“Aye, Laird.” She did not turn back to face him.
“Meet me in the solar in the morning after ye break yer fast. Yer father haes sent me word of something he wishes ye to ken.”
“I am not busy now, Laird. We could...” She turned to him now.
“Nay. The morn will be soon enough. Enjoy yer maid’s celebration and see me in the morn.”
A sense of foreboding filled her with wariness. What could her father have sent word about that it should not come directly to her? He knew she could read and write; there was no need to use an intermediary. Struan had made it clear that he would see her in the morning, so she decided she would retire early with the babe. Mayhap sleeping would make it go faster.
She reclaimed Craig from her cousin and took him to the chambers they shared. It took a bit of time to calm him down from the excitement of the hall, but soon Craig was tucked in for the night. Anice climbed into her own bed and, after saying her nightly prayers, pulled the covers up and tried to sleep.
She wished she could blame it on the noise from the celebration below, but it was quiet here on the third floor. She lay in bed, listening to the wind outside her window, listeningfor sounds of the babe moving in his cradle nearby and even listening to the sound of her own breathing, The keep settled down for the night and she was still awake.
Anice tried pacing her room to make her relax enough to sleep. It did not work. She checked and rechecked Craig, almost hoping that he would stir and give her something to do. He had just recently begun sleeping through the whole night so he slept on, blissfully unaware of the tension gripping her. Finally, on her tenth trip to the window, she saw the lightening of the sky telling her that dawn approached.
Craig woke as the sun did and she changed and fed him and then prepared herself to meet with Struan. Her stomach was queasy with anticipation so she did not even try to eat. The great room was nearly empty, a testament to the rejoicing and drinking that took place here last night. Then she noticed Struan enter the solar, at the same time she saw Robert carrying his sack towards the doorway.
“Robert,” she called out, “a moment of your time please?”
He looked as though he would refuse her, but nodded and waited for her to approach. He let his bag slip to the ground and adjusted the sword at his side and the plaid thrown over his shoulder. This close, his face looked worse than it had from afar.
“You are leaving? Now?” she asked. A lump suddenly formed in her throat.
“Aye, my... Anice. I thought to stay until harvest, but Struan assures me all is well in hand now.” He looked at her shoulder, he looked at her hands, but he would not look her in the eye.
“So, you would leave without a word of farewell, then?” She tried to lighten the moment by teasing him. It did not work. His expression grew even darker.
“I did no’ think it wise to seek ye out. Struan haes made himself clear about yer place as a lady and mine as the son of the steward. Let us just say it now and I will be on my way.”
“Well, then,” she said, smoothing her sweaty palms against her skirt. “Godspeed go with you then, Robert. And once more, you have my thanks for all you did for me and my son.” Tears began to fill her eyes and she blinked trying toclear them. This man had saved her life and her son’s and was now simply leaving forever.
“Yer gratitude warms my heart, Anice, and will stay with me forever,” he said in a voice also growing rough. He bowed to her and then picked up his sack and turned to leave. He mumbled something else but she could not understand it. When she would have asked him, she saw Struan standing in the doorway of the solar, waiting for her. She stood motionless for a moment listening to the sound of Robert’s boots on the stone floor before attending to the laird’s business.
Struan stood within the solar, near the large hearth on the far side of the sunny room. The windows in here magnified any rays of the sun that they were favored with and the room was bright on most days. She walked to where he stood and waited.
“Sit, lass,” he said, pointing to a chair.
She did so and waited once more as he paced from the hearth to the table and back again. He carried the parchment she’d seen last evening—the one he would not let her get a look at.
“Yer faither and I have been working for the last few months on an agreement. This is what he sent me and bade me to speak with ye about now.”
“Speak to me? About what, Struan?”
“Yer marriage to Sandy and then birthing Craig haes sealed an alliance between our clans, Anice. Ye ken?”
She nodded. That was exactly what her marriage had been—a contract between Struan and her father. Each one gained an ally, each gained clear passage through the other clan’s land as well as some property that had been exchanged. She gained a husband, she thought as an uncontrolled tremor raced through her, and Sandy gained a wife and heir. She could not be sorry that he was no longer here to enjoy the fruits of his labors.
“But, yer faither needs to seal a bargain with the MacLarens, his neighbors to the north. Since yer marriage is over, with Sandy, God rest his soul, he haes begun negotiations with the MacLaren for yer marriage to his eldest son.”
Her mind fought believing the words he spoke to her. ’Twas simply not possible. She was a MacKendimen bymarriage and her son would one day be laird here. She was a MacKendimen now; her place was secured as mother of the heir.
“Ye will have at least a year before this comes to pass, Anice. There’s plenty of time to wean the bairn and see to his upbringing. The MacLaren heir haes just lost his own wife and willna be looking to marry until at least next summer. Plenty of time to work out the details and prepare for yer new life.”
The room grew dark around her as she realized he spoke the truth of her father’s plans. Chaos filled her thoughts and she was unable to speak as the completeness of these arrangements horrified her. They were marrying her off once more, taking her babe from her, and giving her to another man as wife.
“No’ my babe,” she whispered. Shaking her head, she began backing away from him. He matched her step for step and shook his own head.
“Nay, Anice. Let me explain.”
