Chapter Three
Daniel waited patiently for Lady Beth and his three more newly arrived guests to appear. Lady Munro seemed to have calmed down. “I want to apologize to ye, Laird. I doona ken what my daughter was thinking, but she will be down shortly in a presentable manner.”
He smiled and nodded, quite interested to see what the lass looked like when she wasn’t dressed like a verra old woman. He still had a hard time not laughing about it again, which, given Lady’s Munro tense scowl was probably not a good idea.
A maid had picked up the discarded shoes and with Lady Monro’s instructions had discarded them.
“Good morn again, Laird.” Laird Chisholm, his wife and daughter all entered the great hall.
Daniel stood and waved to the bench where Laird and Lady Munro sat, along with Gregory. Daniel gestured toward his cousin. “May I introduce ye to Gregory Mackenzie.”
They nodded at him and Daniel said, “Please have a seat and the servers will bring out food and drink.”
Lady Chisholm pushed her daughter toward the very slight space between Daniel and Lady Munro, which had been Lady Beth’s seat before her mam had towed her off. “Ye can sit next to the Laird, Alice. I’m sure he is interested in speaking with ye.”
Daniel moved closer to Lady Munro, who shifted toward her husband. The servers entered with food and began to serve.
Lady Alice was a pleasant-looking lass. Brown eyes, straight, light brown hair, and pale skin gave her a somewhat simple look. After being nudged in her side by her mam, the lass smiled at him, and when he smiled back she looked down at her plate.
“Ah, here she is,” Lady Munro said.
Daniel looked up and his hand stopped right before he was to put a piece of cold meat into his mouth. The lass walking toward them was beautiful. Long, blond, wavy hair, deep blue eyes and rosy lips that were meant to kiss…only him.
When she smiled the room lit up. As she grew closer he saw the light band of freckles across her nose and cheeks. He put the piece of meat back on his plate and stood.
“Good morn, Lady Beth.”
She grinned. “I believe we’ve already said that, Laird.”
“Beth,” her mam said under her breath, but loud enough for him and her daughter to hear.
She dipped and did not wipe the smile from her face which made him want to laugh out loud again. Daniel did the introductions between the Chisholm family and Lady Beth.
Before he could ask Lady Munro to move over some more, Lady Beth walked around the dais and sat next to her da.
“Lady Alice is verra adept at handling bairns,” Lady Chisholm said, leaning over her husband and daughter to speak to him. Lady Alice looked startled for a moment.
“Indeed.” He looked at the young lass who was once again staring at her food.
“Say something,” Lady Chisholm whispered not too softly to her daughter.
“Um, aye, Laird, I have young cousins who I help my aunt with.” The poor lass actually broke out in a sweat on her forehead.
Taking sympathy for the lass, Daniel turned to Lady Munro next to him. “Did ye find yer bedchamber satisfactory?”
“Aye. ’Tis verra nice. Thank ye so much for having us, Laird.”
“I agree, Laird. ’Tis so nice of ye to have us.” Lady Chisholm was not to be left out of the conversation.
Daniel leaned past Laird and Lady Munro. “Lady Beth, are ye finding yer bedchamber satisfactory?”
She looked startled that anyone was even speaking to her. She wiped her mouth with her linen and smiled. “Aye. ’Tis verra nice.”
“Maybe after we break our fast, the ladies would like to take a walk in your lovely garden that I saw from my bedchamber window,” Lady Chisholm said. He nodded to her since he didn’t know what else to do with them. What he wanted to do was ride his horse, Atlas.
For hours.
However, he didn’t know how adept at riding either young lady was.
Right now he would be on the lists, watching over the training along with Gregory, who had left them before Lady Beth had arrived for the second time.
“Ye seem to have a wonderful stable, Laird. Mayhap we could take a ride,” Lady Beth said, almost as if she read his mind.
“Oh, I doona ride verra well, I’m afraid,” Lady Alice said, mumbling to her plate.
“’Tis no problem, Laird. I am allergic to flowers so ye and Lady Alice can go for yer walk and with yer permission I’ll use one of yer horses for a ride,” Lady Beth said, actually looking relieved. So, she didn’t want to spend time with him.
He would work on that, since the lass seemed to be pushing him away.
