Chapter Nine #4
We were seated in the same room where I’d taken tea with Christie and Ailie, by the open window.
Other warriors and workers often took their noonday meal in the great hall, I was told.
Laird Mackenzie believed that mealtimes should be shared and should offer plentiful, hearty nutrition, not only to fortify the hard-working clanspeople but also to invite camaraderie.
It was a good opportunity to discuss tactics, or crop irrigation, or techniques by which to build the most durable walls.
And we could hear their loud banter and laughter from where we sat, behind closed doors.
But Wilkie was not willing to let me partake in the wider clan’s activities.
He thought it still too dangerous that word would get to Ogilvie that I had indeed taken up residence at Kinloch.
Until discussions could be organized between Laird Ogilvie and Laird Mackenzie, it was best to remain quiet and hidden.
And I guessed, for that same reason, that he wouldn’t want me to wander the gardens, even under the careful escort of his sisters.
But he surprised me, maybe when he noticed my eager anticipation at the question.
I waited for his answer and took in, behind him and in the distance, the softly swaying grasses and the heavy-fruited trees.
“She’s already visited the medicine garden, with Effie,” Christie offered. “It’ll be fine.”
“We’ll stay away from the gardeners,” persisted Ailie. “We’ll be very cautious, Wilkie. And Roses can wear a hat, to cover her hair. So she won’t be noticed. Look at her, she’s dying to go.”
Wilkie did look at me, and his fierceness softened. He thought about this for a minute or more, watching my face all the while. “All right,” he finally said.
He’d said aye! I would be allowed to walk in those glorious gardens, to bask in the sun and the air, with the feel of the grass on my feet.
I could eat a piece of sun-warmed fruit, and maybe I’d even have a small opportunity to study the design and the horticultural techniques. Silently, I clapped my hands together.
Wilkie smiled at my expression. “Roses often talks of the gardens.”
I hoped I might find a pear to eat.
“That’s a very real possibility,” commented Kade, jarring me slightly. I hadn’t realized I’d spoken aloud. To Wilkie, he said, “They’ll be wondering what’s keeping us, Wilkie. Let’s go.”
Wilkie’s smile had faded. “You’re to stay at this end of the orchard, only,” he instructed his sisters. “And in the birch grove. Nowhere else.”
“Aye, Wilkie,” Christie assured him. “Don’t worry yourself. We’ll not go far.”
Wilkie pulled his chair close to mine and stared into my eyes. He looked mildly panicked. He brushed his lips against mine, very briefly, then withdrew.
Kade was exasperated. “For God’s sake, brother. The inner orchards and gardens are within the walls. Let the lass take some sun. You’ll see her at dusk.”
“She’ll taste of pears by then,” said Christie. It seemed a strange comment, but when we all looked at her, she stared at Wilkie innocently. “What?”
Wilkie stood, and it seemed too sudden, too abrupt. He walked from the room followed by Kade, without so much as a backward glance. And I felt lost and desolate at his hasty departure.
But Christie and Ailie swept me up in their quest to entertain me and to take me out-of-doors, and I couldn’t help but feel uplifted by their exuberance and by my own anticipation.
Christie left to retrieve a hat for me to wear, and then I was escorted through the side door to the airy glittery day.
Had I ever felt so alive? Nay, that wide-open world had never felt so reassuring nor so kind.
There was a new solace in its contained beauty, here inside the walls of this keep.
I was shielded from foes and predators. The day was sunny, the plants positively bursting with rich promise, and I was in good company.
My new sisters, one on each arm, chatted happily.
And I took wild comfort from the knowledge that Wilkie was nearby and that we would reunite as soon as day gave way to night.
If we saw people in the distance, we took care to skirt their vicinity, although it felt strange to be so sly and secretive. In my past life, people had taken little notice of me; now, to have to keep myself hidden and disguised, in my elevated mood, it felt almost laughable.
“No one would take notice of me.” I tried to reassure Ailie and Christie. “I’m sure of it.”
“Actually—” Christie smirked cagily, as if she was letting loose secret information “—there is a rumor that Wilkie is keeping a lass in his private chambers. I overheard several of the cooks discussing it. Trust me, Roses, they’ll take plenty of notice if word gets out that you’re here and you’re real, and you’re currently strolling the gardens.
Wilkie is popular, not just among our clan, but far afield. ”
I found myself wishing Christie didn’t provide quite so much information on that topic. But, then, I knew of this already. And I supposed it would make for interesting news, that the laird’s handsome, sought-after brother had a secret of this kind.
We walked among a young birch grove, and the leaves dappled the sunlight on its soft grassy floor.
“Let’s take off our boots,” I suggested, wanting to feel the coolness of the grass and the earth.
I sat and began to unlace my shoes, registering momentarily the old, worn state of them.
I felt shamed by this, that Ailie and Christie might notice and would be reminded once again of who I was and where I came from. But it could hardly be helped.
The sisters hesitated, as though removing their boots would never have occurred to them. “I haven’t walked barefoot since I was a child,” said Ailie.
“Oh, you must do it now, then,” I encouraged. “’Tis a wondrous feeling. So free.”
They followed my lead, and we walked, reveling in the softness of it, and before long we were running and playing like children through the grove and farther, to the edge of the pear orchard.
We sat under a gnarled, laden tree and ate several of the pears, letting the juice run down our chins and commenting on the delightful ripeness.
“See?” Christie laughed. “Roses will taste of pears tonight.”
“Christie,” scolded Ailie. “Don’t be childish.”
I couldn’t help smiling, feeling utterly comfortable with these sisters.
Never having had siblings, sharing this time with them, listening to their playful bickering, I found them fascinating.
And at Christie’s comment, I lay back on the grass.
I closed my eyes and thought of Wilkie kissing me, tasting the sweetness on my lips.
The thought brought warmth to my body, and I could feel the light throb begin again between my legs, where he’d touched me and inspired such sweet sensation. I wanted him to do it again, here, now.
We heard the crack of a twig nearby, as though snapped by a footstep. I opened my eyes and saw that both the sisters had become alert.
“We should go back now,” Ailie said in hushed tones. “Wilkie said not to stay out for too long. Come.” She began to rise, and Christie and I moved to follow her.
I saw a dark shape emerge from behind a nearby tree. And another.
Ailie made a small sound of distress at the exact moment I, too, noticed that these were not Mackenzie gardeners.
They were Ogilvie warriors.