"Is Leod a servant to Laird Campbell?" I asked her.
She nodded. "The oldest of the servants. He was a retainer to even his father, and was given to the younger laird to serve him before he died."
"So he really has died?" I whispered.
"That is what we are told, but-" She paused and shook her head. "There are so many strange things I hear, and Laird Campbell grows tense. He yells at us very much this last fortnight."
"Perhaps his mood has something to do with the Lady Annabel," I suggested.
She laughed. "Perhaps it does, but if that is true then for the first time I pity him. If she is as cruel to others as she is to her clothes he will have quite an expense while she resides here." She sighed and shook her head. "But we should be to our work before the banshee Bean Lyel comes and finds us speaking." She moved away, but my eyes remained on the windows. I thought perhaps a curtain had moved. She returned to my side and tugged on my sleeve. "We must work, Muira, or you will find yourself back among the moorlands."
I shook myself and turned to her with a smile. "Aye. As much as I love to see the moors on such a misty morning I must perform this work for my family."
Davina leaned forward and studied me. "You're a bit of a queer sort."
I blinked at her. "What makes you say such a thing?"
"Your eyes hold a strange light in them." A sly smile slipped onto her lips. "I could imagine you playing among the moorland flowers in the dusk," she teased. "Father Clarke would scold you horribly."
I blushed and looked away. "I. . .I do enjoy the moors as they look at night," I admitted.
She pushed a dirty dress into my hands and turned me away from the windows. "Let us not incur the wrath of our most holy father and our most gracious Bean Lyel, and allow her to find us discussing such wicked talk."
We returned to our work and were finished before Bean Lyel and Eva came for us. Bean Lyel swept her narrowed eyes over the room, but we had performed our work well. The dresses were as they should be in Lady Annabel's luggage and the bed linen was changed.
"The work is adequate," she told us.
Davina bowed her head. "You are gracious, Bean Lyel." My smile was hidden when I bowed my head.
Any further praise was forgotten when a scream split the air. Bean Lyel stiffened and her eyes widened.
"My God, what has he done?" I heard her whisper.
Bean Lyel hurried past us and across the chamber to the windows. She looked through the panes for a moment before there came a shout from a man. Bean Lyel turned away from the window and to us.
"No matter what you hear, remain in here until I return," she ordered us.
Bean Lyel fled before we could answer. Davina and I hurried to the windows, and Eva followed. We glanced out them, but saw nothing which caught our attention.
"What do you suppose that was about?" Davina asked us.
"Nothing that we should pry into," Eva insisted.
I leaned close to the panes and studied the north wing windows. One was now partially open, but I could see nothing of the young laird.
We were startled from the windows by a sound in the passage.
"Away from the windows!" Davina hissed.
We scurried away, and a moment later Bean Lyel and Leod entered the chamber with the maid of Annabel clutched between them. They supported her as her feet stumbled over the uneven cobblestones. Her clothes were torn and her long tresses lay wild over her shoulders. There were scratches and deep cuts across her pale arms. She shook from head to toe as they led her to the bed.
"What was it? What was that creature?" she repeated over and over again.
"The laird's hounds. Leod keeps them there," Bean Lyel told her.
The maid shook her head. "I saw no hounds, only a. . .a shadow! It lunged and tore at me! It-"
"Quiet!" Bean Lyel hissed. They set her on the bed and Bean Lyel towered over the young, frightened woman. "You saw nothing but some hounds!"
While Bean Lyel scolded the girl for her fantasies Leod's gaze wandered over us. His eyes stopped on me and widened. A strange, toothy smiled slipped onto his lips, and he took a step towards me. I recoiled from such a strange and frightening figure, and was saved from further distress when Bean Lyel turned to us.
"Davina, some warm water from the kitchen. Eva, linens for her cuts. Muira, return to the kitchen. You're not needed for the rest of the day."
"Aye, Bean Lyel," we replied.
We hurried from the room and the awful sight of the disheveled girl. Davina waited until we were halfway down the passage before she allowed her tongue to wag.
