Page 73 of Claimed Highland Brides

PERCHANCE TO MEET

As Jamesina nipped back to the inn to change into her white cotton gown for the ceremony, she found her sisters in their chambers, twittering excitedly about it as well.

Twelve-year-old Ùna jumped up and down on the bed, her auburn curls bouncing. The yellow marigolds wreathed in a circle on her head resembled a crown, glinting in the firelight. “It’s my first solstice ceremony. I dinnae ken what will happen. I think I’m a little ascairt,” she told Jamesina even as she jumped up and down.

“Dinnae be fashit. Just stay close tae me and ye shall be a’right. I wilnae let anything bad happen t’ye.”

“Oh, I ken tha’. I just meant that I dinnae ken how I’m supposed tae behave. Will I ken the words if there’s singing? I dinnae ken the dances.”

Jamesina smiled fondly at her sister. “Weel, for one thing, most of us wilnae dance. We shall follow along behind the dancers and singers. For another, the songs are fairly simple an’ easy tae follow and ye should want tae sing along.”

Fenella and Maisie came to sit on either side of the bed as Ùna continued to jump in the middle. The sixteen-year-olds were just as excited as Ùna but they hid it better. They smiled up at their little sister. “Ùna, dinnae listen to her. We shall all dance and sing along at the festival. Ye shall come wi’ us tae the front and Jamesina can stay in the back and walk like she’s an auld lady,” they teased.

“Och! The pair o’ ye will be the death of us. Dinnae disappear in the crowd, mind.”

Fenella snorted. “As if Simon’s men would let us oot o’ their sight. They even sleep in the corridor outside our doors at night.”

“That’s because the inn is full o’ miscreants,” Ùna told them. “I heard Daividh say so.”

The other three sisters laughed, putting the final touches to their gowns before covering themselves in arisaids and leaving the room. As predicted, Simon was there with three other guards to escort them first down to the tavern room for a bite of supper and then to the festival.

“Where is Daividh? Is he no joining us?” Jamesina asked Simon in low tones so her sisters could not hear.

“He went off tae see the wise-woman earlier. He hasnae returned yet. I think he shall meet us at the town square.”

“Och aye?” Jamesina swallowed her disappointment. She had thought that Daividh would come to fetch her when it was time to see Aifric. If he did not take her, she would have to seek out the wise-woman for herself. She was too curious to know what she might say not to. After everything Aifric had predicted about Fiona coming true, Jamesina wanted to hear what she had to say.

They walked slowly in the twilight as one of the guards named Duncan entertained them with stories about a doomed rider. “Ye shouldnae even try tae pass the nicht on its bonny wooded banks,” he said about a river in the north of the country where a boy set a line to fish for trout.

In spite of herself, Jamesina was drawn into the tale, anxious for the fate of the rider.

She could see in her mind’s eye the thick Mirkwoods that Duncan spoke of overlooking the river and shivered as night fell over them.

“You shouldn’t be scared, it’s only a story,” a voice said right behind her ear and she screamed aloud, whirling around to look into a familiar pair of powder-blue eyes. She was distracted from her scrutiny by the sound of drawn swords and in the blink of an eye, the man from the inn was surrounded.

“Who are ye and what d’ye want?” Simon growled.

The man raised his hands in surrender. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean any harm. I am staying at the inn and I overheard the young lady over there”— he pointed at Ùna—“speak excitedly about this festival. I thought I’d tag along after you all.”

Jamesina blinked in surprise. She had not seen him in the taproom and she felt sure she would have noticed him. For one thing, he was dressed differently than the other men. By his accent, she could tell he was an outsider; likely a Sassenach.

What is he doing here?

Neither Simon nor his men sheathed their swords.

“Why did ye scare the lass then?” Simon asked.

“I did not realize she had not noticed me.” He looked at her, his eyes twinkling. He did not seem sorry at all. “Madam, my abject apologies for scaring you…although I suspect that the story was more to blame for that than I.”

Jamesina’s heart had slowed down a bit as they spoke but at his smile, it began to speed up again. “It’s quite alright.” She raised her hand and lowered it, indicating that Simon and his men should put their swords away. “It’s alright. I have seen him at the inn. I dinnae think he means any harm.”

The man bowed. “Indeed I do not. I apologize for the intrusion.”

He made to melt into the night but to her surprise, Jamesina called after him. “Ye may walk wi’ us if ye wish rather than lurking along behind.”

“I thank you, madam. If I may, my name is Lord Delwyn Barton. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He straightened up, waiting expectantly.

Jamesina sighed, nodding to her sisters. “We are the Douglass sisters, from up at Braenaird Keep.”