Chapter 5

5

R oselyn was embarrassed, to say the least – she couldn't believe she mistook the laird for her guard. He must have thought her a fool! She averted her gaze to save herself some of the humiliation.

She had assumed the laird was just her escort, all right, but that was not the worst part. She had drooled over the man that would become her student in a few hours. Most indecent!

Damn Kenna and her cryptic letters, couldn't she have just mentioned she sent her brother himself to escort Roselyn to Scotland? But the laird - her whole family thinking he was just a guard!

He should have told her something. Wait – could he? What exactly did Kenna expect her to do here? She stole a glance at the laird from the corner of her eye.

He nodded seriously at his people's welcoming words but said nothing. Interesting. She had to find out what she was expected to do once and for all.

She was about to ask him to have a word in private when another man's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Braden, my old friend – back from yer long journey, and bringin' with ye a beautiful young woman, I see" one of them said, grinning at Roselyn, who returned his gaze with a glare. Men were the same everywhere in the world, it seemed.

Well, almost all men. If she had to be fair, Braden didn't seem to be the sort of man she avoided. The way he protected her and the way he stole glances at her…

Roselyn shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Yes – my laird brought me here to work with him" she said, putting some emphasis on his title both to get used to it herself and to show she was displeased with him not trying to correct her along their journey.

Braden stared at her intensely, the right side of his lips lifting ever so slightly for a moment in a lopsided smirk that she might have missed if she had blinked. Was he…amused?

"Our laird always has the best taste," the one who had called Braden his friend said, slapping Braden heartily on the back and still grinning.

Roselyn scoffed at the man's flirty manner. "Is that so? Does that apply to his friends, too?" she challenged him, and the man laughed kind-heartedly.

She turned her gaze to Braden who was looking at her an unreadable expression, but he nodded slightly before he threw a warning look at his friend. Was he…defending her again? The friend must have taken the hint because he acted the perfect gentleman now. "Tis' only a bit of fun, lass – are all the English like this? But forgive me, my behavior was indeed inappropriate. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Calder Kendrew, the laird's man-at-arms. Well, his brother in anything but blood, too, but it's a long story," he said, and Roselyn nodded.

"It is a pleasure to meet you" she said stiffly.

"It's all right, lass. No need to lie, ye'll just have to get used to me," Calder replied, and she resisted the urge to laugh at that. She couldn't imagine how the quiet and serious laird was friends with someone so open and mischievous like Calder.

She still did not know the full story behind the laird's upbringing, but she was more curious than ever now.

"I'll make no promises, but I will try," she said, teasing the man back, and Calder laughed. From the corner of her eye she saw the laird return to his usual brooding self. Was it something she had said or…?

"Aye, as ye please, miss," he said, and Roselyn fake-glared at him.

" Lady Roselyn," she corrected, and she hid a smile as the others laughed as well.

"Ye're certainly a feisty one – I'm surprised the laird kept ye tame on yer journey north," Calder said.

The others laughed, but the laird looked angry, and he shot his friend a warning look, raising his one finger as if to stop him or silence him, to which Calder nodded.

"What was that about?" Roselyn asked, and Calder smiled.

"He wants us to treat ye with the respect ye deserve. Come now, lads – let's stable these horses. They'll need new shoes after their long journey, I'm sure," he said, and beckoning to the others, he led the horses through the castle gates.

She turned to Braden to thank him, but he looked straight ahead seriously, as if avoiding her gaze. Before she could try to get his attention, a cry of delight came from the castle gates.

Kenna appeared, hurrying towards them. She had not changed in the years since Roselyn had last seen her – the same fiery red hair and rosy cheeks – and she threw her arms around Braden, before turning to greet Roselyn with a smile.

"They told me ye'd been sighted along the loch road. Oh, how happy I am to see ye both. Welcome, Lady Roselyn – our honored guest," she said.

Roselyn had missed Kenna. She was one of the few students she could call her friend after the tutoring ended. "It is great to see you, Kenna. I just wish I had taught you how to write clearer letters. Really, I thought the laird was just my guard. How embarrassing!" she exclaimed, and Kenna blushed, while Roselyn turned to Braden.

"I do apologize for that, my laird," she said but Braden just made a dismissive motion with his hand.

"I'm very sorry, Roselyn. To be fair, Braden was the best guard ye could have while travelling here. I was going to send ye another escort, but Braden thought ye would be safer if ye were to travel with him. Also…he wanted to get to know ye before the lessons began," she said, glancing at Braden, who nodded.

