Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Thora roused the next morning to a low groan, followed by cursing. She blinked twice to get the sleep out of her eyes, then rolled to look over the edge of the bed.

Aedan was sitting up and stretching, a scowl on his face as he cracked his back and shoulders. He spotted her looking at him and his scowl deepened. “Ye ken the ground’s stone hard. Nay need tae look so satisfied with yer warm bed and soft pillows.”

Thora sat up as well and rose to call for a maid to bring a bath. When she returned, Aedan was still grumbling. Thora huffed at him. “Faith, ye fuss like a child. If I didnae ken better, I’d say ye were a spoilt little lairdling who’d never spent a day outside in his life.”

Aedan’s glare could have set wood on fire, had it not already been lit. “Ye’re welcome tae the floor if ye like.”

Thora snickered. “A delicate lass like me? Would ye be so impolite tae yer wife?”

“Fair cruel lass ye are, fer a wife.” Aedan growled the words.

“Och, now dinnae be so temperamental. Dae ye nae ken? In the villages, most folk sleep on ground a good deal harder, and colder in winter. Aye, and still hard in every other season as well. The villagers dinnae come tae harm, and neither will ye, nay matter what yer delicate skin might say.”

Aedan’s answering snarl made her laugh again. Feeling far more lighthearted than she had when they retired the night before, Thora went to pour some tea for herself, while the maids also brought in the bath and began to fill it.

She wasn’t paying much attention to Aedan as she prepared for the bath in the privacy of the screened area. She heard him finish dressing, then leave the sleeping area. She also heard him stop to speak to one of the maids bringing the bath water, but the words were so soft she couldn’t hear what he’d said.

He wasn’t in the main area when she emerged, wrapped in a soft cloth and nothing else. With a sigh of relief, Thora stepped into the tub.

The water was colder than she’d expected. Another maid entered, and she started to ask if there was a shortage of heated water, or if the journey from the bathing chamber had cooled it.

Then the maid tipped the contents of her bucket into the tub, and over her, and Thora shrieked in shock. “’Tis freezing!”

The maid blinked, then stepped back, her face red with embarrassment and shock, and not a little fear. “Beg pardon me lady. The laird… he said ye preferred a chill bath in the morn…that ye enjoyed the cold tae wake ye…”

It had certainly done that. Thora shivered as she made an effort to rise from the tub. “I see…”

“Dae ye like yer bath, wife?” Aedan’s smug voice filled the room as he walked back in, eyebrow raised and a smile on his face. “I kent ye wouldnae wish tae trouble the maids, so I informed them o’ yer preferences.”

Thora acted on instinct, dropping back into the frigid water with a gasp of shock and a grunt of dismay as her hands flew up to cover her chest. “Ye…”

“I’d like tae speak tae my wife, if ye will.” Aedan smiled pleasantly at the maid, who nodded and hurried out of the room. She looked relieved to be out of the way. Thora wished she was in a fit state to follow.

She waited until the door closed. “Ye brute. ‘Tis freezin’!”

Aedan smirked. “Did ye nae ken? Many villagers bathe in cold water - some in streams that are barely above frozen in the winter. I would have thought ye were used tae such things.”

Caught by the very taunt she’d leveled at him earlier, Thora floundered. “I…”

“I didnae think o’ it afore… nay reason tae… but I’m nae blind, nor a fool, Thora MacTavish. And if there’s one thing I ken about ye, lass, ‘tis that ye’re nae village girl.”

Thora gulped. “I…”

“I dinnae care.” Aedan’s voice was sharp as he interrupted her. “I dinnae ken why ye should wish tae pretend ye are, or who ye are, or where ye came from. Ye had yer reasons fer what ye did, and I ken desperation when I see it.”

“I… I… I cannae tell ye.”

“Then dinnae. It doesnae matter. There’s an oath between us. I’ll keep me word, and I expect ye’ll keep yers - even if ‘tis only because ye believe in such powers. But I’ll nae be mocked about being a ‘weak little lairdling’ by a lass whose nay more used tae hardship than I am. And mayhap nae as familiar with it.”

The words stung, and Thora jolted to her feet before she could think about it, no longer fully hidden by the screen. “Ye dinnae ken aught about me!”

