Chapter 5
Helena stared out the window somewhat absently as she watched the maids below weaving garlands of flowers. Those would decorate the courtyard for the ceremony that afternoon.
Her mind wandered to her home, her bed, her clothes, her books, even her father—everything she had left behind. Mags was the only familiar thing here with her.
The rest was all strange and new. She glanced down at the canvas she was working on. The paints had mixed pleasantly in her attempt to replicate the great oak in the center of the courtyard below.
I wonder if Faither is worried about me or if he is angry with me. Probably both. Probably more angry than worried.
His temper was a thing of near legend, especially when things didn’t go his way. Her sudden disappearance and her marrying without his permission would ignite a rage she was happy she would not be there to witness.
Lord help me when we meet again.
If for any reason her plan was not successful and she had to return home, she would be in for a life in the dungeons. Either way, her sense of freedom was slowly fading away.
She had only left a brief letter explaining that she had fallen in love with Laird MacAllister and that they should not worry about her. She had led her father to believe that she was running away to MacAllister Castle because she was intent on being with the man she loved.
She hadn’t even taken the time to say goodbye to her aunt. Her heart hurt at the thought. She hoped she hadn’t hurt Sophia much with her sudden disappearance. Her aunt had already lost so many people dear to her.
I miss them so much already. I’ve never been this far from home, nae alone.
The scuffing of the heavy wooden door on the stone floor pulled her out of her thoughts.
Margaret, a disapproving older maid who had been assigned to her, bustled into the room. She was holding a handful of garments in her hands as she bowed to Helena briefly.
Mags lounged quietly on the bed, stretching and yawning as the woman entered. He was only slightly disturbed by the movement around him. Warm and satisfied with his new accommodations, the cat had settled in without a hitch.
An endearing smile crossed Helena’s face as she took in the sight. Mags had been the one constant in her life, through the loss of her mother, her brother, her cousin, and now her very home. It was almost as if the cat were some great guardian sent to comfort her.
The room was well-lit, thankfully. She had been able to set up an easel near the window so she could utilize the natural light during the day and the candlelight at night.
MacAllister Castle was much larger than she had anticipated. With five tall towers along the battlements, the perimeter was secured with archers at the ready day and night.
Her bedroom was beside Alexander’s in one of those towers. The stone construction made it colder at night than she was used to. Sounds echoed off the walls, resulting in eerie noises at all hours of the night, making it hard for her to sleep.
“Which dress do ye want to wear for this evening, before ye retire to the Laird’s chambers?” the maid asked, proceeding to hold up two thin nightdresses impatiently.
The first dress was made of soft white linen, with varying flower embroidery around the neck and sleeves. It looked silky soft and beautiful. The second dress was made of cream silk, with brown rose embroidery along the waistline and hemline.
Helena had never given much thought to her nightwear, preferring simple white silk slips to anything fancy. She had never had a reason to wear anything fancier. Even that was changing suddenly.
“I… uh… hadnae given it much thought,” she stammered.
She had given it extensive thought but not the gown-wearing part. She had focused more on the part of not wearing a gown and everything that would follow.
To even consider that anyone would see her naked embarrassed her to no end. Her aunt had spoken with her briefly about such things on a single occasion, but she truly didn’t know what to expect.
“Well, now is the time to think about it, lass. The Laird will expect ye to be waitin’ for him when he retires from the celebration tonight,” Margaret insisted, scowling at her.
“Come now, dinnae frighten the poor lass, Margaret. She’ll think that me braither is a brute at this point,” a new voice sounded from the doorway.
Helena turned to see who it belonged to.
A dark-haired woman slightly younger than her strode in, carrying a vase of flowers, her silken blue dress flowing around her like water beneath her grey woolen coat. She glided across the room and set the vase on the table beside the window.
“I must apologize for nae comin’ to meet ye sooner, Helena. We are about to become sisters, after all. I’m Alice, the youngest of the Gordon brood.” Her voice was light and airy, matching her energy.
“If ye’re the youngest, it seems the dark and broody Gordon genes all went to yer braithers. I wouldnae have guessed that ye were related, with the light that surrounds ye. Perhaps ye stole all the light from that hulkin’ braither of yers,” Helena teased with a sly wink.
“Fine then, I will decide for ye. This one will look best with yer hair and skin color. It’ll do.” Margaret rolled her eyes, ignoring the two young women. She laid the cream nightdress on the bed and put the white one back in the wardrobe before leaving the room.
What possessed Helena to act so familiar with the youngest Gordon sibling was beyond her.
The two young women stared at each other for a long moment, each assessing the other.
Alice broke their gaze first with a light laugh. Her wide, curious eyes flickered to the canvas that Helena had been working on before their arrival, scrutinizing it.
“My, that is rather good. Perhaps ye can teach me sometime.” Alice clasped her hand and dragged her excitedly to the settee, motioning for her to sit. “For now, though, let’s get ye ready for yer big day.”
