Chapter Twenty
Daniel entered the great hall where the king was holding court with his entourage and some of the clan members. He looked up as Daniel approached him.
“It is time you made your appearance. Nobody will tell me anything except that ye have chosen Lady Beth Munro to marry but for some reason you didn’t marry on Beltane as my order stated.”
Daniel had to keep from smiling since the man sounded like a spoiled bairn. He bowed to the monarch. “My sincere apologizes, Yer Majesty.”
The king drew himself up. “I wish to hear the story, Laird. I’ve heard all sorts of rumors, plus I was subjected to watching you carry Lady Beth in your arms up to her bedchamber and I must say she did not look well.”
Daniel added food to his trencher from the platters on the table.
He took a sip of ale and addressed the king.
“I think Lady Chisholm was much more interested in me choosing Lady Alice for my wife than the lass was herself. I found Lady Chisholm very pushy and annoying. She continuously dragged Lady Alice around the keep, thrusting her in my path.”
“I tried to have conversations with the lass, but she is verra shy and had no interests that she shared with me.”
He stabbed a piece of meat with his eating knife and placed the venison into his mouth. When he finished, he said, “Lady Beth and I have a great deal of common interests.”
“If ye found Lady Chisholm so annoying, why didn’t you just tell the woman ye had selected Lady Beth and set up the wedding as I had ordered?”
Daniel smiled and took a gulp of ale. “Ah, it seemed Lady Beth was reluctant to marry so I had to do some persuading.”
The king sat back in his chair and raised his eyebrows. “Ye mean to tell me I ordered two lasses here so ye could select one and neither of them were willing to marry ye?”
Put that way, the situation did sound odd.
He grinned at the king. “Aye, I’m afraid so. I am no’ the wonderful catch ye thought I was.”
The king shook his head. “All ye had to do was order one of them to marry ye by Beltane and be done with it.”
Daniel smiled to himself, thinking of how receptive Beth would have been to receive an order to marry him. “I believe one of the ladies likened the situation to me, picking one of them as I might a horse, yer majesty.”
The king frowned at this, his eyebrows lowering, then raising as finally, he nodded.
“Ah. Well. I see.” He paused. “I choose not to be offended by that remark.” Then he finished the rest of his ale and waved to one of the maids to re-fill it.
“I am bringing Lady Chisholm with me to the palace and have her tried for treason.”
Daniel swallowed his ale, knowing the punishment for treason. As annoying as he found the woman and what she’d done to the lass he loved, he wasn’t happy to know she might be hanged.
“I will be sending Lady Alice back to her home with Lord Chisholm.”
“Is Lord Chisholm no’ going with his wife to the palace, then?”
The king grinned. “He said it was important for him to be with his clan because of issues they’d been having. I think he might find his wife as annoying as ye did.”
Daniel finished his ale and thought about whether he should tell the king that Lady Alice would not be returning with her da because she was missing.
*
Beth had listened to her mam and Daniel argue for as long as she cared to listen. She was tired, her belly full for the first time in days, and they were busy arguing about the wedding.
Daniel was all for dragging Father Matthew up to her bedchamber right then, having the man marry them and then—as Daniel had said—“Be done with it.”
That statement had raised her mam’s hackles. “Laird or no laird, I willna allow my daughter to be married in her bed with her nightgown on. Lady Grant and I can have a wedding ready for tomorrow.”
“I doona wish to leave Beth alone. She is upset after her ordeal and needs some comfort.”
“If there is any comforting going on, my wife will be the one to do it.” Lord Munro had entered the room, along with Lord Grant.
Daniel ran his fingers through his hair. Of course, as Beth’s parents they had the right to protect her reputation. But the look on the lass’s face with her da ordering Daniel out of the room twisted his insides.
“I understand, my lord. I will leave ye all now and return to my bedchamber for a good night’s sleep before our wedding tomorrow.”
Beth looked at him, panic in her eyes, but he winked at her and left the room.
Later, Daniel sat in his bedchamber, sipping on a glass of whisky, thinking about Beth and their life together which would start the next day. He smiled, imagining their disagreements and the great time they would have, making up.
He also pictured many lasses with her beautiful blond hair and lads with his fiery red hair. Yes, life with Beth would be the best thing that could happen to him.
After enough time had passed and he’d heard Lord and Lady Munro and Lord and Lady Grant return to their bedchambers, Daniel downed his whisky, walked to his solar and pressed his hand against one of the walls. An area large enough for a man to pass through opened, and he slid through.
He walked along the quiet, dusty area and, after counting in his head, placed the candle he carried on the ground and pushed on the stone wall in front of him.
The panel opened and he blew out the candle and walked into Beth’s bedchamber.
She sat up, pulling the bedding up to her eyes, wide and frightened. Then she smiled.
Her mam was in a chair next to her bed, asleep and looking very uncomfortable. Beth raised her finger to her lips, and he slipped back into the passageway.
“Mam, I think ye should go back to yer bedchamber. I’m fine now.”
The woman opened her eyes, yawned, and looked relieved. “Are ye sure, Beth?”
She nodded. “Aye. Ye needn’t stay here anymore.”
Her mam stood. “If ye really think so.”
Beth stretched. “Aye. I’m about to fall asleep.”
“Then I will say good night and see ye in the morning, for yer wedding.” She leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
Once he heard the door close, Daniel entered the room and stopped to stare at his bride.
She sat in the bed, so small in the large space. She was thinner, and dark circles appeared under her eyes from her ordeal. But to him she looked beautiful.
He crossed the room and threw the lock on the door, then made his way to her bed, unbuttoning his léine as he moved toward her. “I said I would ne’er leave ye.”
He removed all his clothes, then climbed into the bed next to her, swiftly removing her nightgown. He studied her face. She appeared more relaxed, but very tired, so he put his plans aside and gathered her into his arms.
“Sleep, my love. I will be here all night.”