Chapter 3 #2
“This is the one! It’s perfect!” Moira said.
Kirsten took the dress from her and held it close to her, thinking to herself that it was lovely.
It was the color of the deepest part of the forest, and the material was soft against her skin.
As she examined it, the dress seemed made for her as well.
“This was actually the dress Ma wore when she first met Da,” Moira continued.
“It’s a dress blessed with good luck! I think it’s a sign that everything is gaeing tae turn out for the best! ”
Kirsten wasn’t sure if she shared Moira’s enthusiasm.
After all, both her father and mother were dead.
She wasn’t sure that could be considered lucky.
However, if the dress was imbued with something like luck, then Kirsten should wear it as often as possible.
She feared that when it came to Marcas, she was going to need all the luck she could get!
Night had fallen. Kirsten, Neil, and Ramsay had shared dinner with Roderick and Moira.
Marcas had been absent, along with Max. Apparently, he had gone for a walk along the moors.
While Roderick had tried to keep up appearances, Kirsten could tell that he was angry with Marcas.
Roderick seemed like a man who liked the company of other people and was keen to share old stories with new companions.
It was clear that Marcas was the outlier of the family, and Kirsten couldn’t help but wonder what had really turned him into this taciturn man.
Moira had insisted there was a good man inside Marcas, but how far inside was he buried, and was it even possible to find him?
Moira retired to bed early, confessing that the travel of the day coupled with the emotions had drained her.
Nobody objected to her. Roderick had arranged for her to have her own chambers for this night, although for the nights to come she would have to share her bed with Marcas.
Errant thoughts twisted through her mind at this.
She knew something of what was expected of her from her conversations with Islay.
The mystery was enticing and there was a thrill of forbidden delight, but to think of sharing something so intimate with a man who was distant and aloof gave her mixed feelings.
She tried to not think about it for the moment.
Ramsay escorted her to bed. The chamber was about the same size as her room at home.
There was one window, through which moonlight poured through.
She had carried a candle with her and set it on the table beside the bed, enjoying the flickering light and the warmth it offered.
The bed was softer than the one she was used to as she perched on the end.
Ramsay stood at the door, pulling the door closed so they could enjoy some privacy.
“I should be getting back downstairs before Neil says something he cannae take back. How are ye enjoying yer new home?” Ramsay asked.
“It’s a wonderful place, it’s just that…Ramsay, would ye be angry with me if I said I hae my doubts?”
Ramsay’s brow crinkled, and he walked towards the bed, sitting beside Kirsten and taking her hands.
“I know this is scary for ye, but it’s something ye must dae.”
“I know…it’s just that Marcas is nae what I imagined. He’s handsome, but he’s also fearsome, and in truth, he doesnae seem tae interested in haeing me as a wife.”
Ramsay scoffed at this. “If he is nae interested in ye then there’s something wrong with him, something more than having a dark mood.”
“When I spoke with Moira, she admitted that our clan wasnae the first choice for Marcas tae be wedded tae.”
A thoughtful expression came over Ramsey’s face.
“That doesnae matter. There are many agreements and treaties that never come to fruition for one reason or another. The only one that matters is the one that does happen. Ye are the one chosen tae be his wife. And ye know how much this will mean tae Da. The Monroe name gaes back tae the very beginning of time! Think of what it will mean tae us tae be allied with that name.”
“Aye, we get a lot out of it, but what dae they get?”
Ramsay smirked. “They get ye, Kirsten. Come on now, everything will be fine. Ye will be married taemorrow, and then ye will see the world from a new perspective. I’m sure Marcas is nae as bad as he seems. He probably just needs tae get used tae ye.
Roderick is a kind sort, and ye and Moira seem tae be friends already.
It’ll be the same with Marcas, it just might take a wee bit more time, that’s all. ”
Kirsten nodded at his words and swallowed her doubts.
She would be a dutiful daughter to her father and do what she needed to do.
Ramsay was right when he said that the only outcome that mattered was the one that happened.
So what if the other clans and fathers had decided that Marcas was not suitable for their daughters?
Perhaps that just meant they were not willing to put the time into the marriage that it required.
The Monroe name was certainly worth a lot of sacrifice, and Kirsten was just going to have to find the strength to endure her doubts.
Ramsay gave her an affectionate kiss on the forehead before he took his leave and returned to spending the evening with Roderick.
He promised to put a good word in with her if Marcas showed up as well.
Kirsten bid him farewell and then lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Her mind was too filled with thoughts to sleep.
The dress that had been chosen for her hung on the back of the door.
The light from the candle touched it. Kirsten dearly hoped that it was indeed blessed with luck, but she was also afraid that history would end up repeating itself.
What if she and Marcas ended up as doomed as his parents?
She wished Islay were here so she could talk with her.
Kirsten was certain that it hadn’t been like this for Islay.
Islay and Callum had been betrothed since childhood, and they had opportunities to meet.
Islay knew what Callum was like; her reluctance to marry was borne from an independent, willful spirit.
Kirsten wanted to do her duty. There was nothing she had ever wanted more in the world than to be married and raise a family, but in her mind, her husband had loved her back.
So far, Marcas hadn’t shown the slightest bit of interest in her, and she feared that would not change.
He was a hard man, and she didn’t know how she was going to cope living with a man who wandered the moors at night rather than staying within the safe bound of his castle with his family.
She pulled the blankets around her and wondered what kind of situation she had gotten herself into. There was nothing left to do but get married, and hope that Marcas would prove to be the man that Moira believed him to be. There was no delaying the inevitable now.