Chapter 11
So this was the woman Gellir was supposed to marry. From the moment the petite, dark-haired, sweet-faced Lady Carenza of Dunlop rode through the gates of Darragh, Merraid knew Lady Feiyan was right.
Carenza was the one. The ideal bride for Gellir.
Everyone instantly loved her.
Merraid felt a pinprick of jealousy.
When the lady dismounted, she thanked Campbell for taking her horse, which made the young stable master blush.
When she picked her dainty way across the courtyard to meet Laird Dougal and Lady Feiyan, she offered her hand and a timid, sweet smile.
When she gazed round at the towers and gardens of Darragh, her wide-eyed and earnest admiration made the laird’s chest swell with pride.
Lady Feiyan explained she’d sent Gellir off to fish. She meant to allow Carenza time to clean up and settle in before they met. Now she summoned Merraid to convey her to the solar and attend her bath.
Merraid complied, though she couldn’t imagine the woman becoming any cleaner or more comfortable in her surroundings. Lady Carenza was poised. Prepared. Perfect.
Still, for Gellir’s sake, it was up to Merraid to seek out a fatal flaw. A character deficiency. A nasty habit. Some well-concealed imperfection on her seemingly unblemished soul.
In the end, she could find nothing wrong with Lady Carenza. In fact, she liked the woman. A lot.
On the way to the solar, the lady asked Merraid about her life, her family, and the castle. Unlike most noblewomen, who largely ignored maidservants, she took great interest in Merraid’s thoughts.
She cooed over the steaming, fragrant bath that awaited her. And she placed a humble hand over her heart when she saw that Merraid had added lavender petals to the water.
“They’re my favorite,” she confided. She glided gracefully to the makeshift pallet to remove her boots.
Merraid knelt to assist her.
But the lady shooed her away. “There’s no need for that. I’m perfectly capable of undressin’. Indeed, if ye have other chores to do, ye can leave me. I promise I won’t drown.”
“I have no other chores, m’lady.” Merraid was sure Lady Feiyan wouldn’t approve of her deserting their guest. Besides, she needed to see if the woman had an ugly scar. A flat bosom. A wart on her arse she should warn Gellir about.
Since Merraid didn’t want to stare, she busied herself. Moving the candles. Poking at the fire. Rearranging the bath linens.
Lady Carenza took off each item of clothing with great care. Her leather girdle. Her linen hose. Her deep blue velvet surcoat. Her light blue woolen kirtle. And finally her linen underdress. She draped them on the pallet so they wouldn’t wrinkle.
Then she sank into the tub.
Merraid could discern no physical flaw whatsoever. Not a single blemish, freckle, or bruise. There was a feminine softness to her body. She was petite, but round in all the right places.
Merraid tried not to simmer with envy, recalling her own lean physique and unsightly scars. Some, like the hairline slash across the side of her neck and her crisscrossed knuckles, were from swordplay. Some, like the burn mark on the heel of her hand, were from the everyday hazards of work.
“Do ye need me to scrub your back, m’lady?” she asked.
“Nay, I can manage.”
Merraid settled onto the edge of a chair beside the tub and clasped her hands, at a loss for what to do.
“So tell me…” The lady had spoken so softly, Merraid wondered if she was speaking to herself. “What’s he like?”
“Who, m’lady?”
“Gellir Cameliard o’ Rivenloch.”
Was that hesitation she heard in the lady’s voice? Worry? Dread?
How could she answer?
To Merraid, Gellir Cameliard was a shining paragon of men. A brave, magnificent warrior. A chivalrous knight without compare. A steadfast, loyal friend. A brilliant, honorable, devoted nobleman who would make his bride the luckiest woman in all Scotland.
She couldn’t say that. Not without melting into tears.
“He’s very tall. Striking. Dark-haired. With gray eyes.”
“Is he as grim as they say?”
The question was so fearful, Merraid couldn’t help but feel sorry for the lady. After all, she was just as much a victim of the king’s manipulations as Gellir. Lady Carenza probably knew nothing about Gellir aside from his reputation as a fierce warrior.
Merraid had promised Lady Feiyan she’d help ensure a successful marriage. She’d promised Gellir she’d find a woman who could love him. She meant to keep those promises. Even if it shattered her heart.
“His enemies call him Grim Gellir for his ferocity in battle,” she said. “But he’s very kind and patient with those he cares for.”
“Then I must hope he cares for me.”
“He agreed to marry ye, m’lady.”
“Men do much for position and power. But I would know his heart.”
Merraid was confused. “M’lady,” she ventured, “did ye not agree to marry him as well, without knowin’ him?”
Her chuckle was soft and sad. “What else could I do but as my father commanded me?”
“Ye didn’t wish to marry Sir Gellir?” Merraid asked gently.
