Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

" A listair has been rather busy these days, hasnae he?" Lady McCann pointed out, as she and Hannah strolled through the castle, with the intention of reaching the hall, that was to host their future guests.

Indeed, it had been two days that Hannah had barely seen Alistair. Coincidentally, it had also been two days since the kiss they shared in the garden, the kiss that awoke so much torment and confusion inside of her, and now she had no idea what to do with herself.

"Aye," Lady McCann responded to her own question, as she gripped at Hannah's underarm seemingly for support. She was not an old lady by any account, so Hannah assumed it was merely the trait of a lady to like to be led somewhere. "Ye ken men, they daenae want to be bothered by weddin' preparations. That is a job for us women."

"Aye," Hannah agreed.

The thought of the wedding nearing so swiftly made her apprehensive. In fact, it made her much more so than she thought she would be.

"Are ye nervous?" Lady McCann seemed to be able to read Hannah's mind.

She turned to the lady a little anxiously and smiled. She wanted to discuss her emotions with her sister. Olivia was to come in two days and help with the preparations, but she wanted to talk to her now.

"A little," she finally admitted.

"Daenae worry," Lady McCann told her reassuringly. "Every lass feels this way before her weddin' day. But rest assured, 'tis the beginning of a whole new life for ye."

That was actually what Hannah was afraid of, but she couldn't very well tell her that. Lady McCann seemed ecstatic about the upcoming wedding and could not talk about anything else.

"I remember me own weddin' day," she said, her voice lost in a reverie that belonged to a past time. "Me dear husband, God rest his soul, he was the handsomest men I'd ever met. Those arms, those legs in that kilt of his. I felt as if me own heart was about to jump right outta me chest."

She chuckled loudly at this remembrance, and Hannah could not help but join in. It was obvious that Lady McCann loved her late husband dearly, and although she did not show it or express it in words, she must have missed him terribly. Hannah knew that feeling well, of missing someone who would never come back.

"I'm sure that ye were a bonnie lass in yer younger days," Hannah said, and only then realized that the lady could very easily misinterpret those words to mean that she was pretty only as a young woman and not anymore. "Oh, I dinnae mean to say that—"

Lady McCann burst into a boisterous chuckle, waving her free hand dismissively at Hannah. "Oh, lassie, daenae worry yer bonnie little head. I'm nae the type to get offended so easily. I ken what ye meant, and it is rather sweet of ye to say so."

Hannah exhaled with relief, as the two women descended the stairs and headed towards the hall.

"Ye ken," the lady continued the conversation, "Alistair is so much like his late faither. That is why I understand ye so well, me dear."

"Oh, I… I mean to say, Alistair isnae—" Hannah started, but Lady McCann wouldn't let her finish.

"I've noticed the way ye are around him," the lady pointed out. "Wee bit insecure, because he isnae that easy to deal with. It is that temper of his faither's. But, trust me, me dear. This isnae only because I am his maither. That lad would lay down his life for his family. The mere fact that he has chosen ye to be his bride speaks a lot about the way he feels for ye. As any man, he may nae be able to express himself properly in words, but I ken that he feels strongly for ye."

"He does?" Hannah echoed her words, just as they entered the hall, and her own words echoed back to her.

"Aye," Lady McCann nodded knowledgeably. "He just needs time to open up to ye, that is all."

Hannah remembered how he ended their kiss in the garden so abruptly, and she wondered why, even now, two days later. They were to be husband and wife, after all. Why shouldn't they be able to kiss each other? They weren't hurting anyone. On the contrary, she quite liked it.

"I think we both need time for that," Hannah admitted.

The lady smiled at her, releasing Hannah's arm. "Ye will have the rest of yer lives to adjust to each other. And always remember, me dear. It isnae the destination, but rather the journey that is the most fun part."

"I shall try to remember that," Hannah bestowed a look of gratitude upon the sweet lady who had taken her in and made her feel more welcome than Hannah thought she would ever be, in this castle, with that man.