The laird signed to his sister, and she signed back to him.

"What does he say? And how do you understand?" Roselyn asked, curious about the way the siblings had found to communicate. If the laird really couldn't speak at all, she would have to learn some of the signs, too.

"He says he was glad to have yer company, and glad to have been able to protect ye. We've developed these signs ever since we found each other again– tis' easy enough to understand once ye learn," she said.

Roselyn thought back to the naivety of her encounter with the child in the forest. Braden had warned her against it, and if it had not been for his skill with the sword…

"Yes, well, there's that, I suppose. We were attacked by bandits," Roselyn said, and Kenna stared at her in horror.

"I'm so sorry," she said, but Braden waved his hand again as if it was nothing.

"Well, I am glad he insisted to escort ye after all. Ye'll nae find a finer swordsman in all of Scotland than my brother," Kenna said.

Roselyn smiled. She had been impressed by the swordsmanship of the laird. He had saved her from a terrible fate, even as she had walked headlong into danger.

Braden had taken it all in his stride, dismissing the matter with bravado, but in the days following the incident, Roselyn had been glad of his company, knowing he would protect her, come what may. Also, the way his body worked was mesmerizing. Not that she would share that with Kenna – or anyone else.

"Well, he is a skilled swordsman," Roselyn replied, glancing at Braden, and giving him a small smile.

"The road north can be a treacherous one, and many dangers lurk along it. If ye hadnae had Braden with ye, I fear… well, it doesnae matter now, does it? Come into the castle and I'll show ye to yer chambers," Kenna continued.

At the mention of her chambers, Roselyn remembered just how tired she was from the travel, and she followed her happily, all the while stealing glances at the big man next to her. What was he thinking? If he could speak, would he tease her like Calder?

No – she doubted that. He seemed much more…noble? And well, he respected her, she could see as much. She found herself wondering what his voice would sound like. She suddenly wanted to hear him calling her name…What was she thinking?!

"It's a beautiful place," Roselyn said, as they made their way through the castle gates and into the courtyard, as a way to distract herself.

The keep towered above them, and soldiers kept guard along the walls, where the banners of the clan fluttered in the breeze. There were women and children, too, and all manner of livestock – chickens, pigs, and cattle. A fire was burning by the well, and the smell of roasting meat filled the air.

"Aye, tis' a remote place, far beyond most jurisdiction. We pay our dues to the court, but tis' in such disarray – with the king dead, we have little to fear from outside control," Kenna replied.

She led Roselyn up a flight of steps to the double doors of the keep, ushering her inside, as Braden followed. She glanced at him to find him watching her intently, and blushed.

"We certainly had quite an adventure, didn't we?" she said, and he nodded, holding her gaze before turning and signing to his sister, who laughed.

"He said he didnae care much for England," she said, and Roselyn laughed too.

"I can't blame you, it's certainly quite different to Scotland," she replied directly to Braden, who nodded and let out an exasperated sigh as he rolled his eyes. Roselyn was sure that this meant he'd had enough of England to last a lifetime. She smiled to herself as they kept walking.

The corridors of the keep were dark, lit by flaming torches in sconces on the wall. They passed the doors to the great hall, through which Roselyn could see long trestle tables, and a dais, with the laird's chair behind a high table.

Banners were hung from the walls, and a formidable collection of weaponry was mounted amongst them. It was a far cry from the gentle, pastoral setting of Abbey Estate, and whilst Roselyn missed her family, she felt glad of this new adventure.

"Ye'll get used to it. Though nay one ever gets used to the winters. They're long and cold, with snow lyin' on the ground for many months. Tis' a bitter place then, and the nights are long. But in midsummer… well, there's nowhere I'd rather be," Kenna said.

"How do you communicate with your brother?" Roselyn asked, for she was keen to learn a means of signing to the laird, even as she fully intended to have him speaking as soon as possible.

"The signs, ye mean?" Kenna asked, as she led Roselyn up a winding flight of stone steps.

Roselyn nodded. They had once had an elderly servant at Abbey Estate – Jenkins was his name. He had been deaf, and the other servants had used a form of sign language to communicate with him. Roselyn, too, had learned the basics, and it had not been difficult to make him understand her.

"Yes, what signs do you use? Does everyone know them?" she asked.

Kenna nodded, and she made a sign with her hand, to which Braden responded.

"I daenae need to sign – he can hear me, but for him to reply, tis' best to sign. I just asked him to show ye the sign for "good day" – watch how he does it," Kenna said, and Braden tapped his index finger with the back of his other hand.