“Very little, I’ll own it. But I ken enough. And…” Another cold smirk crossed his face. “I’ll wager I’ve seen more o’ ye than any other man since ye were born.”

She was still naked. And wet. And her hair was doing nothing at all to hide anything. Thora gasped and hurried to cover herself, cursing that she only had two hands, and smallish ones at that.

“Dinnae bother. ‘Tis past time I joined the other men in the Hall. I’ll leave ye tae yer bath in peace.” His eyes flicked over her. “And stop bein’ so shy, lass. I’ve seen a fair number o’ naked women in me life… ye’ve naething I’ve nae seen before on other lasses.”

He turned and was gone before she could decide how to respond - and whether she was more offended by his words or flattered by the fact that she’d seen evidence of his lie before he left.

A draft made her shiver, and Thora scrambled for her towel. She no longer wanted a bath. Besides, Aedan wasn’t the only one who needed to join the other guests to keep up appearances.

She just had to find a dress she could put on without too much trouble. She was fairly certain Rhiannon had packed several.

Thora took a deep breath, then turned to the wardrobe to choose a dress. Something appropriate for the ‘shy young village lass, Thora MacTavish’.

She had a role to play, and no matter how disconcerting Aedan Cameron’s actions and words were, she could not allow herself to falter.

Aedan grimaced as he made his way to the hall where the men were gathering. He hadn’t lied to Thora - he knew quite well what a woman’s body looked like, and felt like under his touch, but he hadn’t been entirely truthful either.

Thora was a beautiful lass, possessed of an innate grace that enhanced the effect of her dark hair and pale skin. He’d rarely seen a lass so bonny and seeing her naked in the bath had left him with difficulty walking.

Deliberately, he turned his thoughts to the gathering ahead. The morning was meant for social rounds, the men gathered in the hall, the women in the solar, or the library, or the sewing room. It was a time for simple interactions, rather like mornings at the Highland Gatherings, which lairds used for private conversations and strengthening alliances or bargaining for better position.

Aedan wasn’t looking forward to it at all. He’d never been comfortable at such things, and he doubted it was going to be any more pleasant now, when half the lairds were likely to have availed themselves of the season’s good cheer and Lachlan’s mulled wine.

He was one of the last to arrive and joined the table of about half-a-dozen lairds. In addition to himself and Lachlan Ross, there was Donovan Munroe of Clan Munroe, Conall Urquart - the heir to Clan Urquart - whose father was too old and ill to travel, Terion MacKenzie - by far the most powerful and influential laird present, Arthur Sutherland of Clan Sutherland, and Kendrick MacDonell of Clan MacDonell.

All of them knew each other well, and all of them were allies - of a sort. Aedan himself only shared borders with MacKenzie, a small portion of the northern border with Sutherland, and a small village that formed a neutral meeting point between his lands and those of Sutherland, MacKenzie, and Ross. The other clan territories were more east and south, and mostly separated from his own by the wide swathe of land MacKenzie held.

Of those assembled, Conall and Kendrick were the closest to his age, and in terms of seniority as laird, he approximately stood in the middle of the group, with Ross, Sutherland and MacKenzie preceding him, and Monroe, MacDonell, and Urquart as his juniors. Though, as Conall was not yet laird, he was the lowest ranked and least powerful of them all. Aedan didn’t envy him, for he could remember well when he’d been in that position. It wasn’t a comfortable position to be in, when sitting at the table with a man like Lachlan Ross.

Kendrick was the first to greet him. “Laird Cameron! We were just talking about ye.”

“Aye. Aedan - ye dinnae mind? We’re all equals, and there’s little point tae standin’ on formality, is there lad?” Terion gave him a wide smile and a clout on the back. It was a friendly gesture, but the strength behind it was a good reminder of how the elder laird had held his territory for so long.

“I’ve nay reason tae mind.” Aedan picked up a flagon of mulled wine and poured himself a cup. “But ye said ye were speakin’ o’ me?”

“Aye. Wonderin’ if ye’d got over yer chill yester-eve enough tae tak’ proper advantage o’ havin’ such a bonny lass as yer wife.” Conall smirked at him. The young man looked as if he’d had a flagon of wine on his own, if the red in his cheeks and the loose, almost lazy movement of his body was any indication. “Faith, but there’s a lass who could bring a dead man back tae life, I’m thinkin’, were she o’ a mind.”

