by Mary Wine
“Now bring me the babe,” the priest instructed solemnly.
Moira rose from her knees and took the arm Saer offered her. They made their way down the main aisle of the church while the Sutherland clan watched, and went back into the castle. Tradition demanded the babe be brought to the church without its mother, so it was Moira’s duty to bring the baby for its cleansing and return it to Daphne.
Daphne would not be allowed back into the church until she’d been churched, which wouldn’t happen until a fortnight passed and she had her “sitting up” day. Until then, she’d rest and do her best not to move so her body could recover. At her churching, she’d be blessed and cleansed as well, for no one wanted to risk letting someone back into the house of God who might have made a deal with Satan to ease the pain of childbirth.
Saer and Moira climbed up to the chamber Daphne had slept in, and found her already sitting up in defiance. Despite the fact that she was still abed, lavish robes were laid over Daphne to make it appear that she was dressed in them. A ruby necklace was secured around her neck too. Norris stood beside his wife, formally attired as well, and surrounded by Sutherland retainers.
Moira lowered herself before entering the room.
“Ye are set on this?” Norris asked his wife.
Daphne gave her husband a hard look. “I have learned to have respect for fate when it intercedes in me life. I do nae understand why Moira was the one who caught our son, but I will nae argue. She is part of our son’s life.”
Norris didn’t appear convinced, but he looked at Moira with something other than seething anger for once. He gave her a curt nod and lifted his son with gentle hands. “Then it will be as ye say.”
The baby was sweet and settled into her arms with a soft sound. It sucked on its finger as it watched her with cloudy blue eyes.
“He’s scrawny,” Saer informed his sister.
Daphne pouted. “That shows how little ye know, Brother. He’s a fine big boy, according to the midwife.”
Brother and sister shared a look before the church bells began to chime. Saer groaned and pulled on the corner of his bonnet.
“The priest is getting impatient,” Saer said, cupping Moira’s elbow and guiding her from the bedchamber. Achaius had appeared in the receiving room.
“Ye’ve pleased me well, lass. I’m proud to call ye me wife,” he said to Moira.
Moira didn’t know what to say to this rare praise from her husband, who was almost as much of a stranger to her as Saer was, so she just smiled and lowered himself, letting Saer guide her down the stairs.
They made their way down the stairs with Sutherland retainers trailing behind them. Saer leaned close to her ear. “I am curious, Moira Fraser, just how long are ye going to proceed with the deception that is yer marriage?”
She hesitated, and he locked gazes with her for a long moment.
“Nothing happens beneath me roof without me knowing. At least, naught so important as the fact that ye were still a maid when Achaius made it known he had ye.”
Shock felt like it was strangling her. He gently eased her forward, and the retainers caught up to them as they passed through the castle doors. At the bottom of the stairs, Gahan and Lytge waited. Moira lowered herself but did not stop.
The yard was full of people who had come up from the village surrounding Dunrobin. The bells along the walls of the castle were ringing as she took the baby toward the open doors of the church. Saer escorted her and, for this single occasion, took his sword into the sanctuary. A baptism was the one exception to being armed inside the house of God. As godfather, it would be his duty to strike down anyone interfering with the holy ritual.
Moira’s duty was to take the baby to the church without any interference from his family, so she passed Gahan and Lytge at the doors without stopping. It was an old tradition one obeyed to ensure the new baby was cleansed completely of any influences of evil.
Once she’d walked down the long aisle, Moira handed the baby to the priest. The Sutherland people let out a cheer the moment he dunked the baby, who howled to release the devil. The baby turned red as he bawled, and his arms beat back and forth with his outrage. But Moira smiled, relieved she wouldn’t have to pinch him. If he didn’t cry, it was a bad omen. Even though she knew it would have been necessary, she was still relieved not to be handing Norris back his son with a mark on him from her hands.
After the ceremony, Moira returned baby Duncan to Daphne.
