Page 13 of To Wed a Laird (English Brides and Highland Vows #1)

CHAPTER TWELVE

After ten days of lying in bed, during which time Rose was fizzing with frustration, she was finally able to rise from bed, since her ankle was no longer giving her much pain. Nell had been bringing her meals, but there had been no sign of Cormac.

Rose was determined not to say anything about his absence, even though she missed him terribly and felt that he might be avoiding her. It was obvious he did not blame her for Elspeth’s accident, but he was always immersed in work, so perhaps he was simply too busy.

“I missed our lessons,” Elspeth told her when she finally went back to her room. “Especially our French lessons.”

“Moi aussi,” Rose replied, pulling a mock-sad face. “Me too.”

Elspeth laughed and hugged her. “I am so glad you are back, Rose,” she said happily. “I missed you.”

“But you came to see me every day.” Rose was puzzled.

“It wasn’t the same,” Elspeth declared. “You were always so sleepy.”

Rose laughed. “Well, Mademoiselle, my foot is nearly better now, but I will not be able to run for a while.”

Elspeth’s eyes glinted with mischief as she said, “Then I will win all the prizes when we race!”

“Not fair!” Rose protested, laughing.

They worked their way through the lessons, then Elspeth announced suddenly, “I’m hungry, Rose.”

Rose looked at her suspiciously. “Just when the cook has baked a batch of treacle scones? How convenient!”

Elspeth giggled again, and Rose sighed. “All right then,” she said resignedly, “but just one.”

Elspeth nodded, and they made their way to the kitchen, and soon they were munching on the sweet cakes that were covered in fresh butter. Elspeth finished hers speedily, having crammed most of it into her mouth all at once, and was about to ask for another when she saw Nell.

Nell frowned at the sight of her and dusted crumbs from her face, shaking her head, then she looked up at Rose, smiling. “The Laird wants tae see ye,” she told her.

Rose was puzzled. “He has not seen me in days,” she said. “Am I in trouble?”

Nell smiled mischievously. “Go an’ see,” she said.

Rose was slightly reassured by Nell’s smile, but she was still nervous as she made her way to Cormac’s study and knocked on the door. She was surprised, a moment later, when he opened it himself instead of calling for her to enter.

He reached out to take her arm as if she might need support, looking concerned. “How are you?” he asked. “Are you still in pain?”

Rose shook her head. “Not much,” she answered. “I think perhaps I should not try running or dancing, but I have no plans to do either, so I am fine. Thank you for asking, My Laird.”

Rose bit her lip nervously and looked away from him as she said, “You wanted to see me, My Laird?”

Suddenly the memory of him carrying her in his arms came back to her, and she wanted to beg him to do it again. Instead, she thrust the thought out of her mind and waited for him to tell her the reason why he had summoned her.

“I would like you to come into the village with me,” Cormac said. Strangely, his tone held a note of uncertainty.

“Why?” she asked, frowning. “Is Elspeth coming with us?”

He shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I want to show you something, and this does not concern her. The weather is good, and it is a pleasant day for a ride, so if you can be ready in a few moments, we can go at once.”

“Of course.”

Rose made her way to her room and found a riding habit laid out on the bed for her. Nell had obviously known what the Laird had in mind!

Quickly, she changed her clothes, then looked in the mirror to see how she looked. She doubted if Cormac would even notice, and the wind would no doubt tease her hair into something resembling a haystack, but she could do nothing about that.

With a deep sigh, Rose let herself out of her room and walked to the stables, tilting her chin up defiantly at those servants who still gave her poisonous looks. However, there seemed to be fewer of them these days, and she wondered if her relationship with Elspeth had something to do with it.

Rose’s heart was beating wildly as she neared the stables, and she found that she had been walking so fast that her ankle was hurting her again and she had started to limp slightly. She slowed down slightly, hoping that the change of pace would take the pain away and stop Cormac from noticing.

However, it was too late. As she reached the entrance to the stables, she saw that he was already there, frowning as he noticed the way she was walking.

