps Lord Grant would as well. When dealing with clients she’d often had to think fast and tell them what they wanted to hear in order to snag an advertising account, so she hoped the same kind of cunning and finesse might work here too. “I’m sorry if I caused a problem by going for a walk. Had I known he was looking for me, I’d have seen to him immediately.”
Cora planted her hands on her generous hips and shook her head. “Best you get yourself to your chamber, now. The guests will soon be arriving for the feast. There is a tub waiting for you and I’ve laid out your gown and slippers. I’m sure the bath water has chilled by now, but I will have more sent right away.” She cupped Katherine’s shoulders, steering her toward the door. “Be off with you, lass, and I’ll try to reason with your da when he returns.”
Katherine’s chest tightened and her gut clenched with dread when she thought about facing Lord Grant. “Do you think he’ll listen?”
The corners of Cora’s mouth curved upward before she gripped her belly and began to laugh. “Och, he’ll listen. You know as well as I do that your da can refuse me naught. I may be a servant, but have been here since the day you drew your first breath and he put me in charge of your care.”
Thinking fast, Katherine quickly came up with a reply. “Of course. I know he respects your opinion and I—”
Before Katherine could say another word, Cora threw her arms around her shoulders and hugged her, then caught her off guard by swatting her on the bottom. “Off you go. I’ll send the hot water to your chamber and catch your da before he comes to see you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered in Cora’s ear, hoping she’d found another ally in this woman.
Cora plucked a leaf from Katherine’s hair, then tucked an errant lock of her hair behind her ear — much in the way a mother would for her own little girl. “Dinna fash, my dear, Cora will set things to right. But it wouldna be good for himself to find you here in the kitchen, looking so disheveled. If that ruckus I hear outside is what I suspect, your father is on his way. Best you make haste.”
Katherine clasped Cora’s hand and gave it a squeeze, then ran out of the kitchen.
“Be sure to get into the tub,” Cora called after her.
But Katherine didn’t stop to acknowledge Cora’s parting comments. She scooted through the parlor-like sitting room and into the hall, hoping to get back to her room and undress before Lord Grant came looking for her again.
Once in her chamber, she quickly stripped down to her ankle-length leine, then collapsed on the bed. Panting to catch her breath, she rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling. She’d had active dreams in the past — ones where she’d been running — but this one was downright exhausting.
Her breath caught and she sat with a start when a rap sounded on the door of her chamber.
“Who is it?” she asked hesitantly, praying it wasn’t Lord Grant.
“Lily. May I come in?”
“Of course.” Katherine exhaled sharply and moved to the edge of the bed.
Lily entered the chamber, “Cora bid me come and help you with your bath.”
Katherine hadn’t needed help taking a bath since she was five. The whole idea of having someone undress and bathe her was something else she wasn’t sure she’d get accustomed to. “Did you see any sign of Lord Grant?”
“Nay, I dinna cross paths with him, but I did overhear him confronting Cora only minutes after we left the kitchen. And he dinna sound pleased. We are fortunate we got home ahead of him. A narrow call, it was.” Lily glanced over her shoulder and into the hallway before closing the door. “I thought for certs your da would catch us afore we got into the cottage. I was told by one of the other servants that when he got home, Cora told him you were taking your bath and as far as I know, he returned to his solar.” She immediately moved to a large wooden tub that was sitting close to the brassier, and dipped her hand into the water. “Och, it has gone cold. But a few buckets of hot water will warm it up nicely. The lads are bringing them.”
Following a loud rap on the door, three young men, carrying a pail of steaming water in each hand, entered the chamber, dumped them into the tub, then left as quickly as they’d come.
“That was fast.” Katherine joined Lily
“Aye. Cora told them if they dinna
make haste, they’d get no supper,” Lily laughed. “And when Cora speaks, people listen.”
“She certainly does seem to think so,” Katherine laughed. There was no doubt in her mind that Cora was in charge of the household.
“You’re lucky to have her on your side when it comes to dealing with your da. She is very fond of you.” After adding some scented oils to the bathwater, Lily glanced at Katherine. “Best you get in afore it gets cold again. I’ll scrub your hair and your back once you’ve washed the rest of you.”
