Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Selene was only just stirring from sleep when the door to her bedchamber flew open.
In a sudden whirl of petticoats and skirts, Maureen and Elsie, who had hit it off the sisters had returned to the castle together, burst into the room like a miniature storm, curls flying, ribbons flapping, cheeks flushed pink with excitement.
Selene jerked upright in bed, heart leaping into her throat before she fully recognized them.
Her very first coherent thought was one of fervent gratitude – thanking the Good Lord that Kenneth had not stayed the night in her bed.
Had he done so, nothing short of scandal would have followed, for there’d been no warning knock at her door and the two women showed no sign of modest hesitation as they descended upon her bedside.
“Up, lazy bones!” Elsie declared, already hauling back the coverlet. “There’s work tae be done.”
Selene blinked, then laughed, pressing a hand to her chest as her pulse slowed. “What on earth are you talking about?” she asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “I thought today was the feast. I assumed that meant I was to be the guest of honor. To be indulged, not conscripted into labor.”
Maureen grinned. “Ye are tae be indulged. Ye and Kenneth are the guests of honor – it is yer betrothal celebration, after all.” Her smile turned sly. “But that daesnae mean ye’re excused from helping.”
Before Selene could protest further, she was already swinging her legs from the bed.
She had barely managed to pull on her robe when a young maid appeared, bearing a wooden tray laden with boiled eggs, cheese, and warm bannocks.
She was followed closely by another girl with an ewer of steaming water, which she set carefully beside the washbasin.
“There,” Elsie said briskly. “Eat and wash quickly. And don’t dawdle about in that robe.”
She was already rummaging through the garments hanging along the wall, finally tugging free a plain blue wool gown, softened with delicate embroidery at the neckline and cut with a full, practical skirt. She handed it to Selene. “This will dae.”
Maureen thrust a striped petticoat into Selene’s hands. “Put this beneath it. Ye’ll need the warmth.”
They hovered, with scarcely concealed impatience, while Selene took a few hurried bites of breakfast, then splashed water over her face and neck, the cold chasing away the last remnants of sleep.
She soaped her hands, dried them on the linen towel, and glanced between the two women with mock severity.
“My goodness,” she said, smiling despite herself. “You are both entirely tyrannical. I’ve hardly been awake five minutes.”
“That’s exactly the point,” Elsie replied. “We want ye with us before ye have time tae escape.”
Once she was dressed and laced, they wasted no time. A warm cloak pressed into her hands, Selene was ushered out into the corridor and down the passageway at a brisk pace.
“What now?” Selene asked, half-laughing as she struggled to keep up.
“Greenery,” Maureen said. “The place is drab — winter has left everything bare. Nay flowers, nay color. We need something tae brighten the hall.”
They swept through the kitchens, where the cook and her assistants were already hard at work, rolling pastry, basting meat, and barking orders. The rich scent of roasting filled the air, mingled with smoke and spice. Selene smiled – the castle had come alive with its preparation for that night.
Out the back they went, along a narrow path skirting the herb garden, through a small postern door in the wall. Beyond it stretched a vista of rolling hills, still dusted with snow, the pale winter sun glinting weakly across the white.
Maureen led the way. “There’s a little grove over there where I’ve seen ivy.”
They passed a small dovecote and entered a sheltered hollow where holly and ivy grew thick and untamed, green against the lingering frost. Each of them carried a small basket, and soon they were cutting and gathering, fingers numbing in the cold as they stacked their bounty.
Selene breathed deeply, the sharp winter air filling her lungs. Despite the chill, her spirits lifted. There was something hopeful in all that — greenery gathered on the edge of winter, signs of life and renewal pressed into their arms.
When their baskets were full, they hurried back inside, stamping their feet as they entered the solar, shaking snow from their mittens and loosening their cloaks before the fire.
The flames roared warmly, and Selene felt the cold leave her bones as she laughed softly with the others, heart light despite everything.
“My goodness, it is cold,” Selene said, holding her hands out toward the blaze. “But thank God for this fire. I can feel it warming me right through to the very cockles of my heart.”
For the next hour, they worked contentedly together, weaving wreaths and decorations from the glossy holly branches and long trailing lengths of ivy.
When their baskets were empty and their arms full of finished garlands, they carried everything into the great hall.
The maids had already prepared the space – the high table was spread with a vast white damask cloth, silver candelabras polished to a soft gleam, trestle tables arranged neatly along the walls to leave room for dancing later that evening.
Selene paused for a moment, taking it all in.
The hall had seemed so austere during winter, stone and shadow and cold echoes.
But as they set about their work, it began to change.
Swirls of ivy were draped along the high table, bunches of holly placed carefully to bring warmth and color.
Long garlands were tied with ribbon and hung along the walls and across the plain wooden tables, softening the severity of the space.
As they worked, they laughed and talked easily, the sound of their voices filling the hall.
Selene found herself watching Maureen and Elsie with quiet delight.
There was an effortless harmony between them — as though they had known one another all their lives.
