Page 5 of The Plight of a Scottish Lass
Derric was on the far side of the hall at the hearth, calling to them. “There’s still dry wood here! So much we won’t have to cut for days.”
Eli whispered, “Alaric, our new home is beautiful. Look at the ornate work on the wood across the walls. The walls are mostly stone, but the woodwork is lovely.”
Dyna nodded, but added, “A wee bit dirty, but just from lack of use. Not from pigs living here. Cobwebs and dust. Easy to fix. The mistress of the castle kept a clean home.”
The great hall was long and majestic with massive hearths on each end. A long dais sat on the farthest wall between the hearths with lines of trestle tables to hold many clan members for meals. There was nothing of true value in the hall. If there had been, someone had stolen whatever they could, but there were tapestries on the wall, candle boxes, and plenty of tables, stools, benches, and chairs. A staircase led to a second-floor balcony with chambers over the passageway that led off to one side.
The hall was massive and made of dark wood and stone, thechairs and table on the dais adorned with ornate carvings.
“Chairs,” Eli whispered since she’d been relegated to stools for the most part at Ramsay Castle. The elders sat in the chairs, not the youngest ones. “And I don’t care if there are no cushions. I’ll make my own.”
Alaric hugged his wife, closed his eyes, and said, “Eli, we will have a wonderful life here. I’m sure we will grow to love the Isle of Mull.”
He didn’t let on that he was sure he’d seen someone hiding in the bushes as they approached. He’d find the fool later and send them on their way, though he’d been outside the curtain wall. After all, Maitland carried the official papers from the King of Scotland.
This castle was theirs, and no one would take it away from them.
Chapter Three
Tamsin
Tamsin peeked out between her lashes, not wanting her evil husband to know she was awake. She’d lost their bairn, though they had no idea whether it was a lad or a lass. It hadn’t been far enough along for the midwife to tell. This was a difficult event to process. She hadn’t recognized the fact that she’d carried a bairn inside, hadn’t felt it move yet. The midwife had guessed she was six moons along.
How had she not known?
She’d received no reaction from her husband. He’d locked her inside her chamber, sent Extilda in with a simple meal, but he said nothing. He usually wasn’t that quiet about events, preferring to use his fists to add emphasis to his words.
In fact, she’d fallen asleep and awakened to find herself in her present situation, having no memory of how she’d gotten here.
She lay in the bottom of a galley ship, the waves rocking her, each movement shooting tendrils of pain through her body. Her resolve nearly broken, she didn’t care if she ever saw her husband again.
The coldhearted bastard.
He’d sent their daughter to stay with his mother, without giving Tamsin the chance to give her a farewell hug. One more chance to take in her sweet scent, to inhale the breath of innocence that radiated from every moment of the wee lassie’s year-and-a-half-long life.
Her cruel mother-in-law would kill the innocence in the sweet girl, something Tamsin had vowed to treat with such care that she would always have a beautiful outlook on life. It was not to be—not with a nasty father and his vindictive mother.
She’d always treated Tamsin as if she didn’t deserve to eatthe crumbs she dropped on the floor.
The ship slowed, so Tamsin closed her eyes again to make sure she could hear Raghnall’s plans.
“Up there. On that rock. I will leave her there, see if she’ll learn the lesson. Next time I wish for a son who lives. This one could not even live in her belly for the time necessary.”
Raghnall had once been quite a handsome man, but he was turning to flab because he ate so much and spent his time ordering others to do all his work. His mousy brown hair had streaks of gray in it already. He didn’t believe in washing his hair more than once a moon, something that repulsed Tamsin.
Had he no sense of smell?
He was taller than many, but not the tallest she’d ever seen, and at one time he’d been broad-shouldered from practicing his sword skills for battle, but no more. He shied away from doing anything that took much exertion. Thus, his belly softened, his shoulders shrunk, but his eyes, those dark eyes that carried such coldness, could intimidate anyone.
The man who commanded Raghnall’s army of guards was known as Odart and traveled with him everywhere. Odart was the only man she’d ever seen question Raghnall and live to talk about it.
This time, his question even surprised her.
Odart glanced at his boss from the side. “You wish to leave her on the rock? She cannot swim, Raghnall. Or have you forgotten that high tide is coming soon?”
“I hope the bitch drowns. This way she will be forced to think about all the mistakes she’s made. How she is not worthy of kissing my feet. She dared to give me a daughter and then a dead bairn. I’ll tell everyone she went for a swim and drowned.”
“Your pardon, friend. I’ve been with you for many years. I might suggest that you not put your fist to her belly if you’d like the babe to survive the next time. The midwife said if she’d kepthim inside for another two moons, the babe would have lived.”