"My goodness, but what a fright she looked!" she whispered.
"Those are very bad hounds," Eva added.
Davina glared at her. "Hounds indeed. More like the hounds of the wicked laird himself. No doubt the Laird Campbell allows the Dark One to keep his beasts here for the hunt for souls."
"Davina, please!" Eva scolded her.
"What say you of the girl?" Davina asked me.
I shook my head. "I can't fathom why she would have been in the north wing."
"Curiosity, no doubt," Davina suggested.
"The good father says not to follow curiosity," Eva told us.
"The good father has never known that temptation, or any other," Davina quipped.
Our speaking ceased when Laid Campbell himself appeared at the top of the stairs. He wore his black cloak that billowed behind him and cast a great shadow along the stone walls. The laird marched up to us, and we parted and curtsied to him.
"My steward says there there was some sort of attack. What happened?" he snapped at us.
"My laird, if you please, the Lady Annabel's maidservant was attacked in the north wing," Davina explained.
He pursed his lips and a dark shadow fell over his expression. "Where is she?"
"In the Lady Annabel's chamber," Davina replied.
He swept past us and marched down the passage to the chamber. We hurried down the remainder of the passage and to the grand hall where we found the Lady Annabel herself along with her father. The servants had just closed the door behind them and stood at the ready to remove their cloaks, but Laird Graham had his hands on the clasps of his cloak and stood between the stairs and Lady Annabel.
"Please, my daughter, the laird ordered us to remain at the chapel," he scolded her.
"If he is to be my husband then there shall be no secrets kept from me," she countered.
"But a wife must be obedient to her husband," he reminded her.
"I shall not be thought of as merely a lowly servant," she bit back. She unclasped her cloak and a servant took the fabric. Her eyes swept over the hall and fell on us as we stood at the top of the stairs. "You there! Where has Laird Campbell gone?"
"To your chambers, my lady," Eva answered her.
Lady Annabel's cheeks reddened and she balled her white, delicate hands into fists at her side. She turned to her father. "He has gone to some mischief with my maid servant! It is no coincidence he would not allow her to come with me to mass!"
"I am sure that is not what has happened at all, my precious one!" Laird Graham insisted.
Lady Annabel ignored her father's words and sped past him. She marched up the stairs and flew by us without a glance.
"My daughter!" Laird Graham yelled as he bumbled behind her.
Davina giggled and looked to us. "There's to be a row for sure. Who's to come with me and watch?"
"Bean Lyel ordered us to fetch linens and water," Eva reminded her. "She will be displeased if we're to return without them."
Davina frowned. "I suppose you have something there, but let's hurry so we might see some of the troubles."
We hurried across the dining hall and into the kitchen. The sweet smells of breakfast foods wafted through the thick, steamy air. Aili stood by the stove over a large pot of boiling eggs fresh from the chickens. She noticed our hurried entrance and frowned.
"What brings you here looking as startled hens?" she teased
.
"We are in need of hot water and linen for the maid of Lady Annabel. She has been attacked," Davina explained. Her half-tale caught the attention of the other servants.
Aili set her stirring spoon aside and turned to us. She wiped her hands on her apron and furrowed her brow.
"Attacked by what?" she asked us.
"By dogs kept in the north wing," Davina told her.
"Posh. There aren't dogs in the north wing, nor any other wing," Aili argued.
"Bean Lyel spoke of dogs to the maid," Davina countered.
Aili frowned and turned away from us to the stove and a kettle of hot water on the back. "How much water will you be needing?"
"A small pail, and some linen," Davina replied.
One of the cooks slunk over to us. "Is she horribly hurt?" she asked us.
"Not very, but she'll have a terrible time of it if the gashes on her hands aren't cleaned," Davina told her.
"Are the dogs loose?" another spoke up.
"If they were I wouldn't be talking to you at this moment," Davina quipped.
"That's enough from all of you," Aili scolded. She handed Davina her water and Eva took the linen. "Now hurry away to the poor girl, and the less talking for you then the better."
