by Kara Griffin
“I would be pleased to cook for you. You do you not have a cook, Grey?”
“If you can call her that, aye. She’s young and hasn’t learned how to boil water properly,” Duff answered for Grey.
“Bree, if you want to teach her, we wouldn’t object.” He returned to the table at took the seat at the end, nodding to his guard who awaited him. He set a drink in front of Cait and handed one to her. Once he was seated, his men took their seats.
“Grey, I would be pleased to show her how to cook.”
Two women came in the hall. One was holding a little girl. When the child spotted Grey, she wiggled until the woman released her. She ran and jumped on Grey’s lap. The little one wore a big smile on her cherub-like face.
“Who is this?”
Grey tried to answer, but the little girl kept turning his face wanting all of his attention.
“She’s his daughter,” Duff supplied.
Bree thought he’d said he hadn’t married. Yet he hadn’t said he did not have children. The little girl got her way when Grey finally hugged her close. She contentedly put her head on his shoulder and smiled at him.
“I don’t think she’s mine, but a woman, Janice, came and claimed she was. I never saw the woman before. The lass can’t hear, apparently, so don’t expect her to answer ye.”
“Grey, she’s adorable. You need not explain.”
“Aye, I do. I couldn’t let the woman leave the lass with someone in the Dunmore clan. They’re all mean-spirited dogs. Who knows what would have happened to the lass if I sent her away with the woman.”
“I see.” Bree tried not to smile. Grey revealed much about himself by telling her that.
“Did you say Janice, Laird?” Greer asked, with a look of consternation on his face.
“Aye, you were here, remember? She came right before we left to get Bree.”
Greer shook his head. “Nay, laird, I went to see to matters. Remember, you told me I’d be in charge when you left. I was handling assignment duties. I never saw the woman.”
“I suppose I forgot to tell you about it.”
“And when did she say ye fathered this child?” Greer looked perplexed and Bree wondered why he was so concerned.
“The summer solstice, a few years back. Keep in mind, we’d found the keg of brew the elder’s hid. Knocked us on our arse, it was so potent. I was so drunk during the celebration that I don’t recall how I got to my chamber. There was a woman there. That I recollect.”
Greer groaned.
Everyone’s heads turned and looked at him expectantly.
Grey finally asked, “What’s bothering you, Greer? Explain now.” His tone implied he wanted answers and he wasn’t willing to wait for them.
Bree hadn’t heard Grey sound so stern until now and she became concerned for the young man. Surely Grey wouldn’t hurt one of his guard, but his expression certainly alluded that he would and could.
Greer stood and walked around the table, pacing in deep thought. He couldn’t seem to stand still and was beset with worry. “I … well hell, I was … You weren’t with her, laird. I was. Janice and I … I was drunk too and thought to use one of the rooms upstairs. You came in and got in bed with us.”
All the men laughed and hooted. Bree kept her expression serene, not wanting to show how humorous the conversation was to her. Grey must be mortified by it. He didn’t say a word and looked as angry as falcon guarding its kill.
“So I took you back to your bed, Laird, and left you there, and returned to Janice.”
“Remind me to kill you later. So, that’s how I got there. Why would she accuse me of fathering her child?”
Greer frowned. “She had eyes for you all night. I convinced her to be with me. Janice was quiet taken by the drink by then. Mayhap she thought I was you, Laird.”
Not one of the men laughed at that. The affront of his words wasn’t appreciated, particularly by Grey who looked like he’d swallowed a thorn bush.
“Congratulations to ye, Greer, you’re a father,” Colm shouted, breaking the sudden tension.
Greer sat in the nearest chair, speechless.
“I have a niece,” Kenneth said, slapping his brother on the back. He then went to the child and lifted her in his arms. He grinned and seemed thoroughly pleased to be holding her. The girl squirmed in his arms and he had no choice but to return her to Grey.
Bree realized at that moment that the men within the Gunn clan were endearing. They certainly weren’t as evil as the MacHeth.
The child continued to hold Grey and Bree thought he looked appealing holding her so tenderly. The girl obviously was already attached to Grey and that gave Bree an idea.
