Page 5 of To Wed a Laird
“It is good tae see somebody enjoyin’ their food!” she said happily, then she got to her feet. “Time tae go!” she announced.
Rose nodded, then picked out a clean dress from her trunk. Nell helped her into it, then stood facing her and put a hand on each of her shoulders, then looked deeply into her eyes.
“Dinnae get a fright when ye meet Elspeth for the first time,” she warned Rose. “She has suffered a lot an’ might no’ be like any other wee lassies ye have met before. Try no’ tae get angry wi’ her, Rose.”
Rose stared at Nell, suddenly scared. What had she got herself into, she wondered? Was the child some kind of lunatic?
“Is-is there something wrong with her, Nell?” she asked, her voice high with anxiety.
Nell shook her head and sighed. “She saw her mammy dying, an’ she has never recovered fae the shock. Neither has the Laird, but he is a grown man an’ never lets anybody see his grief, although I know he feels it deeply. Ye must be very gentle wi’ both o’ them.”
“I will do my best,” Rose promised, even as another wave of fear passed over her. Her heart was beating wildly, and she could feel her hands trembling.
They walked downstairs, and after passing through a number of confusing corridors and staircases, Nell stopped before a door, then turned to face Rose again. “Are ye ready?” she asked.
“I think so,” Rose replied.
The room into which they stepped was very dark, since the curtains had been closed, and Rose almost tripped over one of the toys that were strewn all over its wooden floor. After her eyes had adjusted to the light, she saw a little girl sitting on the floor, her back turned towards them.
She had a doll in each hand and was talking to them, then mimicking each of their voices so that they seemed to be talking to each other.
Nell stepped forward, and at the sound of her footsteps the little girl looked up. Her eyes were a piercing blue, like her father’s, although her hair was fair, and she had small, delicate features, completely unlike him. Rose deduced that apart from her eyes, she had inherited her looks from her mother.
Nell sat down with the little girl and smiled at her. “Hi! What are your dollies’ names?” she asked.
“This one,” Elspeth said proudly, holding up a female doll in a silk and lace dress, “is Queen Catherine.”
It did not escape Rose’s notice that the doll had been named after Elspeth’s late mother.
The next one was a little boy doll. “This is Jimmy, the pirate,” she said as she laid him on the floor. “He took the queen’s sister, Princess Mary, away to sea, but now the queen has come with her sailors,” she pointed to a toy boat, “to fight the pirates and save her. The captain of her ship is called Cormac the Brave, and he is a famous sailor. Here he is.”
She reached for another doll that was dressed in sailor’s clothes. “Do not worry, Your Majesty,” she said in a deep voice. “My men and I will bring the princess back safe and sound.”
And the brave captain was, of course, called Cormac. Rose smiled inwardly, remembering the days of her own girlhood. She too had played with dolls like this, read storybooks, and acted out little plays about princesses and fairies and angels with her sisters.
She remembered how they used to fight about who would be the queen, but it was nearly always Rose because she was the eldest. She laughed softly at the thought, then Elspeth turned around and saw her. Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widened, and her whole body tensed.
As the clear blue eyes met hers, Rose felt her apprehension melting away. She and her sisters had worn the same look the day their own mother died, and Rose realised that she and this scarred and hurt little girl had much in common. She could use that understanding to become close to her and perhaps begin to be the friend and protector she needed.
“Elspeth,” Nell said gently, “there is somebody here I want ye tae meet. This is Rose. Rose, this is Inverrigg Castle’s wee lassie, Elspeth.”
Rose smiled and Elspeth returned it, albeit hesitantly. She put out a hand, Elspeth put her much smaller one in it, and they shook gently.
“You have a wonderful imagination,” Rose said admiringly. “Do you read a lot of books?”
“Not any more,” Elspeth replied. “Not since Mammy…” Her voice faltered and she looked away.
Rose flicked a glance up to Nell, who shook her head, frowning. “Talk about somethin’ else,” she mouthed.
Rose nodded. “Have you learned to sew?” she asked.
Elspeth looked around at Nell. “Nell is teaching me,” she replied, “but I am not very good yet.” Then she asked, “Can you sew?”
“A bit,” Rose replied. “Well enough to sew buttons on.”
Elspeth giggled. “I can sew lace onto dresses.”
Her voice was proud, and Rose took advantage of the moment to pretend to be amazed. “You must teach me how to do that.” She looked down at her plain day dress. “I wish I had lace on this one. It would look so much prettier. Could you do it for me? Or teach me how to do it?”
