Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again. “Nay, I daenae have any reservations.”
Her eyes flicked to Ava again, who was watching them intently while letting the baby play with her hair.
“So ye have nay problem with the wedding taking place?”
“Nae in the slightest. It is just… I daenae ken what to wear.”
“I think I might be able to help ye with that,” Ava interjected, just as Jack opened his mouth to speak.
Emma furrowed her brow at those words.
Ava rose to her feet, with the baby on her hip, and laughed. “Uncle sent a dress with the gifts. ‘Tis lovely, Emma. Ye’ll look perfect in it.”
Emma blinked. “Ye kept that secret.”
Ava shrugged. “Catriona said to wait for the right moment.”
“Catriona kent about the dress before me?”
Ava opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, Catriona clapped her hands once. “Daenae stand there gawking, people. Guests will be at the gates before noon. We have work to do.”
Emma watched the older woman fix her son with a look that held more fondness than anything. “If ye still want this, mind ye.”
Jack smiled. “I do.”
Emma swallowed. This was happening too fast. For the love of God, she only just woke up a few hours ago.
She turned to her mother, hoping she shared the sentiment. Olivia’s face softened in a way that made Emma both warm and uneasy at the same time.
“Ma,” she muttered under her breath, the nervousness in her voice more evident than the bustle around her.
Olivia moved closer to her and squeezed her hand. “Breathe, love.”
The chaos in the Great Hall resumed as servants carried candlesticks toward the fireplace. Ava handed the baby to Emma, meaning to attend to some other tasks.
Emma stood in the center of the hall, the confusion on her face clear as day. A maid hurried past with ribbons tangled around her wrist and muttered an apology when one whipped her sleeve. Emma gave her a quick nod and watched her go.
Then, the sound of a carriage rolling into the courtyard reached her ears and caused her heart to skip a beat.
The first guest arrives.
She cleared her throat. “So, this is settled.”
Jack moved closer. “Aye.”
“I suppose there is nothing to do but prepare.”
He tilted his head, his gaze steady. “Emma, ye will tell me when this all becomes too much, will ye nae?”
She felt heat rise in her cheeks and looked down at the baby to hide it. “Aye, I will.”
Catriona slid between them, brisk again. “Emma, the dress is in yer chamber. I have asked Lara to press it. ‘Tis quite a lovely dress, if I might say so. Yer uncle has great taste.”
Emma felt her tongue burn. If the dress was truly as great as Catriona said, then Ava must have chosen it. Her uncle wouldn’t know what a good dress was, even if it slapped him across the face.
Of course, she didn’t voice that thought. Instead, she smiled and gave a nod.
“Aye, thank ye,” she said.
