Page 31 of Highlander’s Fruit of Eden

“ H er hair should go down.”

“No, up and then pull a few little wisps of hair down. Then we can curl the sides to give her ringlets to frame her round face. You want the eyes to go to her face, not her neckline and beyond.”

The two maids, Abigale and Dawn, argued back and forth as they tried to decide for Rhea how she should look on her wedding.

She stared at herself in the mirror as Abigale, drew Rhea’s blonde hair up and pinned the clump of it on top of her head.

She thought she looked rather plain despite the fortune her father paid for the occasion.

Sighing, Rhea didn’t really care which way her hair looked.

Her mind was too busy wondering what her husband to be looked like.

It had only been three months since Rhea learned of her marriage to the Scottish Laird Greyson Foster, and ever since, she wondered what kind of man picked a bride he had never laid eyes on.

Her heart raced as she thought of seeing him.

Wonder what sort of man I’ll be marrying.

What if he doesn’t like me? What if he takes one look at me and calls the whole thing off?

Suppose it doesn’t matter either way. In a few short hours, I’ll be at the altar without a say in the matter. Still, I had always dreamed I’d marry for love.

“There,” Dawn sighed as she stepped back. “Have you ever seen a more beautiful bride in all of England?”

Abigale opened her mouth, but before she could get a single word out, Dawn slapped her arm, silencing her.

Dawn smiled brightly at Rhea and turned her to face the mirror directly.

There was no place for Rhea’s eyes to go but on the reflection of a woman that Rhea didn’t recognize.

Abigale stepped forward and tucked a loose strand up into Rhea’s tassels.

“I still think her hair should flow like a waterfall over her shoulders. With her blonde hair, it will contrast the white dress,” Abigale mumbled as she leaned down and grabbed the hem of Rhea’s dress to puff it out a bit more.

“What do you know about contrast?” Dawn chided as a rough rapping on the door shut both women up instantly. It had been the first bout of silence Rhea had heard since the maids dragged her from bed to get her ready.

The door flew open. Rhea didn’t have to turn around to know who had come into the room. The stern expression of her father’s face in the mirror was clear. Rhea watched as his eyes lingered on her for just a moment before he stepped into the room.

“Is she ready?” Rhea’s father, Harris, asked in a disgruntled voice that set the maids’ heads bobbing.

“Of course, my lord,” Dawn said as she bowed to him. “And doesn’t she look just as lovely as ever? She’ll make a fine bride. The whole country will be talking about this day for some time.”

“Enough,” Harris growled as he moved closer to Rhea. She could feel her heart pounding frantically in her chest. It was clear by his expressionless face he wasn’t pleased, despite the fact that he had arranged the whole thing and saw to every detail.

“Turn around, child, and let me get a better look at you,” Harris ordered. Rhea felt her knees grow weak as she prayed for stability. Turning slowly, she kept her feet firmly planted on the stool and shifted little by little so as not to trip over the hem and rip a hole in the dress.

“Well, I suppose that will have to do,” Harris said as his eyes narrowed on Rhea’s head for a moment. “And who precisely decided to pin up your hair?”

Rhea’s eyes shifted to Dawn before falling on Harris’s face once again. Rhea could feel the tension in the room as the Baron looked over his only daughter, scrutinizing every inch of her. His shoulders rolled back, and he shook his head, clearly displeased by the choice.

“It’ll have to do,” Harris groaned. “We are already running late. The Laird is expecting a swift wedding, not that I blame him for that, so we must not tarry. Say goodbye,” Harris said as he turned on his heels and walked to the door.

The moment Harris was out of the room, Rhea turned her attention to the maids at her side.

She couldn’t help but feel as if she was leaving her family.

Both Abigale and Dawn had cared for her for so long that they were like sisters to her.

Dawn’s eyes turned red from tears as she helped Rhea off the stool.

“You’ll make a fine wife,” Dawn said as she drew Rhea into her arms and squeezed her the way a mother would hug a toddler to comfort them in times of distress.

Dawn pulled back and cupped Rhea’s face.

The pity on the maid’s face didn’t go unnoticed to Rhea.

She stared at the women and flashed a half-hearted smile.

“Just do as you’re told,” Abigale said as she stepped in to steal a hug, “and know that your dear mother, God rest her soul, is looking out for you.”

Rhea had a million things she wanted to say to the maids, but her time was out. There was nothing she could do to veer off the course her father had set for her. She pulled in a deep breath and cupped her hand to each of the woman’s faces.

