“I have a few tricks that serve me just fine.” Monty waggled his eyebrows, to which Laurel rolled her eyes.
“Aye, and they’re naught but tuppenny-ha’penny,” Laurel snorted. Monty’s scowl turned real as the other men howled with laughter. Donnan may have grinned to not stand out, but his eyes darted nervously between Monty and Laurel. She’d insulted Monty’s manhood, or at least what he could do with it, in front of a score of Ross warriors.
“You’d do well to learn a trick or two, sister. You might catch a husband,” Monty snarled. Laurel’s eyes narrowed, knowing she and her brother had both gone too far, but only Monty’s barb held truth.
“If it pays well,” Laurel mockingly shrugged. “Then neither you nor Father would need to spare me another coin. I could die of the clap before either of you have to pay a dowry.” The table sat in stunned silence as Laurel spoke in even tones, no hint of jest in her voice. She locked eyes with Monty and stared.
“That isn’t what I meant,” Monty muttered.
“Aye. You’d rather I capture a husband by crook or by hook to get a bride price for me. Either way, I wouldn’t be a Ross anymore. We all long for the day.” Glances darted back and forth between the siblings as the men at the table shifted uncomfortably. Laurel only spoke aloud what had been whispered about her, but it was entirely different for it to come from the lady herself. Laurel glanced down at her trencher and realized they’d made it to the third course before she wished Monty hadn’t arrived. They’d remained on civil terms longer than she expected.
“Mother and our sisters would never speak that way,” Monty glowered. “You’ve been at court too long. But I suppose when you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”
Laurel’s eyes widened as she stood from her seat, casting a glance at Donnan, who sat in shocked silence. “And yet you wish me to be a bitch in heat. There’s more than one way to make a scandal in this family,” Laurel warned.
“Laurel,” Monty rose too. But he was at a loss for words, since he could see his sister no longer threw out an empty threat. He realized, as he saw the depth of pain in Laurel’s eyes for the first time, that she hadn’t exaggerated how miserable she was at court. She’d been his favorite sister when they were growing up, but he’d scoffed at her bitterness when their parents forced her to live at court. He thought she’d accepted her life, since she’d mellowed over the past few years. But he saw now that Laurel was reaching a point of desperation, and he didn’t doubt she would cause a scandal to be sent away. And he suspected she would do it of such epic proportions that their family would never welcome her back at Balnagown either.
“Dinna fash, brother. I’m nay one’s problem but ma own,” Laurel said as she stepped over the bench. She moved toward the doors of the Great Hall, but a page stopped her.
“Lady Laurel, the king and queen request you join them in their antechamber,” the young boy informed Laurel.
“Now?” She glanced over the boy’s head to see the royal couple was no longer on the dais.
“Aye, my lady,” the page said before turning away. Laurel drew in a deep breath before making her way back across the Great Hall, having no choice but to pass her clansmen. She didn’t cast her eyes in their direction, and she ignored Monty as he called out to her.
“Where are you going?” Monty asked as he fell into step alongside her. “Your chamber is in the other direction.”
“I told ye, dinna fash, brother,” Laurel muttered.
“Laurel, please,” Monty begged.
“The king and queen have summoned me. Go away.”
“Both of them? Do they do that often?” Monty wondered.
“Do you fear this shall be the scandal? That I’ll insult our monarch? Or perhaps you think I should practice those tricks in amaynage?” Laurel snapped quietly. “One partner would be enough for me. I’m not the one who needs two.”
“That’s not fair,” Monty whispered.
“Welcome to life at court, Montgomery. None of it is fair. Go away,” Laurel ordered. But it was too late. They were already at the doors to the antechamber, and a guard opened it for them. The king and queen looked in their direction.
“Join us, Montgomery,” King Robert commanded. The siblings entered and showed their deference to the Bruce and Queen Elizabeth with a curtsy and bow. The tension crackled between them, but they were accustomed to hiding their thoughts and feelings. Their expressions appeared relaxed while neither felt that way.
“It is well timed that your brother attends court, Lady Laurel,” King Robert addressed her. “This shall save me sending a messenger. Lady Laurel, how long have you been in service to my wife?”
Laurel swallowed but kept her gaze upon the king. Queen Elizabeth knew exactly how long Laurel had been one of her ladies-in-waiting, as did the king. But he would force her to admit to her prolonged tenure.
“Eleven years, Your Majesty,” Laurel spoke clearly.
“That is how long Elizabeth Fraser was at court. Of course, she arrived as a child with her parents. Her service to the queen did not span that entire time,” King Robert mused. Laurel didn’t need the king’s observations to make her feel like a crone. “You are the queen’s most senior lady-in-waiting, Lady Laurel.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Laurel responded after there was a lull.
“I shall come to the point, Lady Laurel,” King Robert announced. “The time is overdue for you to marry. Your friends have wed, and yet you remain. I understand your unsubstantial dowry is part of the cause.” King Robert left unsaid what all four knew—Laurel’s temperament and reputation were the other cause. “None of the younger ladies may marry until you do.”
“Your Majesty?” Laurel glanced between King Robert and Queen Elizabeth. “I must marry, so the others might, too?”
“Aye. Yours will be the next wedding. Once you are married, the other ladies may move forward with their courtships,” Queen Elizabeth spoke up. Laurel felt as though the air that entered her nose lost its way to her lungs. Her heart thudded behind her breastbone and spots danced at the corners of her eyes.
