Page 12 of To Wed a Laird (English Brides and Highland Vows #1)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The pain in her ankle was beginning to subside, and Rose felt a little calmer as she lay on her bed waiting for Nell. She knew that she would become restless in the next few days, since she was by nature an active person, but she was sure that visits from Elspeth would help with that problem.

Presently, Nell appeared, carrying a tray with some food, the smell of which made her mouth water—haggis, turnips and potatoes.

“How are ye, hen?” Nell asked, concerned. “Are ye in pain?”

“I feel much better than I did before, Nell. Thank you for asking,” Rose replied. “But it really is not too serious, just a sprain, the healer said.”

“Aye, well, Flora is a clever girl an’ knows what she is talkin’ about.” Nell set about fluffing up a pillow so that Rose could sit comfortably on the bed. “Eat up first, then ye can bathe an’ change. Oh, by the way, I have somethin’ else for ye.”

She slipped a hand into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a letter, which she handed to Rose.

Rose’s eyes lit up as she saw the writing on the sealed paper, and she cried out, “It’s from my sisters! I have been missing them so much.”

She broke the seal with trembling fingers and began to read. It was a very long letter, since both of them had contributed to it, and neither Claire nor Amanda had seen any reason at all to be brief.

Rose laughed as she read the first words, then began to read aloud.

Dear Rose,

This is your favourite sister, Claire, writing to let you know that we are all well here.

Of course, when I say “well” I mean that we are becoming quite good at dodging Father’s wrath most of the time.

Amanda had a very convincing headache the other evening so that she could avoid having dinner with the poisonous old tyrant.

She swears it was a real headache, but I have very serious doubts about that!

As you know, the old miser has sold everything in the house that was not firmly attached to the floor or the wall.

I am seriously thinking about running away to sea, in case he decides that I am worth a few pounds and sells me. I would not put it past him.

Seriously, though, I miss you very much, and would love to hear from you with all your news. I need to know what your Laird is like. Is he a dragon? Is the little girl a spoiled brat who drives you crazy?

Please let me know.

I have been casting my eye around to see if there are any young swains who might be interested in me or Amanda so that we can escape this madhouse, but, so far, I have had no luck. All the men around here are as weak as water. Please write as soon as you can.

I love and miss you so much,

Claire

When she had read out Claire’s portion of the letter, Rose sat back and laughed heartily, shaking her head. “My sister Claire has a wicked sense of humour,” she said. “Whenever we go anywhere, we have to warn people in advance about her.”

Nell laughed. “She sounds like quite a character,” she observed.

“Amanda is too,” Rose said fondly, “but in a different way. She is much more tender. She began to read out what her other sister had written.

Dearest Rose,

I hope you are well. I think about you all the time and miss you very much. Home is not the same place without you. Do you think I could come and see you, or would your Laird not approve? Are all the Scots there as savage as everyone says?

I have been trying to find out, and every person I speak to tells me they are all very fierce and wild. I hope you can stay safe. I am looking around for work so that you do not have to shoulder the financial burden all by yourself, but I am not having any luck so far.

There is not much else happening here, except that Sooty has just had a new litter of kittens, and I am absolutely besotted with them—they are so beautiful.

Please write soon. I need to hear everything that is happening to you, my dearest sister. I am so worried.

With all my love,

Amanda.

Nell smiled. “I see what ye mean, hen,” she said. “They both love ye very much.”

“As I love them,” Rose said wistfully. “I wish they could come and see me.”

“Well, ye willnae be very much use tae them if ye dinnae eat,” Nell told her.

She set the tray on Rose’s lap and tucked a napkin under her chin. Rose smiled, loving the feeling of being cosseted. She began to eat the haggis, savouring its earthy texture and peppery taste.

“When I leave Scotland, I will have to take the recipe for haggis with me,” she remarked between mouthfuls. “I love it so much!”

Nell frowned. “Are ye thinkin’ o’ leavin’ us, hen?” she asked anxiously. “Because that will upset Elspeth somethin’ terrible.”

Rose shook her head. “No, Nell,” she replied, “but I probably will have to eventually.”

“Make sure it isnae too soon,” Nell warned. “Or Elspeth will have somethin’ tae say about it—an’ so will the Laird.”

She busied herself tidying the room for a moment, humming a little tune to herself, then, when she saw that Rose had finished her food, she poured them each a cup of tea.

“Tell me about your sisters,” Nell said, handing her one of the scones she had brought. “They sound like lovely lassies. Are they older than you?”

Rose shook her head. “No, I am the eldest,” she replied.

“Claire is the youngest. She is eighteen years old, and Amanda is nineteen. As you can no doubt tell, they are complete opposites!” She laughed.

“Claire is stubborn, forceful but funny, and Amanda has a heart of gold. She would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it, and has not a bad word to say about anyone.”

“She sounds like an angel,” Nell observed, sipping her tea.

Rose laughed softly. “No, definitely not, she has her faults. Claire is also very generous and loving, but she hides it more. They are the reason I came here.”

Nell studied her for a moment. “What dae ye mean?” she asked, then she checked herself. “I am sorry, hen. It’s none o’ my business.”

“No, please, Nell. I want to tell you, but I have no idea how much the Laird knows, so I need your word that you will say nothing to him about it.” Her voice was pleading.

“He willnae hear anything fae me, hen,” Nell assured her. “Ye have my word.” She patted Rose’s hand.

