His aunt would hate Senara – for her beauty, her vitality, her differing perspective on life, and her inability to be impressed by wealth – all the things Gavin found so curiously fascinating.
“I think ye shouldna worry about impressing her,” Gavin said finally. “She isna a woman easily won over.”
He’d hoped to dissuade Senara, but the set of her chin told him she’d taken his words, instead, as a challenge.
They began the short path toward the castle entrance, and Gavin found himself wishing to prolong their arrival. Senara was captivating and alluring. Even the way the light caught her loose golden hair, it was as if the sun itself were drawn to her.
“Were ye traveling to Castle of Park as well?” she asked.
“I was,” Gavin said. It was time to be honest on his position. He slid his gaze in her direction to gauge her reaction. “It’s my home and I’m its laird.”
Chapter Two
Senara could have smacked her forehead at her own daft lack of assumption. She’d known Gavin to be well bred, but she hadn’t anticipated him to be the Laird of Park.
And how she’d prattled on about stuffing vases of heather throughout the castle – the very memory of it tempted a laugh to her lips at her own foolishness.
She nipped the inside of her mouth to keep her humor suppressed. “Forgive me for anything offensive I might have said in my ignorance, laird.” There was a brief moment where her mind told her to stop, but her mouth kept going – a “Senara moment” her mother would call it. “Though truth be told, it was quite unfair of ye to withhold such information.”
His serious expression softened into something akin to mild bemusement. “I dinna think ye’d be concerned with who I was. Ye dinna strike me as one who cares for position.”
This time, Senara did not stanch her amusement. “I’d say ye know me rather well after only such a short conversation.” And truly, she was flattered to have him so quickly understand her. “Though ye are still my employer and I’d like to ensure I dinna say anything to offend.”
He held her gaze for a moment. Before he could speak, a blond lad came running down the walk. His arms and legs were far too long for his slight frame and he resembled a foal just learning to walk. He stopped abruptly in front of them with a wide smile on his comely face. “Welcome back, laird. Can I take Lindir for ye?”
The lad didn’t wait for a reply. He grasped the reins of Gavin’s horse and reached for Norbert’s. “I’ll take yers too…” His gaze settled on Senara and his speech faded away. “My lady.” The rest of his statement came out in the varying pitch of a boy not yet a man.
He swallowed and held open his hand for the reins. Dirt creased the lines of his palms and showed in black whorls where it had sunk deep into the patterns of his fingertips. Senara set the thick leather straps in his hand with a gentle note of thanks.
The boy appeared to be the same age as Geordie, if not a year or two younger, which made her immediately adore him.
“This is Norbert.” Senara stroked Norbert’s large, soft cheek. “He’s had a trying few days.”
“I’ve got an apple I think I can spare for him.” The lad winked at her, reminding her even more of her own sweet Geordie.
A trickle of sweat ran from the lad’s temple, but he didn’t bother to wipe it from his flushed face.
“Senara will be joining us for some time, Renny,” Gavin said. “As my aunt’s new maid.”
Senara nodded. “Aye, so ye may be caring for Norbert for some time.”
Renny’s smile wilted and his gaze darted to Gavin before his grin resumed once more, overly bright and forced. “Welcome to Castle of Park, Lady Senara. I’ll take fine care of yer Norbert.”
Lady Senara.
The very sound of such a formal title so far above her station tickled her ears, and she could not help but smile at this boy who made her suddenly less homesick.
“Nephew.” A woman’s voice spoke in a low, throaty tone of authority.
The woman was older and of great regal bearing. She wore an old-fashioned ornate headpiece fanning over the top of her head, which matched perfectly with the black velvet gown she wore. Gilt thread edged her sleeves and hem.
She approached them as if she rode stiffly perched atop a cloud. “I dinna think it was ye entering the keep as ye werena on yer horse. I’m eager to hear about the success of yer journey.”
Gavin’s demeanor slipped into one of dark silence.