Which only made him want to pull her back.
Besides, she fascinated him. Based on her mam’s reaction, the disguise she pulled on him was a surprise to her parents.
He found it hilarious. Although her parents didn’t seem to think so.
Seeing as how the lass had already captured his attention, she was certainly worth the challenge.
“Ye are no’ allergic to flowers, daughter,” Lady Munro said.
“Oh, aye. The last time I was in our garden, I sneezed forever and had to take to my bed.”
“’Tis strange that I doona remember that.” Lady Munro glared at her daughter, but didn’t say anything else.
Daniel would bet his best horse Lady Beth never let anything put her to bed in the middle of the day. Except him, however, if he had any say in it.
So ye have already decided, then?
“Mayhap I can join ye tomorrow morning for a ride, Lady Beth. I like to go early since I generally have some problems to address with the clan during the day.”
She nodded, a broad smile on her face. The lass thought she had won because she avoided a walk in the garden when she would have to speak with him? Nay. Maybe for today. However, he could come up with as many plans as she had. He was really looking forward to this visit now.
What Lady Beth didn’t know was that, aye, he had already selected which lass he wanted for his wife.
’Twasn’t a difficult choice. Lady Beth was beautiful, charming when she wasn’t trying to be otherwise, would never bore him, would always challenge him, and bring life and humor into the castle and his life.
Also, he was already planning hours and hours in his bed running his hands over those lush curves and teaching her ways to bring pleasure to them both.
It was apparent, however, that Lady Beth was going to try her best to avoid a betrothal agreement. He needed to learn if there was another man standing in his way that held her heart back at Foulis Castle.
While Lady Alice seemed to be a sweet lass, she was much too shy and accommodating for him.
A warrior did not do well with a woman who wasn’t his equal in temperament, and Lady Beth surely was.
He almost rubbed his hands with excitement and delight at how the chase would be this week with his guests.
He could not believe King George II did something right.
*
Beth changed into her riding clothes and left the keep. She would have a free day enjoying the fresh air and riding over the hills and valleys outside of Castle Leod while Laird Mackenzie was stuck walking through the flower garden entertaining Lady Alice.
Although not pleased, her mam didn’t try to stop her from riding. Feeling free for the first time since her da had told her about this visit, she passed the men training on the lists and waved briefly to a few of them who called out to her.
She made her way to the immense stables behind the keep. And a wonderful stable it was! The horses were well cared for, healthy, and appeared anxious for a run. The animal she was given, Tiger, fit her perfectly.
The stablemaster seemed reluctant to allow her to ride without permission from the laird, but she assured him Laird Mackenzie did, in fact, give her permission and she was quite capable of handling any animal he would present her with.
Since she had mentioned she’d like to take a ride, and The Mackenzie hadn’t said anything against it, as far as she was concerned, that was permission.
So, she was now riding in the fresh air, far away from Laird Mackenzie and Lady Alice and the flowers she was interested in.
After a couple hours of riding, stopping a few times near a stream to water her horse and give the animal a rest, she spotted a village in the distance and decided to enjoy the rest of the day by taking a look at the vendors who had set up tables in the middle of the village green.
She left her horse at the village stable with an assurance to the stablemaster that Laird Mackenzie had allowed her to ride one of his horses.
The bright smile she had cast at the blushing young man who assisted her had most likely helped, as well.
The air was beautiful, warm but with a bit of a chill. The vendors were different than the ones that sold their wares in Foulis Castle.
She enjoyed a lovely sweet cake as she strolled along. She was tempted to enter the village tavern inn and have an ale, but she was reluctant to antagonize her parents further by doing such a thing if they discovered her misstep.
But ’twas nice enough to enjoy what was offered by the village vendors.
It seemed in no time at all that her stomach was growling, the sun was beginning its descent, and she was quite thirsty.
Since no one seemed to be looking for her, and the vendors in the green had begun to pack up, she decided to enter the tavern inn, anyway.
With luck she would be able to eat and drink an ale and make it in time to dress for supper, which her stomach did not want to wait for.
She was taking a sip of ale after enjoying a mutton pie when a voice she never really wanted to hear again said, “Lady Beth Munro, how verra nice to see ye here.”
