Page 18 of Tales of Highland Loyalty

Lissie blinked. Perhaps she should have been expecting this, but it was still like an anvil to her heart.

"Nay," she said stoically. She opened her mouth to speak, but Annice motioned her to hush.

"Lissie, I know you think I'm being hard on you, but it is not that. Truly, I want the best for you, and that will not be a lord. I can help you make a match, perchance with some wealthy merchant or bourgeois." Her eyes flickered quickly as she turned away. Lissie tried not to fume.

"Hark, I am well-placed within the guild of clothiers to find a suitable match. There are several eligible bachelors who grow rich off wool. One, a tailor named de Bois, has a good house in Highgate."

Finally, Annice turned to her, her eyes sparkling. She smiled, hopeful.

Fear burst through Lissie's heart. She had listened enough. It could not stay inside her.

"Pray forgive me, Cousin, but nay. I cannae," Lissie exploded. She just about stopped herself from shouting, but a prickling, uncomfortable feeling ripped through her frame. "I just cannae. My sisters are expecting me to wed an earl. Oor clan depends on it. They need the gold. With respect, I didnae traverse the breadth o' the country to wed a wool baron."

From the looking glass, Lissie's reflection smoldered. She glared at Annice, but this time through the mirror. Inside, her heart was thumping hard. The telltale signs of rage were there, the bitter, acrid taste in her mouth. The sharp drops of acid down her throat.

Crisply, she refreshed herself with a cool glass of ale from the dresser and then looked at Annice pointedly. She struggled to stay calm. Lissie could put up with a lot, but being dissuaded of her aim was something else.

Seeing her resolve, her cousin was clearly shaken. Annice's eyes rounded with hurt. For just a split second, Lissie felt a tinge of remorse.

Annice had served her up a jewel, and she had rejected it. Now she was pouting at the side of the room and pretending not to notice her.

"I see," said Annice, between clipped lips. "Well then, as you will. We will go to the ball and see what happens."

She hitched up her skirts and turned to go. Just before she reached the door, she gazed plaintively at Lissie.

"The wagon will be at the door in an hour. Be ready!"

And with that, she exited the room, leaving Lissie to gaze at herself in the candlelight.

Ready? She would never be ready.

Staring back at her was a woman she didn't recognize. Her gaze, her hair, and her attire were all as far as could be from the carefree lass who had left Scotland.

Somehow, she was older, more restrained, and lonelier. Pushing back her dark tresses, Lissie imagined herself in a crespinette or even a horned headdress.

So her voice was a problem? Well, then, she wouldn't say a word. In fact, she would not speak at all.

Gazing at herself in the looking glass, Lissie resolved to do whatever it took to achieve her mission.

No matter what Annice said, she would marry a lord.

* * *

The bodice scratched and dug into Lissie's flesh. But it was far too late to change it.

Stepping out into the grand de Lacy hall, Lissie fell silent. The splendor and the sheer scale of it knocked her over. For a second or two, it was all she could do to stand there marveling.

"Come, come, Elisabeth," tutted Annice. She had been uncharacteristically silent in the wagon coming over. It was possible that Lissie's outburst had affected her because she was rather more measured in her tone to her that evening.

Lissie shook her head, blinking. The night was overwhelming her. Ever since setting foot in Lady Eleanor's home, she had been struggling.

But now, here, in the packed and heated grand hall, Lissie was beginning to panic.

"Dinnae fash, Annice," she said softly. "Ye go on ahead. I am just going to take a wee moment."

Annice looked unsure for a minute before spying Lady Eleanor, bedecked in furs, from the opposite side of the room, and quickly sped off.

"I will make your acquaintance for you, Cousin," she promised, before disappearing. Watching her go, Lissie held her breath.