Hannah turned around the Great Hall, her lips parted in awe. It was an incredibly large room, whose high ceilings made her feel like a little bird. It boasted traditional Scottish elements on every single wall including both tartan and thistle motifs. The maids were busy arranging the new drapery, in red and green colors, while the place which was designated to be the dancing area, was marked in the very center of the room. Hannah could already imagine it filled with dancing feet and swirling gowns of flowing fabric, adorned with low necklines and intricate embroidery. They would all be dancing to traditional Scottish music, as well as some classical pieces and of course, the waltz.

"Is that where musicians are to be placed?" Hannah pointed at the far end of the room.

"Aye," Lady McCann nodded. "But the room looks so empty still. We shall need more flowers, more decorations, more ribbons, more everythin'!" she exclaimed joyfully, clapping her hands together once, like a little child, awaiting its birthday with glee.

"There is still time," Hannah reminded her, although she herself felt that the day was perilously close. Almost too close for comfort.

"Ye may think so," Lady McCann shook her head. "But one snap of the fingers, and ye shall be walkin' hand in hand with Alistair, finally becomin' a part of our family."

"I cannae wait," Hannah gushed, mostly because she felt this was what Lady McCann wished to hear.

As for herself, Hannah could not quite decipher her feelings for her future husband. He made her confused. That was the simplest way of putting it. But also, he made her thrilled to see him, which was why these past two days were somewhat of a disappointment to her, as they had barely seen each other. They were more like two passing ships in the night.

"We shall have all relatives and friends," Lady McCann continued. "There's Elias Gallagher and his family, his two wee lasses are so bonnie, Faye and Mollie. Then, there is Cillian MacKinnon and his wife Clara. Also, Cillian's maither and faither, and his grandfaither as well. Ye ken, he is me own faither's cousin. Who else? Oh… Robbie Milligan, and Jacob McGowan. Oh, and we mustnae forget Ada Burnett and her family as well..."

Alistair's mother kept listing more and more names, none of whom were familiar to Hannah. But that didn't seem to matter. The very fact that Lady McCann was speaking so openly and freely about all of this with her, proved to Hannah that she had truly been blessed to be welcomed to this family so lovingly, without having to prove anything. Being herself was enough with this lady and her father as well.

However, Hannah still didn't know who she was supposed to be with Alistair. A lover was obviously out of the question. A friend? Perhaps that too was too much, and they should strive for a relationship of mutual respect.

"I thought Alistair said he dinnae wish to have a big weddin'," Hannah pointed out, although she had nothing against all these people being present. The more, the merrier.

"Oh, Alistair," his mother frowned playfully, giving one more dismissive wave of her hand. "Men. They daenae ken what they want. Ye and I will make it as we wish. He'll have to agree." She gave a conspiratorial chuckle, which made Hannah laugh in turn.

How different his mother was from him. So open, so understanding, so sympathetic. Hannah could not find any of these traits in her son.

"Now, as for the weddin' gown," Lady McCann suddenly seemed to remember something. "Is yer sister bringin' anythin' special for ye?"

Hannah swallowed heavily. "No."

Lady McCann's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh… I thought yer maither had left ye her own weddin' gown."

"She wanted to, but…" Hannah hesitated. Talking about this was difficult. "There was a fire in our home, a long time ago. Fortunately, we caught it in time not to let it destroy our house, but three of the chambers were badly damaged. One of them was Maither and Faither's chamber, where she kept all her gowns, hats, shoes, and everythin'."

"Oh, me sweet Lord!" Lady McCann gasped, pressing her hand to her lips, her mind imagining how horrible it must have been for a lady to lose all of her belongings.

"Aye," Hannah nodded solemnly. "The weddin' gown was just one of the gowns that was completely engulfed by the fire. Nothin' was left. Faither, of course, bought her everythin' she needed, but her weddin' gown could not be replaced."

"Nay," Lady McCann fully sympathized. Hannah could hear it in her eyes. She could see it in her expression. "A weddin' gown is somethin' special."

"I do have a bonnie day dress I will use," Hannah's voice perked up immediately, not wanting the lady to feel sorry for her. There was no reason for ruining their good mood.

"A simple gown? By no means," the lady shook her head fervently. "I shall not hear of it."