The woman’s sharp brown gaze moved to Senara. “Is this my new maid?”
The skin on her face appeared loose as happens with age. No wrinkles showed in particular on her impassive expression, with the exception of a series of lines around her lips, as if the hard set of her mouth had somehow fractured the fragile flesh there.
“Aye, my lady.” Senara offered a quick curtsey, the way her mother had shown her. And the way her da had pretended to practice with them.
Her heart squeezed at the silly memory of him pursing his lips and speaking in a high voice before offering an exaggerated curtsey.
“Ye’re early.” Lady Edana’s flat tone made it apparent she was not pleased.
“The lass was attacked,” Gavin said. “I escorted her here to ensure she remained safe.”
Senara shot him a grateful smile and refrained from pointing out in such austere company how she could have well enough handled herself. Ma would be proud of her restraint.
Lady Edana studied Gavin for a moment and then lifted one of her brows. “Servants are no’ to be escorted like ladies.”
There was something tense in the air for a moment.
Gavin narrowed his eyes. “Ours are.” He slid Senara a glance she couldn’t read and then set off with Renny and the horses.
Lady Edana ignored their departure and turned toward Senara. “I’ll show ye to yer room. Ye are expected to unpack after I’ve been put to bed.”
Senara nodded. It seemed a hasty request, especially when Lady Edana had been so obviously displeased with her early arrival. Regardless, Senara bobbed a quick curtsey in reply and followed Lady Edana into the massive castle.
Inside, the sun was entirely blotted out and left Senara momentarily blinded until her eyes adjusted to the absence of light. The air was cool and spiced with the scent of cooking herbs. Large tapestries hung from the walls and picked up flecks of the scant light coming in through the windows with their gilt thread.
Senara tried to discreetly observe her surroundings while still keeping up with Lady Edana’s quick, gliding pace. After all, she’d have plenty of time to study the rich interior’s beauty in the coming months of her employment.
Three flights of stairs later found Senara on the uppermost floor. Gone were the fine tapestries and pieces of heavy furniture and resplendent paintings which had flavored the rest of the castle. A plain hallway stood in front of her with several simple wooden doors. They made their way to the one at the far end.
“Ye’re fortunate to have yer own room,” Lady Edana said. “For now, at least.”
She pulled a great ring of keys from her pocket and unlocked the door.
Inside, the room was barely wide enough to hold two small beds with a narrow table set between them. Senara felt a smile grow on her face.
Her own room.
Her very own room. Even temporarily, it was a luxury beyond anything she’d imagined possible. A single window glowed on the opposite wall, with a beam of golden sunlight shining through. Senara walked toward it and set her traveling bag on the bed while peering out.
The land stretched as far as she was able to see, all green treetops and splashes of purple heather.
Had she ever seen the world from so high up?
Giddy excitement sped through her to observe such beauty, all for her personal enjoyment in her very own room.
“If ye’re done with yer things…” Lady Edana’s voice was impatient, and only then did Senara realize she’d frozen in front of the window.
Senara spun aroun
d toward her new mistress. “Forgive me, my lady. I’m ready now.”
Lady Edana gave an approving nod and beckoned Senara to follow.
Senara pulled in a deep breath and held her smile. Life on her own was about to begin and, so far, it all looked magnificent.
Why, then, did a sudden shiver of trepidation squeeze its way down her spine?
*
“Will there be a wedding to celebrate soon?”
Gavin lifted his head from where he’d been reviewing some correspondence he’d received in the time he was away to find Edana standing in front of his desk.
How was the woman so damn silent?
Irritation pressed at him, but better now than when she finally pestered the reply from him later. “It isna to be. Her father wouldna hear of an alliance.” Gavin folded the parchment in front of him, following the thickly indented seams of how it’d been folded previously.
Edana’s mouth disappeared in a hard purse. “Ye’ve put this off too long already. Ye should have listened to me when ye were younger and wed then.”
Gavin said nothing. She had been right, something he hated to admit. But there was no sense in discussing the topic further when it couldn’t be changed. He could not undo the past.
