Page 95 of Once Upon A Haunted Castle
“Lady Senara, will ye do me the honor of dancing with me this evening?” He bowed low and arose with his hand held toward her, palm up in invitation.
She glanced toward Edana, and the small act of her obvious fear slipped into Gavin’s heart like a blade.
“Dance wi’ him!” a woman shouted from somewhere behind them.
“Dinna worry about her,” he said quietly to Senara. “I willna let her punish ye.”
Senara put her fingertips to his palm and a tentative smile hovered at the corner of her lips. She gave a slow nod. “Aye, I’ll dance with ye.”
A cheer rose up and spots of color showed on her cheeks.
Gavin led her toward the cleared area of the great hall while the musicians readied to play once more with random notes peppering the air intermittently.
When they arrived, they faced one another and put their palms together. Senara’s pulse thrummed wildly against his own.
Fear?
He hoped not.
She’d had a tough go of it on her first day. He would ensure the rest of her time at Castle of Park was enjoyable, even if it meant wresting her from his aunt’s care.
The music came then, a lively beat which pulsed around them and left even the most stoic of men tapping their feet.
Within seconds, the frail smile on Senara’s lips broadened into a wide grin. It was like seeing the sun break through the darkness of a stormy day and left him wanting to turn his face to the warmth of her joy.
Though her steps were unlike those at Castle of Park, she danced with the unfettered confidence of one who cared not what others thought of her.
It was beautiful to watch her. Lovely and graceful and so wholly natural, it made his heart ache for such freedom from the crush of societal constraints.
When at last their dance was done, she laughed and gave him a low curtsey. “Thank ye, laird.” In a soft tone meant only for him, she added, “For everything.”
It was with great reluctance he released her hand and allowed her to slip away to the attention of others. His clan had offered her ready acceptance with the hospitality only the Highlands could truly demonstrate.
He knew he needed to share her with them, even when he did not wish to.
It was not until much later, when the dancing had stopped and the people were all trudging home, that he realized he’d not once allowed himself to be weighed down by the burden of his marital predicament. Not when he’d spent the night discreetly noting Senara’s presence– her laughter, her smiles, her grace.
Aye, it was a hard thing, indeed, to think of a potential wife when all his thoughts kept straying back to Senara.
*
Happy exhaustion leftSenara’s legs particularly heavy and tired. She’d danced perhaps one too many times, but wouldn’t take it back for anything.
She climbed the steps to her small room with the tease of a smile still clinging to her lips. Sweat from her efforts had dried on her brow, leaving her skin feeling gritty and tight. She relished the idea of passing a cool cloth over her entire body and then falling into the cradling softness of her bed.
The candle she held cast a flickering golden sphere of light around her until finally her door came into view. She pushed it open and stepped into her small space.
Her very own small space for only her with the simple bag she’d brought from home, as yet still unpacked, the neatly made bed, and the table. Something shadowed on top of the small table.
She walked closer and her heart caught in her chest.
Freshly cut heather. In a real vase. Not a clay pot or a chipped cup, but a true glass vessel with a bonny twist at its base.
A soft laugh escaped her before she could clap a hand over her mouth. It was all so wonderful. A dream come true.
Life in a beautiful castle with a kind laird and even a room with a bunch of heather to greet her in the morning.
She knew immediately she must thank him for all he’d done.
If she hurried, Gavin might still be in his solar. She quickly wiped herself clean and dressed in a clean, albeit somewhat wrinkled, gown.
Perhaps it was not especially appropriate for her to speak to him privately in the dead of night. The idea did niggle at the back of her thoughts. But then, she was merely a servant and did not have to worry after her virtue as highborn ladies must. It was quite a liberating thought and only served to further steel her eager resolve.
She pushed open the door with a decisive shove and headed down to Gavin’s private solar.
