Page 13 of The Iron Highlander
Chapter 7
“Doye think anyone we ken will be there?” Lily said, turning to her left to Willow who was standing next to her in front of the mirror.
Kate sighed and tilted her head to the side as she gave Lily a cautious look with the mirror. “Hold still, will ye?” she said from behind the lass. It was sometimes a challenge when helping her dress because of how Lily fidgeted and how easily she got carried away with the excitement of whatever they were getting ready for, and since Grear’s announcement, Katherine had seen her sister’s eyes as they lit up.
“Sorry,” Lily said, her eyebrows raised and her lip pursed when their eyes met. “But do ye?”’ she asked still.
“I daenae ken,” Willow answered, “But we should hope nae, right?” She looked to Kate who sighed at the question.
“There is very little chance anyone at the ceilidh would remember any of us, let alone ken who we are,” Katherine answered. “On the account that the clans daenae mix at all, so hardly anyone familiar will be there,” she added; it was one of the reasons why she was not so bothered about the event.
It would be hard to find anyone from the McDonald clan who would know enough about them or their uncle to recognize her and her sisters. She had been skeptical for a moment at the mere thought of a feast but her reservations had been brought back down to comfort with where they were and whose presence the ceilidh would be taking place.
Lily and Willow loved singing and dancing, much more than she and Freya did, it had been very clear since the girls were little. It was not true that Katherine was never interested in the thrill and the fun of loud music and carefree jubilation. She did. But hardly ever the way Willow and Lily did.
Kate knew it would be cruel of her to pretend that she did not know Grear was having the ceilidh for her and her sisters to feel a little more at ease, no doubt since her announcement that they were looking to spend so much time in the castle. Given the circumstances, she could not deny that it was a thoughtful gesture. If it had any other ulterior motives behind it, though, she would find out and it would change her impression of Grear rather very quickly.
Just like she had on one side, Kate divided a similar section of Lily’s hair into three parts and started braiding it in the easiest style she could make her sister’s chestnut hair. Lily exhaled andlooked down at her hands and Kate noticed at once and knew there was no chance she was letting her sister’s cheer slip away.
“It does nae matter if we daenae ken anyone there tonight. It is going to be fun and ye will enjoy yerselves,” she said, looking from Lily to Willow and Freya who sat on the chair to their right.
The girls smiled and Lily nodded. Kate smiled as well. She had left out the part she wanted to say about enjoying themselves and forgetting about their uncle. It felt to Katherine as though they needed to mention him less, because the fewer times they mentioned him, the lesser they thought of him.
When they thought about the laird, it had the nastiness of sucking away whatever kind of cheer they had. It was as though he still had control over them even though he was not there. But that would stop; she was not going to let him take away any more chance for her and her sisters to make good memories.
She finished the second braid and combed the middle of Lily’s hair down before she took the first braid and wrapped it neatly around the back. Kate gestured to Freya who handed her the small pin she used to hold the braid in place. Katherine did the second braid so that it looked as though only a single braid wrapped around the hair. She brushed the curls of Lily’s hair down and then palmed it before she looked up.
“All done,” she said.
Lily’s face beamed and nodded a “thank ye,” as she admired herself in the mirror, turning her head either way.
“C’mon now,” Kate said, implying for Lily to vacate the seat for the next person. It was Freya’s turn as Katherine had done Willow’s first. Freya took the seat as Lily rose for Willow to inspect and comment on her hair. “So what would ye be havin’?” the older sister asked.
Freya looked up from the mirror, “Anythin’ ye think is nice,” she answered.
Katherine nodded. She stared at her sister’s face and she knew at once what she was going to do, “How about a lace?” she asked and Freya nodded. Katherine knew that lace braids always made Freya’s face stand out and that was really what she was hoping for – that her sister would stand out that evening.
As she brushed Freya’s hair down, Katherine thought how beautiful her sister was; Freya was young but she was ready, and Kate hoped that maybe something more than just dancing and music would come out of the gathering that evening.
She hoped that Freya would catch the eyes of some suitable, kind, loving and caring man. Someone who would take one look at her to know of the wonderful woman she was. Katherine desired that when the suitor did approach, it would be someone who Freya herself would fancy, and not someone she merely had to manage. She deserved better. All of her sisters did.
Lily and Willow might have been too young to start looking for suitors for, but Freya was a woman already and she was precious, just like the rest of her sisters. Which was why there was no way Kate was going to let Laird McGowan take her.
In the worst of it all, Katherine herself could have somehow endured whatever would become of her in the hands of their uncle, it would have been a decision that she would agree to because there was absolutely nothing else she could do to save her sisters, but she would have thrown herself at the devil instead of damning Freya to it. When he threatened to take Freya instead, Katherine had known for sure in that moment that they could not stay.
If Freya found a suitor that fancied her, and most importantly that she herself liked, then it would not just be great for Freya, it would be better for Katherine and the rest of her sisters. Kate parted hair and then divided it for braiding, feeling the softness of her sister’s brown hair against her hand.
If the ceilidh brought a suitor for Freya, it would mean that Katherine would only have to look after Lily and Willow, it would make her worry less. It would take away the lingering thought of what Laird McGowan would do if he ever found them.
Katherine finished Freya’s braid just as the door to the changing room opened. She and her sisters turned to the sight of the maids coming into the room with dresses in their hands. Willow gasped but kept her decency with Grear walking in after the maids to see the girls who were all still dressed in their chemises.
“Ye must forgive me for being tardy, but I had to make sure they were perfect,” Grear said.
“Lady McDonald,” Katherine glanced at the dresses and at the woman.
“I thought ye girls would look good in them, nae that whatever dresses ye wear would suffer of course, but if ye would indulge me. I would like to show ye off tonight,” Grear said.
“But ye dinnae need to, Grear, ye have already done enough for us; we cannae possibly accept this,” Kate answered. She pretended not to hear the gusts that came from behind her, no doubt Willow and Lily were not keen on her response.