“Go,” Dawn said, urging her to leave. “We all know what kind of mood the lord is in, and he doesn’t like to be kept waiting. I pray that your husband is as kindhearted as you are, dear.”

That was something Rhea had prayed for herself as well as she walked out of her bedroom for the last time.

She paused at the door and stole one last glimpse of the room she had grown up in.

It was filled with both good and bad memories that she would take with her for as long as she roamed the earth.

Pulling in a deep breath, she stepped over the threshold and walked down the hall to the main entrance.

“You know,” Rhea heard her brother Theodore say from down the hallway causing her heart to tighten.

She could only imagine the vile words Theo was going to unleash on her.

But she reminded herself that where she was going, his words wouldn’t fall on her ears again.

“For a young lady, you do look s…st…stunning.”

Theodore’s laughter filled the hallway when he approached Rhea. She clamped her teeth tighter as she lowered her head.

Let him have his fun. It’s not like he’ll be able to tease me for much longer. In fact, this may very well be the last chance he’ll have poke fun at me.

“Wh… Wh… What’s the matter little sister?

Afraid of the big bad Scot? You know the only reason father arranged this union was so that you’d be someone else’s burden instead of ours.

And with you out of the house and tarnishing our family name, perhaps Charles and I will finally find a proper match,” Theo said.

Rhea glanced up to find her brother’s eyes filled with malice.

She knew he was upset that she was to be married off before him, but it was a way for her to escape her brothers’ torment.

“Matters not,” Theo said dropping the stutter as he looked Rhea up and down. “But just so you know, the Scots don’t take too kindly to those with an impediment. I won’t be surprised to learn they’ve beaten you for it calling it a possession of some sort.”

Rhea refused to let her brother’s words seep into her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he caused her displeasure. After all, she had lived with her siblings’ torment since she was a child and was quite certain it was their constant bullying that caused her to go mute.

“Come along now, Rhea,” Harris called from the open door. “Your wedding is not the only thing I have to do today. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can attend more pressing matters.”

“Y-y-you heard father,” Theo said grinning at her as he continued to tease her. “And be sure to give your new husband my regards,” Theo added as he burst into a fit of laughter.

Rhea moved as quickly as she could to the door. Stepping out into the daylight, she felt the warmth of the sun on her face and instantly thought of her mother. She closed her eyes, envisioning her mom kissing her face and washing away all troubles from her mind.

I know you are with me, Mother. Please, I beg of you, may my husband be a man whom I can learn to love.

“Come now,” Harris said, pulling Rhea out of her daydreams. Rhea’s eyes snapped open, and she walked to the carriage and stepped in.

The moment her father was seated, Rhea’s body jerked forward with the carriage’s sudden movement before settling as they passed along the cobbled streets headed towards the chapel.

Rhea leaned to the window and pushed aside the thin veil that cloaked her from the people who watched her off. It always surprised her how many people enjoyed coming out to see the bride and to wish her well on her wedding day.

The snap of Harris’s cane on her knuckles caused her to jump.

“Did I not raise a lady? Now sit back and pay no mind to those fools. All they want is charity, and you are in no position to be giving it to them,” Harris chided as Rhea leaned back into the seat rubbing her knuckles.

The pain in her hand was nothing in comparison to the pain in her chest. Rhea had always envisioned her wedding day as one that would be filled with laughter and love.

But as they drove on, she realized the only one remotely happy was her father.

He was finally getting rid of the stain on the family name by having her wed someone who lived far enough away that no one would care to visit.

Although Rhea could see the dreariness all around her, she was determined not to let it ruin her day. She lifted her head up as her father closed his eyes.

Think of the bright side. I’ll be out of my father’s house and away from my brothers’ insults. And although I may not know what kind of man I’m marrying, surely, he can’t be as cruel as my father.

Anxiety filled Rhea as the carriage came to an abrupt stop, startling Harris awake.

“Finally,” Harris grumbled as the carriage door open.

Rhea watched as her father stepped out first, and she knew she would have to exit as well.

Mustering all the courage she could, Rhea stepped out of the carriage and stared up at the turrets around the church.

The stone gargoyles stared down at her with intense glares that seemed to penetrate her very soul.

Swallowing hard, Rhea put one foot in front of the other. No matter her fate, she would have to face it. Love or no love, she was committed to a marriage, and there was no backing out.