“Are you married, Greer?” Everyone turned to look at her when she posed that question. The hall suddenly became quiet.
“Nay, milady, I only live to serve my laird. Never been interested in marrying.”
“Would you be interested in marrying now?” she hedged.
“Are ye asking?” Greer grinned and winked at her.
Grey stood, jarring his chair and disturbing the girl. She cried out and he instantly settled her by patting her back. “Greer, get the hell out. Bree, you cannot marry him. I forbid it.”
“I wasn’t proposing, Grey. I only thought that if Greer didn’t have a wife or anyone to care for her, you could keep her. She does seem to like you.”
Grey nodded. “If Greer is agreeable then she can stay here.”
“Aye, I haven’t a clue what to do with a child, let alone a little lass like her. Besides, Laird, you have more experience with young lassies than I do. What’s her name?”
His guard must have found Greer’s comment amusing and laughed.
“That is not funny, Greer. Her name is Sunny.”
The two women who brought Sunny inside, stood behind Grey’s chair awaiting instruction. Bree watched them with interest. They spoke low to each other, covering their mouths, obviously remarking on Greer’s sudden fatherhood.
“Grey, would you please introduce me to the ladies?”
He turned and finally noticed them. “Bea, Nell, this is Lady Bree. She’ll be staying here at the keep. Have a room readied for her upstairs for her and her maid, Cait.”
Bea was pretty with her dark brown waves and blue eyes. The only thing that detracted from her beauty was the coldness in her eyes. She looked none too pleased to have her there. Nell had lighter locks and green eyes, she was tall and slender. Her nose was sharp, like a hawk’s and Bree considered her personally rivaled the bird’s ferociousness. Neither of them looked at Bree or gave a friendly greeting.
“Oh, please don’t go to any trouble. We can take care of it ourselves. I’m sure you must have enough duties without us adding to them. If you’ll show us where we’ll stay, we can get ourselves settled.” She didn’t want to cause the women extra work and she hoped to appease them.
“Bree, I must attend to clan business. I may not return until later.” He handed Sunny to her and waited for her to say something. To Duff he said, “Call a meeting in the barracks. We have much to discuss.”
Why Grey felt the need to tell her that, she wasn’t sure. “Then I shall see you on the morrow, Grey. A good night to you.”
She followed the ladies up the beautiful staircase, eager to see what the chamber she’d stay in looked like. They passed several doors before they came to the last one.
“That is a servant quarter, for your maid,” Bea said.
“I am sure it will be quite nice.” When Bree opened the door, it looked to be a storage room with a few trunks sitting beside the farthest wall and a small bed on the other. A few cobwebs covered the corner and window casement. Bree glanced at Cait and shook her head. “Where does Sunny sleep?”
“In the servant quarters downstairs, near the back of the keep, close to the kitchens. We had to look after her when the laird was gone.” Bea gave the child a cross look. “Caused a lot of trouble, she did. And she be a Dunmore, born of a whore. Don’t know why t
he laird let her stay. The woman should have thrown her out with the wash water.”
Bea’s speech brought forth anger. Bree found herself frowning at the woman and she wanted to slap the harridan’s face. How could someone have such disdain for a small child? “Then she will stay with me,” Bree said as sweetly as she could. “I will be happy to look after her. She will trouble you no further.”
“This is your room,” Nell said, pointing to the door across from Cait’s room.
Bree stepped into the chamber and gave Cait another glance. “Thank you for your kindness, ladies. I shall rest a bit and then will come down to the kitchens. Where exactly are they?”
“They’re out back, the building directly behind the keep. It’s a stone building, and usually smells afoul around this time of day. Just follow the stench.”
“I certainly look forward to meeting the cook. Anna, is the cook?”
“Aye, she is. But she won’t be too happy to meet you,” Bea said.
“I don’t deem she will take well meeting you,” Nell said. “Best prepare for her screeching.”
“I will just have to change that, shan’t I?”
Once the ladies left the chamber without a word, Cait closed the door. She waited a few seconds before opening it again, making sure the horrid women left. “Bree, they are wretched women. Why do you deem they dislike us? We haven’t done anything to them. Though I’d like to give one of them a black eye and the other a fat lip.”