Katherine climbed into the tub, and sank beneath the water. She drew her knees close to her chest, propped her chin on top of them, and moaned. It felt glorious. She had aches in places she didn’t know she had, and at least two days had passed since she’d showered. She stretched out, resting her neck on the rim of the tub, allowing the heat to envelope her, the fragrance of lavender and heather filling her nostrils as her worries faded.
She couldn’t recall ever having a dream that lasted this long, or so vividly challenged all of her senses. But this was one part of her fantasy she was going to enjoy to the fullest.
Chapter Twelve
“Ouch!” Katherine cried out, and rubbed her scalp when Cora tugged on a strand of her hair.
“Hands down,” Cora snapped, then softened her tone. “I’m sorry, lass. But you must stop fidgeting and hold still while I finish pinning up your locks.”
“Why can’t you just plait it or leave it down?”
“Och, you’ll be the death of me, Catriona Grant. I was told you’ll be eating with your future husband at the feast tonight and you want to look your best, do you na?” Cora said as she added more pins.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. I’m not betrothed to anyone, and certainly do not intend to marry someone I do not know or love.” She turned her head enough to catch Cora’s gaze.
Whether the madness currently happening in her life was a dream or not, after what she’d endured with Ethan, getting involved with anyone — real or imaginary — was not in her immediate plans. And while it might be common for fathers in the thirteen hundreds to promise their daughters’ hands to total strangers in order to enhance their holdings or alliances, she drew the line at being someone’s pawn. Marrying a man she didn’t know, was something she definitely would not consider. But when Ayden’s face crossed her mind, she grinned inwardly, a flutter of joy lifting her heart. In his case, she might be willing to make an exception.
“Sadly, my sweet lamb, you dinna have the luxury of choosing who you marry.” Cora gently cupped Katherine’s face with her hands. “Your da decides for you. He has been waiting for the right match and he believes he may have found it.”
“Lord MacConnery?” the name left a bitter taste in Katherine’s mouth.
“Perhaps. We will have to wait and see.” Cora gently stroked Katherine’s cheek with the pad of her thumb. “It is time you were wed. You’ve seen nearly twenty-four summers, well past the age a young woman usually weds. Do you na want to have bairns?”
“Bairns?” She gasped. “I haven’t given it much thought.” Katherine had never believed women needed to be married and have children to live a fulfilling life, and twenty-four was not old. Her mother was thirty when she wed her father, and didn’t have her until she was thirty-six.
As she thought about her parents, her stomach twisted into knots. An only child, she often wondered if she’d been planned or an accident. Her mother, while loving and kind, was never the nurturing type. When she wasn’t out of town on business, she was at the office closing another real estate deal or with her father at the country club, leaving her grandmother to care for her.
She frowned. Had she turned out to be more like her mother than she’d realized? Unlike many of the women she’d gone to school with — those whose main goal in life was to snag a rich husband and spend their days barefoot and pregnant — her career had always been foremost in her mind. Partly as a means to bury the grief she felt when she lost her parents, then her grandmother, but mostly because it was ingrained in her. She slid her hand over her belly, wondering what it would be like to have a child of her own, a babe with someone she truly loved and loved her back, someone like Ayden.
She was physically attracted to Ethan, and together they were branded by those in the industry as a dynamic duo of advertising. But he never made her feel the way she did when she was with Ayden. And he was just a product of her imagination. She couldn’t begin to picture what it would be like to make love with the real thing.
Katherine loved Ethan. He did have some good qualities, especially in the beginning of their relationship, before he showed his possessive volatile side, but it was never in the romantic, “I can’t keep my hands off you, must know your inner thoughts and be with you night and day” kind of love. And she didn’t think he really loved her like that either. Which ironically, according to Ethan, made them the perfect couple. More than once he likened marriage to a business partnership and she suspected theirs would have been just that. The sex was good, but she wouldn’t call him a considerate lover. He’d insisted on a pre-nup, because he didn’t want a woman marrying him for his wealth. She didn’t need his money because she was capable of earning enough of her own. But rather than argue, she signed.
