~ * ~
After the meal, Niall sat brooding by the hearth with Diarmad and Fingal.
“What ails ye, brother?” Fingal asked.
Niall shook his head, took a long pull of ale from his tankard, and didn’t answer.
“If I had to guess,” offered Diarmad, “I would say it was the argument he had with his wee wife at the table.”
“That isn’t your concern.”
“Nay, Laird, it probably isn’t. But then I am not the one who brought the issue up during the meal for all to hear, am I?”
Niall just glared.
“What issue?” asked Fingal, who hadn’t heard the discussion.
“According to the watch, Lady Katherine wanted to go walking beyond the village this afternoon, but did not seem to think she needed an escort. She wouldn’t let him call one for her and she returned to the keep.”
“Why would she do that?” asked Fingal.
“That’s what I asked her,” growled Niall.
“What did she say?”
Niall shook his head again, and took another drink from his tankard.
“She said she would prefer to talk about it privately,” answered Diarmad.
“Then go talk to her,” said Fingal reasonably. “Surely the lad is in bed by now.”
“Now, ye see, Fingal, that is where the problem started,” said Diarmad.
“There is nothing to discuss. There is no reason for her to leave the walls alone and I told her that,” said Niall angrily. “Why would she want to?” The suspicion in his tone was clear.
Fingal sighed. “It always comes back to that, Niall.” Niall gave Fingal a murderous glare, but Fingal was not dissuaded. “Can’t ye see ye married a guileless lass? Do ye truly believe Katherine set out to deceive ye?”
“Why would she shun an escort otherwise?” Niall demanded.
“I don’t know. Perhaps she doesn’t understand why she needs one. Did ye ask her why?”
“How could she possibly think she doesn’t need one? And aye, I did ask her why, but her answer didn’t make any sense,” Niall said dismissively.
“She said she didn’t think it was necessary to pull someone away from other duties,” Diarmad explained.
Fingal laughed. “Niall, she doesn’t understand.”
“How could she not understand? She is a noblewoman, surely she has been guarded her whole life. Why would she think it different here?” Niall’s anger was rising. He yelled, “What does she think I have a guard for anyway, if not to protect what is important to me?”
Fingal asked, “Is it possible her loving uncle did not assure she was guarded, and so she doesn’t expect to be guarded here?”
“That is ridiculous.”
“Is it?” asked Fingal. “We are talking about the lass who looked like a servant when you first met her, are we not? The same one whose uncle not only laid her back open with a whip, but happily married her to an impoverished stranger for his own gain? Ambrose Ruthven had absolutely nothing to lose by risking her life.”
Diarmad swore and said, “It’s a wonder she lived long enough for the king to marry her off. There should be a special place in hell for beasts like Ruthven.”
“Aye, and I would love to be the one to send him there,” Niall growled.
“Go talk to her, Niall,” Fingal urged.
Niall shook head in exasperation, rose, and walked toward the entrance to the tower.
Just before leaving the hall he overheard Diarmad say to Fingal, “Do you suppose he will ever learn all women are not apples from the same tree?” He ignored the comment and climbed the stairs to his chamber. Entering, he found Katherine sitting in a chair, sewing by the light of a candle. She was a vision with her cloud of hair floating softly around her shoulders, wearing only a shift. She didn’t look up as he entered the room. He took off his plaid then sat in the other chair before speaking.
“Katherine, how many men did your uncle set to guard ye at Cotharach?”
“I required no guard at Cotharach,” she said in a slightly defensive tone.
Niall arched an eyebrow, “Ye have never had guards charged with your safety?”
“Not since I was a little girl.”
“Just exactly when did ye stop needing protection?”
“I don’t know. After my father died, I guess, when the Ruthven holdings became mine.”
“Why would ye stop needing protection then?”
“Because—it was my home, they were my people.”
“So when your father was alive, he travelled around his lands with no guard?”
Katherine thought for a moment. “I don’t remember. Nay, I think he was usually accompanied by at least one of his men.”
“Katherine, ye were four and ten when your father died. If he never traveled around his holdings alone, why would it be safe for ye to?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t go very far and there were more important things for the guards to do.”
