Page 15 of To Wed a Laird
Elspeth told Rose that it had always been one of her favourite places, but the expression of sadness on her face as she said it told her that Elspeth had probably sat here with her mother. Rose decided to say no more about it, and quickly changed the subject.
“You know you are the Mistress of the Castle now,” she said, smiling.
Elspeth looked at her with a puzzled frown. “What does that mean?” she asked.
“Well, it means that you are the lady in charge of the whole place and everyone in it,” Rose answered. “And where I come from, that means you must be treated with a great deal of respect. You really should be taking your meals in the Great Hall so that all your staff can see how important you are.”
Elspeth wrinkled her nose up in distaste. “I hate that place,” she declared firmly. “It’s too big and dark.”
Rose smiled at her and said, “Well, in England the Lady of the Castle and all the other elegant ladies sit at the top of the table dressed in fine clothes made of silk, satin and lace, and the servants treat them like queens. Of course, they are served the finest food and wine that comes all the way from France. What do you think of that?”
Elspeth stared at Rose thoughtfully for a moment. “Maybe that would be fun,” she said, nodding in agreement. She stood up, then smiled at Rose. “I am going to tell Nell about it.”
She ran off to Nell’s room, and Rose knew she had been dismissed. However, she was happy about it, since she had anerrand of her own to do, one that had to be done without Elspeth, since it concerned her.
Accordingly, Rose went to her bedchamber, then washed and changed her dress, feeling that she needed to look her best to confront the Laird. As she made her way to the Laird’s study, she had a strange sense of déjà vu, since it reminded her of the last time she had spoken to her father. She was just as tense and nervous now as she had been then.
For heaven’s sake, Rose!she thought angrily.Get a grip on yourself. He is not going to eat you.She raised her hand and knocked the door as firmly as she could, letting out a slow breath to try to calm herself down.
“Enter!” called a deep voice from within the room.
Rose opened the door and closed it behind her as she saw Cormac. He had been sitting behind his desk with a pile of papers in front of him, but now he looked up, his eyes wide with surprise as they met hers. Then he frowned, looking slightly puzzled at her sudden appearance.
“Mistress Rose,” he said, standing up. “Is anything wrong? Is it Elspeth?” Suddenly, his whole body was tense and he jumped to his feet.
“No, My Laird,” she replied, hastening to reassure him. She curtsied, then moved closer to the desk. Cormac sat down again, indicating that Rose should do the same.
Rose took the chair on the other side of the desk, but perched nervously on the edge of it. Since she had come into the room, Cormac’s eyes had not left hers, and Rose found herself unable to look away from him. His sheer masculinity affected her in a way nothing ever had before, and she found herself unable to speak for a moment.
“Well?” he asked, snapping her into awareness again.
“I asked Elspeth to come and have dinner with me in the Great Hall tonight,” she answered. “I wondered if you would come and join us. I think it will be good for her.”
Cormac sighed and put down his pen, then steepled his hands and looked away from her. When he met her eyes again, he said angrily, “I heard about you and Elspeth in the garden.” He stood up and leant over the desk till their faces were mere inches apart. “She is your student, not your playmate,” he said, his voice a deep, threatening rumble.
Rose experienced a sudden flash of fury. “I am trying to help her come back to life,” she protested, then watched Cormac’s eyes darken with rage.
“That is not what you are here for,” he growled. “Know your place.”
Rose would have loved to tell him just what she thought of him at that moment, but she knew that she was in no position to do so. She curtsied, then turned and left.
She stood outside the door for a moment, taking deep breaths and trying to calm the beating of her racing heart before she went to change. She had a very bad feeling inside.
Elspeth sat at the head of the table with a little tin crown on her head, her back ramrod straight, her chin tilted up. Rose had curtsied to her as soon as she entered the room, and Elspeth had spoiled her regal air by giggling.
“Your crown will fall off, Your Highness,” Rose warned. “They are very fragile things.”
Elspeth gave her a playful punch on the shoulder, and at that moment the food was brought in. Cormac had still not appeared,and Rose wondered if they should wait, but she decided not to. Let his food get cold, she thought mutinously.
“You know you will have to get back to lessons tomorrow,” she told Elspeth. “You have to be able to read and write properly, or you will never find a husband.”
“I don’t want a husband,” Elspeth replied mutinously.
“Every girl wants a husband,” Rose told her.
“Then why do you not have one?” Elspeth asked. “You are very pretty.”
Rose was rather shocked, but delighted. “Thank you, Elspeth,” she said warmly, then, because she could not help herself, she squeezed the girl’s hand not wanting to scare her with a hug, and felt Elspeth accepted it, laughing.
