5
Fergus was entranced.
Leila danced with vigor, her eyes flashing and her feet flying, her lithe figure drawing the eye of more than one man in the hall.Though she did not know the steps of their customary dances when the music began, she learned them quickly.She laughed and her eyes shone so that Fergus was reluctant to surrender her to another partner.
They danced until they were out of breath and then they danced yet more.His father clapped, so clearly pleased with the match that Fergus would never tell him the truth of it.Even Duncan danced with Leila and the sound of her merriment made more than one person in the hall smile.
When the candles had burned low, he sent the maid Agnes to the solar to prepare it, his own anticipation rising.When Leila spun back to him, he caught her in his arms for one last dance.“Shall we retire?”he asked, aware of the quick glance she cast his way.
“I assume our traditions are the same and the match should be consummated on this night.”
“I would advise it.Do you dread the coupling?”
“No,” Leila said without hesitation.“I am a maiden, of course, but you are a man of great kindness.I expect that we may both be well pleased.”
Her trust warmed Fergus to his toes.“I have sent Agnes to light the candles,” he confided.
Leila’s eyes flashed but she dropped her gaze.Instead of appreciating that she was tactful, Fergus wished again for her honesty.“Someone had to do it,” he whispered.
“I think it unwise to allow any soul in that chamber alone.”
“You yet have the key to the treasury,” he reminded her.
She granted him a somber look.“And every lock can be broken.At Gaston’s abode, there were many keys...”
“Do not be suspicious on this night,” Fergus entreated.“They will all accompany us to the solar.It is tradition that the women see the bride to bed, then the men bring the husband.The priest will bless the bed, then we shall be expected to produce proof of the union in the morning.”
Leila sighed and so obviously refrained from comment that Fergus whispered to her.“Remember that we promised honesty to each other,” he said and she nodded.“Tell me.”
“You must know that this sounds barbaric to me.Are we truly a mare and stud, meeting abed only for the conception of a child?”
“In the eyes of many, aye, we are.”Fergus raised his brows and whispered to her.“But none need know that we intend to enjoy the rendering of the marital debt.”
Leila laughed as the music ended.Fergus spun her to a breathless halt, then bent and kissed her fingertips.He said something in Gaelic, to much applause, and Leila understood she was to depart.She found Hamish’s aunt on her one side and another stocky woman from the village on the other.That woman fingered the cloth of her kirtle with the admiration of one who knew of textiles.
“Margaret?”Leila guessed and the woman smiled at her.She mimicked the gesture of sewing as they climbed the stairs, and Margaret nodded eagerly.When they entered the solar, Leila hastened to the cloth that she and Fergus had put aside for her.She touched the sheer cotton, then the chemise she wore, then the two lengths of heavier cloth and lifted the kirtle.She made the stitching motion again then gestured to herself.
Margaret nodded her agreement, holding up the red cloth to Leila’s chin and commenting.Leila caught only a few words but understood that Margaret approved of this color for her.
She showed Margaret the needles and indicated that they were a gift, and after much waving and laughing, Leila was certain she had been understood.She then lifted the hem of the kirtle she wore and grimaced at the dirt where it had dragged.Margaret clicked her tongue and dropped to her knees.She folded the hem once and held it so that Leila could see the result of turning it up that much.They both nodded in agreement that this would be an improvement.
Margaret began to undo the laces of the purple kirtle, pinching and tucking the fabric as she did so.She murmured to herself, as if committing the changes to memory.Leila turned as the woman bade her, understanding that she knew her craft.When she had shed the dress, Margaret cast the garment over her shoulder.
She pointed to Leila, made a walking motion with her fingers, then pointed out the window to the village.“Tomorrow?”she asked and Leila was glad to recognize the word.
“Tomorrow,” she agreed with a smile, then continued with care.“After noon.”
Margaret nodded and smiled her approval of this notion.She and Mhairi bustled Leila toward the bed, removing her shoes and stockings when she sat on the mattress.She was left in only her chemise, and one of the women took a comb to her hair.Leila noticed that Agnes, while purportedly her maid, busied herself with candles and stirring the coals in the braziers.
Mhairi touched the hem of Leila’s chemise as if to lift it, then met her gaze with a questioning expression.Leila understood that most brides were left naked but her deep blush at the notion made the two women smile.They conferred and allowed Leila her chemise, which was sheer but offered some modesty.
There was a ruckus at the door, and a great company of men burst into the solar with Fergus.He was laughing and had been stripped to his braies, and once again, Leila was struck by his good looks.His hair was tousled and his eyes were sparkling, and Leila thought again that he looked his best when he was merry.
She would ensure he was so, as often as possible.
Mhairi and Margaret exchanged a glance and raised their brows.Mhairi winked at her and clutched her heart.Leila laughed, which both women seemed to appreciate.Margaret made a gesture as if she rocked a babe, and Leila nodded with enthusiasm.While the men were yet at the portal, Leila held her thumb at her own crotch as if it was a penis, then mimicking rocking a child.The two older woman laughed aloud as they nodded agreement.
Meanwhile, the men were urging Fergus into the chamber.He climbed into the bed beside her and claimed her hand in his, then bowed his head as the priest intoned a prayer.Leila bowed her head as well, seeing from the corner of her eye that Margaret was mimicking her gesture with her thumb.She bit back her laughter, knowing that she was being teased.The company sang some chorus together, led by the priest, and Leila assumed it was another prayer.