“Sweetling, what could possibly be more important than the safety of their lady?”
She looked at him as if she was trying to come up with a logical answer but couldn’t.
“Come here,” he said.
She lay her sewing aside with a frustrated sigh and crossed to where he sat. He pulled her gently onto his lap and put his arms around her. “Katherine, I can only guess at why your uncle didn’t ensure your protection, and it is probably only by the grace of God ye came to no harm. The country abounds with thieves and banished clansmen. I suspect your uncle has his share of enemies, too. I’m sure your father knew the dangers, because he secured your safety as well as his own. Why would ye expect me to do less than that?”
“That’s not what I—you misunderstood—I—I can’t waste your guards’ time just to gather herbs,” she said, as if it made perfect sense to her.
“What do ye suppose my guards do, if not protect what I value?”
“But what harm could come to me just beyond the village?”
“I don’t ever want to find out,” he said, kissing her head. “And I won’t because ye won’t leave the walls without an escort,” he said firmly. Before she could argue more, he added, “Katherine, guarding ye is an honor, not a chore, and nothing the members of my guard do is more important.”
Still sounding miffed, Katherine asked, “If I wasn’t allowed outside of the walls without an escort, why did you not tell me that?”
“I didn’t think I had to.”
“But you had to tell your men.”
“Nay, I didn’t. Sweetling, like your father, I rarely leave Duncurra alone. My men know the dangers and would certainly not let ye venture out without a guard, whether I had given an order or not.”
She sighed and after a moment said, “I guess I can’t stay angry with you, then.”
“Nay, ye cannot. I won’t allow it.” He buried his face in her neck, kissing her until she giggled. Then he captured her lips in a kiss intended to make her forget she was ever angry in the first place.
He carried her gently to the bed, removed her shift, and made slow tender love to her. Later, as she lay sleeping in his arms, he marveled once again at his good fortune in gaining such a sweet bride. The thought of what might have happened to her in the years under her uncle’s control made him shudder. The thought of losing her now chilled his very soul. He finally admitted to himself it was neither admiration nor gratitude giving rise to these feelings. He was fond of her. Perhaps he was more than fond.
Eleven
The next morning, Niall waited for Katherine at the breakfast table. “This is a surprise,” she said happily as she joined him.
“It is the first of several I have planned today,” he said mysteriously.
“Who else do you plan to surprise?” she asked, laughing.
“Oh, my sweet little wife, the surprises are all for ye.” Her face split into the brilliant smile he adored. “I realize I have spent very little time getting to know ye since we were wed.”
She blushed and said very softly, “My dear husband, if we spent any more time ‘knowing’ each other, I fear nothing would ever be accomplished here.”
He laughed and said, “Aren’t ye the cheeky little wench this morning?” causing her to blush more. “Now that ye mention it, I may have to allow a bit of time for that particular pursuit, but I had something else in mind. It looks to be a fine day, and I thought perhaps ye would like to go out riding with me. Ye can see more of the MacIan lands than Duncurra and its village, and we can spend some time alone.”
“I would love to go riding with you,” she answered, appearing overjoyed.
When they finished eating, he said, “Shall we go?”
“I will meet you in the stable. There are some things I need Edna to take care of today. I will only be a few minutes.” When she arrived at the stable, Cairbre, Muir, and Turcuil also prepared mounts. She whispered to Niall, “I thought you said we were spending the day alone?”
He whispered back, “I thought I told ye I rarely left Duncurra without guardsmen, and ye were never to leave without them. But don’t worry, they will keep their distance.” Then in a normal voice, he said, “What have ye brought there?”
“The supplies required to collect the odd herb or plant I might find.”
“Lass, this is not a day for work. Ye can gather herbs tomorrow—with an escort.”
She laughed and grinned. “I won’t gather common herbs, but if I see something rarer to come by, it would be foolish to leave it behind, would it not?”
“I suppose,” he agreed, feigning disappointment and she laughed again.
He helped her mount Eachann and they headed out. “Niall, what about Tomas?” she said in alarm before they reached the barbican.