She laughed and Sunny giggled, though she probably didn’t know why. “Cait, they just don’t know us yet. I’m sure once they see we are harmless, they’ll get to like us.”
“Humph, I doubt that. I refuse to stay in that chamber,” Cait said, eyeing the large bed in the middle of the room with a purposeful gaze. “This room is quite comfortable.”
“Of course you shall stay here with me. There is plenty of room in that large bed. And Sunny can stay here too. It will be our girl’s room.” She tickled the young girl’s tummy and smiled.
“I will set the room aright, once the men bring up our belongings. Why don’t you go and take a walk. It’s still early enough and the child could use some air.”
“That is a fine idea, Cait. We will be back soon.” She lifted Sunny as high as she could and swung her in the air. Her sweet squeal sounded.
Bree knew the girl couldn’t hear, but there had to be a way to communicate with her. As she made her way outside, she thought about it and realized she could use signals and teach her words. That’s what she would do. The poor child had been exiled by her family and that reason alone was enough for Bree to want to ensure the girl was loved. She would do everything within her power to make sure the girl was happy and well cared for.
She put Sunny on her feet and gestured for her to take her hand. The girl understood. Once they exited the keep, they walked to the base of the incline and sat beneath a large tree where a few crabapples had fallen. Bree looked around and saw the clan’s people going about their lives.
“I could have been one of those women.” She sighed, realizing she was talking to herself. Taking a crabapple in her hand, she tried to hand it to Sunny.
Sunny was absorbed by the blades of grass and had pulled a handful loose, and was touching her face with them.
“You cannot hear a word I am saying, can you?” No answer. “Well, Sunny, that could have been me. I could be heading to get water for my evening bath or preparing supper for my husband. But I will never know what that would be like.” Bree sighed again and smiled when Sunny touched her face with a blade of grass.
She took a piece of grass from her and returned the gesture. When she looked up, she noticed Grey standing beside a cottage down the hill, several of his men spoke to him. His eyes stayed on her and she felt herself blush. He continued to watch her while he listened to his men. She could see his nods.
“Aye, it could have been me, Sunny.”
A young squirrel scampered closer to where they sat. The animal’s eyes looked directly at her. Bree took a piece of bread from inside the hem of her overdress. Animals seemed to like her and she often hid crumbs and pieces of bread or cheese in her hem for them. “Here you are little fellow.” She gave the fluffy-tailed creature a nice hunk and then looked back at the scene. “I do think I shall get along well here, that is what I think, Sunny.”
CHAPTER TEN
She wasn’t going to get along well at all. If Bree didn’t know better, she would have thought the women in the Gunn clan hated her. But they had no reason to. Nell and Bea barely spoke to her and the cook was worse. Bree had gone to the kitchens to meet the woman and wasn’t well received. When she tried to introduce herself, Anna completely ignored her. Then she began banging pots and speaking rapidly in Gaelic. So Bree tried to win her with kindness.
“I wanted to introduce myself and to mayhap share some of my herbs. My lord brought me the best, some from other countries during the crusade, brought at market in Londontown.”
The woman glared. “I’ve no need of anything of yours. Be gone. This is my domain.”
Bree didn’t know what to say. “I am sorry if I offended you. Please, can we not be friends? I love cooking and would be pleased to show you some of my secrets.”
Nothing, no reply, not even a sneer … the woman went back to ignoring her. What could she do? Bree decided the woman just might have to get used to her. In time, Anna would befriend her and why shouldn’t she? Bree was a good sort, a kindhearted person. She had to like her. If she didn’t, Bree would have no way to win her way into these people’s hearts.
Bree left the kitchens and went back to the hall dejected. There she found Cait sitting with Sunny. She was teaching her a song and used her fingers to keep the child’s attention. Their gaiety brought a small smile to her lips.
“I don’t know what is wrong with that woman, but Anna definitely does not like me. I do not deem we’ll enjoy our meal this night. Mayhap I shall fix us something when we go to our chamber.”