The lady lowered her head and bit her lip.
Merraid could see she was holding back tears.
But instead of weeping, she forced a smile to her lips.
“O’ course I wished to marry. ’Tis every lady’s dream, aye?
” Her voice held a false brightness. “To wed a handsome knight. To live in a magnificent keep. To have a home full o’ childr-” She broke off and buried her face in the wash cloth.
Pity welled up in Merraid’s breast. Enough to make her set aside her own heart’s pain. “There now, m’lady. Don’t weep. All will be well. No one will be as devoted to ye as Sir Gellir.”
For some reason, her words of reassurance made Lady Carenza break into sobs.
Merraid wrung her hands, unsure what to do.
When the lady finally regained her composure, she gazed up at Merraid with an apologetic smile. Her eyes were wet with tears and so blue, they were nearly violet. Naturally, Carenza was even beautiful when she wept.
“Forgive me,” she said. “I’m bein’ selfish and spoiled. I’m sure ’tis only nerves.”
When Merraid’s nerves were in need of calming, she did her taijiquan. But she wasn’t going to suggest that to the lady.
“I could fetch ye a cup o’ wine or strong ale,” she offered.
“Nay, I must have my wits about me to meet my new…” She bit her trembling lip. “My new husband.”
Merraid wondered now if that was such a good idea. Gellir could look formidable and grim when he chose to. He might react badly to a lass who burst into tears at the mere sight of him.
“Perhaps ye don’t have to meet him tonight,” she suggested. “I could say ye’re weary from travelin’. That ye’d prefer to wait till morn.”
Carenza chewed on her lip, tempted for a moment. Then she shook her head. “Nay, delay will only make matters worse. I mustn’t be a coward. I must face my fate with courage and calm.”
She rose from the bath. Her face was stoic now, like that of Athena, the goddess of strength and wisdom. Merraid wrapped a length of linen around her straightened shoulders.
She sighed as she stepped from the tub. Then she murmured wistfully, “Och, Merraid, so much of a woman’s destiny lies in the hands o’ men.”
Merraid couldn’t agree less. Lady Feiyan had taught her to be the mistress of her own destiny. In fact, with the messy exception of letting her emotions get the better of her where Gellir was concerned, Merraid’s choices were her own.
“May I speak honestly, m’lady?” she asked.
“Please.”
“Were ye betrothed against your will?”
She hesitated. “Nay, not really. ’Tis only…” She broke off, then searched Merraid’s eyes with penetrating force. “Can I trust ye?”
“Aye.”
“Ye must not breathe a word o’ this to anyone.”
“Ye have my word, m’lady.”
“I intend to honor this betrothal,” she vowed.
“I’ll be a willin’ bride. And a loyal wife.
I’ll give him a happy home and bairns to fill it.
I’ll ne’er give him cause to regret our marriage.
I’ll stand by him through thick and thin.
Good times and bad. I’ll give myself to him freely.
He will possess me, body and soul.” She hesitated then, and Merraid saw pain and sorrow in her violet eyes.
“But he will ne’er have my heart,” she confessed, “for that belongs to another.”
Merraid knew exactly how she felt. “I see.”
Still, Lady Carenza had never met Sir Gellir. She’d never basked in his silvery gaze. Felt his oak-strong arms around her. Bathed in the sweet caress of his tongue.
“I swear I’ll ne’er be unfaithful to him,” the lady was quick to add. “Ye should know that.”
She wanted to tell Carenza if she ever were unfaithful to Gellir, she’d have a very vexed maidservant to answer to. Instead, she said, “Ye’ve yet to meet Sir Gellir. Perhaps ye’ll grow to care for him.”
“Perhaps.” By the sorrow in her face, she didn’t believe that.
It was up to Merraid to make her believe. It would be unfair to Gellir to be shackled to a wife who felt nothing for him. Merraid had to make Carenza fall in love with Gellir.
It seemed like a ridiculously easy task.
When Gellir first glimpsed Lady Carenza, she was gliding across the great hall.
He realized his cousin Hew hadn’t exaggerated.
The lady was as lovely as an angel. As she followed Feiyan across the floor, she moved with natural grace, nodding politely to those she passed.
She was dark-haired and delicate, with a heart-shaped face and a shy smile.
Was it possible he hadn’t made the worst mistake of his life after all?
“Gellir, you’re back!” Feiyan called out. “Come meet Lady Carenza.”
He pushed off from the wall.
Too late, he remembered his appearance.
Informed upon his return that his bride had arrived, he’d been directed to come to the great hall at once. So he’d come straight from fishing, not bothering to wash up. What was the point, after all? The marriage was already arranged, wasn’t it? There was no need to impress his bride-to-be.