Page 12 of Bride Takes a Laird
She didn’t give him time to finish his words. “Await me then and I shall return.” Kendra rushed from the hall and stood outside the door. In the long hallway that led to the exit of the keep, she peered about for a servant but saw the chamberlain walking toward her.Excellent.Just the man she needed.
Edmund stopped before her. “Mistress, are you in need of aid?”
“Sir, I hope you can help me.” Kendra curtseyed to him and smiled.
He bowed in return. “Aye, Mistress, I am at your service. What do you need?”
“I need a cup of good, strong ale. Not for me, you see, but for one of the grooms. He says the hall’s ale is weak and I promised to bring him a cup of strong ale.” She rambled her explanation.
“Let me see what I can find, Mistress. Await here.”
The chamberlain set off and she lingered by the hall’s entrance. Time seemed to drag while she waited for his return. Kendra paced the hallway and studied a tapestry that spanned the wall. She noted several missed stitches in the battle scene which didn’t appeal to her at all. Noise from the hall drew her regard because she was uncertain if her plan would work. She hoped that she didn’t miss the opportunity to impress Laird Cameron.
Finally, the chamberlain returned with a cup on a small tray. “Mistress,” he said and held the tray out to her. “’Tis from the king’s private barrel of ale, much stronger than what the kitchen serves.”
“You are a godsend, Chamberlain Edmund.” He blushed at her compliment. Kendra took the cup and thanked him. She entered the great hall and marched to Laird Cameron. With little fuss, she handed him the drink. “I believe this ale is stronger than what is being served. It’s from the king’s personal barrel.”
He peered at her with disbelief. Laird Cameron took the cup,sipped the drink, then downed it, and nodded to her. “This is much tastier than that swill they are handing out. I believe ye met my challenge, Mistress Kendra. Shall we dance?” He set his empty cup on a nearby table and took her hand.
The touch of his hard manly hand brought her eyes to his. She lightly gripped him, but his hold was gentle and not at all as strong as it could be. The chords of the music started and a new song began. It was a softer, slower tune. She faced Laird Cameron and smiled. He had yet to smile at her but at least he was no longer scowling.
They began the dance and she rounded him, moving her feet to the steps of the melodic sounds around her. They shuffled toward each other, setting their palms in each other’s hands, and reverted around each other in the spatial pattern of the dance. Touching his hands drew her gaze to his eyes again. She’d never seen such a becoming shade. They weren’t green nor brown but a rich shade that blended the tones.
His skin was warm, rough, and yet, the contact was tender.
Unbeknownst to her, behind her, an older man danced with his wife. His movements were rather unskilled and chaotic, and his leg stuck out. Kendra stepped back and the man tripped her. She went flying in the direction of Laird Cameron. He caught her and held her close, his nose almost touching hers, his lips but a breath away. His touch and the way he held her lightened her heart and spurred her trust in him, trust mingled with a passion she’d never felt for anyone before. It swirled through her. Kendra couldn’t take her eyes from his.
The music came to an abrupt stop and all gaped at them. Kendra’s face heated at being the focus of everyone in the chamber. Magnus’s scowl could have felled the poor older man who had tripped her, but then he returned his eyes to hers and his frown lessened. “Lass, I believe ye are falling for me,” he said almost with a humorous lilt.
The music began once again and all those around them returned to their partners. Kendra gasped and he helped her to straighten to her feet but continued to hold her in his arms. He made no move to righther or release her. His strong hands held her waist and he peered at her with such a smoldering gaze, that a warmth rose to her chest. “Perhaps I am, Laird Cameron. Maybe I can get you to fall for me too.”
“Is that a challenge, Mistress Kendra?”
She couldn’t hold back her smile. “I do believe it is, Laird Cameron.”
Laird Magnus Cameron’s laugh reverberated in the room and was heard by all, even over the soft sounds of the harpist’s music. The queen watched them with a smile and she bowed her head to her. Kendra had just chosen her future husband and she wasn’t displeased by it at all.
Chapter Five
The gloomy morningwas spent trying to allay her father’s emotions. He threw fits over the food he was served for his morning fare and stated that he knew not where he was, or who she was, for that matter. It took a great deal of coercion to get him to calm down and to keep her tears at bay. It was so unlike her father to behave so irrationally and that troubled her. He was getting worse. Not only did he have moments of forgetfulness, but now he appeared to be so unlike the gentle, sweet-natured man, she knew him to be.
With the rain lessening to a drizzle, John suggested a good walk would do wonders to ease her father’s discontent. John helped her to settle him and they now walked about the grounds around the castle. That gave Kendra time to make ready for the day’s activities—the day of her wedding to a Highlander. As if she didn’t have enough trepidation in her heart.
Linet helped her to dress and chose her favorite frock. The light-blue linen gown with flowing sleeves wasn’t too cumbersome. She wrapped her neck in an ornate leather strap and set a matching one around her upper arm. Instead of putting her hair beneath a wimple, Linet parted it in the middle, braided it, and wrapped it into a coif to which she tied with another thin piece of leather.
“’Tis your wedding day, Mistress, and you should look your best.” Linet fussed over her and she loved her for it.
“Linet, please… How many times must I tell you to call me Kendra? We are friends and even though you take care of me, I don’t want you to be so formal.”
“Whilst we are here in the king’s castle, Mistress, we shall maintain…” Linet finished her hair and patted the blond coif. “…a demeanor beholding your station.”
“Very well, but it hurts my ears to hear you call me ‘mistress’.” Her nerves had gotten the better of her not only because she dealt with her father’s outbursts, but also because she would be bound to a man this day. She’d eaten little fare and paced the chamber they stayed in, until a knock on the door jarred her from her ruminations and caused her to jump off the floor.
“My but you are jittery this day. I cannot imagine why…you are only getting married.” Linet teased her. “Go on, Mistress, I shall gather our belongings and tidy up the chamber.”
“Pray for me, Linet, because I am going to need it.”
Her dear friend smiled and pulled her into an embrace. “You shall be well. Worry not.” Linet turned her, took her shoulders, and guided her to the door. “Any of those handsome Highlanders would do well for a husband and they’ll be fortunate if they get to choose you. Now, put a smile on your face, be brave, and try to appear winsome.”