by Fiona Faris
“It makes me so glad to see how much ye have grown… I am so grateful,” she said, leaning upwards to claim his lips in a kiss.
…
Lilia kissed Uielam with all that she had, pouring all of her relief and love into the kiss, trying to express all that she could not say. Her heart bloomed with joy as he kissed her with just as much feeling. They were still leaning against each other in a passionate embrace when the door slammed open suddenly, and a loud, boisterous voice exclaimed;
“Uielam me son!”
Lilia nearly had a heart attack as her eyes flew open and she detached herself from Uielam with lightning speed. She turned around to find the Laird at the door, his large frame taking up most of the space in the doorway before he barged into the room, his eyes on Uielam. She got to her feet immediately and greeted him with a deep curtsy and a bow of her head.
The Laird barely glanced her way, only waving his hand in acknowledgment of her greeting before taking her place and grabbing his son into a huge bear hug, which Uielam struggled against.
“Ow, faither… faither it is good to see ye too, but ye are going to break all of me ribs…” He said, his voice muffled against his father’s chest. The Laird completely ignored his son’s complaints, continuing to hug him.
“Oh… me son… I am so glad that ye are alright! I was so worried, what were ye thinkin’?! Oh, ye willnae be the death of me…” He said. Lilia felt her face warm in embarrassment as once again, she was but a mere fly on the wall. The Laird completely ignored her as he hugged his son, despite the romantic embrace he had caught them in. She curtsied again, although neither of them noticed and began to leave the room as the Laird finally released Uielam from his hug.
“Ye are such an unfilial son, nay carin’ about the worries of yer old faither but already finding the passin’ pleasure in a maid. When will ye stop yer womanizin’ ways ey? Ye just came back from the gates of heaven, and ye grab the first lass ye see. Ye truly have nay shame!” His father scolded Uielam just as she reached the door.
Her legs buckled at his words, and she felt tears spring into her eyes. Passing pleasure? Womanizing? The first woman he saw…. A shame… She slipped out of the room quickly, dashing down the hallway before she burst into tears before the Laird. She had already known that being with Uielam was a dream too good to entertain, but this only drove the fact home for her. What had she been thinking? She had been so stupid.
To the Laird, she was just another one of Uielam’s flings… he had chastised his son not caring that she would hear him… It was true that the Laird had always been very verbally against his son’s womanizing ways, and all the women Uielam played around with knew this and did not care, but the Laird had not even considered that she might be different. She was hurt and embarrassed.
How dae ye ken that ye are different? All this time, Uielam has been in hidin’ under yer roof, and that is why he has nae entertained any women. How dae ye ken that now that he is back to his castle he willnae go right back to his womanizin’ ways? What makes ye think that he can be faithful to one woman and that out of all the women he would choose ye, a maid, an orphan…
Doubt raised it’s ugly head in her heart, followed by insecurity, and tears streamed down her face as she ran down the stairs. A shame… the Laird had said Uielam had no shame for being with her. It hurt even more because she understood. They were so different and came from diverse backgrounds. She had deluded herself so… and now the searing pain in her heart was her fault.
She was still running when she turned the corner and bumped into Flora. Her friend smiled at first,
“Ah, Lilia…” she said, but then her smile crumpled away as she noticed the tears streaming from Lilia’s eyes. Worry took its place on her features, and she gripped Lilia’s shoulders.
“Lilia, are ye alright? What is the matter?” she asked. Lilia only shook her head and took a step back to free herself from Flora’s grip.
“I’m sorry… I just… I would like to be alone right now, please…” She pleaded, noting the slight hurt in Flora’s eyes before she side-stepped her and kept running until she was outside.
She was afraid… afraid that her worst fears might be right and yet unable to stop her heart from hoping and so she ran, escaping from the castle and heading to her cottage where she would be safe from her feelings and safe from her doubt. She ran before she was given a reason to hurt.
Chapter Twenty-Four
At his father’s chastisement, Uielam panicked and jerked his head violently, trying to look behind his father to make sure that Lilia had not heard him speak. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief when he saw that she had already left.
“Faither, ye shouldnae say such things so thoughtlessly…” At his father’s confused look, he took a deep breath to assure himself before he announced. “ That was the woman I plan to marry, faither…”
Uielam had never seen his father look more unimpressed than he did after he said those words. The Laird got off Uielam’s bed and took his seat beside the bed instead.
“As much as I have dreamt of the day when ye finally let me ken that ye are settlin’ down, this has been me biggest fear… that ye, in the way that ye are prone to rushin’ things, will catch a passin’ fancy and mistake it for love that ye will rush into marriage and end up makin’ a mess of it. What I want for ye is love… true love, one like what yer maither and I had. How can I allow ye… a child born from such love to get married on a passin’ fancy to a maid I daenae even ken anythin’ about?” his father said.
Uielam shook his head vehemently. He knew where his father was coming from, and he did not blame him at all. Even he would look at the choices his former self made with great distrust. His father did not know how much he had grown and how he had experienced true love, so of course, he would think he wasn’t serious.