“Taken care of,” he said smugly. “I have assigned Uncle Fingal to keep an eye on him today. Later Alan, or Keith, will go with them to the loch to fish and swim.” At the look of surprise on her face, he said, “My foster son doesn’t leave Duncurra without a sufficient escort, either.”
“Aye, husband, I’m beginning to see a pattern. You’ve made your point.”
When they reached the heath, as Niall had promised, the guardsmen fell back to a discreet distance. Katherine appeared suddenly and inexplicably shy. Finally breaking the silence, she asked “Where are we going?”
“I thought we would ride around the northern side of Loch Craos, then east a bit. The raids have occurred at the western edge of my holding and, while none were during the day, I don’t want you anywhere near Matheson land.”
Midmorning they came to a marshy area on the northeastern side of the loch and she asked, “Niall, can we stop here for a bit? Marshes harbor many useful plants and herbs.”
“Katherine, I did not intend for ye to work on this excursion.”
“It isn’t work, Niall. Please, I just want to see what might be growing here.”
Her eyes shown with excitement and he couldn’t refuse her. He handed their horses off to Muir and walked with her towards the marsh. To his surprise, Katherine removed her shoes and
airisaid
before pulling the hem of her
léine
between her legs and tucking it into her belt in the front. This pulled the bottom of the garment up to just below her knees. “What are ye doing?” he asked.
“I have to wade in a bit to see everything and I don’t want my clothes to get wet.”
“Can’t ye just look from the edge?”
Katherine’s musical laughter enveloped him. “Can ye hunt without going into the forest? All I can see from the edge is the tall purple loosestrife and that is easy to find close to Duncurra. Come with me, I’ll show you what the marsh hides,” she beckoned, holding her hand out to him. How could he resist? Taking her hand, he waded in with her.
She pointed out a variety of common plants. She was pleased when she found bog bean, but became positively delighted when she discovered something she called marsh mallow.
“I wasn’t sure I would find it this far north. It grew in the marshes near Cotharach, but it isn’t very common in colder areas. It’s an amazing plant, the flowers, the leaves, even the roots, are useful. Late summer is the perfect time of year to harvest it, too.” She gathered some, saying, “You’ll thank me the next time you get a sore throat.”
“I’ll thank ye to leave the muck of this marsh behind,” he said. At her look of dismay, he softened his tone and caressed her cheek, saying “I’m teasing, pet, but ye needn’t gather it all now. I will send men to harvest a larger quantity on another day.”
“All right, if ye promise,” she said with a shy smile.
They waded back out of the marsh, but she continued to talk about the plants they passed and their uses. This completely enthralled Niall. In the last few weeks he had seen several sides of his bride. There was the quiet, submissive maid he first met at Cotharach, who kept a firm check on her emotions but who, when pushed too hard, could unleash her anger with a vengeance. There was also the strong and compassionate lady of the castle, whom so many of his clansmen and women already respected and loved, as well as the gentle mother who cared very deeply for Tomas. Of course, one of his favorite sides was the uninhibited lover whose passion never failed to delight him. However, the woman he walked with now brimmed with knowledge, and had a confidence and self-assurance he had never seen in any woman. She impressed him and he felt oddly proud of her.
After their brief stop at the marsh, they rode east and entered the forest, where they soon arrived at a beautiful glade. His guard positioned themselves in the forest around the glade, again at a discreet distance, leaving Niall and Katherine quite alone. He spread a plaid on the ground before producing a packet of food and a wineskin from the bag on his saddle. They chatted as they ate.
“I am having a wonderful time,” she said.
“So am I,” he answered with a smile.
“I was just wondering...”
“Mmm?”
“Well, with so much to do, why did you decide to waste the day with me?”
He chuckled, “That is one of the reasons right there.”
“What?” she asked, confused.
“A day spent with ye is not wasted, sweetling.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean—I—”
He put his finger to her lips. “I know what ye meant even if ye don’t,” he said gently. “Katherine, I realized last night ye don’t recognize your own value. On the day we married, ye said your uncle cared less for ye than he did his saddle.”
She blushed and looked away. “I’m sorry, I was—upset.”