She groaned and closed her eyes. Laird Daniel Mackenzie drew out the chair at her table and sat. “If ye were hungry, our cook Jemima would have been happy to feed ye something before the evening supper.”
Why was this man plaguing her? She wanted nothing to do with him, but every time she looked up, there he was, smirking at her.
Beth shrugged. “I dinna want to bother her.”
He nodded at the lass who set down a mug of ale in front of him. “And ye took one of my horses to ride to the village.”
She backed up and stared at him. “Was I no’ allowed to do that? Aren’t I one of yer guests? And I told ye I was going for a ride. Did ye think, then, that I would be riding a wagon wheel or one of yer chickens?”
He grinned. “Aye, while another of my guests and I were traipsing through the flower garden.”
Beth shrugged. “I’m sure ye had a good time. I already told ye I am allergic to flowers.”
He waved at the server and asked for a refill of his ale. “Yer mam seems to think yer allergy to flowers is something new.”
Her annoyance grew. Whatever was between her and her mam was none of his business.
“Aye. It started just a few weeks ago.” She continued to sip her ale and did her best to ignore him.
After a few minutes she said, “Why are ye here?” She knew her mam would faint dead away if she heard the way she was speaking to the laird.
“I am here because my cousin, Gregory spotted ye heading toward the village and as my guest and with yer parents concerned about yer whereabouts I set out to bring ye safely home.”
Beth sighed and ran her fingertip in a circle in a small puddle of ale. “I have a great deal of freedom at my home. The only reason they were concerned by my absence was because they wanted to make sure I was spending enough time with ye.”
His brows rose. “And that doesn’t please ye?”
Aye, the man was over-confident. Most likely he assumed she and Lady Alice would be fighting each other for his attentions, falling all over his handsome self to win his affections. Beth shrugged. “This whole thing was not my idea.”
“Mine neither.” He grinned at her surprise as he downed the mug of ale.
That didn’t make much sense to her. “But ye are looking for a wife.”
He shook his head, the wavy hairs that had escaped the leather tie holding the rest of his hair back hitting his strong cheeks, catching her attention, which annoyed her. “Nay, I dinna want one right now. The king decided to step in and control my life.”
She scowled. “Mine as well.”
He didn’t want this? “At the Munro clan my da the laird is in charge. No one tells him what to do.”
Ignoring her question, he waved at the server to refill his mug. “Do ye want more ale?”
“Aye.”
He studied her. A little too carefully, she thought.
“Will ye be able to ride the horse back?” The twinkle in his eyes annoyed her.
She drew herself up and stared at him. “Aye. I can ride a horse after drinking several ales, and also when I am tired on a long journey. I can shoot an arrow dead on, and climb a tree to avoid a boar after drinking half a bottle of whisky, too.”
His eyes grew wide. “It appears ye’re trying to shock me.”
She didn’t answer but smiled. Let the arrogant oaf wonder.
He smiled back at her. “So ye are invincible?”
She laughed, and after a few moments of silence said, “Aye, I am invincible, and if we are talking here like friends over a mug of ale, let me tell ye I have no desire to marry. Not ye, not anyone. I like my life the way it is.” She leaned forward and looked directly at him.
“So, as yer friend, I suggest ye cast yer eyes in Lady Alice’s direction. ”
He studied her for a minute, then said, “Nay. As lovely as Lady Alice is, I would ne’er consider her for a wife.”
Rather than panic, she asked, “Why no’? She’s pretty and quiet and her mam sure seems to expect ye to ask for her hand.”
As she spoke, she tried not to notice his full lips and wavy red hair where it lay against the tanned skin on his forehead. His deep blue eyes staring at her caused flutters in her stomach as if a group of butterflies had arrived.
The laird’s muscular body practically overflowed the chair and she found herself wondering how those large hands hugging the mug would feel running over her skin.
Not wanting to continue her thoughts along that line, she was grateful when he broke the tension, and said, “Because Lady Alice would ne’er be the right wife for me.”
“Because?” She somehow knew there was an answer to that question and was just as sure she didn’t want to hear it.
“And,” he continued, as if she hadn’t interrupted, “the only woman I would consider for a wife is ye.” He grinned at her expression and lifted his mug of ale and finished the contents. “Are ye ready to return to the keep?”