Page 36 of Her Highland Prophecy
“Aye, that is verra guid.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll leave ye to rest then, Princess.”
He clearly wasn’t ready to discuss it yet and she wasn’t going to push him.
“Thank you,” she said and he left the room.
The moment the heavy wooden door closed behind him she lay back heavily on the bed, staring at the canopy. It was comfortable, the heavy quilts both warm and soft, but she suddenly longed for Gordain’s plaid under the night’s sky.
She shook her head, not sure where that thought had come from. He was wonderful and while he had kept her safe while they were on the road and would continue to do so now that they had arrived at the Castle, it was not fair for either of them for her to get attached to him when she would be gone in a few weeks to a place where he couldn’t follow.
She looked around the room. The furniture was all made of heavy wood, sturdily constructed and mostly without ornamentation. The only incongruous item was the washing stand near the window, a dainty piece of ceramic with a flowery pattern painted on it in bright colors. The sight of the very feminine item in such an otherwise blocky room made her smile.
She stepped off the bed, her foot hitting something that was half-hidden under the edge of the bed. She reached down and pulled out a, mercifully empty, chamber pot. The reality of living with only the amenities available in the era hit her like a ton of bricks.
No running water meant no toilets, no drinking water, no showers…while on the road it was different. It had felt more like a trip in nature, so it was natural to wash herself in the river and use the bushes for her bodily functions. Faced with the sight of the chamber pot in her bedroom, in a house, brought all of it to the forefront.
Well, no time like a present.
With a bit of awkward maneuvering around her dress she managed to do her business while her mind wandered to the rest of the indignities she was sure she would have to withstand. At least she was in a castle and not trying to fend for herself in the wilds of Scotland.
How bad can it be?
She grimaced, remembering some of the things she had read while studying the era. So, it could be pretty horrible, but she would adjust. After all she would only be there for a few weeks, right?
13
“Iheard a rumor around the Castle, Cousin.”
Gordain’s head jerked up at the words, a smile quickly forming on his face.
“Bhaltair!” he exclaimed, clasping the hand of his cousin in greeting.
“So, are the rumors true? Are ye truly to be wed to a Sassenach?” Bhaltair asked with a grin.
“Aye, I am.”
Bhaltair rolled his eyes at him from where he leaned against the wall of the corridor near Gordain’s room, his lean form a study in contrasts to Gordain’s own. Besides their red hair and height, they looked nothing alike. Where Gordain was muscular, he was reedy. His eyes were a dark brown to Gordain’s green. He liked being outdoors hunting and fishing while Bhaltair preferred more scholarly pursuits.
Despite their obvious differences they were extremely close. Being the same age, they had been lumped together more often than not when they were children.
“Ye were always a reckless one. If ye weren’t bigger than him, yer Da would probably take ye over his knee for it.”
“Why? He has tried arranging for me to be wed many times now—”
“And every time something happens to stop it,” Bhaltair interrupted.
“That is nay me fault!” Gordain said defensively. “Fiona McKenzie was in love with someone else and they eloped together. Ellen Atholl’s Faither changed his mind. And then Anny Hamilton became so ill that she couldnae even travel to meet me, let alone become a bride. I couldnae have done anything.”
He raised his hands in surrender while Bhaltair chuckled. He had been exceedingly unlucky when it came to being wed. He had not been particularly attached to any of the women his father had tried to get him to marry, but still, he had been frustrated with each failed betrothal.
It was also the reason that his father had finally resorted to Mary McKinnon.
“Well, I wish ye and yer bride well, if this is what ye want,” Bhaltair said with a raised eyebrow.
For a moment, Gordain considered telling him about Diana’s circumstances but then decided against it. The less people that knew, the better.
“It is,” he confirmed. “I will introduce ye at dinner tonight. I think that ye will like her.”
“She must be verra special if she managed to get ye to fall in love with her and ask her to marry ye.”
