Page 77 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
There was a tall armoire, a vanity dresser and mirror, and a few occasional tables here and there. Around the enormous fireplace with its bright tiles was a set of two brocade armchairs and asmall couch, and Ava could imagine sitting here with a blanket over her knees toasting her feet in the winter.
She began to feel more positive, for things would not be so bad if she could be well fed and warm, and in the fullness of time her sisters would come to join her.
“What do ye think o’ your chamber, Mistress?” Mary asked as she pulled a bell rope to summon another maid.
“I think it is beautiful,” Ava replied, looking around herself. “I never dreamed o’ sleepin’ in a place like this.”
If her maid noticed her way of speaking, she made no remark upon it. “I will be your lady’s maid, so ask me for anythin’ ye need.” Mary smiled kindly and opened the armoire to show a variety of dresses of all different colours and fabrics. “The Master told me to have these ready for ye, and he told me that if there was anythin’ else ye needed ye must just ask. I have ordered ye some bath water, so please pick out a dress that ye would like. If it does no’ fit I can have it altered.”
The bath came a few moments later, and as Ava stepped into its fragrant water, she thought that she had never felt anything so wonderful in her life.
After emerging from the bath, she was dried, powdered and scented, then she had her hair pinned into a simple classical hairstyle that flattered her small oval face.
She picked out a sage green woolen dress with a round neckline and long sleeves, partly because it suited her, and partly because it was the least ostentatious of all the garments in the wardrobe. Mary dropped a matching shawl over her shoulders and stood back to survey her handiwork before turning Ava to face the long oval mirror.
Ava came to the conclusion that James must have been very sure of her answer if he had had all these dresses ready for her! Ava hardly recognised the woman staring back at her. “Is that me?” she squeaked.
Mary laughed. “Aye, Mistress, it is, an’ ye look beautiful. The Master had no time tae have dresses made, so these belonged tae his first wife, but ye shall have new ones as soon as they can be made. Is there anythin’ else I can do for ye?”
Ava shook her head. “No, thank ye, Mary. I feel like a queen.” She smiled, took a deep breath, then straightened her shoulders and walked downstairs. It was time to take her first meal with the man who was to be her husband. She only hoped that her table manners were up to the task!
As James watched Ava descending the stairs, he was utterly captivated by her, and his shaft stiffened with desire. Before, she had been a rough diamond, but now that she had been cut and polished she was shining with a new brilliance. He could hardly wait for his wedding night, but she was under his roof now, and he had keys to all the bedrooms.
“Ava!” He stepped forward to take her hands then raised them to his lips. “You look like a princess!”
“Thank ye for all the new clothes.” She smiled at him shyly. “I did no’ expect them at a’, an’ they are - well - beautiful.” She stood on her tiptoe and kissed his cheek lightly. “Thank ye,” she said again.
“Mary probably told you that they are not new. But we will make that right as soon as possible, and it is my pleasure to give you lovely things,” James told her, and for once, he meant it. Seeing the delight on her beautiful face had given him such a thrill that he could hardly believe it. He was usually such a cynic that it had been a long time since anything or anyone had made him feel that way. “Come and have dinner with me. My daughter Davina is out at the moment, but she will be back shortly, so in the meantime, my lovely wife to be, I want us to become better acquainted.” He took her hand and led her into the dining room.
15
Over a scrumptious dinner in which Ava managed not to disgrace herself by using the wrong fork or knife, she got to know a lot more about her future intended, and decided that while he would never be the love of her life, he was pleasant enough. He did not make her shiver and melt with desire the way Cameron did, but unless he was hiding some terrible secret, he would make an acceptable husband.
She discovered that James was an avid chess player.
“Do you play?” he asked, sipping more wine as he gazed at her hopefully.
“I know what the board looks like,” Ava answered, “but I don’t know how to play. She held up her hands and showed him the raw and calloused places on her palms which had been caused by years of hard work. “These hands have never done anythin’ so delicate.”
“Then I will teach you,” he promised, smiling as he took one of her hands and kissed the palm. “Can you read?”
Ava shook her head sadly. “No, James. I never learned that is the kind o’ thing they only teach boys how to do.”
It was most unlike him, but suddenly he felt sorry for her. He did not laugh at her lack of literacy, but said, “I will arrange a tutor for your reading and I will instruct you in chess myself.”
Ava was staggered. “Thank you! I have always wanted to learn to read.” She looked around. It was dark already, and she was suddenly unsure where she was sleeping that night. “Where am I stayin’?”
“Here, if you wish,” he replied. He smiled. “Did you like your bedroom?”
“Aye - very much.” She hesitated for a moment, then the question she had been dying to ask came bursting out of her mouth. “James - will ye help my sisters? If I am no’ workin’ they will be poorer, an’ -”
James held up a hand to stop her. “You sisters need never worry again. The Laird and I will give them all the help they need.” He knew that this was a sure way of gaining Ava’s support and cooperation. She would do anything for her sisters, and he looked forward to having them under his roof, especially the middle one. If he could not have Ava, he would have Janet. He liked a woman who fought with him. Both of them together? His shaft stiffened at the thought, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Thank you,” Ava breathed, relieved beyond measure as a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Her eyes were shining with tears. She swallowed the rest of her wine and said, “I am very tired. May I go to bed now?”
“Of course,” James answered, wishing he could go with her. “It has been a strange day for you, I expect, so you must rest now. The beds here are very comfortable, and Mary sleeps in a little adjoining room if you need anything.”
Ava nodded, but she knew that she would not be disturbing Mary from her well-earned rest that night. She had too much respect for hard-working people like her to deprive them of their sleep. If she needed anything she could get it for herself.
