Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
As the afternoon wore on, Skye grew tired. She looked at Elsie and saw her chin tucked into her chest as she snored softly.
She felt a hint of envy. The day had been beautiful, but exhausting.
She was touched by the many gifts she had received from the clansfolk—flowers, sweet-smelling soaps, a handkerchief. But the sweetest gift of all was a shiny rock that a small boy of about three gave her shyly, followed by a kiss on the cheek.
She teared up at their generosity. “I wish me maither was here to see the wedding, to see this. Even though this union is just a necessary arrangement,” she spoke wistfully to Arran.
Arran looked surprised and a bit hurt by her comment, but he did not reply. Skye frowned at him, confused.
“A business arrangement for certain, but I think we will get along well, do ye nae think? I think we are compatible. And in more ways than one. I want ye back in me bed, Skye. I daenae think I can wait much longer.”
Skye felt her cheeks flush. “I have nay doubt of what ye want, Arran. But I think for a man, it is different. I can think of more important things.”
Arran scowled at her. “And what ‘things’ might those be, Skye? The marriage bed, or rather the outcome of what happens there is what makes a clan strong. Families, bairns—that’s what’s important.
” He paused for only a second. “And ye werenae thinkin’ of ‘more important things’ before the feast, lass.
I seem to remember ye were quite happy to be under me. ”
Skye’s face reddened further. “I understand the importance of children, Arran, but somehow, I’m nae sure ye’re thinking about children at the moment. Maybe ye are fit to be more of a rogue, not a husband,” she teased.
Arran looked taken aback but recovered with a grin. “Then I believe ye must save me from me wild and roguish ways,” he said mischievously.
Skye started to clarify the point she was making, but then a wave from one of the guards at the door interrupted their conversation.
Arran smiled. “I have a surprise for ye. Come with me.”
Together they left the hall and stepped out into the courtyard. Skye looked toward the gate and spotted a cloaked figure standing next to a horse. The figure turned around.
“Maither!” Skye practically screamed as she ran to Helena and threw her arms around her. It seemed weeks rather than days since she’d last seen her mother.
Arran stepped away and watched the happy reunion.
“I cannae believe ye are… Are ye hurt? Did ye have any trouble gettin’ here? Are ye hungry?” Skye kept firing question after question, but then she stopped to catch her breath. “Oh, Maither, I am so sorry. I ken ye must be tired. Come inside, and I’ll get ye something to eat.”
Helena nodded. “That will be fine, Daughter. The trip was long, but me escorts ensured me comfort.” She paused, looked her daughter up and down, but didn’t question her about the festivities.
Once inside the Great Hall, Helena sat across from Skye, and a servant rushed over with a goblet and a plate. Helena looked at the snoring woman next to Skye but didn’t say anything.
“This is Arran’s aunt Elsie, Maither,” Skye informed her. “She is tired after me wedding.”
As soon as she said the word ‘wedding,’ she realized she hadn’t yet told her mother that she was now wed to Laird MacArthur.
“Ye were taken from me by that brute mere days ago, and now ye’re married?! Who are ye married to, Skye?”
Skye knew it would do no good to try and protect her mother from the shock. “I married the brute, Maither.”
Helena’s eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open. She took a moment to gain her composure. “I should have kenned when I saw how fine he was dressed. Oh, Skye, why did ye do such a thing? The man kidnapped ye!”
Just as Skye was about to explain, her mother raised a hand. “I am confused, lass. Gilroy was supposed to take ye back to Castle MacKeith. Why didnae he?”
“He tried, Maither. But things didnae go as planned. Much has happened, and I will tell ye all about it. But tell me, were ye treated well by his men?”
“Aye, Daughter. When we were separated, Colin took me back to our cottage. At first, I was frightened. But he brought Ava to me. Then two others came and told me that ye were safe, and they would take me to ye.”
Skye heaved a sigh of relief.