Cait harrumphed. “Aye, these women are a bit strange. I heard Nell telling Bea that the cook, Anna, has feelings for Laird Gunn. She thinks to motivate the laird in the marital sense with her cooking if you can believe that. He’d be dead before he could propose.”
“Oh my. If she doesn’t let me help her, they’ll be no marital anything, even from Laird Gunn.” Bree felt disheartened for the poor woman. Next to warring, and as Cait said, loving women: men liked nothing better than to eat. Anna couldn’t catch a man with her cooking, even if he was ravenous. The foul odor coming from the kitchen almost made Bree gag.
“Why’d you want to help her? Besides, we know what direction Laird Gunn’s desire goes.” Cait laughed and set Sunny on the floor.
The child scampered away and began running around the room, using her arms as would a bird, flapping them madly. Seeing the child so playful chased away the un-pleasant thoughts. Bree snatched Sunny into her arms and kissed her soft cheek and then set her back upon the floor. Sunny ran in circles around her skirts and laughed.
“Laird Gunn’s desire is of no concern to me and it shan’t concern you either. Why wouldn’t he want to marry Anna? She is lovely even if she’s cross.”
Cait laughed harder, she crinkled her eyes and held her stomach. “I don’t suspect he’d even consider marrying her. I see the way he looks at you. I tell you, Bree, that man has feelings for you, desirable feelings. He wants ye, wants to bed ye.”
Bree sat in the chair across from her friend, but didn’t take her words seriously. Sunny fled to the hearth where one of the smaller hounds lay licking his paws. “He knows me from childhood, is all. I doubt he wants to bed me, Cait. Besides, I really don’t want to marry anyone. Not with the situation I am in. Mayhap one day when all this is settled I can resign myself to the idea being a wife.”
“Where is Laird Gunn?” Cait continued to play with Sunny, sending silly faces her way. The child now hid beyond a chair and would peek out, playing the game. Cait smiled when the child grab
bed hold of a tie on her bodice and yanked it.
“I don’t know, haven’t seen him. I wanted to cook for them this night, but with the kitchen closed to me, I might as well go to bed.” Bree stood and as she did so, she noticed the men coming inside the hall. Their deep burrs instantly brought the room to life. Sunny ran to her and held out her arms indicating she wished to be picked up. Bree held her and soothed her worry. The child seemed to fear the men and Bree could understand Sunny’s distress. She had certainly feared them too when she’d first met them.
Duff, Greer, Colm, Kenneth, Sean and James all took seats at the massive table. They looked at her and then at each other, and back at her expectantly.
Colm asked, “Where’s supper?”
“What’d you make, milady?” James asked. “We’re going to enjoy this meal.”
Kenneth cleared his throat and looked derisively at his companions. “We shouldn’t expect milady to cook for us, after all she will hold a high place in our clan. Our apologies, milady.”
She almost laughed. They had expected a feast, and sadly, she’d have to disappoint them. “Kenneth, I would not mind cooking for you. I gain much pleasure from it, but I suppose your cook will bring it in shortly.” Bree thought to escape and rose to take to the stairs, but before she could reach them, others came inside and blocked the path.
The hall began filling with other clan members and some watched her. Bree felt out of place, considering the stares coming her way. Self-consciously, she lowered her gaze and kept it on her feet. It was then that Sunny drew her attention by setting her small hands on her cheeks and raising her face. The adorable child hugged her and settled any misgivings she might have had.
“Why aren’t you cooking for us, milady? Don’t you like us?” Kenneth asked.
She looked up at him. “Of course I like you, Kenneth. ‘Tis just … Your cook is very possessive of her kitchens. She did not want me getting in the way.” That was as kind as she could say it.
Grey finally came into the hall and for some reason, she felt comforted by his presence. He stopped next to the entrance and watched her. She smiled at the sense of calm he brought to her. An older man was speaking to him in a harsh tone. Bree could tell by the redness of his face that the man was not pleased with Grey. Suddenly Grey grabbed the man by his neck and pulled him out of the hall. She could tell Grey used force, because his muscles tightened and the man had no choice but to concede.