Page 62 of Highlander's Wild Lass
Dara was just older than Auralia—she had the oddest shade of auburn hair and the wildest gray eyes.
Celestia groaned when the first beams of light hit her. “Dara, I wish ye wouldnae do it that quickly. Ye nearly blind me each time.”
“Sorry, Mistress. I meant to open them a few minutes after the other, to give yer eyes time to adjust—but I’m just too excited for today.” Dara turned, fidgeting in the spot she stood. “Will ye get up or will I have to throw the covers from ye?”
“I’ll do it myself,” Celestia said, throwing back the covers and placing her bare feet on the cool wooden floor.
Dara turned again, this time to thrust open the sashed windows and let in the light breeze. “It’s a beautiful day for a weddin’, Mistress. Ye ken what they say about sunny days and weddin’s?”
“I daenae, Dara. What do they say?”
Dara hurried into the bathroom just off Celestia’s new bedroom. “They’ll be here with the hot water in a minute, best get undressed!”
Celestia guessed she wasn’t ever going to learn what they said about sunny days. She watched Dara bustle back out of the bathroom, stand in front of her, and frown.
“What?” Celestia said with a scowl. What little she had come to know about her newly appointed maid over the six days she lived in the castle, she quickly came to understand that the girl was a bit scatterbrained and very superstitious. “Daenae look at me as if ye have just watched someone die.”
“Well, it’s just that...nay, I shouldnae say.” She turned to go back into the bathroom.
Celestia felt awake now, very awake. “What terrible omen must ye tell me?”
“Ye must ken the rhyme, Mistress.”
“I’m afraid I daenae ken this rhyme,” she told her.
“Well, if I must, I must.” She cleared her throat and looked Celestia dead in the eye. “Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day.”
“Oh, is that all? Rue the day?” Celestia inquired, she suppressed a laugh from coming forth. “That doesnae sound too bad, Dara. I’m sure the chief and I can overcome that. I’m sure there are worse months to be married.”
“Aye, to be sure. July is probably the worst.”
Celestia opened her mouth about to ask, but four maids breezed through the open door with huge pails of steaming hot water to fill the bath.
“Let’s get a move on. Ye wed within the next few hours.”
“I ken, I ken, I ken,” Celestia said, following behind her maid and flapping the sleeves of her nightdress.
The maids filled the tin tub, just large enough for Celestia to kneel in and wash. It was a huge step up from the simple buckets she and her family used to wash themselves.
“Do ye need any help?”
“Nay, Dara. Please do whatever needs to be done until I’m finished.”
Dara pointed to the robe and a pile of linens to dry herself off with. “Those are for ye when ye’re finished, Mistress.”
They nodded at each other, and Dara shut the door behind her.
She knelt in the hot water, chills erupting on her skin until she was used to the heat. It was heavenly. Mrs. Duncan must have heated the water with sprigs of lavender and citrus because it smelled just like that.
Celestia fidgeted around in the small tub until she was sat on her bottom, fully submerged in the water. She took the small piece of fabric that had been draped over the side and began washing herself.
She was not alone five minutes before there was a knock on the door.
“Cellie?”
Auralia.
“I’ll just be a minute.”
