Page 9 of To Wed a Laird (English Brides and Highland Vows #1)

CHAPTER EIGHT

The next few days were peaceful, and even the weather seemed to be cooperating, as the late spring days were almost balmy, with bright sunshine and the lightest of breezes.

With the warming of the weather, Elspeth’s spirits had lifted too, and she was full of laughter and fun, exactly as a child her age should be, Rose thought.

Her French lessons were going well, and Elspeth was learning the language more quickly than Rose had expected. This was very surprising because English and French were so different to each other, but it seemed that Elspeth had a natural gift for picking up other tongues.

This pleased Rose enormously, not just because she was happy that Elspeth was doing well, but because it reflected well on herself and her ability as a teacher.

She felt a little more secure knowing that the little girl was coming out of her shell; now the Laird would have less of an excuse to send her packing.

Afternoons, if the weather was good, were spent in the garden after lessons were finished.

However, since the Laird had forbidden them to plant seedlings, Elspeth played on the swing which hung from the branches of one of the stout oak trees.

She would have climbed the trees too if Rose had allowed her to, but Rose was under strict instructions from the Laird that she was never to be allowed to do such a dangerous thing again.

“One of her previous governesses let her do that,” he had told Rose with a grim frown. “Elspeth fell down and might have broken her leg if one of the servants had not caught her in time.”

Elspeth was also growing fast, and Nell remarked that it would soon be time for her to start wearing longer skirts, since she would soon be a young woman.

“No!” Elspeth said angrily when Rose mentioned it to her. “I am not going to wear those silly frilly things! I will look like a cake with icing on it! Why do boys not wear dresses?”

Rose laughed and shrugged. “I think maybe because boys do things that might ruin their clothes,” she replied. “Like throwing stones at each other and fighting with wooden swords, jumping into streams and all those kinds of things. I only have sisters, so I really do not know.”

Elspeth looked sad all of a sudden. “I wish I had a sister,” she said wistfully. “Or a brother, or both.”

Rose could think of nothing to say to that, but she felt a sudden urge to wrap her arms around Elspeth.

For a second, she felt her tense, then Elspeth gave a soft sigh and relaxed into Rose’s embrace.

They sat like that for a short while before drawing away from each other, then Elspeth smiled at her.

“I like you, Rose,” she said fondly.

Rose’s eyes widened with surprise. “I like you too, Elspeth,” she replied.

After another wander around the gardens, they climbed the steep stairs up to the first row of turrets.

“I like coming up here,” Elspeth said.

She could barely look over the wall, but she loved standing beside the guards and pretending to be one of them. This seemed to be a peculiarly boyish thing to do, Rose thought, but it was one of the many quirks that made the little girl so endearing.

Their evenings were spent relaxing in Elspeth’s bedchamber, where Rose would teach Elspeth to play chess and tell her stories about her sisters and her childhood.

Elspeth loved these, and even made up imaginary sisters of her own so that she could tell tales about them.

Rose was utterly amazed by the girl’s imagination, and encouraged her as much as she could.

“You will be writing books soon,” she said, laughing.

Elspeth’s mouth made a perfect ‘O’. “I would love to do that,” she said in wonder.

“Your school work, especially your French, has been coming on so well that I think you deserve a little reward,” Rose said.

“Would you like to take a ride through the woods? We could ask Nell and the cook to put all your favourite food together for a picnic, and maybe you could both sit beside Loch Gorm and eat it. It is very peaceful down there, so I’m told. ”

To Rose’s dismay, Elspeth frowned and looked doubtful. She was quiet for a moment, seeming almost afraid, then she said hesitantly, “I am not sure I remember how to ride. I am not very good at it, and I have not been on a horse since… since Mammy…”

She broke off, and Rose hugged her quickly.

“Then make her proud of you,” she said firmly. “I’m sure your father can show you. It will be fun for you, and just think—strawberries, oatcakes, cheese, ham and some clootie dumplings—all your favourites!”

“But what if he says no?” Elspeth asked sadly.

Rose could have wept at the desperation in her eyes, but instead she smiled. “We will think of a way to persuade him,” she replied gently.

Elspeth thought for a moment, then nodded and took Rose’s hand, and they walked along to the Laird’s office together.

“Now, you must let me speak first,” Rose said, “to soften him up a little.” She winked, causing Elspeth to giggle.

Elspeth did not bother to knock, but opened the door at once, and saw her father in his usual place behind the desk.

Cormac looked up, startled to see them, since he rarely encountered his daughter and her governess before supper time.

“Elspeth has been doing very well in her studies lately,” Rose said, looking down at her.

“Her French has improved immensely, and her history and English are much better too. Her arithmetic has really impressed me, my Laird. Elspeth will be teaching me soon. So, since she has been such a good girl and paid such careful attention to her lessons,” Rose went on, “she has a favour to ask you.”

Elspeth looked uneasy, and shifted from foot to foot for a moment before taking a breath and looking up, first at Rose, who gave her a reassuring nod, then at her father.

“Can we go for a ride in the woods, Da?” she asked softly.

Cormac gazed at Elspeth for a few moments, then stood up, frowning in puzzlement, quite obviously clueless about what to do.

Rose almost rolled her eyes. She felt like shaking him, hoping it would shove some sense into him, and wondered for the hundredth time what made men so stupid.

“Take her hand,” she mouthed, miming the gesture with her own hand.

He stared at her for another few seconds, then she saw the moment when light dawned and almost heaved a mighty sigh of relief. She nodded in approval.

Cormac walked around his desk then held out his big hand to Elspeth, and she slipped her little one into it.

“I would be very happy to do that, Elspeth,” he told her.