The new mother beamed. “Thank ye, Moira, and I’m sorry I was spying on ye. I pray ye shall forgive me. The midwife assures me that women do the strangest things when their time is near, but I am still shocked by me actions. ”
“This is yer home. A good mistress always knows what is happening inside her keep,” Moira replied. She had to bite back a denial that she had anything to hide, because she did: her nighttime trysting with Gahan.
“That does nae make it right, and fate showed me what she thought of it, sure enough.” Daphne smiled down at her baby. “Yet it is all well. I think I would like to use the birthing chair next time, though. Those stone steps were hard on me back.”
“Next time ye will nae mistake the signs of labor,” Asgree said. “Ye are blessed to nae feel the pain until it is almost time for the babe to enter the world.”
The baby began to fuss now that he could smell his mother’s breast. Moira lowered herself and left the chamber, looking back in surprise, because the countess was opening her own robe to feed her son.
Saer was waiting for her in the receiving room, and Gahan appeared as well. Gahan reached up and tugged on the corner of his bonnet in greeting, and she actually looked behind her to see whom he was addressing, but it was for her.
He chuckled softly. “How could I fail to show respect for me nephew’s godmother?” He held out his hand, the invitation clear. For all their intimate moments, none of them had been in the presence of others. She had to make herself place her hand in his, and her heart began to increase its pace as he closed his grip around her fingers. A shiver rippled across her skin, and her knees weakened.
He pressed the lightest kiss against her hand, then released it.
I will nae rest until I find the means to end yer marriage. His words rose in her memory as his eyes echoed the same look of determination he’d had when he said them.
Then Gahan and Saer clasped wrists and exchanged grins.
“My thanks for sending the hawk, Gahan,” Saer said. “I would nae have missed this moment. I have been separated from me sister for too long.”
Saer sent her another promising look before Achaius interrupted them. He made his way into the room with a slight scuff of his feet.
“There’s me bride!” he said. “Do I know how to select the best the Highlands have to offer, lads, or no? Come, lass! I’m ready to sample the celebration fare the cook will be setting out.”
As Achaius headed toward the door, Moira looked around and found Saer and Gahan watching her, although it would have been more truthful to say they watched the way Achaius made his way down the stairs without noticing whether or not she followed.
Her blush irritated her. It was frustrating to feel like a toy being fought over by children. With a rustle of the silk undergown, she followed Achaius.
At least Bari was nowhere to be found. Small comfort, but comfort nonetheless.
***
“A Fraser for godmother.” The earl didn’t sound pleased. He scowled over his desk at his sons.
“Do nae forget midwife,” Gahan added before turning on Norris. “And what do ye mean by handling Moira roughly?” he demanded of his brother.
Norris grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. “I was nae thinking clearly.”
“No man does when his children are being born,” Lytge said. “At least nae the men in this family. We care for our women. It makes us fools when they are suffering to give us babes.”
“That does nae make me actions acceptable,” Norris admitted. “I owe Lad
y Matheson an apology.”
“Do nae call her that,” Gahan grumbled.
“Enough, Gahan!” Lytge scolded. “We are nae the ones who put this charade into motion. We must let Bari play out his plan or risk being judged by our other vassals.”
“Nay, Father, I do nae have to stand back and watch.”
“What are ye thinking?” Norris demanded.
“I brought Saer MacLeod here because he’s a witness.”
“To what end, Son?” the earl asked softly. “Take another man’s wife, and there will be trouble.”
“There will be trouble if she remains his wife,” Gahan said.
The earl nodded. “Aye. It is nae a situation that can be solved without consequence.” He drew in a deep breath. “Let us leave it be for the moment. Time can be a very effective elixir, and Bari Fraser is nae a man with much patience.”
Gahan nodded. It was a reprieve, but one that would allow him time to act. He agreed with his sire, but he wasn’t going to wait for Bari to grow tired. No, Gahan was going to press the man until he broke and exposed his true purpose.
