Thalia twisted around to see her sister coming down the stairs. Ava settled down beside her, smoothing down her skirts over her legs.
“Aye. I daenae think he will be joinin’ me today,” Thalia grumbled. “I didnae even want to buy a new gown, and now I’ll have to make the journey meself.”
“I could go with ye if ye want?” Ava offered.
“Nay, that willnae be necessary.” Thalia sighed, standing up with renewed resolve. “I’ll just go to the nearby village. I’m sure they have something I can use to piece together a nicer dress. I shouldnae be long.”
“All right. Be careful out there. I’ll tell Finlay where ye went, in case he changes his mind and decides to join ye,” Ava replied.
Thalia nodded, though she doubted that he would. After last night, she wouldn’t be surprised if he continued to avoid her until the cèilidh.
And even then, he might still find an excuse to avoid me there, too.
Thalia went to the stables and had one of the servants saddle a horse for her. Since it would just be herself, she saw no need to use an entire carriage. She would take a horse, a satchel to put her fabrics and money into, and that would be enough. She had a small allowance that had been brought with her things from MacCabe Castle, so she should have everything she needed.
She ran through the list of villages in her head while she waited for the horse to be readied. The villages she knew of were closerto MacCabe castle, and she wasn’t keen on riding that far away and back in a day.
“Pardon, where is the closest village from here?” she asked one of the stable boys.
He was a young man whose name she had not yet learned, but he had kind eyes and an endearingly crooked smile. He looked up from where he had been shining a saddle, and lifted his hand to his chin in thought.
“That would be Beauly,” he replied. “It’s just a short ride north of here.”
“Thank ye.” She smiled back.
“Me Lady, yer horse is ready,” the other servant announced.
Thalia followed him out of the stables. To her surprise and delight, it was the same horse she had met when she first found Daisy in the woods. A pretty tan mare who huffed as she approached her.
Thalia reached out her hand, stroking the beast’s soft nose. “Sorry to wake ye up so early, I just need yer help for a short trip.”
The horse shook its head in response.
Thalia put one foot in the stirrup and swung her other leg over the saddle. She adjusted herself so that she was comfortable and gripped the reins tightly in her hands. Keeping the sun on her right, she began the journey to Beauly Village.
The stable boy had been right; it had not taken more than an hour to reach the village.
Beauly was a beautiful village, with the same rolling hills and green grass she was used to seeing around her home. A large stone priory stood on the outskirts, but it seemed not to be in use anymore. The few people who lived there milled around, going about their daily lives.
No one gave her more than a passing glance as she came down the dirt street. Shops lined the street on either side, and she dismounted her horse at the first hitching post.
“Be good now, and maybe I’ll bring ye an apple once I’m done here,” Thalia murmured.
The mare stomped her hooves against the ground, causing Thalia to chuckle.
“Two apples, then.”
She tied the horse to the post and slung her satchel over her head so the strap lay across her chest. The smell of bakingbread wafted through the air, and she took a deep breath as her stomach grumbled. In her rush and irritation this morning, she had not had a chance to eat breakfast.
She followed her nose straight to a bakery. The door was open, and there was already a small crowd inside. At the front, two wooden counters lined up perpendicular, behind which a young woman and an older couple stood.
Thalia entered the store and took a spot near the back wall. The three people behind the counters seemed to have a solid system in place. The older woman took the orders and the money, the man would fetch the bread, and the younger woman would wrap it.
She became mesmerized by the process, watching with curiosity as the line before her moved in a quick procession until it was her turn.
“Good mornin’,” the older woman greeted her with a smile. “I daenae think I’ve seen ye here before.”
“I’m just passin’ through,” Thalia said easily. She did not want to mention her betrothal to their Laird, especially since Finlay was still so insistent on it being fake. “Could I get a loaf of middlin’ bread, please? Oh, and a couple of oatcakes.”