They moved together instinctively, passing greenery, sharing smiles, finishing one another’s thoughts.
Her heart swelled. Being with Elsie again felt like reclaiming a part of herself she had feared lost, and she was grateful, too, for this new closeness with Maureen. It felt — impossibly — like family.
By the time the last garland was hung, they were flushed and hungry.
Retreating to the solar, they welcomed the trays the maids brought in — boiled eggs, cold chicken, wedges of cheese, and oat bread still faintly warm.
There was ale as well, and Selene drank deeply, laughing as the warmth spread through her limbs.
They had not been there long when the door opened.
Kenneth stepped inside.
Selene’s heart leapt so sharply it stole her breath. He was smiling, and at the sight of him, a quiet joy rose unbidden in her heart. He looked strong and handsome in the firelight, his presence filling the room without effort.
“How pleasant to see you, Kenneth,” she said, dropping a polite curtsey her pulse racing.
He grinned at her, a gleam in his eye that sent her thoughts tumbling – back to their last stolen meeting, to his hands on her face, his kiss so fierce and full of promise she had barely slept afterward.
The waiting felt unbearable now. She longed for the day when there would be no more shadows, no more secrecy.
“Come with me,” he said softly. “I need tae speak with ye fer a moment.”
He took her hand, warm and steady, and together they slipped from the solar, down the corridor and up the narrow tower stairs. The stone was cold beneath their feet, the air growing sharper as they climbed.
Arriving at the top of the stairs they stepped onto the battlements.
Before them stretched a mist-laden landscape, blanketed in snow – quiet, and magical beneath the pale winter sun. Selene leaned against the stone, her cloak pulled tight, her breath clouding the air.
“What is it you wished to speak about?” she asked.
“Well… naething, really,” Kenneth admitted, his voice softer now. “I only wanted tae be with ye fer a few moments.”
“Your meeting with the Council went to your satisfaction?”
He hesitated before continuing. “They gave their approval to our marriage as I expected they would. An alliance with Clan MacLeod is what they care about and that pleased them.”
Selene shook her head. “I had no idea that kinship and alliances meant so much to the Highlanders.”
He drew in a soft breath. “Och. That was behind the trouble with Aidan. Me faither and Eilidh’s father, giving nae thought tae the hearts they broke and the trouble that came from it.”
She tightened her arm in his.
“The Council accepted me decision tae attempt a meeting with Aidan. At least, if he refuses, we can advise the king we have tried.”
“There is wisdom in that,” she said, nodding slowly, a knot tightening in her stomach.
“I’m hoping – perhaps foolishly – that it might be possible tae arrange a meeting.
Somewhere on neutral ground. A chance tae speak.
Tae discuss a truce. I’ve been busy all morning with Callum and the men – organizing patrols, sending out scouts tae find Laird Aidan.
We ken the wretch is here somewhere, but he keeps moving.
Even when we locate his encampments, they’re gone by the time we arrive. ”
Selene listened intently, her brow furrowing.
“Dae you truly believe Aidan would be willing tae make terms fer peace?”
Kenneth shook his head slowly. “I must believe it is possible,” he said, though his voice carried little certainty.
“If we cannae resolve this between us, the king will pounce like a cat that’s been stalking a wee mouse.
It will take very little fer him tae decide we’re rebels and our lands must be forfeited. ”
Selene felt a chill that had little to do with the wind. She shook her head. “I understand. But surely even Aidan would not wish to risk his clan’s lands. No matter the madness that has taken hold of him, it would be too high a price. Vengeance cannot surely be something he wants above all.”
“I can only hope ye are right,” Kenneth murmured.
He drew her into his arms then, holding her close against his chest. From the battlements she could see everything she knew he intended her to see – the sweep of the clan lands rolling away beneath the mist, the sea glimmering faintly on one side, the rugged beauty of Skye stretching endlessly on the other.
Wrapped in his arms, with the mist curling around them like something enchanted, the place felt unreal – a realm suspended between worlds.
“It is very beautiful,” he said quietly. “Even more so like this. The mist makes it seem… magical. I wanted ye tae see it – tae ken what ye will share with me.”
“I do love it,” Selene said softly. “Almost as much as you do.”
He bent and kissed her, a lingering kiss that tasted of salt and whisky. For a few precious minutes, all thoughts of Aidan, of the king, of danger and duty fell away. She was filled instead with a swelling happiness – the knowledge that very soon Kenneth would be her husband.
Reluctantly, he pulled back. “Ye will freeze if you stay much longer,” he said, brushing his thumb along her cheek. “Ye should return tae the solar. I hate tae leave ye tae yer sisters again, but I must speak with Callum about the patrols.”
“I understand,” she said, though she wished he would stay.
“I look forward tae taenight,” he added, smiling warmly, pride glimmering in his eyes. “When I introduce ye as me future bride.”
She squeezed his hand and leaned up to press a quick kiss to his cheek before they descended the tower stairs together.