Hannah did not understand. Was she to wear nothing for her own wedding?

"Ye shall wear mine, me dear."

At first, Hannah thought that she didn't hear her properly. Was this sweet, kind lady truly offering her own wedding gown?

"Nay," Hannah said, feeling as if something was stuck in her throat. "I couldnae do that."

"Aye, ye can," Lady McCann corrected her. "Nothin' would bring me more joy than to see ye wear it, Hannah. Ye ken I daenae have any daughters of me own to give it to. Only sons." At this, she rolled her eyes jokingly, which made Hannah giggle.

"Are ye certain, Lady McCann?" Hannah wondered, not wanting to take advantage of her in any manner.

"Aye," the lady smiled. "Would I have offered if I dinnae truly mean it?"

"Thank ye, I… I daenae ken what to say," Hannah confessed, overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotion.

"Say nothin', just be merry," the lady gave her the most valuable piece of advice Hannah had ever heard, and she planned to take it.

Alistair looked at the big bone in his hand, which still had chunks of meat hanging from it. His future wife had brought three dogs with her. The first one, he met even before meeting her. The others were a surprising addition when she arrived.

Now, he looked at the most surprising one. It was a small pug, with a turned up black nose and eyes that seemed to wander at all times. He could not imagine anyone wanting such a dog. It was not a guard dog. It wasn't a big animal intended to ward off any possible assailants. It was an annoyance. That's what it was.

Yet, Alistair found himself walking over to the little pooch, as it rested in the garden, underneath a big, oak tree. He looked around, expecting to see Hannah about, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Rosebud!" Alistair called out to the dog, having heard Hannah do so.

The pug instantly recognized its own name, but it didn't seem to recognize the voice. Alistair lowered himself to his knees, in an effort to appear more approachable. The pug hesitated, but the moment it saw the bone in Alistair's hand, it waddled over to him.

"I got a nice bone here for ye, lass," Alistair told the pug, waiting for his moment to pet it gently on the head. "Ye likes bones, daenae ye?"

He put the bone down onto the ground, and Rosebud immediately enshrouded it with its little paws, knowing it was unable to run away with it, but still endeavoring to show possessiveness over it to any who might question it.

"There ye go, lass," Alistair kept talking softly, lifting his hand over the pug's head. Tenderly, he lowered it and caressed it.

Rosebud didn't seem to respond in any way. Still, that was an improvement. All three dogs had been eyeing him as if he were the enemy.

That cannae be so, Alistair thought to himself. This is me own house. If they are to live with me, they need to respect me.

That was how he came to the conclusion that he would win the dogs over, no matter what. Especially Haggis, although Haggis was the most difficult one.

The third dog, a relatively small border collie with thick black and white fur, was the first one to approach Alistair. The dog's playful nature made it easy for the two to instantly become friends. Alistair didn't even need to try that hard. One afternoon, the dog approached him in the garden, much like he was doing now with Rosebud, and as one thing led to another, Alistair had spent over an hour playing with the dog, named Luna. Alistair had taken an instant liking to this dog, completely unlike it was with Haggis.

Alistair watched as Rosebud slowly nibbled on her bone, taking her sweet time. He didn't seem to mind. He had all the time in the world to prove to her that he wasn't her enemy. However, he wasn't particularly keen on allowing Hannah to see him petting her dogs. He didn't know how she would react to it.

To be quite honest, his own reaction to it was two-fold. He had no idea why he was doing it.

"Why on earth do I want ye to like me?" Alistair murmured to himself, still petting Rosebud's head. This time, she lifted her eyes to meet his. Her tongue was out. Her muzzle spread widely. It almost looked as if she was laughing.

"So, we are friends now, ye and I?" he asked again, underneath his breath.

To his surprise, Rosebud barked once joyfully. He couldn't believe it.

"Alright then, lass," he smiled, getting up. "I shall leave ye to yer snack. But daenae tell anyone, ye hear?"

Rosebud didn't even hear this time. Her attention was once again focused on the bone she was holding with both her paws in front of her. Alistair didn't mind. His mission was successful.

Proudly, he pranced back into the house. His work for the afternoon was done.