“Are you all right?” he asked anxiously as he came forward to meet her.

Rose nodded. “Fine, My Laird,” she replied. “I was walking too fast. I need to slow down a little.”

“Are you sure?” Cormac still looked concerned.

“I am,” Rose replied, smiling.

Cormac took a breath. “Rose.” He said her name gently, with a tone he had never used before. “Please call me Cormac. After all you have done for Elspeth, I feel that we are friends now. Do you agree?”

Rose was startled, but she smiled and said, “Yes, I do.”

He laughed. “Say ‘yes I do, Cormac’.’” he ordered.

“Yes, I do, Cormac.” Rose repeated, echoing his laughter.

He helped her up onto a different horse this time, a slightly bigger chestnut mare. “Her name is Daisy,” Cormac told her. “I thought you might not like riding Heather again.”

He climbed up onto his big stallion, Broch, and they set off.

Rose used the opportunity of getting Cormac alone to find out more about the castle, the staff, how she could improve her relations with them, and other matters, which she thought might help her and Elspeth.

She discovered that not only was Cormac handsome, but he had a wicked sense of humour, and a fearsome intelligence. Rose was sorry when they arrived in the village because she had enjoyed their ride so much and did not want it to end.

She was about to dismount when Cormac reached up to help her.

His big hands clasped her around her waist, almost encircling it, and as he pulled her down, their bodies brushed against each other, causing both of them to catch their breaths.

For a fleeting second their eyes locked, then Cormac turned away to lead the horses away to tie them to a tree.

She had to resist the impulse to pull him into her arms; she wanted to feel his strong body against him, smell that scent of his. She was nervous and unsure of herself in a way she had not been for a long time, and she hoped it did not show on her face, for she did not want to look weak.

Rose tried to calm down, since her heart was once again hammering, and by the time Cormac came back, she felt a little better.

Cormac, however, looked shaken to the core.

Was it possible that their proximity affected him as much?

However, Cormac pasted on an unsure smile on his face as he returned to her.

“I thought you could do with an outing to get you away from the castle for a while,” he said. “There is a special market here today. It only comes round once every three months, and I thought you might like to see it.”

Rose was delighted. “Thank you so much for thinking of me,” she replied, smiling widely as she looked around the stalls which lined both sides of the street. “My goodness! It has been an age since I saw a market like this.”

She did not add the reason for this, which was because she never had any money to spend.

“It is a special one that comes every season,” Cormac told her. “There is one in spring, one in summer, another in autumn, and one just before Christmas. The Christmas one is best, and Elspeth used to love it. Perhaps she will want to visit again this year.”

Rose smiled, but it was a false smile. “That would be lovely,” she said lamely. The truth was that though she loved Christmas, there would be no money for her to give any presents to anyone, not for Elspeth or anyone else.

They passed many stalls, some selling handmade children’s toys, baked goods that smelled delicious, wool, linen and silk cloth, preserves and dried fruits, carved wooden ornaments and dishes, perfumes, spices and a great variety of other things.

As Rose walked by Cormac’s side, she received the usual scowls, but now there were a few smiles and friendly nods.

However, she put it down to the fact that she was with the Laird, and no one wanted to antagonise him.

She was enjoying the sights and smells, nevertheless, and stopped by a stall that was selling a great selection of cloth, bright colours and patterns as well as more subdued plain ones.

“What is your favourite colour?” Cormac asked.

“Teal blue,” she replied at once. “It’s a colour somewhere between blue and green, and I have always loved it. What is yours?”

“I have never really thought about it before,” he replied. “My wife used to love purple.”

He stopped abruptly, and Rose wondered if his reference to Catherine still caused him so much pain. But, quickly, he focused on Rose again. He pointed to a bale of bright red linen, “That one. I like that.”

“So does Elspeth,” Rose told him. “Nell is teaching her to sew. I’m sure she would love to work on that.”

Cormac smiled and bought a couple of yards of the fabric.

