Page 2 of Tangled in a Highland Conspiracy
Gradually they fell in love, but what were they to do? She was a poor orphan girl with no family, and he was heir to a fortune and betrothed to someone else. They met in secret, kissed and cuddled, and declared their love to each other, but eventually, the healer decided that she must end things or they would both have their hearts broken.”
“But they didn’t, did they, Mammy?” Ailsa asked dreamily.
“No, because the young man decided that he loved her too much and would not let her go,” Lady Davina answered. “So he told his father he would not marry the bride that had been chosen for him, and instead he wanted to marry the woman he loved. His father forbade it and made the healer leave the castle. She was heartbroken and desperate because she had nowhere to go.
She gathered her herbs and potions together and went into the village to see if she could find somewhere to live. It was not a very big place, and nobody had any room for her, so she slept in one of the stables at night.
Two weeks later, she heard that the young Laird-to-be was to be married, and on the day of the wedding she spent hours and hours crying.”
“But she did not cry for long, did she, Mammy?” Ailsa asked gleefully.
“No,” Lady Davina answered, “because later in the day when she was setting up a stall in the street to sell her potions, the young man came riding up to her out of the blue!”
“And what did he say?” Ailsa asked eagerly.
“He said that he could not marry the woman his parents had chosen for him,” she answered. “Because he loved the healer too much. He said that he had come to find his true love, and he asked her to run away with him and marry him. She said yes straight away, and they rode away on his horse and were married that very day. They had to ride quite a long way to find a minister who would marry them, but they found one at last.”
“And you are still married, Mammy,” Ailsa murmured, then yawned. Her eyes were drifting closed and she was already drifting into sleep thinking about handsome young men and wedding dresses. “Da must love you very much,” she murmured.
“He loves you too,” Lady Davina said fondly, kissing her daughter’s forehead and drawing the coverlets over her shoulders. She reflected that her marriage had been fated ever since her mother, who had been the healer at the castle for as long as anyone could remember, had died suddenly and left the position to her daughter.
The day she and Malcolm met had been the first time they set eyes on each other, and indeed it had been love at first sight. Lady Davina looked back at her sleeping child as she closed the door behind her, and her heart swelled with love, but this time it was the fierce but tender love of a mother. She would kill for her Ailsa; she would die for her, and that was the greatest gift Laird Malcolm McBain had given her, even bigger than his own love. She cared nothing for riches; her daughter’s welfare was all that mattered to her, and for the rest of her life she would make sure that Ailsa was surrounded by love.
1
The day was bright, with a white haze of clouds over the sky, and when Ailsa declared that it was a perfect day for a picnic, her younger sister Katrina agreed instantly. She had just come out of her morning lessons with her tutor and was bursting with energy after hours in the schoolroom.
“Where shall we go?” Ailsa asked as she watched one of the kitchen maids pack some fruit, cheese, and fresh bread into a basket.
Katrina considered for a moment. “The wall by the water,” she replied. “I like it there.”
The wall that Katrina had spoken of was all that was left of the ruin of a house that had once stood by the loch. It was a popular spot for local fishermen who sat on it while they hauled carp and tench out of its depths.
“I thought you might say that,” Ailsa said, laughing. “You would spend your life there if Mammy let you!”
Katrina giggled. “If you’re tired of that place, then you choose,” she told her sister. “But I am sure you cannot think of a prettier place.”
“No.” Ailsa hugged her little sister close, dropping a kiss on top of her chestnut brown hair. “The wall is fine, and after we have eaten, do you think you will feel like going for a swim?” She raised her eyebrows and smiled mischievously.
Katrina had only just learned how to keep herself afloat in the water, so swimming was something she had not quite mastered yet. “Next time, maybe,” she replied in guarded tones. “It is still a wee bit cold in the loch.”
“Of course.” Ailsa nodded and smiled as she saw the kitchen maid hand Katrina a small pouch. “Is that what I think it is?”
Katrina blushed and looked embarrassed, then nodded. “Yes, it is tablet. Please don’t take it away, and don’t tell Mammy, Ailsa!”
Tablet was a hard kind of Scottish fudge that was beloved by all children because of its sinful sweetness. Katrina loved it and would have been happy to eat it all day every day if Lady Davina had allowed her. As it was, she was only allowed to have it as a treat now and again and was pleading for Ailsa to keep her small indulgence a secret.
Ailsa pretended to consider for all of half a minute, then grinned. “All right, but you must return the favour next time I need something!”
Katrina put her arms around Ailsa’s waist and hugged her tightly, and the kitchen staff looked on approvingly. They had a lot of respect for their employers since they were always treated with kindness and respect, unlike many of their fellows in other establishments where the servants were treated like dirt.
“Do we have everything?” Ailsa asked as she looked into the basket. She added a flagon of weak ale, and then they left.
Ailsa’s piebald mare, Maisie, was a quiet horse whose unflappable temperament had made her the perfect choice for a young rider of twelve years old. She and Ailsa had been friends for seven years and understood each other perfectly, so when both Katrina and Ailsa climbed onto her back, she made no complaint.
They trotted out into the bright day, with Katrina chattering away about her friends, her doll, and her tutor, Mr Maxwell, whom she hero-worshipped with all the passion of a supplicant praying to her god.
Ailsa found it both touching and funny to hear her voice as she spoke of him in reverent tones. She was truly a little romantic soul, and Ailsa hoped she would stay that way. There would be time enough for cynicism and disillusionment to come into her world; Ailsa would keep her little sister sweet and innocent for as long as she could.