“Lilia is nae a passin’ fancy faither. I understand how ye must see this; trust me, I ken. There was indeed a time when she was a passin’ fancy to me… but at that point, she didnae give me the light of day. I have flirted with her for years, and she has always turned me down because she ken of me previous ways. It wasnae until I got Osgar’s help to make it possible that I would be livin’ in her house while we worked on the plan I had for the joustin’ tournament that I truly fell in love. She has taught me humility and maturity. It is because of her that I ken me actions were reckless and stupid,” he said.
The Laird frowned, stroking his chin as he considered Uielam’s words.
“After I was attacked, she saved me life by tiein’ up me wound to stop the blood from escapin’. And again, when I fought the assassin, it was she who called for help and took matters into her own hands, using a sword when she has never even held one before, and attackin’ the assassin in a show of bravery I have never seen before. I had doubts at first, but when I saw her in danger, it became clear to me that she was the woman I wanted to spend me life with” He finished.
His father held his gaze, and he did not waver, letting his sincerity and certainty shine through from his eyes. After a few moments, his father conceded, shutting his eyes and giving a solemn nod.
“Ye are indeed a different man, me son. I have never seen such conviction in yer eyes before. In such a short while, ye have become a man who is nae only sure of his words, but sure of himself. If what ye say is true and I owe both yer life and yer growth to this woman, then I shall give me blessin’. I would like to talk to me future daughter-in-law whenever ye are ready.”
A huge grin spread over Uielam’s face, and relief surged through his veins. He had convinced his father to bless his relationship with Lilia. If anything, it was the final confirmation that he had indeed grown. His father had acknowledged his growth. As he celebrated internally, he remembered the reason he had told Osgar that he wanted to see his father.
“Thank ye faither, and while we are discussin’ me growth, I wanted to ask ye nae to go to war,” he said, noting his father’s expression immediately harden.
“I shouldnae go to war? What dae ye expect me to dae then? Am I to just allow the Douglas clan to go free after their attempt on yer life? They have tested me, and now I shall respond in kind to let them ken that I am still as strong as I was thirty years ago. Dae ye nae ken that if we dae nothin’, they will only try again?” the Laird asked. Uielam reached out to take his father’s hand.
“I understand that ye are angry faither, but I am alright. I didnae die, and now we have the upper hand with what we ken. The peace of Scotland depends on how we use this advantage. I daenae think that we should go to war, but that doesnae mean that we should dae nothin’. A war will disrupt the current peace that yer strength has given our clan for over thirty years. It will make our people worry, and it would put our soldiers in danger for a war that wasnae necessary,” Uielam appealed.
“We will forsake our prosperity to fund a war, and although it is rather certain that we will win, what will it cost? The Douglas clan obviously has an army that can rival ours for them to be dependin’ solely on distractin’ ye to win a war. Our clan is strong enough that distractin’ ye willnae be enough. Fightin’ them would cost us. Right now, we can force them into submission without a war if ye would rein in yer anger and work with Mr. Abernathy to come up with a better plan. We can reinforce our clan and then go to them with our terms, havin’ the assassin as a reason to force their hand into peace since ye have proof of their instigatin’ move.”
He was not entirely sure of all the details and how what he had just said would work, but it was Osgar and Mr. Abernathy who were good at filling in the empty spaces in his and his father’s plans. His father looked somewhat impressed as he studied him.
“Ye truly have grown,” he said. Uielam looked on hopefully as his father got to his feet and began to leave the room.
“I will dae as ye suggest and there will be nay war. I shall discuss with Mr. Abernathy to see how we can make this work,” he said before leaving the room. Uielam stared at the door as his father left before pumping his fist in the air. He lay back against his pillows in satisfaction, a smile still on his face. He had a moment of pure gratefulness where he was just glad for everything that had occurred. He wondered where Lilia was.
Just as he thought it, his door opened, and Osgar stepped in. He directed a grin at his friend.
“Ah, ye are finally back. I have successfully convinced me faither both to allow me to marry Lilia, and to not go to war,” he said proudly. Osgar stepped closer to him and clapped.
“That is indeed wonderful. I’m sorry, however, that I wasnae able to stop yer faither from comin’ up here while ye were still with Lilia. It seems somethin’ happened because Flora told me that she saw Lilia running out of the castle in tears,” he said, taking the seat beside Uielam’s bed.
Uielam’s eyes widened in realization, and he slapped his hand to his forehead. That meant that Lilia had heard his father’s words, after all. He thought he had escaped that. He heaved a heavy sigh.
“Me faither had chastised me on me womanizin’ ways and referred to Lilia as a fling before I could explain. I had thought she didnae hear this, but it seems that I was wrong. What dae I dae Osgar? I love Lilia… dae I go after her immediately?” he asked. Osgar sat with his eyes shut for a moment as he considered the situation.