Roselyn nodded. She would learn more of the signs in due course. But it was speech she intended to help Braden gain, and now she addressed him directly.

"I'm here to help you speak, then you won't need to make signs anymore," she said, and the laird went back to his brooding self, shrugging.

"He hasnae spoken since… well, there's time for all that. Here are yer chambers," Kenna said, and she opened a door off the passage at the top of the flight of steps, revealing a large room, furnished simply with a bed and washstand, and with a window looking out over the loch.

The room was nothing like Roselyn's comfortable bedroom at Abbey Estate, but her bags had been placed there, and a vase of freshly cut flowers had been placed on the washstand to welcome her.

"How lovely," she said, and Kenna smiled.

"We'll leave ye to yerself until dinner. Ye've had a long journey and ye'll be tired. I'll send one of the servants to help ye unpack yer things," Kenna said, and nodding to Roselyn, she left the room, followed by Braden, who stole a glance at Roselyn as they left.

She sat down on the bed with a sigh, exhausted, her mind filled with images of Braden.

Why does he have to brood so much?

The room was warm, and the earthy scent of the forest wafted through the open window. She lay back on the bed and yawned, closing her eyes, trying to shake away any thoughts for her student, and drifted into a gentle sleep. She was awoken by a tapping at the door, and the tentative call of a young voice.

"My lady? I've been sent to help ye unpack yer things. May I come in?" the voice called.

Roselyn rose to her feet and crossed to the door, opening it to reveal a young girl of perhaps sixteen or seventeen, who looked at her nervously.

"Come in, it's quite all right," Roselyn said, and the girl looked relieved.

"Thank ye, my lady. My name's Elena. I'll be helping ye whilst ye're here," she said, entering the room as Roselyn stood back.

"It's very kind of you," Roselyn replied, for she had not known what the domestic arrangements at the castle might be.

There were servants, of course, but even just a few hours at the castle had made her realize just how different the life of the Scottish nobility was to her own.

Elena set about unpacking Roselyn's things, arranging them neatly in a wardrobe in the corner. Roselyn sat back down on the bed, curious to know more about the laird, and the place she would call home for the coming months.

"I heard yer journey was somewhat eventful, my lady. Bandits on the road…Thank God my laird was there with you," Elena said, concern in her voice.

"Yes – he was very quick to protect me. But what kind of man is he? A good man?" Roselyn asked, and the servant nodded.

"Oh, aye, my lady – the best of men. Ye'll get used to him. The castle is a far better place with him as laird, than… well, I shouldnae speak ill of my betters," Elena said, looking suddenly embarrassed.

But Roselyn pressed her. She wanted to know more about the laird, and the circumstances of his childhood.

"It's all right. You can speak freely. I'm a stranger here, and I know nothing of what's occurred in the past – save from what Kenna told me when first I knew her," Roselyn replied.

In truth, Kenna hadn't told her much. In fact, Roselyn was sure she never mentioned a brother living with her. But then again, they didn't have much time for chit-chat. The laird's sister had been her charge, and they had spent far more time practicing Latin than sharing their histories. Bonding over poetry had been the beginning and the theme of their friendship.

"Well, it was my mother who was a servant here when it happened – when the old laird was murdered. Nay one ever knew the truth of what happened. There were rumors, of course, but the truth was never known. The laird – Braden, I mean – was sent away by his mother. That was whispered back then at least. Why would my lady do that, I daenae ken."

"But it was a big surprise when my laird returned one day with Kenna. At first, they hadn't recognized each other, can ye believe it? After all these years…They had just saved a puppy together and Kenna invited the kind man for dinner to thank him for the help. His mother knew who he was the moment she laid her eyes on him, of course." Elena went on.

Roselyn remembered some of this now. Kenna had told her a little of that fateful night – how she awoke the next morning to the news that her father was dead, and her brother had gone missing.

"And the day he ceased to talk?" Roselyn asked.

The servant sighed. "My laird has never spoken since his father's death, or so I believe. But we're used to it by now. Ye're here to make him speak, though, are ye nae?" she asked.

Roselyn nodded. She did not know how she would do so, but she was determined to try. Something was holding back Braden's words, and it seemed certain the trauma of his father's death had something to do with it.

"Thank you for telling me these things, Elena. I suppose I should get ready for dinner, or whatever happens next?" Roselyn replied, and the servant smiled.

"I'll help ye, my lady, daenae worry," she said, and Roselyn felt glad to have learned more about the laird, even though how she would help him speak remained a mystery.