Chapter Thirty-Two

Rowenna’s heart broke a little at the sight of Maeve standing before the altar with a young man she had just laid eyes on, pledging to be his forever. The lass’s hands shook as they clutched her bouquet of heather, and her lip trembled, tears threatening to spill down her white dress. Rowenna winced inside at the casual cruelty of the garment Joan had chosen for her daughter.

Incensed at Maeve shaming herself and having to be joined to the Macaulays, Joan had picked it out as a mockery of purity. And everyone in the kirk knew the bride would be no virgin on her wedding night, though there were few witnesses to her wedding. It was a humiliation for Maeve and a slap in the face for the Macaulays. It angered Rowenna beyond measure. And it was small comfort to know that Maeve would soon be out of her mother’s clutches, for she would soon be in another’s.

Rowenna took a long, hard look at Seamus Macaulay. He had come to Kransmuir with his uncle, Griffin, who seemed in a hurry to get the wedding over with. Seamus had a rugged appeal, being tall and muscular and blessed with a handsome face. Yet as he stood at the altar, his face was grim and pale, and his hands clutched together as if in a death grip. Would Seamus force himself on Maeve on his wedding night? Would he hurt and humiliate her?

The priest finished the vows and bid Seamus kiss his bride. The young man’s smile to Maeve was fleeting, and he bent and pressed his lips to hers quickly and stepped back.

‘There is more warmth in this kirk than in that kiss,’ Rowenna hissed at Jasper.

‘What do you expect? They are strangers,’ he whispered. ‘It is the best we can hope for, and at least my sister will not be shamed. She will have the protection of marriage. We were strangers when we came together, and look at us now?’ Jasper squeezed her hand, but it was not reassuring.

Maeve’s wedding was a subdued affair and, to Rowenna, rather pitiful. There was no big celebration, no shouting the news around the glens and towns, no pride in it. The couple were reluctant strangers, shackled together like oxen to the plough.

‘Everyone will know when the bairn comes, Jasper. Maeve was about to marry Carstairs just a few weeks ago.

‘And now that he is gone, she has found another.’

‘Folk will wonder about the haste of this patched-up marriage.’

‘Then let them wonder. I must pretend to be happy about this sham, as must you.’ Jasper kissed her hand and moved away to talk to Griffin Macaulay, a most ill-favoured man with the look of a footpad about him. Maeve and Seamus had leapt apart after the kiss, and Seamus stood alone and forgotten by his uncle, staring up at the stained glass showing Christ’s crucifixion. Was this an equivalent torture for him, or was he grasping at the wealth and land offered as a bribe to go through with the wedding?

Rowenna took a deep breath. He had his back to her, so she tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around.

‘Lady Glendenning,’ he said, smiling and bowing chivalrously, eyes darting to his uncle and back to her. Seamus’ hair was cropped rather clumsily, and his face was red as if it had been scrubbed raw. The man smelled of soap and resentment.

‘So, Seamus. How are you?’

‘I am well, Lady, I thank you. And I am a little taken aback by how bonnie is my new wife,’ he said with nervous sincerity, which she had not been expecting.

‘You are young, so this wedding must be daunting.’

‘I am old enough to do my duty. I can assure you of that.’

‘Ah, your duty, aye. Your duty is to be a good husband to Maeve, to care for and protect her, as you have sworn to do.

‘And I intend to honour those vows.’

‘And the bairn she carries, what of that?

His jaw worked, and his blush deepened. Clearly, his pride railed at the disgrace of having a bride who was not pure, and he didn’t like being confronted about it. Then Seamus surprised her. ‘Do you think me heartless, Lady Glendenning? Do you think I would spurn a bairn or treat it cruelly?’

‘I do not know you, so how can I tell?’

‘You cannot.’

‘You seem angry and a little cold to Maeve.’

‘I am as I must be,’ he said, squaring his shoulders and showing the belligerence of a young man who has had his pride pricked. ‘I am not a low brute just because my name is Macaulay.’

‘So you want to better yourself, I take it. I am sure Maeve’s dowry will help with that.’

‘It will. And be assured, Lady, that I will treat my wife well. I will not force myself upon her person, nor will I raise a hand to her in anger. Maeve’s disgrace is hers to own, not mine, but I am willing to save her from the worst of it. And in return for my name, I will expect obedience and loyalty from my wife. I think that is a fair trade, don’t you? And as for being cold, I will not simper and gush over Maeve before her family just to salve your romantic sensibilities. I will get to know my wife in my own way, not yours.’

‘That is fair, and forgive me if I am not choosing my words well. I mean only to say that this union may start as a cold, hard arrangement, but if you give it a chance, it may turn into something more. Maeve is kind and gentle, but she is easily led, and you should know that her life here at Kransmuir has sometimes been harsh. Had she been shown more affection than discipline, maybe…’

‘The lass is not my choice,’ he interrupted. ‘My uncle came to me and said, ‘You are to be married to a Glendenning. She carries some fool’s bastard in her belly, but we can profit from this, so you must hold your nose and do it.’ He shrugged. ‘It is not as if I have given my heart to any other, so I said I would marry her. And Maeve is bonnie, which helps. If she was not, I would still have taken her because my clan needs this, and my loyalty lies with the Macaulays.’

‘I did not mean to offend you, Seamus.’

‘Tis of no matter if you did. I am glad we understand each other, Lady. Now, you must excuse me. I have to attend to my bride.’

With that, he returned to Maeve and held out his arm for her take. She did so with a nervous smile back at Rowenna.

There, she had done it, uncomfortable though it may be. Rowenna could not get Maeve out of her unwanted marriage, for there was no other way to save her reputation and future. She had to take Seamus as a husband. But Rowenna had promised the lass that she would speak with the groom and plead for kindness on Maeve’s behalf. Had she succeeded? Rowenna was unsure, but she had been the lass’s champion, and now it was up to Jasper’s sister to find her own way in marriage, just as she had with Jasper.