Chapter Three
Seocan embraced Ailith warmly when William returned her to Glenbervie Tower and escorted her into the hall.
“Are ye well, lassie?” he inquired.
“I should ask that of ye. But ye seem hale enough from the battle.” Ailith lightly slapped his upper arm as he released his embrace.
Her sister-in-law Mairi, on the other hand, eyed her hawkishly. She held her bairn, Morgan, in her arms, so Ailith tried to excuse it as her focus was on the babe, but over the past weeks, she’d grown accustomed to that stern gaze. One full of mistrust.
Perchance Mairi’s demeanor would improve after Ailith left. Maybe Mairi had a reason for why she was so hard with her, and once Ailith lived in another house, Mairi would soften.
At least, she hoped. Ailith might not know how family dynamics worked in the Middle Ages, but she didn’t want to cause animosity with her brother. Or her sister-in-law.
William stepped forward. “My uncle has decided that the wedding will be in two days. We shall honor and bury our dead this afternoon. Then, ye are welcome to the keep for a smaller celebratory meal tomorrow eve, and we will be wed the next morn, the day before the ides of July.”
Seocan smiled widely at William, then turned his face to Ailith. “Good news. We have waited far too long, in my estimation.”
Of course, he thinks that, Ailith said to herself. This union was a huge benefit for the small Glenbervie clan.
“Agreed,” William said. “And Ailith can bring her belongings when she comes. Do ye need us to send a cart?”
“Nay. We shall handle it,” Seocan told him.
“She does no’ have much to bring, as ‘tis,” Mairi added with a sour smile on her lips.
Why would she say such a thing? Oh, but it was getting difficult to dismiss her.
“On the morrow, then,” William said with a curt bow.
Ailith reached for Seocan and gave him another embrace. “Thank ye, brother. And I am glad ye are all well.”
“Aye. ‘Tis a fine thing to have family together after so dire an event.” He kissed her forehead before turning to Mairi.
Together, Seocan and Mairi headed for Seocan’s antechamber off the main hall.
William used the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist and draw her near with a sigh.
“Och, lass, ‘tis like death to wait another day for ye. This day will last a year, it seems. But I would trade a thousand lifetimes for a night with ye,” he said, his voice dropping low.
Too romantic by half. How did a woman respond to such loving words?
In the only way she could. She rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his full and eager mouth. His lips crushed hers as his powerful arms tightened.
Then he released her, leaving her mind spinning and her knees weak. Oh, what a marriage this would be, indeed.
William bowed deeply, then exited the main hall out the gaping double doors to his horse, Lugh.
God willing, it would be one of the last times she saw him leave her at Glenbervie.
Ailith turned toward the stairs just as Leitis, the kitchen maid who also served to help Ailith dress and keep her chambers, entered. Her round apple cheeks were a kindness, and Ailith smiled widely.
“Milady! Ye have returned safely!” She rushed Ailith and wrapped her strong arms around Ailith’s shoulders. Her grip was hard enough to break bones. “I was worried for ye!”
Ailith patted Leitis’s back. “I am glad ‘tis over. But I fear I’m only returned for a wee bit. On the morrow, myself and my belongings go to Drumoak.”
Leitis snapped her head up and clapped her hands. “Och, milady! ‘Tis finally time ye wed the blond giant!” Then her face dropped like the closing curtain on a stage. “But I will miss ye dearly.”
“Nay, ye will have your hands full with the bairns. Ye already have one in Morgan. Too soon he will be running around here, and ye will be weary of chasing him down.”
Leitis smiled slightly. “Mayhap, but for the now, ‘tis your face and interesting behavior I shall miss.”
Ailith held her hands up. “I am here now. Let us make some bannocks together and then pack up my chambers.”
Leitis brightened at the offer and led Ailith down to the humid kitchen. Scents of yeast and baked bread and spices greeted her, as did the smiles of the other kitchen maids.
“Are we to bring anything to the feast?” Ailith asked, realizing she had little knowledge of what a marriage feast entailed. “Meat or soup or fruits?”
Leitis nodded. “Aye. Gwen has been readying the smoked eel and haddock. Isa has been baking berry bannocks, and I have the hens ready for roasting. We are also bringing a cask of mead. The MacDougals and their kin are providing the rest.”
So, they were bringing a lot to the celebration, not merely her belongings.
“Well, I am here to offer another set of hands. Put me where ye need me.”
