Duty of the Chieftain - a Highland 'Lord's Right of the First Night' novella (Clan MacKrannan's Secret Traditions #3) (9 page)

Notes
were taken throughout by Ishbel, for the record, they said, just to see where performance improvements could be made.  Elinor and the Wisewomen had already consulted past brides to evaluate the current Lord's Right Service Providers.  Ranald and his father the Chief were graded in a points system in terms of warmth of welcome, hospitality offered, bedchamber ambience, persuasive methods used, optimum positioning, time allocated, bride satisfaction and much more.  These performance markers and the surplus data would be used to set the benchmarks for the Bride's Right.

The whole affair was bloody ridiculous. 
Hell's sodding pit, they'd be measuring his cockstand next.

"And there is the size
of yer lustful condition to consider," said Ishbel, going onto the next item on her list.  "Yer last bride was fairly small in stature, compared to yerself, that is.  Could ye tell us what methods ye would usually employ with a virgin when her substantially lesser height must be factored in?"

From his position on the wee stool they'd allocated him,
Ranald took a hard look at each of them on their high chairs.  Not a flicker of amusement was visible.

He put thought into his answer.  Whatever he said would be
written down, and he wanted to make sure of setting a good example to his great-grandsons should they ever come to read this in the Vault.

"I believed her already broken in,
as well ye know, else I would no' have dropped her down my length so hasty."

"Milord, ye have no' really answered the question," said Beatrix.

"I'm coming to that!"

"Again," said Ishbel, "What methods do ye usually employ with smaller brides?"

"Well… usually I would make a manual check for a maidenhead first, to spare asking such a question of them, and they're always going to say they're virgin anyway, whether they are or no', but I was wearied that day and forgot…"

"Ah
-HAAH!" Hessa cut in.  "Ye
forgot
the manual check!  Ye did no' tell us this in yer earlier account of the deed, milord."

"Some
of it is still a blur.  I had just returned from the Cambel uprising, if ye recall, and had no' slept in days."

"Did ye tell
the bride that?" said Beatrix.  "Did ye ask her help in keeping ye correct?"

"Nay
, but she seemed to know what…"

"Ye have
still
no' answered the question," Ishbel interrupted.  "What methods do ye use with smaller brides?"

"I do no' like wasting
them with my size, ye see, so I usually…"

"Yer methods, milord?"

Ranald finally snapped.

"Ready her well
, spread her wide and go in easy – unless ye have any better suggestion!"

"
Aye, we do," said Hessa.  "Oil.  Same as we use for birthing mothers to save them tearing."

Ranald rose from the
stool, uncramped his legs and scratched his neck.  This was too much information for a lone man among three women, wise or no', though he appreciated their honesty.

Oil
…?  Aye, he could see how that would be a help at times for the ones short on height or difficult to calm.  Best for it to be close at hand in the bedchamber, too, for a bride could hardly be expected to bring her own bottle.

Beatrix was about to speak
again when Hessa the Grandam stilled her…

The chieftain
is coming round to our way of thinking…  Let us leave him alone for a minute...

The three Wisewomen so quietened themselves it was as if they had disappeared.  Ranald paced the room, picking up a goddess statuette here, a lump of white quartz there, burning
his wrist on a candle he didn't realize was lit, and pacing again until his thoughts were clear.

"
There should be a special bedchamber kept for this.  Deck it out nice for the lassies.  And could ye get rid of that old chemise they all wear?  It is degrading for them to wear such a rag.  Give them a prettier one."

"
Consider it done, milord," said Hessa.

"The wee solar in the east wing is now called The Bower of the Bride's Right," said Ishbel.

Ranald was puzzled at the timing.  "But this Bride's Right thing was only announced yestreen."

"It was," said Hessa.  "And
within the same announcement that kept ye as chieftain, too… now, have ye a preference for these chemises?  I'm saying
chemises,
for each bride should have new, and I'm thinking on silk."

"
The dressmaker has sent over some samples," said Beatrix.  "Have a look at this."

Ranald beheld the gownie she
fetched out from its package.  A creamy white with blue floral stitching, and buttoned top to bottom.

"Much better," said he
, thinking it was fancier than many brides could afford for their actual wedding frock.  "And aye, they can take it away with them."

"Good.  We'll try
this one out the morn when Ginny and Dougall are wed.  It is yerself will be performing the Bride's Right Tradition, as part of the research.  We have the Chief's agreement to use the occasion as a client interface test."

A chill passed through Ranald at the Grandam Wisewoman's use of one particular word, and it was with a modicum of trepidation
that he said
"TRADITION?"

"
Aye, milord.  Did ye no' hear the Bard at the clan assembly?" said Ishbel.  "The new Bride's Right will be one of our MacKrannan Secret Traditions."

