Page 25 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
“No’ in this weather ye’re not!” Flora took Kenna by the elbow and pointed to the sky, which was already beginning to darken. “It’s nearly night an’ there is more snow in the air. You could slip an’ hurt yerself an’ no’ be able tae get up, then die o’ the cold. No, my lass. Ye are stayin’ inside.”
Kenna allowed herself to be dragged back inside, realizing that her mother was right. Now she wondered what she was going to do with herself for the rest of the afternoon.
“What is the matter wi’ ye today?” Flora asked, concerned. She put a hand on Kenna’s shoulder and looked into her eyes. “Yer head is somewhere else, I can see.”
“I am just tired, Mammy,” Kenna replied as she flopped down at the kitchen table. “I thought a walk in the fresh air might be good for me.”
Flora flapped a dishcloth at her. “When I am tired, I usually find that the best idea is tae go tae sleep.”
She looked at the other two kitchen maids, who were chopping vegetables for their opinion. They both nodded in agreement. It was never a good idea to argue with the cook on the subject of her daughter because everyone knew that she could be more than a little overprotective.
“Ye look a wee bit peaky, hen,” Jean McFarlane remarked. She poured Kenna a cup of ale, and she smiled her thanks. “Maybe ye should take a wee nap as yer mammy says.”
“Yes, maybe I will,” Kenna said, yawning. “With this ceilidh coming tomorrow night, I think we will all need as much sleep as we can get.”
Jean rolled her eyes. “At least we dinnae have Maxwell Forbes comin’!” she said thankfully, sighing.
“I have never met him,” Kenna remarked.
She knew the story, of course—everyone did—but she had only ever seen him from a distance and had always been too busy to take any notice of him.
“He’s no’ goin’ tae kill anybody, anyway,” Flora remarked. “He’s likely hundreds o’ miles away.”
Jean and her friend Heather laughed, but Kenna was thinking. Ewan was a tall and bulky man too. Could they be one and the same? Then she dismissed the thought. A man would have to bevery stupid to come back to a house where he had committed such a heinous crime.
In the end, she forgot about going to sleep and spent her free afternoon doing nothing but chatting and laughing with her friends. Incredibly, she found that their easy company was all that she needed to lift her spirits. Yet the thought of Ewan as a possible killer stuck at the back of her mind for a long time.
When she returned to her chamber after a hearty dinner, she had managed to conceal some food and ale to take to Ewan. She found him lying on the bed, engrossed in the book she had given him, and once more she was struck by his size. He truly was the biggest man she had ever met.
He looked up as she entered and was about to stand up, but she motioned for him to sit while she spread his food on the table. When she allowed him to sit down, he smiled at her before he began to eat. It was a tender smile, an expression that no cruel person could give, and she had no doubt that he had a good heart.
“Thank you, Kenna. You are too good to me,” he said softly. “I don’t deserve you.”
Kenna was dreading the ceilidh. She always found the noise and the crush of bodies almost overwhelming, not to mention the occasional lecherous guest who tried to touch her inappropriately. But Kenna and the rest of the female staff were relieved to find that there was one new rule in place.
If Laird McDonald found that any of his staff was being abused by any of his guests, there would be one warning. If the offense was repeated, the guest would never be invited again. If there was one thing he had learned from the death of his son, it was that young drunk men were a menace.
Laird and Lady McDonald had taken their son’s death very hard and had vowed revenge on their son’s killer. It had been especially hard on Douglas, who was now the sole heir to Invercree Estate since he had lost the brother who had almost been part of him. Kenna had known loss too, but she had been too young for it to have been more than a distant memory. She could not imagine how Laird and Lady McDonald coped; she was sure she would never have had the strength.
This, a ceilidh to celebrate Lady McDonald’s birthday, was to be the first time they had entertained guests since Lachlan’s death. She had only discarded her mourning clothes a few weeks before and was now dressed in pale lilac, one of the half-mourning colors. Nevertheless, it flattered her fair complexion, and Kenna thought she looked enchanting.
Kenna felt infinitely sorry for her since it was obvious to her that Lady McDonald was putting on a brave face. Perhaps it would not have been apparent to anyone who had not lost a loved one, but Kenna could see the sorrow behind her smile.
She had no time to think about it, however, since she was so busy that the evening went by in a blur of activity. She was only able to snatch a moment now and again to rest and recover her energy, and during one of these, she met Jean again.
“Who is that lady over there?” Kenna asked, pointing to a small, heavily pregnant woman with fair hair.
“That is Lady Lindsey Gilchrist of Auchnashiel,” Jean replied. “She is the sister o’ the man who killed young Lachlan. Her husband is Laird James Gilchrist.”
“Why have I never seen her before?” Kenna asked. “And why is she here? I would have thought she would be the last person to be invited.”
“She hardly ever comes out,” Jean replied, shrugging. “Especially since she got wi’ child. It is no’ right for a woman tae show herself in that state if ye ask me. But I think the two families are tryin’ tae make peace. I am astonished any o’ them had the brass neck tae show their faces, invited or no’.”
She spat the words out with such spite that Kenna was shocked. Did everyone feel this way about them? After all, whatever Maxwell Forbes had done, the family was not to blame in any way. The fact that Laird McDonald had agreed to make peace was an enormous testament to the quality of his character.
A moment later Kenna had to go back to work, and she forgot all about the woman. As far as she was concerned, it was the family’s way of moving on and was no business of hers.
The night wore on, and by the time those guests who were leaving were preparing to go home, Kenna was exhausted. A few family members were staying over, and that meant more work than usual in the morning. She felt as though she could sleep for a fortnight.