As she looked into Nell’s kind eyes, Rose knew without a doubt that she could trust her. “We lost my mother ten years ago,” she said sadly.

“She died giving birth to my little brother, who did not survive either.

We were all devastated, needless to say, but my father completely went to pieces.

She had been the love of his life, and he could see no future without her.

After that, he became a different person.

He used to be a kind, attentive and loving father, but he suddenly turned into a selfish, neglectful man who had no thought for anyone else but himself.

He began to drink, and made friends with other men who took advantage of his vulnerable state and introduced him to gambling. Gradually he whittled away all of our family’s money, and although he had a thriving business trading wool and silk from Europe, he gradually lost everything.

He began to sell our possessions; the furniture, paintings, even our evening dresses. Gradually, he let go of our household staff till we had only a few servants left. When he sold our mother’s jewellery we knew that the situation had become untenable.

Then Father sent me here. Well, more like sold me here. I hated him for it at first, but now I am very happy here, and I think—I hope—I have made a difference. Much of what I earn goes to support my sisters, but I am still not sure how much of that is lost to my father’s gambling.”

Nell felt infinitely sad for Rose, whom she had come to love like a member of her own family. Now she leaned forward and took Rose’s hands.

“You have made such a difference tae wee Elspeth,” she said, smiling.

“Even Cormac says so. I was never blessed wi’ a husband or bairns, but I think o’ them as my own family.

Now I hope you will let me be your mother.

I can never take the place o’ your real Mammy, of course, but I can support an’ help an’ love ye. ”

“Love me?” Tears sprang to Rose’s eyes as she looked at Nell’s kind face. “Thank you, Nell. I feel the same about you.”

Then she hugged her, and Nell returned the embrace.

“Come tae me wi’ any problem,” she said fondly. “I will always be here tae listen. Ye have made me happier an’ a’, hen.”

She stood up and took the empty tray away, then ordered a bath for Rose, frowning as she looked down at the torn hem of her dress. “We will have tae have that mended,” she observed.

“I cannot sew well,” Rose said regretfully. “But perhaps it is time I learned. I cannot afford a new dress.”

“I have a better idea,” Nell said. “I am teachin’ Elspeth tae sew. Why dae ye no’ dae it together? She would love that.”

“That sounds amazing,” Rose agreed, laughing as she imagined the look on Elspeth’s face when Nell told her that they would be working together.

Presently, the bath arrived, and Nell helped Rose into it, carefully keeping her bandaged foot out of the water, then washed her hair and took away the tray and her dress.

Rose lay back in the bath, luxuriating in the warm, scented water, which not only helped to soothe the ache in her ankle, but also the one in her spirit. The letter from Claire and Amanda had been a wonderful surprise, but what had helped most was being carried in Cormac’s strong arms.

That was an experience she would happily relive again and again. However, she knew that it would likely never happen again, but she smiled wistfully and sighed in resignation. Oh, well, she could always dream.

Nell came back to help her get dressed, before she gave Rose another tight hug. “Anythin’ ye need, mind,” she reminded her.

“Thank you, Nell.”

Rose felt a rush of warmth inside her at the old woman’s caring words. She had found a true friend, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

Instead of getting back into bed, Rose somehow managed to sit at the table to write a letter to her sisters, which she had to admit was long overdue, since she had been so occupied she had neglected them sorely.

Rose sat down with a glass of wine Nell had brought with her. “A wee treat after a bad day,” she said, smiling as she kissed Rose’s forehead and left.

It took her a while to come up with the right words, and Rose threw away three drafts before she was happy with the results.

My dearest sisters,

I hope you are both surviving and thriving without me. I miss you both dreadfully, but in a strange way I am really enjoying myself, although at the moment I am laid up in bed with a sprained ankle.

I fell off a horse and caught my foot in the stirrup—not serious, but really annoying, as you know that I hate to be cooped up for long. Still, I will survive!

Scotland is not at all what I expected. The weather is rather cold and damp, but the countryside is absolutely stunning. The servants in the castle do not like me very much, probably because I am English, but I really do not care about them.

The only people who matter to me here are Elspeth, the little girl I am looking after, the Laird, and Nell, who is an old servant that treats me like a daughter.

You would have loved Elspeth, Claire. She is just like you—fierce, fiery and stubborn, always wants her own way, but since I came, she very rarely gets it.

When I first came here she was very withdrawn, but she seems to have come out of her shell a lot, and we get on very well. Nell seems to think it’s because of my influence, but I think she may be exaggerating a little.

As for the Laird, I have to tell you that I have never seen a more handsome man in my life.

He is very tall, he towers over every other man here, and he is big and muscular.

All the maidservants love him! He has long black hair and stunning blue eyes, but I think he is still grieving for his wife, who died a few years ago.

Sometimes he can be very fierce, but he is very kind when no one is looking.

In case you are fretting about me, let me tell you that I am very happy here. In fact, sometimes I wish I could stay here forever.

Lots of love to both of you, my dearest sisters, from your own,

Rose

She re-read the letter several times and sealed it before she decided to make any more corrections, knowing that she might spend all day doing so.

She had struggled to reach her bed, and thought how wonderful it would be if Cormac came to lift her up and place her gently onto it, as he had done in the sick room.

She wished he would come and fall asleep with her—just to hold her.

What would it be like to be wrapped in those strong arms? She would never know.