Chapter 3
Elspeth leaned her head against the carriage.
The rhythm of the galloping horses made the carriage shake.
It trundled along the uneven road. Out of the window, she saw the trees pass by in a blur.
The sky darkened as the sun relinquished the celestial throne and gave way to the moon.
She saw a few birds flitting by, but her eyes grew heavy, and she soon found herself being lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the carriage.
The day had taken a significant toll on her, and she didn’t realize until she fell asleep how exhausted she actually was.
Her dreams were filled with torment, of fire and blood, and woeful screams of people dying.
She saw her mother and father standing by a birthing bed, cast in flames, and it filled her with fear.
There was a figure on the birthing bed and doors all around her, with screams coming from each one.
As she peered into the flames, she gasped as she realized that she was looking at herself.
Her face was twisted in agony, and blood poured out below her.
Fear clutched her heart, and she turned to run away, flinging open doors all around her, but in each one, the same vision greeted her: a vision of death—the same death as her mother.
When Elspeth was jostled awake by the driver, she was in such a state that she kicked out at him.
He flinched and cursed, and she immediately apologized.
The images of the dream were still fresh in her mind, and she had to take a moment to compose herself.
She pushed aside an errant strand of hair and wiped flecks of sweat from her brow.
The driver was a stout man, and he had already taken her belongings out of the carriage.
The horses huffed and snorted and whinnied as they had their rest. It had taken a matter of hours for them to reach her new home.
The moon was high, as pale as a silver coin. The stars twinkled above.
“Come on, lass. Let’s get ye inside,” he said. “I hae tae tell the laird ye’re here, and I want tae get back tae Kilin before the night is out.”
Elspeth turned and faced the stately castle, her new home.
It was grim and foreboding. The stone was dark, and shadows fell across the castle in long shards of death.
The woods to either side of the castle were dark.
The trees were thin, and the branches were like spears.
The air was cold as well, and Elspeth shivered.
She walked up to the wide doors and entered the yawning mouth of the house.
The driver pulled out a letter and walked away while she was greeted by maids.
There were three of them, and they looked down their noses at her.
“I suppose she’ll dae,” she heard one of them say. They whisked her away to her chambers so quickly that she barely had a chance to look at the house. Candles flickered along long hallways, and they illuminated stern portraits that gazed down at her.
“Ye are a lucky lass. The laird is a handsome man.”
“He haes been waiting for a wife for a long time.”
“I hope ye know how tae make him happy.”
Their voices created a melody, sliding together like different streams that made a wider river.
Elspeth settled on the bed while the maids pulled out several dresses.
All she wanted to do was sleep. Eventually, the maids left her presence, and she was able to sleep the rest of the night away, although part of her was afraid to rest her head on the pillow in case the frightening dreams came to her mind again.
She curled herself up and lifted her gaze to the window and stared towards the stars.
She remembered what she had told Eoin about how whenever they were apart, they could look up at the stars and still be connected.
She wondered if he was looking at them now.
It brought her a small amount of comfort, but it was difficult for her to relax because there were so many things swimming in her mind.
She barely even had enough time to grieve her father before she was expected to marry this man she had never met.
Even though she hated herself for thinking it, she found herself cursing her father for making this deal with Laird Gallach.
If only he had listened to her. If only they had had a chance to talk more about this before he died.
But there was no sense in thinking of what might have been.
She was in this new life now, and there was nothing she could do but try and make the best of it, but first, she must sleep.
Elspeth slept for a few more hours until dawn and awoke to the sound of a ringing bell.
One of the maids who had greeted her the previous night entered her chamber and brought with her a tray of food.
It was a simple breakfast, but it was only now that Elspeth realized she hadn’t eaten the previous night.
She had been so distracted by her grief that she had completely forgotten dinner, so her stomach was grateful for the sustenance provided.
The maid was a slim woman with grey hair and narrow features.
Her face was long, and her waist was trim.
Her fingers were slender, and they were clasped together.
As Elspeth ate breakfast, she noticed that the woman wouldn’t stop looking at her.
“Is there something ye wanted?” Elspeth asked.
“Oh nay, nae at all,” the woman replied in a soft voice.
“I’m Elaine, and I just think it’s wonderful that ye are here.
We hae waited sae long for someone tae come and make the laird happy.
And ye are sae pretty! His uncle couldn’t have chosen a better bride.
I can tell just by looking at ye that yer temperament is as fair as yer beauty. ”
“Thank ye,” Elspeth said, not entirely sure what to say as she wasn’t used to receiving compliments like this. Generally speaking, she thought herself to be rather plain.
“What is the laird like?”
“He’s a good, strong man. I hae been with him most of my life; raised him like my own, in fact.
” She sighed and turned her gaze away from Elspeth.
“For sae long now, he haes been unaware of how lonely he is. I dinnae think he realizes how much he needs a woman’s presence in his life.
It’s long past time he should hae taken a wife, but at least ye are here now and everything will be well. ”
There was something about her tone that Elspeth found unnerving, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Anyway, get yer breakfast down ye, and then we should get ye ready for the wedding.”