***
“Where is me undergown?”
Alanna wrinkled her nose in response. “That was ruined beyond cleaning.”
“It was all I had,” Moira protested and glanced around the star chamber, frowning. “Where are me shoes and stockings?”
“Gone by the mistress’s command,” Asgree said as she entered the chamber with two maids trailing her. Their arms were full of folded garments. “The godmother to the Earl of Sutherland’s heir does nae wear rags.”
The maids shook out the clothes they had brought. There were undergowns and overgowns, and even a newly fashioned dress with skirts and bodice.
“Please sit down so the cobbler may measure yer feet.” Asgree’s request was perfectly polite, but there was a core of strength in her tone that sent Moira onto a stool without protest.
An older man entered and tugged on his cap. A younger man followed him with a wooden box. He set it down and opened it up to reveal measuring sticks and all sorts of tools.
“Ye seem to know a bit of the art of midwifery,” Asgree said.
Moira looked back at the head of house and found her watching the cobbler with a critical eye.
“Aye. On Fraser land, I led a simple life. I learned the arts the rest of the clan girls did.”
“Simple can be useful, it would seem.” Asgree moved to inspect the garments lying out on the bed. The cobbler finished and tugged on his bonnet as he left. The head of house clapped her hands the moment the doors were closed.
Alanna and the other maids began to unlace the fine velvet and lifted it away. She knew it was not hers to keep, and yet she was sad when they took the undergown away, for it had been a delight to feel the silk against her skin.
“The silver one, I think,” Asgree decided, and her staff lifted an undergown the color of moonlight off the bed.
It was the softest linen she’d ever felt, yet it was not thin. The garment settled around her ankles, and she sighed as it warmed her. The laces were on the side, which was quite useful. Most undergowns didn’t have side laces, because the two long sets of eyelets took more work and time to lace. But it would be nice to be able to remove it herself—very nice.
An overgown of wool was next. The fabric was fresh, with no hint of mustiness to suggest it had been stored away. Once it was on Moira, Alanna brought a pair of sleeves and used long ties to secure them at the shoulder.
“This is truly too fine a gift.” Yet she adored it. The tone of her voice betrayed her. In the Highlands, cloth was expensive.
“It seems a fair trade,” Asgree noted. “Since yer clothing was ruined during the birth.”
“Yet mine was nae so fine.”
“Sutherland is blessed to have sheep that produce strong wool,” Asgree offered. “And ye are much the same size as the young laird’s wife. Let’s finish. They will be waiting in the hall for us.”
***
The first meal of the day was always the simplest, but the kitchens were in a flurry as the cook prepared for the evening. The scent of cooking meat teased Moira’s nose as she entered the hall and made her way down the aisle. Achaius spied her and pounded the table.
“There ye be! What mean ye by making the earl wait?”
Moira lowered herself and felt the weight of those filling the lower tables staring at her. No one had waited on her; the meal was half-finished. Achaius was scolding her to impress the earl. Many a husband did the same with their wives, but she still bristled. She bit her lip to contain her displeasure.
“She was being seen to by me daughter-in-law,” Lytge said. “Young Daphne does nae think it fitting that the godmother of her son goes about wearing rags. Raise the lass, man.”
Achaius gestured her forward, and she climbed the stairs on the sides of the platform on which the high table stood to take a seat next to him. She noticed there was room for her at the high table because Gahan was not there. It was just as well; she didn’t need him distracting her at every turn.
Bari sat near the end of the high table. “She was nae wearing rags. We provide well enough for our women,” he insisted.
Several of the Sutherland men sitting at the high table sent him dark looks, but it was Daphne’s brother who turned and smirked at him.
“I’m sorry to hear yer land is worse off than mine,” Saer MacLeod responded. “Perhaps the coming season will be kind to ye.”
