Page 14 of The Mad Highlander
“Dinnae fuss, lass.” Robyn bumped her gently with her shoulder before looping her arm into Iris’. “Dinnae think that ye need to take everything in all in one day. I have lived here all me life, an’ I still dinnae ken most of what has happened in this grand castle.”
Iris found her comment strange but didn’t think it the right time to ask if Robyn had been around when Cayden had killed their family.
“I think we should start with the rooms downstairs an’ head to the grand hall for a bite to eat a’fore I take ye to yer chambers.” Robyn started their tour, leading her up the enormous stairs that led to the entrance hall of Castle O’Brien.
Her breath caught in her throat as she stepped through the doors. She had been expecting a lot of things when she’d pictured the castle. Dungeons, chains, damp, and even cold stone, yet she had been wrong on all accounts.
Castle O’Brien was just as grand and well-kept as any home she had seen before. The walls were lined with portraits of the family, and the stone floors were swept with not a speck of dust in sight. She marveled at the elegant vases of heather that had been placed on tables beside the doors leading to separate corridors.
“It isnae much, but it is home,” Robyn announced proudly as she led Iris past the giant staircase that led to a gallery overhead.
Iris found the girl’s characterization of ‘not much’ a tad strange, but then again, nothing that had happened to her during the past few days could have been classified as normal.
Robyn led her down a long hall with a red carpet as she chattered on about the various decorations and how her mother had warned Cayden not to change a single thing while she was still alive.
The thought of a man as strong and cool as Cayden seemed to be deferring to his mother brought Iris a great deal of amusement as she relaxed a little in the girl’s warm company.
“Eilis!” Robyn suddenly stopped and excitedly beckoned one of the maids over.
The girl seemed startled at first, allowing her dark brown eyes to sweep over Iris before coming forward. She was shorter than both Robyn and Iris with wisps of dark hair that had been tucked beneath her white cap. Her light complexion made the spray of freckles across her nose stand out in stark contrast to her pale skin.
“Don’t be shy, this is the Laird’s bride-to-be; she will ken everything about the castle soon enough. Ye dinnae need to be scared.”Robyn continued to beckon the girl forward enthusiastically until she relented and came forward, leaving her bucket of rags beside the painting she had been dusting.
Eilis curtsied respectfully, giving Iris a long stare with an uncertain smile.
“Have ye sent the letter yet?” Robyn gripped her hands and held them tight, practically bouncing on the spot.
“Aye, I have Me Lady, but will the Laird nae be mad? He was awfully angry when Tilly left last month to get married.” Eilis shifted from foot to foot before glancing over Robyn’s shoulder.
“Ye leave the Laird to me. Maither is the one who hires the maids in any case. We will find a replacement for ye soon enough.” Robyn wrinkled her nose and waved the question away as if she were shooing a fly.
The maid brightened considerably. “Thank ye, Me Lady; I cannae even begin to thank ye. Hamish an’ I would never havebeen able to realize our feelings for each other if it hadn’t been for ye.”
Iris found herself intrigued by the situation and turned to Robyn with a frown when the maid practically skipped back to her bucket of rags.
Giggling gleefully, Robyn shook her head and pulled Iris along as they walked past the maid and rounded a corner. “Dinnae tell Cayden just yet, but Eilis will be leaving us to marry one of the nearby farmers. I noticed a while ago that they seemed to fancy one another whenever he delivered eggs to the castle. It took a while, but I eventually got them to write letters, and now, they will be getting married as soon as she leaves. Matchmaking is something of a hobby of mine,” she confessed sheepishly.
Iris couldn’t help but laugh at the glee in Robyn’s eyes. “And why should I nae tell the Laird?”
Robyn wrinkled her nose again. “Cayden finds it bothersome when his men an’ maids keep leaving to find love. He says I’m constantly trying to undermine the running of the castle, but that doesn’t matter when people are in love.” She thrust her chin in the air, unbothered by whatever consequences would come from her brother.
“There ye girls are; I’ve been looking everywhere for ye.” Margot caught up to them and smiled at Iris.
“We were just having a grand tour, Iris was taking in the great history of our castle,” Robyn announced proudly.
Margot raised an eyebrow in question. “Oh, and does that history involve the hordes of maids that have been replaced because of yer meddling?”
Robyn pursed her lips and glanced at Iris but said nothing of the conversation they had just had with Eilis.
“Never mind, I willnae ask any questions; I think it’s safer for me if Cayden thinks that I am unaware of yer meddling. Come, let us have a spot of tea; I’m sure ye must be hungry. I have asked the maids to prepare some food in the great hall.” Margot laughed and gestured for the girls to follow her down the hall.
The great hall.
Iris’ heart suddenly began to beat a little faster again as she recalled the stories of the mad laird. Hadn’t he murdered his father and brother in the great hall? Images of a blood-stained floor flashed across her mind as they neared the end of yet another hall where two giant doors loomed before them.
Two guards came forward and opened the doors, revealing the sinister room that had been the setting for many stories of horror.
“I dinnae understand,” Iris uttered with a sigh.