“Uielam, I ken that ye love Lilia, and since this is nae affectin’ ye, ye cannae see the problems with yer relationship,” Osgar began. “There is too big a difference in yer status. Ye are the future Laird, and she is a maid… and nae only is she a maid, she didnae grow up here, and nay one kens her parents. Even among the commoners, she is nae kenned. She willnae feel comfortable in yer circle.”
Uielam blinked. Osgar was absolutely right when he said he could not see the problems with their relationship because he genuinely had never considered that their status could be a problem. Somehow he had just thought that he would marry her, and she would become a lady. If anything, it was something a lot of his lovers dreamt of. However, it was his fault for thinking Lilia was like his past lovers. He slapped his forehead again. Just when he thought that he had grown, he was still making mistakes.
“It is nae enough to simply tell Lilia that ye love her. Ye must also make sure that she would stop feelin’ like an outsider when she is with ye… nay matter who is in the room with ye two. That is the first step if ye want yer relationship to work,” Osgar finished.
Uielam stared at the far wall as he thought. He wanted to go to Lilia immediately, but he knew that it was not a good idea. Not only was he still injured, he did not want to go to her with nothing but words again. He needed a way to prove himself and to make sure that Lilia could see that his love for her was stronger than all that stood in their way.
“Osgar, I think we might need another crazy plan…” Uielam said. The vestiges of a plan were already forming in his mind. The first time that the difference in their status showed was when she had offered him commoners bread. She had been very upset at his refusal to eat it. The next time she had gotten so upset was when he pretended to cook for her. It was a lot more subtle, but she had also been unimpressed at the way he did not even think to clean up after himself. As The Younger, he always had servants, so he had never done anything himself. He was going to need to reverse all of these actions.
“If I am going to prove me love to Lilia, I will have to prove to her how far I am willin’ to go and how much I have learned from her. I will show her me love is nae bound by such bizarre constraints as status,” he declared. “I will need the help of the cook… while I am recoverin’, I want to learn how to make pottage on me own, so I will understudy the cook in the kitchen. I also want to learn how to dress the game I hunt. If I am goin’ to dae this, I need to dae everythin’ on me own. I also want to go to the commoners market. Nae in a carriage, but I will walk there and buy commoner’s bread and cheese. I will wear commoner clothes, and I will go to the cottage, clean and cook and have a real dinner made by me ready for Lilia when she returns,” he said.
Osgar looked visibly excited as he thought it through, the usual glint was present in his eyes.
“That is a splendid plan, Uielam,” he said, stroking his chin. “Although for this to work, we are goin’ to need Flora’s help again. Only Flora can take Lilia out of her house on that day to allow ye to carry out yer plan.”
Uielam nodded, Osgar was right. If Flora went ahead of them and dragged Lilia to go out with them, it would leave the cottage empty for him to take care of. He remembered the look Flora had been giving him the day before at the lists. She had obviously discovered the new dynamic in his relationship with Lilia, and from her expression, she was not sure if she trusted him with her friend. Not that he could blame her as he had a terrible track record. He needed to talk to Flora. As someone he considered a sister, he owed her an explanation, especially since she had warned him about Lilia.
“Osgar, can ye please call Flora in… I believe I should talk to her,” Uielam said. His friend nodded and left the room quietly, returning with his sister in tow. Flora had a solemn look on her face, probably from seeing Lilia cry. She sat in the seat beside his bed and folded her arms.
“When Lilia told me that she had spent the night with ye, I was worried. Even more so when she told me that I shouldnae hold ye responsible nay matter how things ended up between ye two. I chose to honor me promise, and I didnae say anythin’ to ye when I saw ye at the lists. However, I just saw Lilia leave the castle in tears, and she wouldnae even speak to me. She is me best friend, so I feel as though I have the right to ask ye, are ye toyin’ with Lilia Uielam?” Flora asked.
Uielam shook his head vehemently. He had never seen Flora look so serious. It seemed she had truly been hurt when Lilia left without speaking to her, and she blamed him for it to some extent, if not completely.
“Ye called out to her in yer sleep. Right before ye woke up, it was her name that ye were mumblin’. I had some hope after that. So when I went to find Lilia in the servant’s quarters, I did so ha
ppily, as I was convinced that ye were serious about her. The last thing I expected was to see her cry. What are yer plans for Lilia Uielam? I ken that ye might indeed care for her but that isnae enough. How dae I ken that ye willnae end up hurting her by going back to your womanizin’ ways?” she asked.
Uielam frowned, realizing that if Flora thought to ask such questions, Lilia must have had doubts as well. He had not even considered the option of ever taking another woman. Lilia was all he could think about.
“Rest assured, Flora, I plan to make Lilia me wife. I have already convinced me faither of this fact, and I willnae be goin’ back on me decision. Lilia is the only woman for me, and I love her with all of me heart,” he said. Flora studied him for a few moments after he spoke, and he held her gaze, letting his conviction shine through once again until she cracked a smile and lowered her head.
