Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Katherine kept her eyes on Liam’s back as he led her through the winding corridors of the castle. Her mind raced with all of the possible things she could teach the child. It wasn’t as if she had parchment or any tools to demonstrate her points.
I’m nae a teacher. And I stopped havin’ someone to teach me when I was eleven.
“When we’re finished here, the servants will send ye a meal to yer quarters,” Laird MacDougal said when they reached the door to the solar.
“That would be nice,” she said, putting a smile on her face as the door opened.
It had been a long day, and Katherine was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than a hot meal and to crawl into the plush bed that she was able to call her own. First impressions were important, though. She couldn’t let the child sense any of her discomfort.
“Agnes,” Liam said as they walked inside. “I’ve brought someone for ye to meet.”
At first, Katherine didn’t see anyone within the solar. Then, she spotted a maid standing off to the side. A few feet away from the woman was a child, no older than six, looking out the window with a stillness that seemed unnatural for a child her age.
Slowly, she stepped around Liam, approaching little Agnes slowly. The girl didn’t turn, her gaze fixed on the hills beyond. She had the same distant look that her father had, as if she was harboring something so deep it couldn’t be spoken.
“Agnes?” Katherine said softly, keeping her voice as warm as she could. “Me name is Katherine. It’s such a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Despite her efforts to avoid disturbing the quiet atmosphere, Katherine’s final word seemed to echo through the space. It was enough to make Agnes turn toward her. Her little brows were furrowed, and a severe frown was on her small face.
“Ye are loud,” the girl said finally, the quality of her speech making her seem much older than she actually was.
Katherine nearly laughed, but she managed to stifle it. With a grin on her face, she said, “Ye ken, everyone keeps tellin’ me that.”
Agnes sniffed in response, taking in Katherine’s form slowly. Katherine didn’t think she’d ever been examined with such scrutiny. Finally, her words stilted, Agnes said, “Those braids… They are bonnie.”
It wasn’t much, but Katherine saw the opportunity. She touched one of the plaits, still damp from the downpour outside. Thoughtfully, she asked, “Do ye ken how to braid yer own hair?”
A flash of bashful embarrassment zipped through Agnes’ eyes before she was able to hide it. Her fingers brushing against the bottom of her own red hair, she admitted, “I daenae. I can tie it up on me own without help, though.”
“That’s a good start,” Katherine said kindly as she kneeled on the ground. Gently, she pulled the ribbon holding the braid in place loose and unraveled her hair. “Once ye learn the basics of plaitin’, ye can plait yer hair right down yer back.”
“Ye’ll teach me?” Agnes asked as she cautiously approached.
“Of course, I will,” Katherine replied, gesturing for Agnes to take a seat in front of her. “Everyone should ken how to braid. I’m honored to be the one to teach ye.”
And Katherine meant it. She didn’t know how long Agnes had gone without a mother, but it was a heartache that she knew intimately. She’d never felt more feminine than when her maid had taught her to do her hair. This was a special moment that Katherine was determined to make right for Agnes.
“The first thing ye’ll need to do is separate yer hair down the middle,” Katherine instructed. When Agnes’s imprecise fingers struggled to make an even part, Katherine reached forward. “May I?”
Agnes nodded, dropping her hands and allowing Katherine to carefully run a finger down the middle of her scalp. She sat completely still as Katherine pulled the chunks of hair to the front of her shoulders. Then, with incredible patience, Agnes let Katherine smooth out all of the tangles.
“There we are,” Katherine said as she shifted back on her haunches. She returned her fingers to her own hair and split it into three equal parts. “Now, do yer best to get the same amount of hair in each bit.”
Agnes nodded and followed Katherine’s instructions. Her focus was intense, and Katherine almost expected her to start counting each individual strand. When she finished, she looked back at Katherine, waiting for her next command.
“Ye’ll need to use both of yer hands,” she said, pinching a strand between her thumb and forefinger on each hand. “And ye’ll use yer middle finger to move the third around.”
“Show me,” Agnes said, shuffling forward. She watched intently as Katherine braided the entire strand incredibly slowly. When Katherine finished, she said, “Again.”
Katherine obliged, aware of Liam’s eyes on the two of them. This girl was his daughter. She realized, on some level, that Agnes was all he had left of someone else. It was no wonder that he’d wanted someone to teach Agnes. She was precious to him.
“It feels a wee bit unnatural at first,” Katherine said, slightly exaggerating each movement, “but once yer fingers understand what ye’re askin’ them to do, it’s quite fun.”
As soon as her second demonstration finished, Agnes tried to imitate her. Her uncoordinated fingers started to work, and her tongue peeked out between her lips. Katherine let her hair down again and began braiding it so Agnes could follow along.
Her fingers moved slowly through her hair, and with each second and each breath, the pressure in the room grew heavier. Liam’s attention felt like a chain. All it would take was one wrong move, and he could be rid of her. She desperately wanted to impress him with this.
Agnes grumbled when she lost track of which strand went where, unraveling her braid and working her fingers through the tangles. Katherine quickly fixed her own hair. This time, when the two started braiding together, Agnes managed to get the style to take shape.
“There ye are,” Katherine said encouragingly.
“I’ve nearly figured it out,” Agnes said, closing one eye to better focus on her weaving.
Though the girl was still reserved, Katherine could tell that she was gradually building a strong foundation for trust. It would take time, but she hoped to help Agnes relax and enjoy herself. It seemed to Katherine that Agnes felt a strong, perhaps vague, sense of duty.
