Page 21 of Trapped with the Vicious Highlander
“Are you going to do that every single time someone speaks?” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.
“Aye.” Brodrick’s voice was curt but gentle at the same time.
“I will have to apologize for them, miss,” Flora offered, a hint of the same disdain lacing her voice. “We werenae exactly expectin’… ye.”
Ava nodded. She understood perfectly. It wasn’t her first time being somewhere she wasn’t wanted.
“Has she lost her tongue?” another voice called from the crowd, and Brodrick’s grip tightened on his sword.
“Och, but she looks so bonny,” Flora gushed suddenly, jumping into action this time around. She moved closer to Margaret, lowering herself to her eye level. “Ye have yer maither’s face, ye ken that?”
The tension eased, and Flora rose one more time.
“Ye ken what we should do?” she asked. “A cèilidh. We should organize one for her safe return.”
Ava cast a glance at Brodrick, who only gave a mild grunt in response.
“Will the governess be here for the cèilidh as well?” Flora asked, turning to look at her brother. The tension in her voice did not go unnoticed.
“Ava will be here for a month to help… Margaret settle. So, aye. She will be here for the cèilidh, I suppose,” he announced, his voice still curt.
“I see.”
“Once Margaret settles and returns to her old self, she shall return to her cottage. That’s it.”
Flora nodded.
Another moment of tense silence passed between them before she clapped her hands together.
“Come with me. The servants will help unpack yer boxes. Ye must all be starvin’.”
Ava smiled and turned to look at Brodrick, who gave her a mild smile and nodded in encouragement.
Flora led them past the crowd, who parted for them like the Red Sea. Ava briefly stroked Margaret’s hair in reassurance, but the little girl wouldn’t let go of her skirts.
They made their way through the front gates and across the wide courtyard. Ava couldn’t help but wonder if this was every adversary she was going to face. She wasn't exactly blind to the fact that there had always been lingering tension between the English and the scots. However, the last thing she expected was the thickening contempt she felt from these people who were all staring at her like she had dropped from the sky. Perhaps she would've been less of a stranger if that had been the case.
While she hated the thought of war and unnecessary fighting, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of satisfaction when Brodrick reached for his sword every time someone spoke about Margaret. Perhaps he shall be here to protect them every step of the way.
They walked into the castle, the smell of the walls and woodsmoke hitting their nostrils almost immediately.
“Welcome to Castle MacDunn,” Flora intoned, leading them through the large inner courtyard and straight to their rooms.
Ava looked around, studying the walls, the carvings, and almost nothing in particular at the same time as Flora’s words reverberated in her head.
Welcome to Castle MacDunn.
* * *
Brodrick watched them go, his eyes following Ava and Margaret as Flora led them into the castle. The crowd had stayed behind, and as his gaze flicked to them, he realized there were some things he needed to make clear. His steps were brisk and purposeful as he moved towards them.
The crowd consisted mostly of his men, their wives and daughters, and some of the maids who had worked for either his father before he died or for him for quite a long time. He stopped right in front of them, feeling their eyes drill holes into him. He looked around, cleared his throat, and then started to speak.
“I want ye all to listen to me,” he began. “That woman—that Englishwoman—is me daughter’s guardian. She shall stay here for a while to help me daughter settle in and get to ken her people. Under nay circumstances will ye to treat her with anything less than respect.”
“Ye couldnae find a Scot to take care of yer bairn?” a voice called from the middle of the crowd.
He couldn’t see who spoke, and frankly, he believed it was for the best. The last thing he needed was to keep an image of who could possibly be resentful towards Ava in his mind.