The pair left, and Aili's attention fell on me. "Are you not to join them?"
I shook my head. "Bean Lyel has sent me away for the day."
"Well, then you can get to fetching more water." Aili took a pail and pushed it into my hands. She turned me towards the kitchen door and gave me a gentle push. "You'll find the pump in the stables at the far end. And don't dawdle!" she called out as I slipped outside.
CHAPTER 9
The cool morning still lay beneath a thick covering of fog. The white mist drifted over the courtyard and cast everything in gray, unmoving shadows. I stepped across the short distance to the stables just across the way from the kitchen. The stables were long and narrow, and there was little light but for the cracks through the boards in the walls. Deep shadows lay in the corners and stalls.
There were enough stalls on either side of the dirt-floored aisle to house two dozen fine steeds. The horses entered through a wide door in the center of the building far down on my left. A hay loft hung low over the stalls and was filled with that year's crop of hay. The sweet smell of the dried grass reminded me of my old home.
"Only two days. . ." I murmured.
It had been only two days since I had left my mother and brother, and yet I felt a whole year had passed. So much had happened, and I could not shake the feeling that more was to happen before the week was done.
The well lay at the far end of the building as Aili had told me. The animals and humans shared its benevolent gift of water. A pump brought the water from its ancient well depths to the spout where, without a pail, the water would spill into a large stone basin. I carried my pail down the rows of stalls, and the few horses present whinnied at me.
I paused at the stall where stood Lady Annabel's fine steed. It was a creature of pure white with clear brown eyes that stared at me without flinching. The beast was ten hands tall and was well-muscled for long travel.
"Hello," I whispered to the beast. It raised its head and whinnied at me. I stepped close to the door and reached out my hand to stroke its velvet nose. "You are a beautiful-"
Any further compliments on my part were interrupted when the steed reared. The horse let loose a loud, piercing whinny and its hoofs beat against the stall door. Its nostrils flared and its eyes blazed as they burned into mine. I cried out and stumbled back. The pail tumbled to the dirt floor and rolled away from me.
I clutched my hand over my heart and took in a breath. There was scarcely a moment to rest when someone from behind caught my arms. I thrashed and leapt forward, but the hands held me.
"Easy there, my girl," Laird Graham's voice spoke up.
I glanced over my shoulder to find my face even with his over-fed features. He grinned and tightened his hold on my upper arms. His eyes swept over my form and I shuddered beneath the lustful gaze. He pressed me against his wide stomach and tight clothes. Though there was carnal need on Laird Graham's part, I felt nothing for him save that I wanted to be far from his company.
"Please release me," I pleaded.
"Don't be so afraid, my girl. Fear doesn't do your face justice," he told me.
"Please, my laird, I must attend to my duties," I insisted.
"A servant's duty is to please her laird and his guests," he scolded me.
I struggled in his grasp, but he only held me tighter. His eyes hardened and he lowered his voice to a cool hiss.
"None of that now, girl," he whispered. "I get what I want, and I want-" The door through which I had entered opened and a short form stood in the doorway.
"Miss?" a voice called. The figure stepped into the stables and I saw it was Leod. The hunched man moved over to us and bowed his head to the laird. "My laird, Laird Campbell has requested his servant's company."
Laird Graham frowned. "What could he want with her?"
Leod kept his eyes to the floor and shook his head. "Leod knows not, but my laird insists on seeing her."
Laird Graham sneered and tossed me towards Leod. He caught me in his strong arms and steadied me.
"Let him have his wench, then, but he could have kept one for his guest," Laird Graham snapped.
Laird Graham marched past us and left the stables. He slammed the door shut behind himself. Leod released me and stepped back to bow low to me.
"My lady, my master wishes to see you this evening," he told me.
I tilted my head to one side and blinked at him. "But I thought I was to see Laird Campbell this moment."
"Leod apologizes for the ruse, but it appeared to be necessary," he replied.
I looked over this small, strange fellow before me, and a thought came to mind. "To which Laird Campbell do you refer?" I asked him.
