Page 26 of Claimed Highland Brides

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DRUMACREE

F or a fairly small town, Drumacree had quite a lot going on at the festival. Being at a crossroads, it attracted travelers from east, west, north, and south of Scotland. Traveling groups eager to sell their wares and make some money telling fortunes and mesmerizing the residents with their acrobatics. Farmers came to sell their wares from all the surrounding farms and villages. Tradesmen hungry to make new connections. Sellswords in search of new masters. It was a melting pot of people and the sisters loved it.

As the laird of Braenaird Keep, Daividh knew that it was his job to keep the girls safe and thus he had traveled with ten seasoned soldiers headed by his cousin, Simon Campbell. They were present not only to keep the girls adequately chaperoned and protected but also because one never knew. Their father, Murdo Douglas, had been attacked as he rode home from his cousin’s keep at Dunavar Castle. The brigands who attacked him had been mercenaries sent by Padraig Hunter, another laird interested in securing Braenaird Keep and its goldmine for himself. Although Padraig was dead, his sellswords were still alive and—feeling cheated of their rewards—causing trouble at the mines.

Daividh did not put it beyond them to attack his caravan and try to abduct one of the girls. He would have preferred if they’d all stayed home and not risked the journey but he also understood that he could not let what those brigands did determine the course of their life forthwith.

However, he did assign a man to each of the sisters as they walked around the festival; shopping, eating, and marveling at the performances. Jamesina was paired with Simon Campbell and as they walked around together, he did not take his hand off his sword. She and her maid walked around, buying fabric for upholstery to mend the castle furniture and foods less easy to find at home, such as honey and spices.

Even though there was plenty of hunting to be had on the Braenaird lands, Jamesina was not averse to buying smoked rabbit, wild boar, and deer meat as well. In any case, what with the troubles at the mine, Daividh hardly had time to hunt.

She also bought a few animal pelts because soon the weather would turn and they could use warmer blankets. Simon followed her silently, making sure that her purchases were conveyed to the wagon by the other soldiers so that she could keep her hands free.

Later in the evening, just after sunset, the festival was to hold a ceremony of blessing at the town square which would include singing and dances as well as a procession. All participants were to wear white. Jamesina could not wait to see if the man from the inn would be there. She would get easily excited with simple things but, this time, her enthusiasm about the man was too quick and too much even for her own standards.