“They also made sure I was comfortable on the journey here. We packed plenty of food, and we stopped whenever I felt tired. If Douglas and Lyle hadnae helped that brute take ye away from me, I would count them as gentlemen, I would! But there is nay excuse. Nay matter how respectful they are, I cannae forgive them for takin’ ye away from me, Skye,” her mother emphasized. “Now tell me how come ye are wed.”
Before Skye could start her tale, Elsie started mid-snore.
“Have I missed the sweet bannocks, lassie?” she asked, wide awake in less than a second, as if she weren’t asleep seconds ago.
“Nay, Aunt Elsie, ye havenae. I’m sure Astrid will bring them out soon.” Skye paused, realizing her mother would love to get to know the elderly woman. “This is me maither, Elsie. Her name is Helena.”
“It’s lovely to meet ye, Elsie. Thank ye for lookin’ after me daughter,” Helena said graciously.
“She is a wonderful girl. But what would be even more wonderful is some bannocks,” Elsie replied as she rose from her seat and then went to search for a sweet treat.
“I like her spirit, Skye, but is she quite all right? She seems a bit lost and frail,” Helena remarked after she was gone.
“Aye, she is very opinionated—daenae let her fool ye,” Skye cautioned. “Old or nae, I think she’s more clever than she lets on.”
Skye felt better talking about her situation now that Elsie had left. Her mother listened intently when she told her that Arran did take her to Blackwell, but then everything changed after her stepfather showed Arran how truly awful he was.
“Grayson hit ye?” Helena gasped.
“Nay, nae really. He pushed me down to the floor and held me there. But then out of nowhere, Arran punched him right on the nose!”
“I wish I’d been there to see that! The bugger deserved that and more!”
Skye continued her tale of how she’d been thrown in the cells after Arran and their escape in the enforcer’s carriage.
“Is Magnus the enforcer ye speak of?”
“Aye, he is, Maither. He is here somewhere. He is a friend and valued advisor to Arran.”
“I want to thank him for helping ye. I remember him somewhat. He was always kind when he came to Castle MacKeith. But none of this tells me why ye married Arran Gilroy.”
Skye revealed to her mother how Arran’s grandfather gambled away their ancestral burial lands and how Blackwell refused Arran’s father’s petitions to buy them back.
“That is just like him!” Helena fumed. “Always making life difficult for someone just because he can!”
Skye nodded in agreement. “So, Arran agreed to hand us over to him in exchange for those lands. We had nay other options, Maither. This was the only way we could be safe, and now Arran has leverage to get the lands back.”
Helena dropped her head in her hands. “It’s all me fault!” she sobbed.
“Nay, it isnae,” Skye soothed her. “It’s nay one’s fault but Blackwell’s.”
“I just wanted more for ye, Skye—a love match. Nae something arranged for the gain of one clan or another.”
Skye had heard this sentiment from her mother many times. “I’m fine, Maither, really. And Arran’s nothing like Blackwell.”
Helena sighed ruefully. “I thought the same when I married Grayson, Skye. I had hope for love, and in the beginning, it was good. But ye never really ken who someone is—nae at first.”
Skye’s mood darkened, her mother’s words weighing heavily on her.
At that moment, Arran entered the hall, followed by Magnus and Fionn. The hall had cleared out almost entirely, and servants were hauling out the tables and taking down the festive decorations.
“Maither, this is Magnus and his son, Fionn,” Skye said. “Magnus, ye remember me maither, Helena.”
Magnus’s mouth dropped open. He looked at Arran, then at Helena, then back at Arran. Slowly, a smile spread across his face.
“Ye told everyone she was dead?” He laughed.
“Aye, I did. It was the only way to keep her safe and still get the deeds back. Or at least I thought it was,” Arran added.
“What?” Helena blurted out, shocked to hear she’d been deceased for several days.
“Aye, Maither. Arran had to tell Blackwell that ye died months ago. Arran was convincing, but I daenae ken if Blackwell believed him.”
“Does he ken I’m alive now?”
“Nay one has told him anything different,” Arran informed her.
“Oh, dear. Me predicament hasnae changed much, then. I could still be sent back.”