Cora put the finishing touches on Katherine’s hair and smiled. “Stand up and turn around.”
Katherine rose and faced Cora.
“Och, you look lovely, and so much like your mother. The gown fits perfectly. And I think the deep emerald color really compliments your eyes. Your hair is exactly what your father asked for, so I think he’ll be pleased.” She shuffled over to the table and picked up a piece of polished metal. “Have a look for yourself. You’ll have every man at the ceilidh begging to dance with you.”
“I’m afraid I don’t dance.” Aside from a few waltzes around the parlor while standing atop her father’s feet when she was a wee girl, she’d never learned or saw the need. When she and Ethan attended a party, they were usually too busy discussing business with prospective clients to dance.
“Nonsense. You’re a fine dancer,” Cora said. She raised her chin and brushed her knuckles across her chest. “I saw to it maself.”
Katherine shrugged. She wasn’t about to argue a moot point with Cora. She’d find out soon enough if she was telling the truth. Instead, she picked up the metal sheet and stared at her distorted reflection. Raising a hand to the back of her head, she touched the bun that rested just above her neckline, and marveled at the well-tamed tendrils of hair that hung in loose curls around her face. “You’re a miracle worker. In weather as humid as this, my hair is usually a frizzy mess. It’s the main reason I braid it all the time.” She turned her head from side to side, admiring the hairstyle from all angles.
Cora grasped the bodice of Katherine’s gown and gave it a tug, then smoothed her hands down the front and sides. “There, now, you’re as lovely as a spring morning in a field of heather. Speaking of which…” She paused, picked up several small sprigs of purple flowers from the table, and placed them in Katherine’s hair. “Perfect. You na only look as pretty as a field of heather, you’ll smell like one too.”
Katherine had to admit she did feel like a princess. In her closet back in Manhattan, she had many designer outfits and one-of-a kind cocktail dresses. Being stylishly dressed to impress was imperative in her profession. But nothing she owned made her feel as beautiful as this hand-sewn gown. Cora obviously spent hours making it, paying close attention to every detail. It fit like a glove, hugging her curves and accentuating her tiny waist. The silk fabric felt cool and soft against her skin and the dress had just enough lace and pearl embellishments to make it glamorous, but not gaudy. And shades of dark green had always being her favorite.
“Catriona!” Someone rapped on the door of the chamber.
Cora threw it open and shook her balled fist in the air. “Did I na teach you better manners, lad? You dinna pound on a young lady’s door and shout like a hool
igan,” she chided, then slapped Warren on the arm.
When Warren lowered his gaze and shuffled his feet like a young boy who’d been caught stealing a cookie, Katherine covered her mouth to hide a smirk.
“My apologies, Cora. Father sent me to fetch Catriona. Most of the guests have arrived, and the feast will soon begin. You know how he gets when he is kept waiting.”
“She’ll ready soon. Your da will have to be patient a little longer,” Cora replied. “But I suppose if the suitors have arrived, he’ll be anxious for her to meet with them.”
“Aye, and he has arrived,” Warren said.
Katherine’s pulse quickened. Ayden was here. He and Warren were best friends, so it stood to reason he’d know about Ayden’s plan to ask for her hand. She suddenly felt like a giddy teen and couldn’t wait to get to the feast. “Do you know if he’d had a chance to ask for my hand?”
“I’m surprised you’re so excited about Lord MacConnery’s arrival.” Warren replied. “He and his party arrived nearly an hour ago, but am pretty certain he has already spoken to father at length about his desire to marry you. He’s been asking about you,” Warren said. “Best you na keep him waiting any longer.”
“Lord MacConnery?” Katherine found it hard to hide the disappointment in her voice. She’d hoped he might have decided not to come. Although given what she read in Catriona’s journal, she should have known that was highly unlikely. She lowered her gaze and wrung her hands. “What of Laird MacAndrews and his family?”
“They’re here as well. But what you really want to know is if Ayden is here. Is it na?” Warren cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I’m aware of how you feel about Ayden. And if up to me, there would be no other choice. But I’m afraid da expects you to spend your time with Lord MacConnery this evening.”
