Chapter 14

When the carriage that had come to fetch Ava drew up before the cottage, all three sisters gazed at it in amazement. They had all seen carriages before, of course, but only from a distance, and none of them had ever contemplated the possibility of sitting in one. The vehicle was shiny and black, with massive wooden spoked wheels and windows of actual glass. The steward must be earning a very good salary indeed!

Inside, they could see that there were silk curtains over the windows to give the passengers privacy. When the driver opened the door an exotic, spicy aroma wafted out to meet them.

"I have never seen anythin' like it!" Rona breathed. She climbed inside, followed by Janet, and they both sat down, each pulling one of the purple silk cushions scattered on the seats onto their laps.

"So this is how the other half live!" Janet said bitterly. They all felt the same way. Why should some people have all the riches when others had to beg for food? Janet was the only one who said what she thought, however; Ava would never express such a radical opinion when there was someone outside the family listening.

The driver smiled at their excitement. Had they but known it, he felt the same way himself. "Mister Henderson is waiting, ladies," he reminded them. "An' he is no' a very patient man!"

Rona and Janet climbed out of the carriage, and Ava kissed them both then got into the vehicle with a small bag that carried her few clothes.

"When will we see ye again?" Rona asked anxiously. None of them had ever spent a night away from each other in their lives, and they were all a little afraid of the separation.

"A few days, I think," Ava replied. "I think James will let me send a message, an' I will ask ye to move in wi' me."

"Let ye?" Janet scoffed. "It sounds as if ye are goin' tae prison, hen. Look after yourself."

Ava embraced Rona and Janet through the carriage windows, then waved goodbye to her sisters. She was now very much alone, heading off into an uncertain future.

She had never been in a carriage before and when she sat down, she was worried that her old clothes would soil the expensive seats. She felt guilty and afraid, as if she was doing something illicit, and tried to cower as far back as she could in the seat so that she could not be seen.

Ava had her best dress on, the one she wore for Sundays and special occasions, but she still felt as if she would look like a rag doll compared to Davina Henderson. Even the maids would likely be better dressed than she was. A headache had begun to form behind her eyes, and she leaned forward to rest her forehead on her knees. Today she had to formally give James his answer, and she knew that it had to be ‘yes'.

She was terrified. What if James Henderson had changed his mind? What if he had not? If he rejected her she would be poor, and if he did not she would be poor in a different way. She could not make up her mind which was worse.

The carriage rattled along, and eventually Ava plucked up enough courage to look out of the window. It was teeming with rain, and the road was turning to mud, but fortunately she was safe and snug inside. She hugged one of the cushions to herself and immediately realised that it was the source of the exotic, spicy perfume that permeated the small space. She thought wryly that she could become used to this, and eventually, a smile crept onto her lips as her usual optimistic nature asserted itself. This would all turn out well somehow, she was sure. It had to, but she was still trying to convince herself when they pulled up at the Henderson house.

James Henderson watched from an upper-floor window as the carriage came rolling through the gates of his house and stopped in front of the entrance. He hurried downstairs and reached the vehicle just in time to open the door to his future bride. He greeted her with a wide smile and held her hand as she stepped out of the carriage.

Even though she was wearing a tattered dress, her shapely figure was still visible, and his body responded appropriately as thoughts of what he would do to her on their wedding night ran through his mind. He could hardly wait!

"Welcome, Ava!" he said happily as he hurried her through the large front door. "What dreadful weather we are having today!" He bent to place a swift kiss on her knuckles, then stood back to run his gaze over her from her head to her toes. "Lovely as always."

Ava felt distinctly uncomfortable with the compliment, since it was so obviously insincere. She looked like a rag doll, and the possessive gleam in James's dark eyes made her shiver inside. "Thank you," she murmured with a faint smile, looking around herself.

She had seen that the house was a big red sandstone building, plainly built with few decorative touches except for the intricate architecture of the chimneys. Inside, it was much the same. The style was sturdy and functional, but it was relieved by the furniture and paintings on the wall, all of which were of good quality and showed excellent taste.

Ava knew little about such things, but she could tell good workmanship from bad, and what pleased the eye most. She looked down at the polished oak floorboards then saw the contrast between it and the tattered leather of her shoes, and at once she felt ashamed. She was poor, and she looked it.

However, she had no time to worry about it, since James, with a hand on the small of her back, ushered her into a parlor and sat her down on a small leather couch then sat beside her.

"Do you have an answer for me?" he asked expectantly.

"Aye, I will marry ye, James," she said quietly, avoiding his eyes.

"Thank you, Ava." His voice was relieved, as he gently turned her face around to look at him, and before she could stop him, he kissed her. It was not a passionate kiss, but a gentle one, though Ava could not help comparing it to Cameron's, which always sent a thrill of desire through her. This one left her quite unmoved.

It set James on fire, however, and he was reluctant to let her go, but he could never tell her the feelings her touch aroused in him. She would be utterly shocked by his dark fantasies.

When he drew away from her, he sighed, his brown eyes shining. "We are going to be so happy together. I know it, Ava." His voice was low and husky. "Now, let us celebrate with a little toast. Do you like wine?"