The men went on to make inappropriate remarks and crude jokes about their wives and women in general. Aedan felt his stomach clench as he listened. He’d heard guards boasting before, and knew that he’d done his fair share, when drunk or caught in the warm haze of confident well-being that accompanied a round of good lovemaking. But the conversation now seemed lewd and vulgar to him - uncouth.

A tavern wench or a willing maid was one thing to speak about - for them, the act of giving pleasure was a pleasure in turn, or a matter of livelihood, and their reputations suffered nothing in being spoken of. In fact, some of them liked their men to boast, as it meant more coin and more pleasure for them. But wives, and the privacy of the marriage bed…

“Och, Aedan, ye’ve been fair silent. Surely ye’ve thoughts o’ yer own on the matter.” Conall elbowed him and nearly spilled his goblet. “Come on, we’re all wanting tae hear about ye and yer pretty lass.”

Aedan took a swallow of his wine, trying to think. What could he say? It wasn’t as if he and Thora had actually shared a bed, in any sense. Of course, he could use encounters he’d had with willing maids, and simply change the name. But still, the idea of saying such things didn’t sit well with him.

He finally opted for a neutral, vague smile. “Och, and what would I say? Me wife’s a shy lass, as ye saw. She fair blushed tae rival a rose just talkin’ o’ our meeting… I wouldnae want tae scandalize her by speakin’ further. She might never forgive me, and ‘twould make a cold bed indeed.”

“Ye cannae be serious.” Terion snorted.

“I can. She’s shy, me lass, but nae above kickin’ me tae the floor or findin’ another place tae rest if I’ve offended her delicate sensibilities. And she has a wicked way o’ holdin’ a grudge.”

Lachlan laughed. “I almost dinnae envy ye, fer all I’ve nae wife meself. But come now, Aedan, nae need tae hold yer silence. ‘Tis only men here, and none o’ us will breathe a word tae yer bonny lass.”

“Aye.” Terion nodded. “’Tis nae as if we’d ever speak so in front o’ our own wives, and we’ll speak nae more o’ yer affairs than we would our own.”

They wouldn’t have to. Thora was intelligent enough to see the looks they might give her. Besides, Lachlan and Terion might be speaking the truth, but Conall was too far in his cups to trust, and many a man-made oaths sober that he broke when drunk.

He shrugged. “’Tis nae something I wish tae speak o’. A joke and a hint is all very well, but tae tell the secrets o’ a marriage bed…” he favored them with a raised eyebrow that he hoped looked enigmatic and wry. “...now where would be the sense in makin’ the rest o’ ye jealous? Or tellin’ tales ye might wish tae learn more o’ later? Silence serves me better, and me wife is likely tae reward me all the more fer it if she guesses.”

Terion’s expression was bemused, and almost respectful. “Ye’re a canny lad…”

“Or mayhap he doesnae have aught worth speakin’ about.” Kendrick smirked at him. “After all… I was on my way tae the kitchens after seekin’ me own pleasure o’ a serving lass, and if I recall aright… ’twere a number o’ doors where I could hear the others takin’ their own ease, but yers was quiet as the grave!”

“Was it? I wouldnae have thought, given the way ye were at supper…” Lachlan trailed off.

Aedan was tempted to say that their absence at supper had been enough to satisfy both of them for the evening, but they hadn’t been absent that long, nor returned that rumpled. Instead, he shrugged. “We made an early night o’ it. The exertion o’ travel, so soon after the excitement o’ marryin’, and the foul weather… ‘twas a bit much for Thora. Tae say naething o’ the fall we took while we were walkin’ yer garden, Lachlan. They say a bit o’ snow’s good for coolin’ a man’s blood, and ‘tis true, but a bruise in the wrong place will certainly chill a woman’s.”

That earned him some laughter, and a commiserating look from Arthur, and the talk turned from him to reminiscing about other mishaps that had foiled the other lairds at different times. Aedan released a soft sigh of relief as the attention turned away from him.

Still, he would have to find a way to warn Thora about the latest complication in their charade. It wouldn’t do for her to give the game away because she was ignorant of a supposed injury or illness. They’d need to be sure their stories matched, because Aedan was certain there would be questions over supper, if not during the afternoon festivities.