He had to flatten himself against the wall to allow lads carrying a large tub to pass. The steward, followed by servants, brought up the rear. They carried bath sheets, towels, and buckets of steaming water from the large cauldron in the kitchen. Mary had ordered it kept full and hot hours ago.
She raised an eyebrow at her father, who tipped his head, then went on his way. Mary pursed her lips, then knocked on Lady Grant’s door. “Milady, yer bath is here.”
The door flew open. Mhairi Grant stood in the way, hands on hips. “And about time, too,” she said, looking past Mary to the lads with the tub. “Bring it in, then see to the same for my daughter.” She paced to the window on the opposite side of the chamber and stood with her back to the room until the servants finished filling the tub.
“Do ye require assistance with yer bath?” Mary asked as sweetly as she could manage. She didn’t like that the woman turned her back on the servants as though they were beneath her notice “Or with dressing?”
“Nay. My maid will be here with my things shortly. In the meantime, I can take care of myself. Get out. All of ye.”
“As ye wish.” Mary followed the servants out and closed the door, then leaned against it for a moment with her eyes shut. When she opened them, she nodded a silent apology to the steward and the others. “Fetch another, please. The bride is there.” She indicated Seona’s door. “And make sure their maids bring whatever they will need, quickly,” she added for the steward.
When the servants and steward hurried off to do her bidding, she decided against waiting for their return. Instead, she went to Cameron’s chamber and knocked softly. She doubted he’d be asleep so close to supper time, but he’d walked a lot today and might be tired. She sagged in relief when she heard his deep, “Come,” filter through the door. She entered, closed the door behind her and leaned against it. “’Tis going to be a long week.”
Cameron stepped toward her. “I saw them arrive. Troublesome, are they?”
“Ye have nay idea.” Mary spread her hands, palms up. “And right from the beginning. They’ve made nay attempt to be civil.” She sighed and planted her hands on her hips. “Lady Grant has taken arrogance to a fine art. Seona is intent on remaining alone. She must have her own chamber, even after the wedding,” she parroted. “I canna wait to hear what my da has to say about that.”
Cameron wasted no time wrapping his arms around her. “Ye are aware sleeping separately is common in marriages,” he murmured. “No’ that I would encourage such behavior.” He grinned. “And making an heir doesna require they spend every night together in the same room or bed.”
“Dinna remind me.” Mary rested her head on his shoulder. Cameron started rubbing her back, making her melt against him. “If only ye could rub my feet, too,” she murmured. “I’ve walked this entire keep a hundred times today, making certain all is prepared.”
Cameron laughed. “I’ll do that later, Mary, my love,” he promised with a wink and wicked grin.
Mary tingled all over.If only he meant the endearment. And if only later, he would take her away from here.
Chapter 7
Two days later, after dealing with more demands and displays of arrogance than she’d ever faced in her life, Mary stood in the kirk and watched her father wed a lass his youngest daughter’s age. He seemed distracted rather than pleased. Less the eager bridegroom and more…what? Was he having second thoughts? She couldn’t tell, but if he was, she wished him well of them. It was much too late for cold feet when he stood before the priest with his young bride by his side, her Grant guards lining the kirk’s walls and posted at the door. Mary’s hackles had risen at the way the guards positioned themselves. Keeping trouble out or the Rose clan members in?
Since they hadn’t been invited, she’d written Annie and Catherine to tell them of the wedding, but was glad they weren’t here. Da was still annoyed at Catherine’s and Kenneth’s handfasting, and Annie’s second pregnancy made travel uncomfortable for her. Mary expected they’dbe scandalized by the bride’s age and worried by theententebetween their father and the bride’s mother.
What the Grant guards might do to her father—and her—if Lady Grant was of a mind to take Rose for her son concerned Mary more. Her father’s certainty that there was nothing amiss only served to make her more anxious. The wedding could be an elaborate ruse—but an effective one.
Cameron Sutherland stood by her side, which gave her more comfort than the presence of one man should, despite the long looks he got from some of the clan who’d yet to meet him. Their companions from the supper he’d attended made up for the rest. Edan and Cailean had greeted him on the way in, and Annag all but swooned at his feet when he bowed over her hand.
Mary didn’t care what anyone else might be thinking at seeing him standing beside her. Surely his situation was common knowledge by now. Where else would he be, but standing with her at her father’s wedding?
She’d tried to talk him out of attending, but her father had insisted on having him witness the ceremony, suddenly a convenient representative of the powerful Sutherland clan rather than an inconvenient invalid. Cameron felt he had no choice but to comply. “Besides,” he’d told her when she brought her father’srequestto him, “my father would want a Sutherland recognized in an official capacity. If he were here, he’d surely attend. So must I.”
At the kirk, Cameron pointed out the array of Rose guards. “Inviting me,” he told her softly, with only a trace of irony in his voice, “and including his men in numbers to match the Grant guards, tells me yer father may no’ beas certain of the Grants as he professed to ye. Ye can take comfort. He is being cautious.”
Mary hoped he was right. She also hoped Cameron could remain on his feet through the entire thing. Fortunately, her father had instructed the priest to keep the ceremony short. Da wasn’t a particularly religious man, and he often said he didn’t see the sense of allowing a priest to drone on and on, the only one enjoying the sound of his voice. Mary had smiled at that, but hidden her expression behind her hand. The priest had been displeased, but clearly took the laird’s orders to heart. He presided over the shortest kirk ceremony of any sort that Mary could recall. She held her breath once the vows were said and the wedding recorded in the kirk’s bible over her father’s and Seona’s signatures. If Lady Grant planned anything, this would be her first opportunity.
But Cameron must have seen Mary pale and realized what she was thinking. He shook his head. “Dinna fash. There are too many Rose warriors present for Grant to cause trouble here.”
Soon enough, they were back in the great hall, everyone seated at long tables except the Grant guards, who took up positions near the doorways along the wall. Mary tried to ignore them and made sure to seat Cameron near the hearth. She didn’t want him to get chilled, in case his health was still at all compromised. She stayed by him, at the opposite end of the long table filling the center of the hall, well away from the wedding party. Her father didn’t object, but she didn’t think he would. He was too busy laughing with the bride’s mother while the bride sat on his other side, ignored.
During the wedding supper, there was no lack ofribald jests directed at the laird. Mary cringed at each tasteless comment and the rowdy laughter that followed. Seona’s face went from pale to red and back again, depending on whether she heard—and understood, Mary supposed—the comments directed at her and the jests directed at her new bridegroom. Mary felt sorry for Seona and frustrated by the entire display. Once tables in the middle of the room were pushed aside and dancing started, Mary muttered, “I wish I could leave.”
Cameron took her hand under the table. “’Tis naught any bridal couple hasna gone through,” he reminded her.
Mary gestured toward them, still seated at the high table, watching the festivities. “Look at Seona and tell me this isna worse.”
“Aye, well, ’twill be over soon,” Cameron replied with a yawn.
Just then, Lady Grant approached Seona and bade her stand. “’Tis time to prepare ye,” she announced to her daughter in a strong, clear voice that carried above the musical instruments and across the room. Hoots, clapping, and laugher answered her.
Seona paled, but rose at her mother’s bidding. The women left the hall, followed by their maids and the Grant guards.
