Chapter Fourteen
“Nay, ye will no’ share a bedchamber until ye had a proper wedding!
” Lady Beth Mackenzie stood glaring at Gregory, her hands fisted on her hips.
They had just arrived and Megan looked like she was about to faint.
He’d just asked Lady Mackenzie to assign a bed chamber to them and when she inquired when they had married, they looked at each other and Beth frowned. “I’ll have the story, please.”
Gregory told them how they had announced themselves as married for most of the journey, so they were considered married by the laws of Scotland.
“No’ by my laws,” she said. “I will be sending for a priest to marry ye officially.” The look on her face did not bode well for them to consummate their marriage anytime soon.
He sighed. “Just make sure ye do it right away. We have men coming after us to drag Megan off to marry someone she doesna wish to marry.”
“I will send for Father Matthew who should be here in a day or two.” She glared at Gregory. “Until then we will have a comfortable room prepared for Megan and ye can use yer usual room.”
Unhappy, but bending to the rules that the Lady of the Manor insisted on, he put his arm around Megan. “My wife is no’ well, she’s recovering from a wound in her arm. She needs to rest. Can she no’ use my bedchamber until the other one is ready?”
Beth nodded. “I can see she is no’ well.” She moved toward her and placed her arm around Megan’s shoulder. “I will send for Emma who will care for her, and aye, she can use yer bedchamber until the other one is ready.” She pointed at him, with no nonsense on her face. “Ye, stay away from there.”
“I must first get clean clothes so I might take a wash in the loch.”
Beth nodded.
“I see ye’re laying down rules again, Wife.” Daniel had joined them and grinned at Beth.
Gregory put his hand on Megan’s arm. “My Laird, may I present to ye my wife”—he glared in Beth’s direction—“Megan Mackenzie.”
“’Tis a pleasure, lass.”
Megan looked as though she was ready to collapse. “I will have a bath sent up for ye and send for Emma to look at yer injury,” Beth said.
Daniel slapped Gregory on his back. “As soon as ye get back from the loch, stop in my solar for a short meeting. There are things I want to speak with ye about.”
Gregory nodded and headed for the stairs to his bed chamber to retrieve much-needed clean clothes. He made sure Megan was comfortable with Beth, but knowing the laird’s wife, she would take very good care of the lass and make sure she felt welcomed.
It was definitely welcome to arrive at his bedchamber.
His plans for bedding his new wife shattered, he could only hope that the priest would arrive soon.
He congratulated himself on how well he’d refrained from seducing the lass thus far.
But it was important he not introduce his wife to bed sport—which he had reason to believe was not something she’d had received a great deal of pleasure from—until the time was right.
Perhaps Lady Beth had the right idea of it.
He rummaged around in the trunk at the foot of the bed and retrieved new clothes.
Once he arrived at the loch behind the castle, he stripped down and dove into the cold water.
*
Megan awoke from her nap and looked around. So this was Gregory’s bedchamber. She almost laughed at the expression on his face when Beth denied their marriage and insisted they sleep apart until their priest arrived.
She wasn’t sure if she was happy or sad. She had mixed feelings about Gregory. She still didn’t know if she was here only for duty or if his feelings for her had changed.
Her feelings? She was not sure. Based on his kisses, she was sure him bedding her would be different than it had been with Robert.
He was caring where Robert just let her be.
That was one point in his favor since she’d seen in Gregory so far that he enjoyed directing her life.
So far she’d allowed it because she was too tired and unsettled to dispute what he’d said.
She yawned just as one of the maids entered. “I am sorry to disturb ye, but Lady Mackenzie wanted to be sure ye’re settled in and didn’t need help undressing.”
Megan smiled. “That was verra sweet of her, and please thank Lady Mackenzie for me, but my dress is easily removed.”
“If ye need anything else, please have one of the men in the corridor send for Sarah. I am usually in the kitchen.”
“Thank ye so much, Sarah.”
Not long after Sarah left, a few strapping lads carried in a bath tub, along with several buckets of water. She sighed at the thought of being clean again.
Before she climbed into the tub, there was a hard knock on the door.
Startled, Megan called, “Who is there?”
“’Tis me, Megan,” Gregory said. “Open the door.”
She moved closer to the door. “Nay. I am ready to take my bath.”
“I need to check yer injury.”
“Emma has already looked at it. She said it looked as though it is healing well.”
Silence for a few minutes, so Megan assumed Gregory was gone, and put her foot into the water.
“Be sure to keep yer injury out of the water.”
Megan huffed. “Gregory. I doona need ye telling me what to do all the time, or telling everyone else what they need to do for me. I am a grown woman and I can make decisions for myself. Right now, I intend to enjoy my bath. So please leave me be.”
He mumbled something she couldn’t hear followed by the sound of his boots as he walked away.
With a sigh, she climbed into the tub and settled herself, careful to leave her bandage out of the water, something she would have done anyway, even if the arrogant oaf hadn’t ordered her to do it. She huffed.
*
Two days had passed since Megan and Gregory had reached the Castle Leod.
Father Matthew had arrived the night before and the wedding and celebration following the event had finally arrived.
Poor Beth had been racing around the keep, meeting with the cook and seeing to all matters having to do with the celebration.
If Megan had any reservations about getting on with Beth, they had vanished.
She found Beth very easy to deal with. After hearing about the sisters Beth was raised with, she understood.
Never having had a sister, she found it very pleasant to have another woman to share chores with and time in the solar in the afternoon while they sewed, embroidered and chatted.