"I have never tasted it," she admitted, feeling small and stupid. She had no worldly experience at all, she realised, and wondered how she was going to fit in with these high-class people and their expensive, sophisticated tastes. She had so much to learn

"We will have to put that right," James said firmly. He went over to a mahogany dresser and poured out some dark red wine from a decanter into two crystal glasses, then handed one to her. "Slàinte Mhath! To our future happiness!"

Ava held her glass up and managed a faint smile before sipping it. She had often heard people singing the praises of wine, but she found the taste sour and unpleasant. However, she pasted on a smile and said, "Very nice." She supposed she would become accustomed to it in time, she thought.

"My house is a reasonable size, Ava," James informed her. "Although nowhere near the size of the castle, of course. It has ten bedchambers and a few other formal rooms and parlors. This is my favourite room, and I hope we will spend plenty of time here, especially in the winter, when it is very cosy."

At that moment, a pretty, red-haired young woman dressed in a maid's uniform came into the room. She smiled at Ava and said to James: "good afternoon, Sir, Mistress. I believe ye need my services?"

"Yes, Mary," James answered. He pointed at Ava. "This is Ava Struthers, and you are the first to know that she has consented to make me the luckiest man in the world by becoming my wife."

The young woman's face broke into a tight smile. "Oh, I am so happy for both o' ye!" she said excitedly.

"Ava needs a lady's maid, so I thought of you at once," James said, his eyes gleaming with appreciation as he looked at the shapely figure of the maid. "But she has high standards, mind."

Ava thought she saw Mary"s eyes flicking over her well-worn outfit with a touch of distaste, but it was quickly hidden, and she thought that her own sense of inadequacy might be to blame for her feelings of discomfort. She also noticed the way James looked at the maid, and felt a flicker of unease.

"Ava, would you like to go with Mary?" James suggested. "She will help you with your personal needs, and I will be here when you come down again."

Ava, bemused, followed the other woman upstairs and into a large bedroom. She had never seen anything quite like it. The chamber was the size of her whole cottage, with a high ceiling and a huge four poster bed in the middle of it. Her heart missed a beat thinking that she might be spending her wedding night here.

There was a tall armoire, a vanity dresser and mirror, and a few occasional tables here and there. Around the enormous fireplace with its bright tiles was a set of two brocade armchairs and a small couch, and Ava could imagine sitting here with a blanket over her knees toasting her feet in the winter.

She began to feel more positive, for things would not be so bad if she could be well fed and warm, and in the fullness of time her sisters would come to join her.

"What do ye think o' your chamber, Mistress?" Mary asked as she pulled a bell rope to summon another maid.

"I think it is beautiful," Ava replied, looking around herself. "I never dreamed o' sleepin' in a place like this."

If her maid noticed her way of speaking, she made no remark upon it. "I will be your lady's maid, so ask me for anythin' ye need." Mary smiled kindly and opened the armoire to show a variety of dresses of all different colours and fabrics. "The Master told me to have these ready for ye, and he told me that if there was anythin' else ye needed ye must just ask. I have ordered ye some bath water, so please pick out a dress that ye would like. If it does no' fit I can have it altered."

The bath came a few moments later, and as Ava stepped into its fragrant water, she thought that she had never felt anything so wonderful in her life.

After emerging from the bath, she was dried, powdered and scented, then she had her hair pinned into a simple classical hairstyle that flattered her small oval face.

She picked out a sage green woolen dress with a round neckline and long sleeves, partly because it suited her, and partly because it was the least ostentatious of all the garments in the wardrobe. Mary dropped a matching shawl over her shoulders and stood back to survey her handiwork before turning Ava to face the long oval mirror.

Ava came to the conclusion that James must have been very sure of her answer if he had had all these dresses ready for her! Ava hardly recognised the woman staring back at her. "Is that me?" she squeaked.

Mary laughed. "Aye, Mistress, it is, an' ye look beautiful. The Master had no time tae have dresses made, so these belonged tae his first wife, but ye shall have new ones as soon as they can be made. Is there anythin' else I can do for ye?"

Ava shook her head. "No, thank ye, Mary. I feel like a queen." She smiled, took a deep breath, then straightened her shoulders and walked downstairs. It was time to take her first meal with the man who was to be her husband. She only hoped that her table manners were up to the task!

As James watched Ava descending the stairs, he was utterly captivated by her, and his shaft stiffened with desire. Before, she had been a rough diamond, but now that she had been cut and polished she was shining with a new brilliance. He could hardly wait for his wedding night, but she was under his roof now, and he had keys to all the bedrooms.

"Ava!" He stepped forward to take her hands then raised them to his lips. "You look like a princess!"

"Thank ye for all the new clothes." She smiled at him shyly. "I did no' expect them at a', an' they are - well - beautiful." She stood on her tiptoe and kissed his cheek lightly. "Thank ye," she said again.

"Mary probably told you that they are not new. But we will make that right as soon as possible, and it is my pleasure to give you lovely things," James told her, and for once, he meant it. Seeing the delight on her beautiful face had given him such a thrill that he could hardly believe it. He was usually such a cynic that it had been a long time since anything or anyone had made him feel that way. "Come and have dinner with me. My daughter Davina is out at the moment, but she will be back shortly, so in the meantime, my lovely wife to be, I want us to become better acquainted." He took her hand and led her into the dining room.