Siusan ran over to Mazey and wrapped her chubby arms around Mazey’s leg. “Maze. Ah missed ye, Maze.”
She couldn’t help the smile and sweet feelings that snuck into her heart at the sight of Malmuira’s little sister. “Hello, Siusan. How are ye doing?”
“Ah’m excited. Faither says ye’ll take me to pick flowers.”
Mazey knelt down and tucked a lock of hair behind Susan's little ear. “Aye, ah’ll take ye to pick a bunch.”
Baile patted Mazey on her shoulder as he walked out the door. “Be back in time for supper tonight.”
After he left, Siusan grabbed her hand and pulled her to the edge of the room. “Will ye brush my hair now, Maze?”
Mazey picked up the brush and started at the bottom, working her way up to the crown of her head. The motions were repetitive and calming. Siusan was the picture of patience, not crying out when Mazey accidentally pulled too hard. She was well behaved. Or so Mazey thought. Just after that thought trailed through her mind, Siusan decided it was time to find something to do.
The child sprinted out of the room, throwing the door open in haste. Mazey followed her out and ran down the hall, whizzing past servants and other residents of the keep. She didn’t yell out, for fear of drawing attention to herself and her obvious inability to keep control of a small child. She lost site of her for a moment and began to panic when she reached a fork in the hallway. Peals of laughter from the left side led her to find the escapee. She was inside the kitchen with Garia.
“Siusan!” she exclaimed.
Garia and Siusan looked up at her and Garia frowned. “What’s the panic, Mazey? Was Siusan not supposed to come to the kitchens?”
“Nay, she ran off. Ah’ve been chasing her through the keep as fast as ah could, but ah didn’t know where she was going.”
Garia looked at Siusan who frowned and picked up the child. She put her over her knee and swatted her bum. Mazey could tell Garia didn’t want to hurt Siusan. She swatted her enough to make a sound, but easy enough not to hurt. It stunned Mazey. Garia, the head cook in the keep, felt comfortable enough to smack sense into the child of the clan chief. Siusan wailed and great big tears dropped out of her eyes. “Ah’m sorry Garia. Ah’m sorry Maze.” She ran over and grabbed at Mazey’s skirts, wiping her runny nose and tears on them.
Mazey reached down and picked up the child and hugged her close. “Don’t ye run off on me again. Tell me where ye’re going and ah’ll go with ye.”
Siusan nodded silently and then pushed herself down off of Mazey to walk around the kitchen.
Garia leaned in closer to Mazey. “’Tis yer first day, ain’t it?”
“Aye, and ah almost lost the lass in the first part of the morning.”
“Never ye mind. Just make sure she knows ye love her. Make her feel special. That child has been through a lot with her maither’s death. And now Malmuira off at the Murray clan. At least the war is over. But wee Siusan is sweet as can be. She’s a handful mind ye, but has a tender heart. And if she isn’t obeying ye, just be stern. She can listen once ye’re stern.” Garia walked back over to where she peeled and cut root vegetables for supper.
“Thank ye,” Mazey called out as loudly as she dared. Garia didn’t hear her, but Mazey wasn’t surprised. She rarely talked loud enough for anyone to hear her. She went to find Siusan who was talking the ear off of another person in the kitchen. Mazey wasn’t sure who she was, but she looked pleasant enough. She had round full cheeks and light wavy hair wound around her head.
Mazey waited for a break in the endless ramble, but when it didn’t come, she interrupted. “Siusan, we best get ye to break yer fast. Ye need a good meal so we can go out and pick a bunch of flowers.”
She perked up and abruptly ended the conversation to follow Mazey to the dining hall. On the way, she grabbed Mazey’s hand and held it in hers. “Ah think we’ll like picking the purple flowers. Ah think the yellow ones are pretty, but the purple ones are Faither’s favorite. And he likes it when ah put the purple ones in my hair. So ye’ll braid my hair. Like what ye have. Ah want my hair like yer hair.” The high-pitched voice was adorable and made everything she said cute. She rambled on through breakfast, gulping her food down as she spoke.
The sun washigh in the sky by the time Mazey and Siusan made it outside to pick flowers. Mazey carried a loosely woven basket in one hand and led Siusan with the other. The wind wafted gentle scents of heather through Mazey’s light brown hair. She smoothed the frizzy waves down, attempting to bring order to her locks, but knowing it was an impossibility. Her hair was plain, her clothes were plain, and she wasn’t much to look at anywhere else. Hume was clear about that throughout the duration of their marriage. She grimaced when she thought back to all the times he told her how she was too boney and she didn’t have enough curves to satisfy a man.
Siusan pulled her out of her thoughts with a tug. “Maze, ah see purple ones!” She ran off with a squeal of delight and gathered together handfuls of purple flowers. Mazey knelt down on the dark-colored dirt and pulled off the flowers by the stem. She held one up to Siusan and tucked it in her hair just behind her ear. Siusan beamed at Mazey and returned the gesture in kind, tucking a small purple blossom into her braid.
Siusan’s energy was never-ending. Mazey begged her to halt the flower picking to get them back to keep in time for supper. They filled the basket, both pockets on Mazey’s dress and Siusan carried a stack of flowers in her arms. She dropped stems on the way to the keep, but Mazey didn’t tell her, for fear they would have to go back and pick them all up again. They went back to Siusan’s room and put all the flowers near the hearth, ready to stuff into pillows. “Ah want some in my hair for supper,” Siusan announced.
“All right, wee’un, but then we eat. Or ah’ll be so hungry ah’ll have to eat ye myself.” Siusan squealed and ran around the room while Mazey chased her, both of them falling into a heap on the floor in peals of laughter. The door opened abruptly and Baile strode in.
“Ah thought ah’d find ye here. It’s nearly suppertime.”
Siusan ran over and jumped into his arms. “Maze promised to braid my hair with flowers like hers. Ah want braids just like Maze. Aren’t her braids pretty?”
Mazey flushed in embarrassment and tucked the stray locks that frizzed out of her braids back behind her ear. Siusan didn’t know how homely and unattractive Mazey was, because she was but a child. Baile could see how ugly she was.
“Aye, her braids are bonnie and ye’re hair will look just as pretty too.”
Mazey tried to sense the insult in his words, but they seemed genuine. Why would he compliment her? She was hideous.
Siusan jumped down and sat on the chair. Mazey quickly plaited her hair.
