18
When Isla awoke the next morning, she had a knot in her stomach. The wedding day was at hand, and she still had not come up with a way to escape it. For that matter, she didn’t even know for certain whether she was still a virgin or if the whole thing had indeed been a cruel fraud on the part of her father.
She loathed the fact that she had even been driven to consider such a possibility. He was herown father, for pity’s sake! He had a quick temper, and sometimes his punishments could be a bit unfair, but to engage in such heinous treachery? To drug her and make her believe that her maidenhead had been taken? All to push her into a marriage she did not approve of?
Could the man she had known and trusted her entire life—a man who had so often embraced her and told her he loved her—be capable of such dastardly acts?
She wished she could dismiss it as nonsense.
But she kept thinking of Margaret.
Margaret had been a good maid and a loyal friend to her prior to Brodie’s arrival. And even if Margaret were infatuated with him, she had too sweet and kind a soul to have genuinely attempted to ruin Isla’s marriage to him.
Even though I did not even want him for myself,Isla brooded.I had my heart set on Andrew, and Margaret knew that full well. It should not have mattered to me that Margaret was attracted to him, especially since he would never have been able to wed her anyway. So why did I act so possessive and spiteful toward her when I saw the connection between them? As though we were children, and Brodie was little more than a toy I had grown bored with yet did not wish to share?
Yes, she believed she had stumbled upon the answer to her own irrational behavior toward her maid. She had reacted just as she used to when her younger sisters tried to take her things as a child. And in dismissing Margaret and being hateful to her, no doubt she had hurt her tremendously.
Isla resolved that when Margaret came in to help her get ready, as she did every morning, then Isla would do whatever it took to make Margaret believe that she harbored no ill will toward her. Perhaps Isla could not avoid participating in the wedding, but she could at least correct this mistake before she did and hope for Margaret’s continued friendship if nothing else.
The door to her bedchamber opened, and she stood up, preparing to deliver her apology.
But instead of Margaret, Ainsley entered, carrying Isla’s breakfast tray. “Good morning, milady,” the servant said meekly. “I hope you slept well?”
“I did not,” Isla replied with a frown. “Who are you?”
“My name is Ainsley, milady,” the girl answered. For some reason, she blushed and refused to make eye contact with Isla as she set the tray down on the bedside table. “They told me that Margaret was unavailable to see to you today, so your father told me I could have the honor of taking her place.”
“But why is she not available?” Isla demanded. “Where is she?!”
“I do not know, milady! Please, I beg you, do not be cross with me!” Tears of desperation shone in Ainsley’s eyes. “I only wished to serve you well today! Elspeth in the kitchen said that Margaret was ill, but when I offered to take some breakfast up to her, Elspeth told me to mind my own affairs instead of other people’s! And then your father summoned me to his study, and he said that if I served you well today, I might be permitted to become your maid and go with you to live with the MacKenzies!”
“You most certainly will not!” Isla shouted, pulling her dress on and storming out. “Margaret is my maid, and I intend to find her at once!”
Isla heard Ainsley weeping loudly behind her and felt a pang of guilt. It was not the poor girl’s fault that she had been sent up to Isla’s room in Margaret’s stead.
But where is Margaret?Isla thought, growing more alarmed by the moment.And why on Earth would my father have promised her position to someone else?
She ran to her father’s study and entered without knocking. “Bloody hell, Isla, why would ye burst in on me like that? Did yer mother and I never teach ye manners when ye were a child?!”
“Never mind that!” she retorted fiercely. “Where is Margaret?”
Seamus scoffed, “Ach, is that what ye’re on about, then? A new girl brings yer breakfast up to ye, and the slight disruption in yer routine sends ye into a fit of madness that has ye screeching like a harpy?”
“You knew full well that I had become attached to her!”
He raised his eyebrows cannily. “Oh, had ye? From our prior conversations, lass, I thought ye had well and truly washed yer hands of her. Did ye not accuse her of trying to steal yer husband-to-be from ye?”
“Yes, I suppose I did,” she admitted, embarrassed. “I regret that now. I do not believe she acted with any malice toward me, and I wish to tell her so. Now, where is she, Father? Please answer at once! Did you choose to punish her for running off?”
Seamus gave her a patronizing chuckle. “All right, if it will prevent ye from berating me further, ha! The girl and I settled our differences, and she asked for the day off to attend to some personal business. I granted her permission, and off she went.”
Isla peered at him incredulously. “What personal business did she have?”
“Good lord, child, since she said it was personal, I did not ask! She assured me that she would return tomorrow…though, by that point, I expect you will be halfway to the MacKenzie estate, eh?”
None of this sounded right to Isla. “Why would she choose today to leave? Knowing that it was my wedding day and that I would expect her to help me prepare?”
“Ye would have to take that up with her, lass,” Seamus replied. “Whatever help ye require in terms of yer hair and clothes and the like, I have no doubt that Ainsley will prove perfectly serviceable. I have been impressed with her loyalty and discretion in the past, and I believe you will as well.”