Leod raised his head and that strange smile of his slipped onto his lips. "The young laird, my lady."
"Then-" He put a finger to his lips and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed and he frowned.
"Not here, my lady," he whispered. "But if you need Leod then Leod shall come when called." He turned as though to leave, but I took a step forward and stretched out my arm.
"Wait a moment. How shall I call you?" I wondered.
Leod looked over his shoulder and gave me his peculiar smile. "Leod will know when you need him. Only call his name and he will be there for you."
The strange, short servant hurried away, and in a moment I stood alone in the stables. I ran a hand through my wild brown locks and shook my head.
"What strange happenings have you fallen into?" I whispered to myself.
"Muira? Muira, where are you?" I heard Aili call. The door opened and the kind cook stood in the doorway. She put her hands on her hip and frowned at me. "Muira, what did I tell you?"
"I'm sorry, Aili, but-"
"No buts, my dear. The work is to be done without complains or excuses," she scolded me. "Do you understand?"
I knelt down and picked up my pail. "Aye, Aili."
"Then let's get your bucket of water and get back to the kitchen," Aili insisted. She wrapped her arms around her large frame and shivered. "This fog seems apt to stay for the rest of the year."
My pail was quickly filled and we returned to the warmth of the kitchen. The day waxed and waned, but my thoughts were never far from the events of the morning. My work kept me in the kitchen so I could hear nothing more of Lady Annabel's maid until the supper hour.
"Muira, you're to serve the dinner this evening," Aili commanded me as we prepared the dishes.
The color drained from my face. "Will Laird Graham be present?" I asked her.
"Aye, and your own laird, too, so you'd best make a good show of not spilling the ale over her ladyship," she warned me.
"I heard he's to marry her in less than a fortnight," Mary spoke up.
"Never you mi
nd the business of the laird unless it concerns your cooking," Aili scolded her.
We filled the dishes and made ready for the procession to the dining hall. Aili's plans were interrupted when a man of forty-five strode into the kitchen and surveyed the scene. He wore a simple, clean suit of soft, undyed wool that wrapped closely to his well-built frame, and his black, muddy boots were of the finest calf skin. His sharp but kind eyes missed nothing as they broached the kitchen. The other female servants smiled at him, but his attention was only for Aili.
Aili noticed his entrance. She walked over and curtsied before him.
"Steward Chamberlain, what a pleasant surprise. How can I be of service?" Aili asked him. Chamberlain was lead steward to Laird Campbell and thus the servant with the most respect inside the house.
"I come bearing news. Laird Campbell wishes for you to be informed of Father Clarke's presence this evening," he announced. Father Clarke was leader of the village church and confessor to the inhabitants.
Aili bowed her head. "Then we hope to do him honor tonight with a good meal."
Chamberlain smiled and returned the bow. "You have yet to fail, my lady. A good day to you and yours."
The man left, and the moment he was out of earshot Aili balled her hands into fists in front of her and stomped her foot on the ground.
"Another guest and not a half hour's warning!" she snapped.
"There's enough food for a small contingent of officers," one of the other servants assured her.
"Aye, but it's the principle of the thing that vexes me so," Aili argued. She growled and turned to us. "Add another set of dishes to the serving plates and follow me."
Aili led us through the doorway and directed us as was becoming servants of a high laird. The laird himself and his two guests were already seated, and there was Father Clarke present in the right-hand seat of my laird.
I carried the pitcher of ale with the cups, and set them at their places. Laird Graham averted his eyes from my bosom this evening. It wouldn't do to satiate his lust before the holy father.
"The food smells as wonderful as always, my laird," Father Clarke complimented.
Laird Campbell bowed his head, but said nothing. My laird's lips were tightly pursed and his eyebrows were knitted together.
"It's a gift from God to have such a fine meal beneath friendly roofs," Graham added.
Father Clarke closed his eyes and nodded. "Aye, it is, but I wonder about these raids I have heard speak of from my westerly flock. They say the Menzies clan moves to claim more territory than is rightfully theirs."