Blaire yawned and stretched generously over the luscious feather bed that was covered in a color of lavender that matched almost everything else in the room. She had never seen a room more delicately decorated for a woman’s tastes, and she suspected that it had once been Elspeth Conall’s place of refuge. It certainly had been hers since she’d arrived at the castle. Upon learning of the brothers’ quick departure after her arrival, she’d been so furious Blaire had decided not to leave the room until they were back at the castle.
This morning, they’d arrived.
And the end of her life, otherwise known as her wedding day, was set for three days’ time.
Eoin was certainly handsome enough, but even as he had her pinned up against that column in the entranceway, with his breath coming in bursts against her ear and the side of her neck, not even a hint of a tingle had rushed down her spine.
Different from most women she’d grown up with, Blaire’s life did not revolve around men, and her biggest worry was not finding a suitable husband. Blaire MacChristy dreamed of independence, of living on her own, of making her own way in life. As a result, Blaire had been endlessly chided anytime she voiced her desires, and her father made it very clear from an early age that her wishes mattered not anyway. Blaire didn’t want to get married, and she had decided the first time she’d heard a crying child that she would always prefer a good lap dog to a suckling babe at her breast.
She never particularly like Eoin, but the moment she found out she was going to be married to him, she decided to put all of her effort into resenting his very being.
Arran, on the other hand, she wanted to make amends with. She needed a friend in the castle and one with enough power to sway things in her favor if she was going to reside here for the rest of her miserable life.
With Arran set as her number one task for the day, she quickly got dressed and pinned up her hair so that loose curls fell around her face. Wearing a light blue gown that beautifully framed her full breasts and trim waistline, she glanced in the mirror and decided that she was satisfied enough to exit her chambers.
As she wandered the many halls and corridors that wound through the castle, she couldn’t help but be struck by the castle’s great beauty. It had obviously been built by someone with great attention to detail and lived in by people who held great pride for their property and land.
Rounding a corner while absentmindedly looking around, she ran into a friendly-faced, plump, elderly woman carrying fresh lavender linens, obviously on her way to freshen up her bed. She hit the woman with such impact that the servant dropped the pile she was carrying and immediately flew into a string of apologies.
“Beggin’ yer pardon, miss. The bedding was blocking my view, or I would have seen ye coming around the corner. I should not have been so careless. Are ye alright, miss?”
Struck by the woman’s apology, Blaire immediately bent and began to help her gather the load. “Doona apologize. I was the one who was too busy looking up. I should have been paying closer attention. What is yer name?”
“My name is Mary, miss. I am pleased to make yer acquaintance. In person, that is. I’ve been talkin’ to ye through the door for a number o’ days now.”
“Oh! Thank ye for bringing all of my meals. I wasn’t quite feeling myself. Do ye know where Arran is? I was hoping to apologize for the way I treated him, the night I arrived. Also, I believe there is a stable master that I should apologize to as well. I doona believe I made the best impression.”
“Oh . . . the stable master is my husband, and his name is Kip. But doona worry about him, miss. He needs someone to give him a hard time every now and then. Lord knows he does the same to all of us most of the time.”
The woman’s belly jiggled as she chuckled, and as the corners of her eyes crinkled with her smile, Blaire could see the woman’s kindness seep from her eyes.
“As for Arran, I expect ye’ll find him in his chambers, miss. I saw him leaving the stables a few moments ago. Just so ye know miss, I told them it wasn’t a good idea for them to be running off like they did, but they never seem to listen to anyone but themselves. Stubborn, thick-skulled boys, the both o’ them. But don’t ye worry, miss. Mary’s given them a lecture, like they’ve likely never had in their lives before. They’re awfully sorry for the way they’ve treated ye, and they willna be doin it again, I can promise ye that.”
“Well, thank ye Mary, but I suppose I’m to blame as well. Now, which room is Arran’s?”
“Just on the opposite wall, one door down from yer own, miss. Right next to the laird’s.”
*