“Wedding?” Elspeth gulped and almost choked on the chunk of bread she was chewing.
“Aye, as I said, the laird cannae waste more time, and since ye are here, there is nay sense in waiting. His uncle was insistent that ye should be wed as soon as possible.”
“I see,” Elspeth replied quietly, looking at the food in her lap.
She licked her lips and arched her eyebrows.
She had thought she would at least have some time to adjust to her new surroundings before the wedding occurred, but it seemed that that, too, was too much to hope for.
Her hands trembled, so she clasped them together.
She smiled at Elaine. “I apologize; it’s just that this haes all been rather quick for me.
It was only yesterday that my da died and?—”
“Oh, ye poor wee thing.” Elaine rushed to her side and sat on the bed beside her, wrapping an arm around Elspeth’s shoulders.
“I haed nay idea! Well, ye dinnae need tae worry about anything else. Ye hae naething but happiness waiting for ye now that ye are here. This home is gaeing tae sing with life again, I just know it.” Elaine beamed.
Elspeth wished that she shared the woman’s certainty.
“When ye are finished with breakfast, put this on.” Elaine walked over and opened a closet.
The doors creaked. She pulled out a beautiful white gown.
It was the loveliest thing Elspeth had ever seen.
Her mouth dropped open in awe. “Aye, it’s lovely,” Elaine said when she saw the look on Elspeth’s face.
“It belonged tae the lady of the house. It is yours now,” she said with a sad smile.
Before Elspeth could ask her what happened to the lady of the house, Elaine was already on her way out of the room.
Elspeth finished her breakfast and looked out of the window, hoping that the surroundings would look more appealing than they had during the night, but she was dismayed to find that they didn’t.
The woods were foreboding, whereas the ones she had been used to were welcoming.
There was a river that wound across the grey landscape, but it looked slick and oozing.
Even though this place was only a short distance from Kilin, she felt she was in a foreign land.
These were not the Highlands she was used to, and it left her with a dark feeling inside her heart, as though she didn’t belong.
Her skin crawled and her throat ran dry.
She turned away from the window immediately.
Her attention was drawn to the cupboard.
Elaine had left it open, and the dress hung out.
She reached out tentatively, almost afraid to touch something so beautiful.
The white fabric was soft, and the stitching was flawless.
She pulled it out and undressed from her ordinary clothes.
There was a mirror in the corner of the room.
She fastened the dress and found that it was a perfect fit.
The bodice clamped around her curves, and the flowing bottom of the dress billowed around her.
When she moved, it swirled around her; she smiled.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and admired how she looked, although she assumed it was the dress doing all of the work.
The smile faded from her face, though, for she was reminded that on this special day, none of her family could be there with her.
It didn’t seem fair that she should be left all alone in the world.
Her heart trembled as she thought about getting married.
She knew that once she stepped out of her chamber, her new life would begin in earnest. There were so many things she didn’t understand about a man and woman being together.
She had seen how in love her parents had been, but she had no idea how those kinds of feelings grew between two people.
She was wise beyond her years in many ways since she had looked after Eoin, but in other respects, she was still just a na?ve eighteen-year-old girl who had yet to find her place in the world.
How she wished that she knew what she was doing or what would come next.
She didn’t even have any idea about Laird Gallach other than what Islay and the maids had mentioned about him.
What kind of man was he? She hoped that he was kind and compassionate.
She hoped he was the kind of man she could confide her feelings with.
She tried to believe that he was. She had been through so much sorrow that it was about time she had something good happen in her life.
She left the room and walked down the hallway. She heard distant voices, and it wasn’t long before Elaine came to her.
“Why lass…ye look as pretty as a picture. If I didnae know better, I’d say the lady of the house hae returned!
The dress is perfect. I know the laird will be pleased.
Come on, let’s get ye tae him,” Elaine said.
They walked through the shadowy castle. The ceilings were squat, and the atmosphere was not like the one she was used to at Laird Gallach’s castle.
There, people could move freely about the castle, no matter if they lived there or not.
Laird Gallach also hosted balls and feasts.
It was a place of great joy, and the halls were always filled with good humor.
These halls, though…Elspeth wondered how long it had been since they had been filled with laughter.
There was a sense of despair and sorrow imbued in the air.
The hallways seemed darker than they should have been, as though gloom settled over the castle like a fog.
Elspeth was taken down to the main hall.
A double door stood between her and her fate.
She licked her lips and smiled at Elaine, who trembled with excitement.
Elaine opened the door and announced her presence.
Standing at the end of the hall was her future husband.
Narrow windows stood on one wall. Shafts of dim sunlight poured in, illuminating patches of the hall.
Finlay turned to greet her. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders and a muscular physique.
He had shaggy brown hair and a beard of the same color, with dark brown eyes.
He had a tall frame, and as Elspeth came closer, she had to tilt her head up to look at him properly.
She smiled at him, but he showed no emotion at all.
The first thing she realized was that he was as handsome as the maids had said.
There was a sense of power about him, of confidence, as though he was as immovable as a mountain.
Hope flickered in her heart for a brief moment as she actually felt happiness, which burst through all the pain and despair like a ray of sunshine.