Nay doubt because of her father’s influence.
“Here, would ye like to use me ribbon to tie it?” Katherine offered when Agnes finished with the messy but technically correct, braid.
“Nay,” Agnes said, unraveling her hair once more. “I will need more practice. And… perhaps ye could show me one more time?”
“Of course,” Katherine said, glancing back toward Liam.
His arms were crossed over his chest, but she caught something that looked like approval. Then, it vanished, and he said, “Perhaps another day. It’s quite late. Ye’ll have another proper lesson with Katherine tomorrow, Agnes.”
I wonder if I cannae teach him to loosen that iron control of his too, if only for a moment.
* * *
“Good mornin’ to ye, Laird MacDougal,” Katherine said as she walked into the drawing room. He hadn’t expected her to be so bright, nor to accept a full lesson so soon after her arrival. “And good mornin’ to ye as well, Agnes. I do trust ye slept well.”
Perhaps part of him was hoping that she’d falter early, that he’d have a reason to send her away before anyone was able to get used to her presence.
Agnes looked up from the book of stories she’d been skimming. Her gaze snapped from Katherine to Liam. He could tell that his daughter was unsure of what to make of this loud, spirited woman. Truthfully, he wasn’t either.
She must have slept well. Seems she’s excitable. Or perhaps she’s just nervous.
“I did sleep well,” Agnes said, eying Katherine wearily as she presented a pot of ink and a stack of parchment that she must have gotten from a maid. “And I can tell ye slept well.”
“Aye, me bed is quite wonderful. I didnae want to get up,” Katherine chirped as she settled down beside the girl. She looked at Liam then. “Are ye goin’ to stay?”
“I am,” he confirmed, standing near the wall with his arms over his chest. “Carry on.”
Her smile wavered for a moment, a blatant display of her nerves. She fixed it quickly and said, “Right, of course.” Clearing her throat, she passed Agnes a quill and a piece of parchment before grabbing a set of her own. “Ye were lookin’ through a book of stories when I arrived. Can ye read?”
“A wee bit,” Agnes said quietly. “But I still get some of the letters mixed up.”
“They’re difficult sometimes,” Katherine said sympathetically. “I thought that today we could start by tracin’ letters. Do ye ken how to write yer name?”
Agnes brightened a bit. She pulled her shoulders back and said, “Aye. I can write me first name and me last name.”
“Show me,” Katherine said as she uncapped the ink and slid it toward Agnes.
With a solemn nod, Agnes picked up her quill and dipped the nib into the ink pot. Then, her tongue sticking out in concentration, almost frustratingly slow, his daughter started to write her name.
Katherine sat patiently as the girl wrote. Even when Agnes paused, times when Liam himself would have stepped in and instructed, she waited. It wasn’t until Agnes leaned back with a small but proud smile on her face that Katherine examined the page.
“Ye did quite well,” she said after a moment, dipping her own pen into the ink. “But the ‘s’ should be standing up straighter. And there’s an easier way to write a ‘g’.” She pushed the paper back to Agnes. “Do ye see the difference? Ye’re nae too far off.”
Liam’s jaw clenched. This was nothing like he had imagined. While he was glad Katherine was gentle with his daughter, he knew Agnes wouldn’t learn anything if she was being coddled. It even seemed as if Katherine was praising mistakes.
I cannae interrupt yet. She’s just started.
“I have trouble with the ‘s’,” Agnes said, writing her name again.
“It’s because of where ye’re startin’ it,” Katherine said as she reached over, using the point of her pen to point at the page. “Ye daenae need to give yerself so much room. Try startin’ from here.”
Liam leaned forward, unsure that Katherine’s gentle instruction would produce any change. Agnes adjusted her grip, looking over at Katherine’s hand to mimic her. Then, she tried the letter again, starting at the point that Katherine had indicated.
After nearly half a minute, Agnes removed her hand. She smiled, small but incredibly bright, over at Katherine. Then, to Liam’s surprise, Agnes turned to him, the pride in her eyes making his chest warm.
“I did it,” she said, her voice soft but satisfied. She traced the nib over the letter again. “It’s right side up now.”
“Aye, ye did it,” Katherine said, her excitement sounding surprisingly genuine. “And with a bit more practice, it willnae take ye quite so long.”
“Really?” Agnes asked, still bright.
I rarely see her like this.
“Of course,” Katherine confirmed. Then, seeming to sense his daughter’s hunger for knowledge and need for challenge, she said, “Now, let’s work on the letter ‘g’. When ye get that one, we’ll work our way through the entire alphabet.”
Having seen enough, Liam stepped away from his place against the wall. Quietly, he moved toward the door. Just as he opened it, Katherine stopped him, saying, “I thought ye’d be observin’ the whole lesson.”
“I’ve seen enough,” he said, careful to keep his voice neutral. “The two of ye may continue.”
Neither of them needed to know that he was still unconvinced by Katherine’s teaching methods. There weren’t any rules, it seemed. Mistakes were not only allowed but apparently welcome.
It was nothing like the strict discipline that he knew worked best. This wasn’t what he’d hoped for his child. Even so, it was rare for Agnes to take to someone so quickly, and it wasn’t as if she wasn’t engaged in the lesson.
But life isnae all about fun. Yer mistakes have consequences.