“Ye need an heir.” Edana’s sharp tone further pricked at his ire.
“I know that.” He gave her a hard look, which she returned in equal measure.
She’d never looked at his father thusly, spoken to him thusly. Gavin wondered for the countless time if his father would have made the request he did had he known.
“This is no’ a fertile family,” Edana continued. “Ye know it took my parents over ten years to conceive yer father and me.”
“I know that.” Gavin repeated.
And he did know that. In fact, he was immensely aware of how infertile his family had seemed to be. His grandparents had tried for a child for over a decade before finally having twins, both his father and Edana. No more children followed.
His grandparents had apparently lamented their limited children, especially when one had been simply a girl.
Before them, his grandfather had taken even longer to conceive.
Already, Gavin was eight and twenty. How long would it take him to have an heir once he began the effort?
Edana’s deep sigh hissed through her nostrils. “Ye have no heirs and I’m too old. When ye die, everything goes to the king. He’ll make it all like England, the land he’s so—”
“Enough.” He said the word low and even, a deep unspoken threat lingering in the benign delivery.
He pushed aside her valid points and tried not to think of what truly would happen to Castle of Park if he were to die. The king would get it, of course, and most likely leave it and the people unattended as he did the other castles in his care.
Gavin lowered his gaze to an additional piece of correspondence. It was a rude dismissal of his aunt. One he knew she would get and obey, even if grudgingly.
After a long moment, the rustle of her silk gown whispered her departure.
Finally, he allowed himself to look up.
Beyond the large shelf of colorfully-spined books, the day was slipping away in red-gold light streaked with purple.
The streaks of purple made him think of the way Senara’s delicate hand had skimmed over the heather. Not for the first time, he wondered how the rest of her day had gone.
But he did not have time for such idle thought. Not when he needed to ready himself for the feast everyone had prepared in honor of his return.
He started down the stairs, his mind tangled in thoughts of how necessary an unwanted wedding was, when someone crashed headfirst into him.
Beautiful green eyes met his and widened. “Ach, I’m sorry, laird, I dinna—”
“Senara.” He felt himself smile as he said her name. “Dinna worry yerself.”
Her cheeks reddened to a bonny flush and he had the sudden desire to run his thumb over her cheek, to see if her skin was as soft and warm as it appeared.
“Has Castle of Park treated ye well?” He studied her, wanting to hear her say yes, wanting her to enjoy his home, his world.
A lovely smile lit her face. “Oh, Gavin, it’s all so beautiful. I feel as though I’ve become a princess to live in such a grand castle.”
He knew he ought to remind her to call him laird, but then he had introduced himself to her as only Gavin. And if they were only in private, it did not matter. Perhaps it even had something to do with the way she said his name, her voice sweet and tinged with the light of her happiness.
“I’m glad ye’re enjoying it,” Gavin said truthfully. “If ye need anything, ye come to me, aye?”
Senara smiled up toward him, her face beautiful and open and truly filled with gratitude. “Thank ye.”
“I’ll see ye at dinner.” He inclined his head toward her and she bobbed a curtsey.
He waited on the stairs a moment longer than necessary, prolonging the brief meeting with the fascinating woman. She kept her gaze fixed on his and climbed the stairs with their eyes still locked until she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.
Only then did the fragile spell curled around his heart loosen and leave him free to descend the stairs toward his chamber to ready himself for the feast.
It was unfortunate Senara did not still hold a title, and a greater one than a knight’s daughter at that. She would be a woman Gavin could see himself not only tolerating in marriage, but even enjoying.
At any rate, it was not uncommon for Gavin to dance with the servants at feasts. While he could not wed Senara, he decided he would at least seek her out for a dance. With the resolve of his decision lightening the burden on his chest, he realized he did not so much dread the upcoming feast – in fact, he was looking forward to it.
Chapter Three
Senara had never attended a feast in a castle.