The next stall sold dresses, and Rose gave it a cursory glance before she turned away.

There was absolutely no good in yearning for what she could not have.

However, a few seconds later, she turned around as she felt Cormac taking her hand. He was looking down at her, smiling.

“I would like you to accept a gift from Elspeth and me,” he said. “To say thank you for saving her.”

“But I don’t need a dress,” she protested.

“Your dress was torn during the fall,” he pointed out. “You will have to replace it.”

“I have others,” she replied.

“How many others?” Cormac asked, raising his eyebrows, his blue eyes suddenly full of mischief.

Rose decided to get into the spirit of the conversation. “I really do not think it is proper for a gentleman to ask a lady how many dresses she has,” she replied haughtily.

“Really?” Cormac asked in the same tone. “Perhaps if I plied the lady with a little whisky, she would tell me.”

“I am afraid this lady does not like whisky,” Rose replied.

“Wine, then?” he asked innocently. “You can taste my best vintage, straight from Spain.”

“I do not care for wine either,” Rose replied, then she giggled. “This is becoming very silly.”

Cormac took a step closer to her, pretending to look fierce, and Rose took on a look of terror.

“Tell me at once,” he growled.

“All right,” Rose replied resentfully. “I am down to my last hundred.”

Cormac looked at her, puzzled, for a moment, then he burst out laughing.

“I am never going to get a proper answer, am I?” he asked, then he became serious.

“Please, Rose, let us do this for you. It would give me a lot of pleasure, and Elspeth will be delighted. She feels bad that you ruined your dress for her.”

“I know she does, but really, Cormac, it is too much,” Rose shook her head.

“No, it is not enough,” Cormac said firmly. “You deserve more. And now I am going to insist that you accept my gift—as your employer.”

“Or else?” Rose lifted her chin and gazed up at Cormack with a mock-defiant look.

“I will think of something,” he answered, laughing. “Now, Rose…please?”

There was a pleading expression in his eyes that she could not resist.

The woman who sold the dresses had been watching the exchange with some amusement. She had never seen the Laird flirting with a woman before, since it was a well-known fact that he was a grieving widower. Now she would have a wonderful piece of gossip to share with others!

Rose moved into the rows of dresses and began to sort through them all.

Most were a little too frilly for her taste, and many were in bright colours that were not suitable for everyday wear.

She tried a few on in the curtained-off space that had been provided for changing, assisted by the plump, middle-aged woman who was selling the dresses, but none of them fitted her slender but shapely figure.

Most were too big, and those that did fit were in colours that she did not like at all.

Rose paraded the dresses in front of Cormac, demanding his honest opinion on each one. Cormac tried to be courteous, but he had not seen a single garment that did Rose justice, so he was polite but evasive.

Rose was becoming frustrated, and she was sure that Cormac was too. She was just about to give up her search and tell him that she could find nothing that suited her when Cormac stepped in. He strode past the stallholder, who hurriedly stepped back, and made his way towards the rack of clothes.

“We are going to find a dress today, or I will not be responsible for my actions!” he growled.

The woman stepped back, clearly frightened, but Rose patted her arm and smiled at her, indicating that Cormac was joking. Unfortunately, he was such a big man that even his jokes were scary to those who did not know him.

Then something quite astonishing happened. Cormac picked out a linen dress in a deep crimson colour, which Rose loved as soon as she saw it.

“Now try it on,” he ordered. He wore a fierce frown, but his eyes were twinkling.

Rose nodded and giggled. When she put the dress on, it looked as though it had been made for her. It had a modest round neck, puffed sleeves that narrowed into tight cuffs from the elbows down, and a slightly flared skirt. As well as that, its cut emphasised her trim waistline.

Cormac gazed at her in awe. “I think we have found it,” he said, with a satisfied air. “You look beautiful, Rose.”

“Thank you, Cormac,” she replied. “I think I want this one.”

He smiled at her, a wide, beaming smile, and Rose felt her heart warm—with love.