Page 38 of Highlander's Secret Heiress
Alyth almost laughed out loud. If Laird Robertson expected a virgin on his wedding night, he was going to be sorely disappointed! She said nothing, however, merely gazed at him with eyes that were full of hatred.
“Come now,” Robertson said soothingly. “It will not be as bad as you think. I will be very gentle with you.”
He patted Alyth’s cheek and turned away to summon a maid servant, who rushed by the door awaiting orders.
“Shona!” Alyth cried. She was overcome with relief and pleasure to see her old lady’s maid, who had looked after her since she was a girl.
“Milady!” Shona smiled warmly. “I am so glad tae see ye.”
“Come in, maid,” Robertson said. “Your mistress, Lady MacAdams and I are getting married the day after tomorrow. I would like you to find a dress for her.”
Laird MacAdams spoke up. “You should be able to find something from some of the old ones that were left behind byhouse guests. There is bound to be one that fits, do you not think?”
Laird Robertson took the chance to look Alyth up and down again with the same lascivious leer on his face, pretending to be interested in her dress.
“Aye, M’Laird,” the old woman agreed. “I think I can find somethin’.”
“Then we will leave the preparation in her capable hands,” Robertson said with an air of satisfaction. Laird MacAdams had fallen silent again, and it seemed as though he was the guest, not the Laird of the castle.
“Would you like to come down a little later for our midday meal?” Robertson asked.
“Are you the Laird now?” she demanded.
Robertson laughed contemptuously. “Of course not. But I will be the Laird’s son-in-law, so I think I have some authority.”
Alyth shook her head and looked at him contemptuously, then she treated Laird MacAdams to a venomous scowl. “I cannot believe you let this happen, Da.”
Alyth followed Shona upstairs, expecting to go to her own bedchamber, but instead she was led to a spacious room on the first floor. However, she was not surprised. Robertson was clearly making himself at home!
“Why am I not in my own bedchamber?” she asked Shona.
“Because your father said so, Milady.” The old lady frowned, but said nothing more. She did not have to; evidently she felt the same about Laird Robertson as Alyth did.
When Alyth walked in, she could see that the room had not yet been prepared for her arrival, since the bed was unmade and the rest of the furniture was covered in dust.
Two maidservants were busy sweeping and dusting, and both of them curtsied as Alyth and Shona entered. Alyth knew their faces because they worked in the castle, but she was ashamed to realise that she had never before asked their names.
Yet, everything was different now; she knew how much these women were worth.
The two women looked hesitantly at Alyth, unsure of what to do next. “Carry on with what you are doing,” Alyth instructed, smiling at both of them. “You were obviously not expecting me.”
“No, Milady,” Shona answered nervously. “We didnae know ye were comin’ till a wee while ago.” She looked distressed, as if expecting a reprimand.
“Then please don’t let me bother you,” Alyth said, soothingly. She felt a pang of sadness as she remembered the camaraderie she had enjoyed with the maids at Leithmuir.
Alyth looked around the room and suddenly realised why she had been moved into it. This was not going to be just her bedchamber, but hers and Laird Robertson’s for their wedding night. She felt a wave of sick rage rise in her belly, and wondered if there was anything she could do to damage it so that it would be useless.
By the time the room was ready for her occupation, the three maids had concluded that their mistress was indeed a very unusual lady indeed, but they liked her immensely.
Alyth had deeply impressed them by climbing a ladder to reach up and dust the decorative cornice on the ceiling, although they were rather astonished that she was wearing breeches.
Alyth wanted to get to know the maids better for two reasons; because she genuinely liked most of them, and if she wanted tofind a way out of the castle, she knew it would be better if she became friendly with them.
However, today she knew she would have to stay quiet and cause no more fuss, so she allowed herself to be bathed and changed into a dress that Shona brought her.
Alyth looked around herself as she walked downstairs, searching for an escape route, but there were two guards constantly at her side, and she had to be careful that she was not making herself too obvious. It amazed and saddened her that she was looking at her own home as if it were a prison.
When she arrived in the dining room, her father and Laird Robertson both stood up and bowed to her, but Alyth sat down without giving them a curtsey.