She picked up the hairbrush on the vanity and began brushing Helena’s long black hair. Margaret returned with a white silk dress and a beautiful blue and green arisaid to go over it. Helena could smell the fresh dye as the maid swept through the room.
This evening would be the first time she wore MacAllister colors. Alice continued to fiddle with her hair, arranging it in an intricate braid.
This entire thing almost feels like treason.
Helena’s thoughts were morbid and dull as she wondered if she had made the right choice.
Once Margaret was done fluffing, primping, and prepping the various garments, she bowed quickly and then left, the same grimace on her face since Helena’s arrival.
“Dinnae let Margaret bother ye; she has been with us since we were bairns. She is more attached to me and me braither than ye would expect. She’s protective of Alexander, but dinnae worry.
She ensures that he follows tradition, aye.
Relax, lass. He isnae a cruel man. He willnae make it miserable for ye, I swear it. ”
Before Helena could respond, a young girl skipped into the room with a basket full of freshly trimmed flowers. She handed one to Helena and smiled widely at Alice.
“These are for ye, Me Lady,” she proclaimed.
Her happy giggle made Helena’s heart soar.
Yes, this is the right decision. For these people, for me people. This is the only way.
This generation deserved to know peace—something she had never known.
Margaret and Alice helped place the remaining flowers throughout her long fishtail braid. When Margaret left the room again to help arrange the decorations downstairs, Helena worked up the courage to resume the previous conversation.
“How can ye be so certain? I’m the daughter of his sworn enemy, after all,” she pointed out hesitantly. She was not entirely comfortable talking about this with anyone, let alone her future sister-in-law. “I’ve heard… rumors about him.”
What if he truly hates me? What if he makes it his goal to make me life a living hell for the sins of me family?
“Aye, that is true. But I believe he looks at ye more as Broderic’s younger sister than Chester Fraser’s daughter. Consider for a moment that he has a younger sister,” Alice reminded her.
“Alexander can be a cruel man, that is true. But he doesnae put up with any man bullyin’ a woman—nay one at all. He may be a hulkin’ brute, but he would never take advantage of a woman who wasnae willin’, regardless of the situation,” she continued, her voice soft and reassuring.
“I’ve heard tales of me braithers both takin’ to fists with men over offenses to the lasses.
” She smiled down at Helena warmly, shaking her head.
“On more than one occasion, I heard Alexander even threaten Michael’s life if he dared to put a lass in a compromising situation.
He can be a bit of a gallant if ye get me meaning. Boys, unscrupulous the lot of them.”
Her genuine affection for her brothers was obvious.
Helena’s expression must have conveyed her uncertainty, as Alice licked her lips, hesitating before she spoke again.
“If that doesnae reassure ye, perhaps the fact that yer late braither was one of his closest friends will. He wouldnae do anythin’ to hurt ye, lass.”
Wait, what did she just say? Broderic and Alexander were friends? Nae just friends but close friends?
The claim took Helena aback.
“What?” she blurted, forgetting the uncomfortable subject that had brought them to this point. “How do ye ken about Broderic? What do ye mean they were friends?”
Alice paused, confused by her alarm, and slowly sat beside her. “Did ye nae ken that they were friends?” she asked.
“Nay, our clans have been at war for as long as I can remember. I only kenned that they had met before me braither and cousin died, but… Well, besides that, neither Broderic nor Ian had ever mentioned their friendship,” Helena confessed.
“Oh.” Alice looked hesitant. “Perhaps this isnae me story to tell, then. I will say that both Broderic and that handsome cousin of yers visited the castle often.”
“Ye mean to say that they have been here? In this castle?” Helena’s mind was reeling from this new information. “Why?”
“Aye. They would sit with Alexander and Michael, and discuss how to end this silly war for hours on end,” Alice divulged, an amused gleam in her eyes.
“The boys never paid much mind to me—they thought I was just another curious lass. But I often eavesdropped in the hallway. They had many ideas and dreams.”
Helena fell silent for a long moment as she absorbed this new information. Her thoughts wandered back to the last time she had seen Broderic and Ian. They had been on their way to Glencoe to meet with Alexander. She had simply assumed it was their first and only meeting.
There is so much I dinnae ken. It’s honestly embarrassing that Alice kens so much when I had kenned so little of the truth. About me family, about this war—all of it.
She sighed, deflating as she considered how sheltered she had been.
“Now, now, this is supposed to be a happy day for ye and me braither,” Alice piped up, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly with a genuine smile. “With this union, we can all finally put this senseless thing behind us and look to the future.”
Drawn by her welcoming nature, Helena returned her smile and drew her into a hug. Perhaps she could make a new life here after all, despite marrying her brother’s murderer. However, she was even more confused as to why her brother had died in the first place if he and the Laird were friends.