Arran shook his head. “Nae if I have any say in the matter. Helena, as long as ye are here, I will do everythin’ I can to keep ye safe.”
Helena looked at him, not sure what to say after his declaration.
“I’ll do what I can as well, Lady MacKeith,” Magnus put in. “I now ken what that rotter is capable of. I’ll go before the council, if need be, on yer behalf.”
Helena blushed slightly. “Thank ye, Magnus. But it might be better if I just stay dead.”
“Me Lady, I for one am happy that ye are very much alive.” Magnus flashed her a wide smile.
Helena looked down at her hands in her lap, her face still flushed but her lips curled into a slight smile.
Skye watched her mother’s reaction to Magnus with interest. She’d never known a man to make her mother blush.
“Aye! Here comes Astrid with the bannocks she promised.” Arran’s announcement broke the awkward silence.
The hall was empty now except for a few musicians who were playing a soft ballad in the corner. Astrid put the bannocks on the table, and Skye saw that one piece was missing.
“I’m sorry, me Lady.” Astrid winced. “Lady Elsie found them before I could bring them out. She snagged a piece in the kitchen.”
“Nay harm done, Astrid,” Skye reassured her. “She left in search of a treat, and I’m happy she found one. I’m sure the day caught up to her.”
Astrid looked relieved, and she proceeded to serve up the dessert on small pewter plates.
Arran and Skye took the first bites, and Arran laughed when he saw his bride’s face. “I see that Astrid’s bannock doesnae disappoint.”
Skye’s expression was one of pure bliss when she tasted the confection.
“Astrid, ye have outdone yerself once more!” Arran exclaimed, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Silence fell over the hall as everyone enjoyed the sweet treat.
Arran turned to Helena. “The maids have prepared ye a room, and dinnae hesitate to tell them if ye want to bathe this evening. Our home isnae as lavish as Castle MacKeith, but I think ye will be comfortable.”
Helena nodded. “Thank ye, Arran, for thinking of me needs.”
Skye squirmed in her seat at her mother’s clipped voice.
She doesnae trust him.
Helena seemed to sense her daughter’s discomfort and turned back to Arran. “But I see yer clan is well-provided for and nae walkin’ around afraid to speak or laugh. Ye seem like a good Laird.”
Arran smiled at the compliment. “Thank ye, Ma’am.” After a moment, he rose from his seat. “I’m going to speak with the guards at the gate and the towers, Skye. I want to be sure everyone is in place in case Blackwell returns.”
Helena dropped her fork, and it hit the pewter plate with a clang. “That despot was here?” she gasped, clutching her throat. “Is he gone? Are ye sure he’s far away?”
“Aye, Maither. He showed up right after the weddin’. But he is gone now,” Skye replied as calmly as possible, steadying her mother with a hand on her shoulder.
“And he was enraged, I bet,” Helena added, astounded.
“Aye, that he was,” Arran confirmed. “But he arrived too late. The ceremony was already completed.”
“But have ye consummated yer marriage?” Helena could not calm herself, clearly worried that the horrors of her past would return again. “Grayson can contest the marriage, and if ye havenae shared yer marriage bed, his case will be stronger. Isnae that right, Magnus?”
Magnus thought for a moment, leaning closer to her to help calm her down. “I cannae speak for the council, but I do ken that the council would be hesitant to annul the marriage, whether it was consummated or nae. They approved the union, Helena,” he replied carefully.
“The ceremony was performed before God and witnesses,” Arran added. “It is legitimate and safe.”
Helena looked to Magnus once more, clearly trusting his experienced opinions above all others.
“But,” Magnus cautioned with an eye roll, “if Grayson managed to sway a couple of members, it could mean trouble.”
Arran shook his head vehemently, refusing to entertain the possibility. “Blackwell can try, but he willnae harm me wife or her family,” he declared stubbornly.
The topic hung heavy over the table, but Arran stood tall, silently declaring the subject moot. He looked down at Skye. “I willnae be gone long, Skye. I will see ye in me chamber shortly.”
The intensity in his eyes gave way to hunger, and Skye knew exactly what he meant.