Page 44 of The Scottish Bride
These men were kinsmen, she saw now. They had to be. They shared similar features, shared smiles, striking blue eyes, handsome faces, and tall, lean physiques. While Liam was dark, Gilchrist and Gideon were blond, though Gideon’s hair was precisely shaved. They matched in many ways. Even their voices were similar, velvety dark in deep tones.
But what surprised her most was that Gilchrist and Gideon were identical. Twins, surely. No wonder she had thought her impromptu escort looked familiar. Finley, their cousin, was a sturdy and handsome man too, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was not as tall as his Seton cousins, with a brawny form and a dimpled and irresistible smile.
“You are brothers,” she said then. “All three of you.” They turned and smiled.
“Aye,” Liam said. “And Finley, our cousin, was raised with us like a brother.” He clapped that lad on the shoulder.
Gideon gave her a broad smile. “Lady Tamsin! Pardon me for not welcoming you yet. My kinsmen distracted me.” Laughing, he rested a hand on Gilchrist’s shoulder. She saw again how very alike they were.
“You know Lady Tamsin, then,” Liam said.
“Oh aye,” Gideon replied. “A great patron of books and a gracious lady. Welcome back to Holyoak, my lady. We heard of your dilemma today. I am sorry.”
“Thank you, Brother Gideon. I am grateful for any help you can extend to me here. I hope Abbot Murdoch will allow me to stay for a little while.”
“We will bring it to his attention. He is resting just now. But let us offer you shelter and refreshment. Brother Allan, will you see the lady to—where is the lad?” He looked around.
“Running after the hounds,” Gilchrist said, pointing to the other end of the yard, where Allan chased Roc and two other tall, gangly hounds.
“I will show her to the cottage.” Liam shouldered the two satchels that he had removed from his horse’s saddle.
“Good. I will see when Abbot Murdoch is free to visit with you. He has stayed in his quarters today. Old aches brought on by cold and rain,” Gideon explained. “Lady Tamsin, the guest house is ready for travelers who might need it for a night or two. Although—” He glanced at the others. “We send ladies on to a sister priory if they need a longer stay. There are not many convents in Scotland, to be sure, but we will send word ahead to see if Dame Agatha can take you in at Lincluden.”
“We would like to stay for a day or two,” Liam said. “The lady is set on traveling on to Selkirk.”
“Selkirk? Is it so? Well,” Gideon said, “we will set pallets for you lads by the hearth in the rectory.”
“Thank you.” Liam glanced at Gilchrist. “We have other matters to tend to and would not stay for long, I think.”
Tamsin listened, smiling, still marveling at the similarities between the men. Suddenly, oddly, they all seemed dear to her, as if she had always known them. Yet they were still strangers. Perhaps her relief and gratitude made them feel like kin and friends.
“My lady.” Liam turned. “Let us get you out of this rain.” She nodded, aware of her fatigue. He gestured across the bailey toward a small stone cottage with a steep thatched roof, tucked against the back of the palisade.
“You must be hungry, all of you,” Gideon said. “Brother Robert, our cook, has a venison stew simmering, a good meal against the chill. You are welcome to share what we have. The abbot will be eager to see you as well. He keeps to his quarters often these days, but he will want to see his kinsmen.”
“Kinsmen?” Tamsin blinked. “Are you related to the abbot also?”
“He is our uncle,” Gilchrist said.
“Oh! He is a lovely man. I hope he is well.”
“Well enough,” Gideon said. “I will tell him you are here.”
“This way, my lady.” Liam gestured for her to come with him across the yard, just as a renewal of icy rain began. He set a hand to her elbow as they rushed along. Behind them, the others ran for cover also.
Liam led her to a covered wooden colonnade that extended from the rectory to the side of the chapel. Sleet drummed on the wooden slats overhead.
“We can wait here.” He paused with her there. “Awful weather. I am sorry. It has only made this long day even worse for you.”
“A day of challenges, to be sure.” She gave a low laugh at the truth of it. “From the moment I went out the tower window, I have done things I might never have thought of doing before.Meeting you and the others, going with you, being hunted, finding that you are—” She stopped, nearly saying “the knight.”
“Finding me?”
“The harper,” she went on. “And then riding through an ice storm in October—it has been a day of one revelation after another.”
“Discovering that you had courage and stamina—was that a revelation to you also? I saw it in you, even if you did not.” He spoke gently, reaching out to brush rain from her hood. “What more revelations will this day hold for you, hey?”
“I found I could pretend to be other than I am. Your wife,” she explained.