Or at least none she could remember. Her parents had been held in high regard with the king when she was but a girl. Perhaps she’d been then, but surely she would have remembered the gaiety of it all.
Fine food flavored the air with the most delicious scents of freshly baked bread and simmered meat so tender it fell away when merely looked at. Music coursed through the great hall, like a beating heart that filled the castle with the pulse of vivacious life.
Senara moved about the mass of gathered people with ease, timing her steps and the swing around people to the thrumming beat. Her cheeks ached from smiling, and she could think of no better reason in all of Scotland to ache.
Lady Edana sat high on the dais beside Gavin, her deep burgundy gown freshly brushed and her dark hair plaited beneath the hood she wore. She’d seemed pleased with Senara’s attendance of her preparation that evening, which had in turn pleased Senara.
Her gaze slid to Gavin for the countless time.
He leaned back in his chair with an ease which spoke of his comfort among his people. He wore a saffron leine and a belted kilt of green and rust, the colors smattering the landscape. A smile hovered at his lips and his eyes crinkled at the corners. There wasn’t a person in the room he hadn’t spoken to, nor one which hadn’t appeared happy to see him.
Something soft bumped against Senara’s hip. “If ye keep staring at him all night, he’s bound to notice.”
Her face flared with heat and she spun to find Anice, one of the kitchen maids, watching her with a blatant grin. The candlelight caught her red hair and made it gleam like copper.
“I canna blame ye for yer stares. He’s a fine man.” Anice’s gaze rested on Gavin and slid over him with appreciation. “Aye. Verra fine. But dinna get yer hopes up, lass. He’s no’ ever taken one of us to his bed.”
Senara’s mouth fell open. “What? No, I dinna—I wasna planning to—”
Anice winked and put a hand on her narrow waist before making her way back to the kitchens, her curvy hips swaying in time to the beat of the music.
“Senara.” Edana’s voice rose over the music
.
Grateful for something to distract her mind from the embarrassment of the conversation she’d just shared with Anice, Senara quickly made her way to the dais and kept her gaze fixed only on Lady Edana.
Her lady held out an empty goblet with a plaintive expression. “I want more of my wine from France.”
Senara nodded, but her mind scrambled through all she’d learned in the brief day she’d been there. Nothing of the lady’s wine surfaced to memory.
“In the kitchens,” Lady Edana added with a hard smile. Her bared teeth were all flat, as if she’d spent a lifetime gritting them down.
Senara bobbed a grateful curtsey and left the great hall. Outside, the chatter of the crowd fell away and soothed her mind with the sudden silence. She turned down the hall toward the kitchen and was met with a wave of cool air.
It was heavenly.
Perhaps it was due to nerves and serving, or perhaps it was still the latent heat from her inappropriate conversation with Anice, but Senara hadn’t realized how very hot she’d become. She closed her eyes and stayed where she was a moment, reveling in the cold caress against her overheated flesh.
When she opened her eyes, she noticed a fine sifting of mortar at the bottom of the far right wall. Curious, she wandered closer to inspect. The nearer she got, the colder the air became until all traces of heat had fled her cheeks and palms.
She pressed her hand to the wall over a flat piece of stone. It was chilled beneath her fingertips, but that wasn’t what made her jerk her hand back. No, it was the way the stone seemed to vibrate beneath her touch, shifting and humming as if it meant to rupture.
“Senara,” a voice called from the kitchen.
Senara snapped upright and hurried toward the sound of the voice. Her palm still tingled with the chill of the stone, the weird sensation of it shuddering against her hand.
A buxom kitchen maid passed Senara a finely sculptured pot. “Anice usually handles this, but I see she’s finally got a real lady’s maid.” She nodded her obvious approval. “Lady Edana is no’ best kept waiting, lass.”
The heady scent of wine rose from the pot and plucked at the memory of how her father had surprised her mother once with a small cask of rich red wine. Her mother had been delighted.
A Ghostly Tale of Forbidden Love (Highland Passions Book 1) Page 2