"
And therefore witnessed." said the warrior known throughout the land for his bravery, just as the color of his face changed towards that of the new silk chemise.  "Hell's pit…
who?
"

Hessa said, "We thought it appropriate
that yer wife accompany us.  Her comments will be of much value, herself having recent experience of ye in the Lord's Right."

Beatrix said, "But Ginny and Dougall's wedding is a day away
yet.  We shall start the research and testing of the bower with Lady Elinor tonight, again with the Chief's agreement."

Ishbel said, "Rest easy, milord. 
Ye will not be called to witness along with us.  Yer mother has kindly consented, to spare ye."

Lady Agatha had seen much in her
time as wife to Sir Thommas, Chief of the Name of MacKrannan, yet it was for the first that she beheld him take any extra care with his appearance before this particular duty.  They had been bathed together in the same tub by Hessa.  Special incantations were said by way of a cleansing ritual, and Hessa had given her a ceremonial robe to wear which was not unlike her own Grandam Wisewoman design.

Agatha could not
count the number of times Thommas had performed the Lord's Right of the First Night between their own wedding day and their sons growing old enough to take a turn and give their father a well-earned rest.  She must ask the Bard to consult the record sometime, just out of curiosity.  She felt a tinge of regret that the old ways must make way for the new, but such was progress, and this Bride's Right was certainly innovative.

As
a mother, she could only be profoundly grateful to the Wisewomen for any way whatsoever of keeping Ranald's birthright as chieftain.  As a woman, she could not help thinking the whole power shift from the lord to the bride could only be a good thing.

She fluffed and smoothed the three eagle feathers in her husband's bonnet and reached up to place it lovingly on his head.

"I shall think of ye, as always," said Sir Thommas, as he always said at this point.

"
Keep yer mind on the job ye always do so well," said Lady Agatha, as she always answered at this point.  "Thommas, would it be alright if I brought my tapestry along to give me something to do?"

"I think no', my dear.  Best pay attention
, for ye might be asked questions later.  What say ye on that, Hessa?"

"Yer input will be as valuable as the Chief's,
I assure ye, milady."

Lady
Elinor was taking her research task most seriously.  Now that the initial shock was over, and her personal involvement accepted as going beyond necessary and into the actually beneficial, she was determined to impress her new family with her diligence.

The amount of notes she was dictating had
Ishbel's quill scribbling furiously, and the Wisewoman was glad of the portable wooden board with the integral spring-clip.  The carpenter had devised it especially to carry her parchments with the ticklists of criteria.

Her only worry was
the timing of its affixed inkwell running dry, as it surely would with the Lady Elinor's enthusiasm for her task.  For all the Scribe had supplied spares of inkwells, plus enough quills to look like a turkey's rear end, she did not want the need for a changeover to come at a crucial moment.

"Bathing in here
… yes, definitely," said Elinor.  "Bare feet on flagstone corridors is to be avoided.  Perhaps an even thicker floormat?"

"
We'll have more tufting latched in," said Ishbel.  "Next is the general ambience."

"
Oh heavens, yes, you have all done marvellously with the décor in so short a time.  It really is most fetchingly adorned.  I particularly like the translucent silk bedhangings swagged in with the accents of MacKrannan tartan."

Beatrix
beamed, the tartan accents being her idea, and Ishbel put a
Ten
and a
√√√
on her parchment, and recorded the extras.  The Lady Elinor was
so
ideal for this.  It wasn't every day you got someone like her to give you feedback, a true lady who had been through a commoner's Lord's Right.

Beatrix pointed to the table of wines and meads.  "And the hospitality offered, milady
?  Enough to have the fruit basket with the drink, would ye say, or should there be proper food?  We could bring up one of those little pantry cupboards with an iceblock in it."

"Hmmm…
it all rather depends on the amount of time we need to allocate.  Let's leave that question until we see how long this one takes."

"
The Chief tends to take a shorter time than the chieftain, milady," said Beatrix.

"His age, I suppose."
  After all, Thommas and Agatha were nearly forty years old now, having wed at sixteen.  "We should not expect the same inclination nor stamina."

"Nay,
it is no' that.  He is the cleverest at it.  And he beds the Lady Agatha only an hour or so before, so that she knows where his heart belongs when he must do his duty."

Elinor found her eyes misting. 
To be loved like that must be a wonderful feeling.  No wonder Agatha always looked so contented.  "Shall we take our places now?  I think I hear footsteps."

The solar had been chosen for its spaciousness because a range of chairs were needed
for witnesses, now that this was a Tradition, and the castle store had been rifled for the best of the upholstereds.  The Wisewomen curtsied to the Chief and his wife, and invited Lady Agatha to sit beside them on the most comfortable of the array a few paces from the bed.