Page 21 of The Anguish of the Scottish Lairds
“I wish Da were still here too.” Eva sighed but got up and took the dogs over to the designated area, taking a blanket with her. “This is going to be Goldie’s bed. She needs something soft to sleep on.”
“Not your bed or I shall suffer apoplexy. She has something soft to sleep on. Shadow. They always huddle together. They’re animals.”
Rut approached, keeping her distance from the pups, choosing a chair close to the hearth. “Eva, have you thoughtmore on Sloan Rankin’s proposal? He would be a good match for you. You should reconsider and accept it.”
“Nay, Mama. I’m waiting for the man Papa chose for me. I believe he will show up at my door someday. Then I’ll marry someone I love. And that’s not Sloan Rankin.”
“Oh, hog spit. Your father thought he would choose for you someday, but he was taken ill. He cannot choose for you, so trust your brother and me. You are well past marrying age, Eva, and you’ve mentioned no one. Are you sneaking off with a local guard and rolling in the hay in the stables?”
“Nay, Mama. How could you suggest such a thing?” Appalled by the comment, she had to admit that perhaps it was time for her to consider a roll in the hay.
“Listen, my dear. I’ve allowed you enough time to mourn your sire. You were Da’s wee lassie, his only one, and I know he spoiled you. But you’ve had enough time to recover. You will be an old spinster if you do not find someone to marry. Soon enough, no one will have you. Don’t you want bairns? If you wait too long, you won’t be able to have any.”
“I am not spoiled, Mama. Just because Papa loved me dearly, it does not mean I’m spoiled. I hate it when you say that. You say it so much that others say it too.” She knew it was true that her father gave in to her requests much quicker than her mother, causing her to approach her sire with nearly every request she had, but that didn’t mean she was spoiled. How she hated it when Alycia would call her that.
“Who would dare say my daughter is spoiled?” Her mother stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, something that did not bode well for whomever was not in her favor at the moment.
“No one specific. I’ve just heard from others.”
“What others?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She’d never tell her mother that her only friend Alycia had told her she was spoiled on multiple occasions. And she didn’t stop when Eva told her she didn’t appreciate it. There was something about Alycia thinking it was her own private joke. “Either way, you know Papa always said he knew who he wished for me to marry. That someday he would tell me. I believe his ghost watches over me and somehow, he will let me know who it is. I wish to wait.”
“How in blazes can he tell you when he’s not here? And if he had chosen someone for you, don’t you think he would have discussed it with me?”
“Nay, Da and I had private conversations.”
“Fine, keep your secrets.”
“There may be another way. There are seers living at Duart Castle. Suppose I ask Dyna or her daughter if they could talk to Da. Surely, they could reach him, and he’d pass the name on to me.”
“You will not go over there and bother the chieftain of Clan Grantham about talking to the dead.”
“What about Lia? They say she’s a faery. Mayhap she can tell me. I’m going to ask her the next time I see her.”
Her mother shook her head in exasperation. “There’s no talking any reason into you, lass. Fine. But I think you’ll be waiting a long time to hear anything from a dead man.” She dropped her arms and moved back to her chair, settling a fur over her lap. “Tell me why they would think you were spoiled. Has this mysterious person given you a reason for such a judgment?”
Eva knew the reasons, but she thought mayhap to keep it to herself, but then Goldie came almost up to her face and barked at her. As if the animal was telling her what to do. “All right, Goldie. I’ll tell. This person said that I have no responsibilities. That I don’t have to work like the others in the clan. That themistress runs the keep and the servants and the cook, but I do nothing.”
“And what did you say?”
She didn’t like one bit that her mother’s tone had softened as if she saw some truth in Alycia’s cruel words. “I told her that I have many things to do. I take care of my own chamber. Now I am the caretaker of two dogs. And that I am learning archery.”
“You have learned to read and write, lass. Not many have.”
“You’re right, Mama. Many thanks to you.”
“Why don’t you read a book and tell me about it?”
She frowned. There weren’t many books about and the ones that were here were quite boring. “I’ve asked Lennox to try to locate more books, but he tells me he doesn’t know where to find any. I do love to read, Mama.”
“I know, dear. You used to read to your father whenever he was taken ill. He loved to hear your voice. He always believed you were a bright girl, that there would be many suitors clamoring for your hand.”
Eva scowled again, dropping the fabric animal she had that she used to play tug with Goldie. “No one has come but Sloan. What’s wrong with me, Mama?” She hated to ask because she feared the answer, but the question had dominated her mind for the past year. What was wrong with her? Why had no one but Sloan offered for her? She refused to consider the earl as a suitor. He was not interested in her, just with the womb in her belly. Was she long in the face, too homely, or too talkative? Alycia was always teasing her about her small breasts, though Eva didn’t think them that small. In her mind, they fit her just right.
“Naught is wrong with you. ’Struth is there are not many suitors of noble blood here on the isle. I’ve told Lennox we should take you to court, but he resists. Sloan is your best choice on the Isle of Mull, Eva. Think on it, please.”
Her mother set the fur aside and headed off toward the kitchens. “I’ll go check with Cook on the meals. Meg is doing a fine job learning her new tasks. She’s a bright lass as well. You should talk with her more.”
