Page 5 of A Highlander's Bride

Next, she took a trip to the kitchen to speak with their cook, Daisy, then she went to the bedchamber where her mam stored the family’s old clothes to give to the unfortunate in the village. She scooped up knitting needles that sat in her room along with an unused ball of yarn.

Happy with her work, and laughing until the tears ran down her cheeks, she blew out the candle and settled into bed. Now she was looking forward to her visit to Castle Leod. This arrogant laird was infor some surprises.

The next morning, she greeted her parents in the great hall to break her fast.

“Good morning, daughter. Are ye ready to leave as soon as we are finished here?” Her da looked expectantly at her.

She shrugged. “Since I have no choice, aye I am ready.”

Her mam wiped her mouth with a piece of linen. “Ye might verra well enjoy yourself, daughter. I hear the laird is quite handsome and verra friendly.”

She huffed. With a man in the laird’s position “very friendly” usually meant he was chasing the lasses in his employ and warming his bed with them.

The ride to Castle Leod from her home took a little less than two full days. Fortunately, her da knew of an inn where they stayed so she wasn’t forced to sleep in the carriage or, worse, on the ground like her da said the guardsmen with them would do.

Castle Leod was only a half day ride from where her sister, Lady Alisa Grant, lived with her husband and bairns. She asked her da about stopping for a visit, but he was anxious to please the king and go to Castle Leod straightaway.

When they arrived at Castle Leod, she breathed a sigh of relief when a woman who introduced herself as Louise Mackenzie, the chatelaine, greeted them and said the laird was in the village solving some sort of problem and would be down shortly to greet them.

They were shown to their bedchambers which were right next to each other. She examined the room she’d been assigned. The walls were painted white, a plush carpet covered the floor and the bed was large and looked comfortable with a colorful bed covering and hangings. It all looked so cozy that she almost forgot what her visit here was all about. She didn’t want to admire the room or feel comfortable in the bed.

She rested her elbows on the ledge of the glass window and studiedthe grounds surrounding the castle in the bright moonlight, which cast dips and shadows over the area of valleys and hills surrounding it.

Her mam knocked and entered the room. “This is a lovely chamber. I notice all the rooms we passed looked clean and well-decorated.”

She narrowed her eyes at her mam. “Aye. ’Tis a nice Keep.”

“Ye could be Lady of the Manor here.” Her mam studied the room and Beth could swear she was picturing little bairns running around the area, creating havoc.

Just the thought of it made Beth cringe.Lady of the Manormeant bearing those bairns and listening to them as they cried and kicked and screamed over a biscuit. Or tried their best to kill each other.

Or themselves.

She shook her head to remove the image as her mam said, “I believe they will be serving supper in about an hour.”

“I am weary from the trip, so I think I will request a tray in my room, and a hot bath. What I need is a good night’s sleep.”

“That seems fine, dear. ’Twill will give ye time to recover from our journey and look yer best when ye meet the laird in the morning.”

That’s what her mother thought, anyway. Beth smiled to herself. “Aye, Mam. I will see ye in the morning.”

*

Daniel awoke thenext day with a sinking feeling in his stomach. When he’d finished supper with Laird and Lady Munro the night before, he’d been grateful when Lady Munro excused herself and Laird Munro shortly thereafter.

Their conversation had been a bit stiff with Lady Beth missing. Were he not the host, he would have gone with his plan to have a quick supper and bed.

He’d headed to his solar and sat in his well-worn, comfortable chair, linking his fingers on his stomach, and thought about what hewas soon to face. He had assumed he would eventually get used to this foolish idea the king had come up with, but he still was angry about it.

The worst part was the king’s inviting two young ladies to visit at the same time. It did make it seem as if he was looking over items to purchase. The more he thought about the next morning, the more annoyed he became with the interfering man, king or not.

Not happy about what he was facing, but knowing marriage was something necessary for a laird, he would have preferred to do it in his own time and in his own way. And with his own choice. This farce had the pretense of choice but in truth, gave none at all. It was an insult.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, he headed to the great hall to see Laird and Lady Munro sitting on the dais. There was no young lass in sight. He walked up to them and bowed. “Good morn, my Laird, my Lady, I hope ye had a pleasant sleep?”

The laird stood. “Good morn to ye as well. I remembered after we parted last evening that ye were at the clans’ competition last year.”

Daniel nodded. “Aye myself and Gregory, my cousin as well as my second-in-command, always enter the events.”