Taking a deep breath, she focused on Betsy. “Where is he now?” she blurted, though that was not at all what she meant to say.
Her feelings ebbed and flowed between desire for his concern and denial of wanting it.
She looked towards the door that stood between her chambers and the next one.
“Might that be the Laird’s chamber, Betsy?” she asked with resignation, pointing towards the door.
Betsy cocked an eyebrow at her but said nothing.
Slowly, Lilliana shuffled out of bed and walked to the door. It was made of heavy iron, and when she turned the handle, she found that she could not open it. She looked for a key and found none. She put her ear to the door, listening intently.
He must have locked it from the other side.
With a shrug, she turned away from it. “Help me take this gown off,” she told Betsy.
She was tired of putting herself on display for others. The ceremony was over, and now she wanted to go back to being just Lilly for a while.
Betsy came to her and began to undo the many small buttons at the back of the gown. “What do you think will happen tonight?” she asked.
Lilliana gave a helpless shrug. “I hardly know, do I?”
Betsy had either purposefully or accidentally not given in to Lilliana’s gruff tone as she continued bustling around the room.
“I do not even have a trousseau. What am I supposed to do?” she sighed, standing up to lay out a brush.
“Do you think they have the same traditions as us?” Betsy turned to smile at Lilliana, who shook her head helplessly as she sat on the bed.
Betsy laid out a simple muslin gown for Lilliana to wear, with a plaid to ward off the cold.
Lilliana found that she was angry at Kayden for not informing them of what to expect. She did not even know if she was dressed appropriately. It was infuriating.
He is the one who wanted this marriage. Surely he should let us know what is to come next.
As she finished dressing, there was a knock at the door. Lilliana jumped, back straightening as she stared expectantly at it, ready to give Kayden a piece of her mind. Betsy hurried to open the door, and Lilliana’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, as it was Moira who stepped into the room.
“I brought ye some tea, Me Lady. And something small to eat,” she said, putting a tray on the side table. “Supper will be served later in the evening, where we shall toast to yer marriage, but the Laird thought perhaps ye hadnae eaten enough, and that is why ye fainted.”
Lilliana had no answer to that. It was true that she had been unable to think about eating before the wedding, what with her stomach in knots, but she was also sure that was not why she fainted.
“Where is the Laird now?” she asked.
“The Laird is attending to clan business. He sends his apologies for nae attending to ye himself.”
Lilliana gave Moira a sidelong glance. She doubted that Kayden had sent any apologies, but decided to keep her own counsel on that.
Moira pointed to the tray. “Eat,” she urged.
Lilliana looked down at the plate, picking up the cake-like pastry they called bannocks and taking a bite. She was not really fond ofScottish food, but she did not feel sufficiently hungry to ask for something else. She took a sip of the tea, and suddenly she was starving.
Having tried everything on the tray, devouring some bits more than others, Lilliana reflected on the fact that she would have to get used to this new food. Her usual cucumber sandwiches and honey cakes with cups of tea were probably a thing of the past. In the time she had been in Scotland, she noticed that they preferred bannocks and ale to break their fast.
Once Lilliana was done eating, Moira picked up the tray, but then paused. “I ken ye had yer heart set on treating the villagers, Me Lady. I daenae ken if the Laird will let ye do that, but ye can always take over the healer’s duties. It will be a big help to me, and I can inform him when he is most busy,” she said with a wink.
Lilliana looked at the housekeeper curiously.
“Betsy, dear, will ye grab Her Ladyship’s herbs and tinctures, please?” the housekeeper said before both women followed her out of the room.
Lilliana heard the click of her door before she spoke again. “Are you a healer too?”