His voice was warm and husky, and if Rose had ever doubted his feelings for his daughter, she could no longer do so. He was every inch the loving father; it shone out of him.

Elspeth smiled at him, then looked up at Rose. “I want Rose to come too,” she said softly. Her voice was hesitant, and she had a pleading expression on her face.

Cormac took in a sharp breath, before he said, “As long as Rose would like to, of course.”

He raised his eyebrows in a question as he looked at her, and she imagined she saw something hopeful in his gaze.

“I would love to come,” Rose said, genuinely delighted.

Elspeth jumped up and down, clapping her hands and smiling from ear to ear, and Rose felt a sense of happiness and pride inside, knowing that she had helped in the little girl’s transformation.

Cormac was laughing with his daughter, and Rose wanted to leave the room to let them be alone for a while, but she could not do so without the Laird’s permission.

She waited and watched them enjoying each other until it was time to go for supper, then she took Elspeth to her bedchamber to wash and smarten up.

“Are we having haggis again tonight?” Rose asked hopefully as she fastened Elspeth’s clean dress.

“No, tonight is trout,” Elspeth answered. “Nell asked the cook. We cannot have haggis every night—there will be no sheep left!”

Rose made a theatrical moué of disappointment and Elspeth giggled, then gave her a hug, something she had been doing more and more often of late. Rose’s heart warmed; in some ways, Elspeth was becoming akin to a little sister.

After Elspeth’s lessons the next day, Rose helped her into her riding habit, noticing that she was having to stretch the fabric slightly to button it up at the back.

“I think you might need a new riding habit!” she said. “This one is becoming too small for you.”

“Nell says I’m growing very fast,” Elspeth said proudly. “I think I will need new shoes too.” She looked down at her feet with a disapproving frown, as if to warn them to stop growing.

“Then we will have to have new clothes made for you,” Rose said, smiling. “Maybe you can mention it to your father this afternoon.”

“Will you have new clothes too?” Elspeth asked.

For a moment, Rose was lost for words. How could she tell the little girl that she would never be able to buy new dresses?

Cormac MacTavish paid her a generous wage, but more than half of it was sent to her father to pay off his debts, and Rose had no idea whether he was running up more or not.

She might have to work for the rest of her life just to keep a roof over her sisters’ heads.

“Perhaps I can get some in a little while,” she replied evasively. “I have enough for now. Now, shall we go and get some food? Nell has asked the cook to make all your favourite things.”

Elspeth’s face lit up. Rose knew that Elspeth was absolutely thrilled about the picnic, and she was happy to fall in with her wishes.

However, there was a purely selfish reason for Rose’s own anticipation, and his name was Cormac. She had seen him on his horse, a fearsome-looking black stallion, and the sight excited her in a way she had never experienced before.

He was the epitome of masculinity, and brought out her own femininity in response. She felt small next to him, not just in the physical sense, but in sheer presence, in the way he dominated the space around him. Yet, it was not an unpleasant feeling; rather, it made her feel protected and secure.

As well as that, her body responded to him in strange, but infinitely pleasing ways. Whenever she saw him, she began to tingle all over with an almost overpowering sensation of awareness. He was quite simply the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and the most desirable.

When they reached the stables, they found Cormac already waiting for them. He smiled at them, then came forward to speak to Elspeth, who looked up at him uncertainly, until he took her hand and led them both into the stables.

“I want you to meet someone,” Cormac told Elspeth.

“Who?” she asked curiously.

“Wait and see,” he replied, with a mysterious smile. He stopped beside one of the stalls, then opened the gate and led out a grey mare who tossed her head and whickered a little as if greeting them.

Elspeth looked at the horse doubtfully, then stepped forward and rubbed her palm against the velvety nose, smiling at the feel of it.

“She is so lovely,” she said as she stroked the mare’s neck. “What is her name?”

“Heather,” Cormac answered. “And she is yours.”

He waited a moment to let the news sink in, then watched as Elspeth’s face lit up with joy and disbelief. “Mine? Really mine, Da?” her voice was a squeak.

“Yes,” her father confirmed. “She has been here for a while, but I never told you because I wanted her to be a surprise for you. It’s your birthday soon, so think of her as a present.”

Rose gazed at him, amazed at the love and gentleness he was displaying.

This was one of the most generous, loving gestures she had ever seen.

This was not a side of him she had seen before, but she was glad it was there because it showed that he was not as cold as he had seemed at first. Perhaps the wall around his emotions was cracking a little, allowing her to see the soft heart inside.

Elspeth hesitated for a moment, then threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Da! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The joy in her face and voice brought out a beaming smile on Cormac’s face, and he kissed the top of her head.

“It is my pleasure, wee one,” he said, his deep voice infinitely gentle. “Now, would you like to mount up?”

Elspeth nodded eagerly, and Cormac lifted her into the saddle before turning to Rose.

She had no chance to refuse before he clasped her around her waist and hoisted her up almost effortlessly.

His hands were so big and her waist so small that the tips of his fingers almost met, and Rose was impressed by his sheer strength.

She was now sitting behind Elspeth, and put her arms around the little girl. “This is going to be fun, Rose. Da and I have not gone riding together since Mammy was here with us.”

Her voice sounded sad again, so Rose hastened to divert her thoughts.

“And I have not yet been to the loch,” Rose told her. “So this is an adventure for me. You must show me all your favourite spots.”

“I will,” Elspeth replied, hugging her tightly.

At that moment, Rose sighed in sheer contentment. Only one thing would have completed her happiness, but that, of course, was unattainable. She looked across at Cormac longingly and felt herself blush furiously as she found his gaze fixed on her with an unreadable expression.

She looked away quickly, hoping he had not seen the need in her eyes.