Bari growled. Achaius pounded the table again. “Enough about me wife. We’re thankful for the gift from the countess. She’ll wear it tonight for the celebration. Right fine of yer daughter-in-law to have that baby while we’re here. It will provide me the opportunity to linger another day. At my age, ye must take the chances to be merry when they come.”
Moira felt herself caught between the calculating looks of Saer, Bari, Norris, and the earl, and she looked down at her food. She’d been hungry, but her appetite had vanished, replaced with the tension lingering at the head table.
Your real problem is that Gahan is missing…
That much was true.
Moira tried to look pleasant and pick at her food, but not knowing where Gahan was made her glance over her shoulder every few minutes, so she excused herself and made her way to the stables.
Athena was restless, crying at Moira and refusing to stand still. Moira ruefully noted that the only person who would notice her absence was Gahan, so she saddled her mare and left Dunrobin, looking for a place to let the hawk fly.
She had to ride away from Dunrobin to find ground that wasn’t being broken for crops. She rode to the rocky high ground and gave Athena her freedom. The hawk let out a cry as she took flight. Someone had already fed her, but it was in the bird’s nature to hunt. She soared on the morning breeze, looking for prey.
Moira took the opportunity to walk. The open ground ended at a forest. The trees were thick, but Moira wandered among them to cut the climbing afternoon sun. Water rushed by somewhere, and snow still sat in clumps where the thick branches shielded it from the sun. For the first time since Bari had informed her that she was getting married, she was at ease.
There was also no one to criticize her or suspect her of wrongdoing, and no one to tell her not to admit she preferred Gahan over Achaius.
She laughed softly at herself. It was an unfair comparison at best. Gahan was in his prime, and Achaius had bid farewell to that time decades past. Yet it was more than his physical attributes which made him superior. Achaius was a self-serving man, while Gahan had honor.
Athena cried, and Moira shielded her eyes to look for the bird. A second cry came as another hawk appeared in the sky. The birds began to circle each other, spiraling closer and closer together.
“Hawks are more honest than humans.”
She jumped, whirling to face her company. Gahan was watching the hawks, a leather gauntlet protecting his hand. He leaned against a tree and looked at Moira, his gaze slowly slipping dow
n her length.
“The hawks are nae concerned about what anyone thinks. They will mate if the courtship goes well,” he continued.
“We have hardly had a courtship.” Moira had no idea what she was saying. It made no sense, and yet it felt like she was finally speaking the truth.
Gahan flashed her a grin. “We’ve circled each other, tested each other, judged the strength of the other…” He pushed away from the tree and closed the distance between them. “Just like our feathered friends up there are doing.”
As he approached, every inch of her skin became sensitive. He didn’t stop until he was an arm’s length away, making her look up to make eye contact. She felt breathless, her heart accelerating just from his nearness. No, it was because he was looking at her like she was something he wanted to taste.
She wanted a taste, too.
“So my question is, sweet Moira, since I have made sure to sneak away and will likely catch hell for it from Cam, do ye want to give me a chance to court yer submission?”
She realized with a start that he was saying he’d sneaked away specifically to court her. He’d previously overwhelmed her, but now he was asking. There was a sweetness to him she never would have guessed existed. It was so tempting to believe that, even though she was suspicious that was he still just manipulating her.
“Ye will catch hell. That captain of yers is nae a fool.”
Gahan shrugged. “He’s me half brother. So, aye, I agree with ye. He will have naught good to say of me taking the opportunity to be alone with ye.” His features darkened as he looked past her to the tops of Dunrobin’s towers in the distance. “When I saw ye ride out, I wanted to give Achaius hell for letting ye stray so far, but the honest truth is, I recognized it as the chance to be alone with ye. So I am guilty and unrepentant.”
He reached out and stroked her cheek. She shivered, moving away, but she didn’t jerk. Instead, she took a few steps away and looked back over her shoulder at him. Excitement was threatening to make her giggle, so she moved a few more steps away to try and control her emotions. Of course, when it came to Gahan, there was no such thing as control.