She truly didn’t needany help getting into her dress. It was a simple thing, designed to be put on without another person. Yet, Margaret found she quite liked having Cali help her out.
When she was dressed,Cali set her on a puffy stool and got to work on her hair. As her deft fingers plaited Margaret’s blonde locks, Margaret asked, “Have you lived in Castle McGhee your whole life?”
“Nay,”Cali muttered. “I was what ye call a vagrant, travelin’ around, practicin’ medicine. I’ve been here for a few years now. If we’re bein’ honest, I prefer it to wanderin’ about.”
“Always havinga bed does sound like a welcome change,” Margaret replied.
“Aye, and there’s the gossip,”Cali said, her eyes flashing with mischief. “Ye wouldnae believe what some of the people here get up to.”
“Perhaps you should tell me, then,”Margaret said with a grin.
And so,Cali did, launching into the intricacies of the kitchen staff’s relations with one another. As she spoke, Margaret felt as though she’d made her first real friend outside of England. Shecouldn’t help but think that Eva would adore Cali as much as she did.
Ryan stoodoutside Margaret’s door, waiting impatiently for his bride-to-be to grace him with her presence. The maid he’d assigned to her, Cali, had offered to bring her to the great hall for breakfast after getting her dressed, but Ryan wanted to escort her there himself.
There was quitea bit he didn’t know about the new Lady of Castle McGhee, and he intended to find out as much as he could. She was an interesting thing, showing up at his gates to make a deal. He admired her spunk.
I didnaeken they made them like her in the south.
He wonderedif an heir borne from them would inherit her spirit. It would be better than the bairn getting his attitude. He supposed, though, that he wasn’t always like this. There was a time when he laughed and joked and didn’t take the world so seriously.
There wasa time when he truly wanted a child. Now, he was focused on finding the man who killed his cousin. If it weren’t for his council, Gerald Matheson in particular, he wouldn’t be thinking about an heir. The man had been horribly insistent for the past six months.
“All right, lass,”he said after another minute passed, rapping his knuckles against her door more severely. “Ye ken ye cannae keep yer people waitin’. They’ll be wantin’ to meet their new lady.”
Cali wasthe first to appear, shooting him an apologetic look as she moved out of the way. Then, Margaret stepped into the hallway. She was freshly washed, smelling of lavender and rose water, yet she was still wearing the same gown from the previous day. Her blonde hair was braided and pinned up, showing off the enticing curve of her neck.
Aye,she’s bonnie, but does she nae have another dress?
Ryan offeredher his arm as he said, “Come now, Sassenach.”
“My name is Margaret,”she said, her dainty hand wrapping around his bicep. “Not Sassenach.”
“Ye thinkI daenae ken me own wife-to-be’s name?” he replied, taking great pleasure in the way she bristled under his teasing. She was so easy to rile up. “Ye’re Margaret aye, but ye’re also me Sassenach and will be Lady McGhee.”
She huffed,but he caught the way she suppressed a smile. A fun little thing, she was. It was difficult not to continue poking at her to see how far he could push her. In truth, the woman brought out a side of him that he was sure he’d long-since buried.
That might bea dangerous path to tread. I need to get control of meself.
Clearing his throat,Ryan recentered himself, reminding himself that he was the Laird now. The games he wanted to play were for a boy who didn’t have the responsibility of this land.
“Were yer bags delivered last night?”
“Yes,”Margaret said, apparently still ruffled. She sniffed in an almost-dismissive gesture. “Thank you.”
He made a sound of acknowledgment,frowning at the realization. His soon-to-be wife didn’t have clothes, or if she did, she didn’t think they were fit to wear in the castle. He’d have to take her to the seamstress to fill her closet.
As they walked,Margaret took in her surroundings. She seemed content to be in the quiet with him, and Ryan was too concerned with the problem of her clothing to break the silence. He’d have time to get his questions about her answered later.
I’ll havesomeone else do some investigatin’ if I must.
“Oh, heavens,”she breathed as they passed by a window that overlooked the gardens. Ryan stopped for a moment, allowing her to take in the scenery before gently tugging her along. “It’s beautiful out there.”
“Aye,”he said. “Me gardeners take great pride in our grounds.”
They reachedthe great hall without further incident, Cali trailing behind the two of them. As soon as they stepped through the doors, all eyes were on the two of them. Colby, Ryan’s man-at-arms, came forward to greet them, pushing past a servant who had stopped to stare.
“Me Laird,”he said, nodding at Ryan before shifting his gaze to Margaret. He did nothing to hide his interest when he asked, “And who is this wee bonnie thing?”