Leitis pointed to Isa and her bannocks, and for the rest of the morning, Ailith enjoyed the company, the warmth of the hearth that caused her brow to break out in a film of perspiration, and the heady aroma of the food preparation.
It was almost enough to make her forget the past events and that she was to be wed in two days.
Almost.
Gwen had set the dried fish aside and was setting out food for the midday meal. Ailith helped her, bringing platters and drinks upstairs to the main hall. Then she took her own food and ate alone at one of the tables.
It was the first time she’d had a moment to herself in days, and it was nice for her mind to have a break. She had to mask her real self so much that it was tiring. These quiet moments to herself gave her a much-needed break.
But it was short-lived. Mairi entered the hall, absent the bairn, and approached her. She wore a kerchief held in place by a plain silver circlet to cover her shiny black hair and carried a leather pouch in her hands. Ailith pushed her platter away as she turned to her.
“Ailith, I must attend the market at Stonehaven for a few household items before this afternoon’s funeral masses. Would ye care to come with me? Do ye need anything for your wedding, a gift for William, perchance? Daniel will escort us.”
What a sad way to usher in my wedding. Then she brightened a bit. A market day? Oh! She had read of such things, but to experience it as it was in the Middle Ages? She wouldn’t miss it for the world – a silver lining to an otherwise dark day.
“Aye. I would love to accompany ye.” And in truth, Ailith was thankful for Mairi’s invitation. Maybe it was her way of offering an olive branch now that Ailith would be leaving. Mairi waved a hand toward the door, and Ailith leaped to her feet, following.
The morning mist had burned off, and a patchy sky of white and gray clouds welcomed them when they left the tower. Warm enough, and a rather fine day for both a ride and a visit to the market.
Daniel helped Mairi onto her horse, then boosted Ailith onto hers. She was getting better at mounting, and her goal was to get herself on without assistance by the end of the month.
Daniel swung easily onto his steed, then led the women past the palisade gate and turned northwest, toward Stonehaven.
The sounds of the market reached her ears before she saw it, and Ailith had a disconcerting moment, one of deja vu, to moment similar to when she had heard the Romani camp in her time before she’d seen it. Shaking her head to clear those muddled thoughts, she peered into the distance.
A few stone and wood buildings with thatch for roofs rose near the horizon.
The market was set up in between a series of buildings on what would have been a main street in a modern town.
The dirt road led them to a strip of booth-style vendors selling everything from arrows to fruit to fish to cloth.
Ailith pulled her gaze from the cluster of colors, buildings, and villagers ahead to Mairi, only a few feet in front of her. She trotted to catch up.
“Ye mentioned a gift for William. Truly, I dinna have an idea of what to get him for our wedding. What do ye recommend?”
Was it her imagination, or did Mairi’s face soften?
“A Lukenbooth is always a good choice. Traditional and practical.”
Lukenbooth? Ailith wracked her brain, trying to recall what that was. Why could she not recall?
She swallowed the hard lump in her throat. “Will ye show me the best stalls for the gift? I trust your opinion over mine.”
This time, a slight twitch caught Mairi’s lips. Was that a smile?
“Aye. Theodore Stewart has the best wares. Let us begin there.”
With Daniel taking the lead, they tied their horses to the railing at the edge of Stonehaven village proper and dismounted.
Daniel bowed slightly to Mairi. “I must inquire with the wheelwright. Can ye manage on your own or do ye prefer to wait for me?”
Mairi lifted her green gaze to the partly cloudy sky. “’Tis a fair day,” she replied. “Ailith and I can manage on our own for a bit.”
Daniel bobbed his head. “I’ll come find ye when I’m finished.”
Mairi watched as he stepped away, veering toward the building that housed the wheelwright. Then Mairi turned her gaze to Ailith. “Let us go to Stewart's stall. He’s a talented silversmith and will have a selection for ye to choose from.”
As they wove their way through the crowd to the market stalls, Ailith had to wonder why Mairi was being so kind. Maybe it was manners because Ailith was getting married? Or joy at no longer having Ailith in her house?
Ailith felt a pinch of regret at assuming the worst with Mairi, but she couldn’t read the woman at all.
She wished Angelina were here – her dark eyes took in everything and everyone.
She could read people like an open book, a trait Ailith did not share, and could tell her what might be going on behind Mairi’s intense eyes.
With a deep sigh, Ailith decided to see this trip to the market as it was a kindness. Mairi was the chieftain’s wife, after all, and was well-mannered, no matter what slights Ailith might see.