Gregory had not been in the best of moods when he saw her as they met during the day in the keep and at the meals they’d shared with the family in the great hall. He continued to grumble about Beth’s declaration that he could not enter his own bed chamber.
Megan was suffering from nervous jitters. Even more so than when she married Robert. Then she had no idea what to expect and was, if she was honest, later disappointed. She’d heard some of the maids speaking about activities in the marriage bed and she knew she was not feeling what they had.
Many times she’d considered asking Beth about the marriage bed, then felt silly since she’d been married for almost two years.
The only thing she knew for sure was that it was hard, being barren.
After a soft knock, the door to the bedchamber opened and Beth—literally—danced into the room. “My dear, ’tis time to get ye dressed for yer wedding.”
A few other women followed, one carrying a beautiful gown, another the Mackenzie plaid which would be draped over her shoulder and anchored with a brooch to show her acceptance of the Mackenzie clan.
Since she’d already had her bath, the women began to dress her, and then one of them started on her hair, weaving ribbons throughout her tresses. When she stood in front of the looking glass she was stunned.
She was pretty!
Did Gregory think so?
She brushed off the silly thought and picked up the flowers someone had found for her and had fixed into a small bouquet. Placing her hand on her futtering stomach, she looked at the women grinning at her. “I’m ready.”
It was a short distance from the castle to the kirk. She and Beth walked with the other women who chatted excitedly. The air was clean and fresh, a typical Highland day with signs of winter’s approach.
Questions filled her mind as they drew closer to the wedding site. Would this marriage make her happy? Had she made a mistake in agreeing to a vow that was made when her husband was merely no more than a lad?
Would Gregory grow to resent her because any choice he might have had for a wife was taken from him?
Megan smiled at Apex who shook his head at her, seeming to stand guard as they arrived at the kirk.
Then Beth took her hands in her ice-cold ones and squeezed.
“I can hear yer thoughts as we walked. I ken Gregory verra well. He is good, honorable mon and will do all that is necessary to make ye happy.”
Feeling somewhat eased by Beth’s words, Megan entered the kirk where she looked up the aisle at Laird Daniel Mackenzie and Father Matthew, and then to Gregory. After that, she had eyes for no one else.
The man was stunning.
She’d seen him every day for some time, but now, standing there dressed in his formal Mackenzie attire, his wavy black hair pulled back, and with shorter hair falling onto his forehead as he stood and spoke with the laird, she could not take her gaze off him.
After a few words from Daniel, Gregory turned and looked at her with those deep blue eyes and she almost stumbled. Most likely knowing her thoughts, he grinned.
And she blushed.
This was it.
Whether Gregory was marrying her for duty or any other reason, there was no turning back now. She had every reason to believe Gunn and Anthony were still after her. Robert’s uncle had been too quick and too insistent to see her re-married to allow her to run off.
She arrived next to Gregory and he took her hands in his. “Lass, ye look beautiful, but yer hands are freezing.” He shook them a bit and smiled at her. “Relax. This is only the formal profession of what we’ve been saying in public for a couple of weeks now.”
She leaned in and he bent toward her, so they were almost nose to nose. “But this is real.”
He grinned. “I ken. ’Tis what I’ve been waiting for.” He had the nerve to wink and she was forced to grin back.
Father Matthew cleared his throat which told them he was ready to begin the service.
The priest raised their hands and placed them palm to palm. Then he took a piece of a Mackenzie plaid and wrapped it around their hands, tying the pieces together, performing the well-known “tying of the knot”.
She’d heard the words before at her own wedding, but it seemed so different when the priest said them this time:
“Repeat after me. I, Gregory James Mackenzie of Clan Mackenzie, take thee Megan Maria Sinclair to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, for fairer or fouler, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance and thereunto I plight thee my troth. ”
Gregory spoke his vows in a firm, clear voice and then she followed the priest to repeat her own vows in a shaky voice.
Father Matthew gave them his blessings and then the official part of the ceremony was over.
Gregory took Megan’s face in his hands and kissed her much more enthusiastically than she thought the Church allowed.
When he pulled away, he winked at her and took her arm in his, tucking her alongside his large, warm body.
Together they walked down the aisle away from the altar and outside to where Apex stood.
Gregory lifted her into the saddle and climbed up behind her.
They rode the short distance from the kirk to the castle, villagers trailing behind them, laughing and cheering.
She remembered when she and Robert had married with all the fuss like they were experiencing now. She ’twas a very excited young lass that day. Today, she was reluctant to expect too much.
In a short time, they’d ridden through the gates. Gregory helped her off the horse by lifting her with his hands wrapped around her waist. He slid her body down his and frowned. “Ye look concerned, lass. What troubles ye?”
She took his arm and shook her head. “Nothing.” She smiled up at him, but it was apparent from his look that he did not believe her.
Did he know her so well already? Was that good or bad?
They made their way into the keep, hand in hand.
The great hall had been decorated so beautifully considering how little time they had to do it.
When Megan and Gregory sat at the head table, the villagers who had known Gregory for years took the opportunity to approach and wish him well.
But Megan felt like they were focused on her with judgement.
Did they find her wanting? Why was she so unsure of herself?
Once they were settled on the dais, the maids started bringing out platters of food, mostly breakfast items since the service was held in the morning.
Megan was a tad uncomfortable with how some of the maids eyed Gregory. Having been a single man for years she was certain many of the lasses glancing in his direction had warmed his bed many times.
She sighed. Hopefully her husband would not find her wanting, but she feared he would.
No man wanted a barren wife.