wanting my best room, aye?”
“Aye, I would and, Molly? If anyone comes looking for us, we are nay here and ye have ne’er set eyes on us.”
She nodded. “Helped yourself to someone’s daughter, have ye?”
Arianna was just opening her mouth to answer what she saw as a slur upon Sir Brian’s honor when he gripped her arm so tightly she feared there would be bruises left behind. She understood the silent warning. What she did not understand was why he would want the woman to think he was such a man, one who would spirit away someone’s daughter for a tryst at a lowly inn. Unless he was such a man, she thought, and scowled at him. He did not see her disapproval, however, for his gaze was fixed upon Molly. Since she had already decided a MacFingal could not be constant, the one thing she would insist upon if she ever became interested in marriage again, she was also being very contrary to take umbrage at Molly implying the same thing. Arianna inwardly shrugged, and scowled at him again.
“Any Frenchmen come here, Molly my beauty, and I want to ken about it.”
“If ye havenae already slipped away, eh? Weel, best ye pay me all I will be due right now. I am getting too old to be chasing young laddies down the road. The will is there but nay the strength.” She slapped her knee and laughed.
A look of confusion and then anger passed over Sir Brian’s face before he joined in with Molly’s laughter. Arianna recognized that look. She had seen it often enough on the faces of her kinsmen. Sir Brian had just heard something he had not understood, had thought it over, guessed what was meant, and was not at all pleased. Some of Sir Brian’s brothers were probably going to get a hard lesson when he next saw them. She ignored how relieved she was over the indication that Sir Brian was not some lecher who made regular visits to the inn with a different lady on his arm every time.
When the woman named her price, Arianna was prepared to call it nothing less than base thievery. But then Sir Brian laughed, flung his arm around the woman’s wide shoulders, and began to bargain with her with a skill that many of her kinswomen would have envied. It quickly became evident that this was exactly what the woman wanted and thoroughly enjoyed.
It also became quickly evident that Molly considered Arianna of as little interest as she did the packs Sir Brian carried. She did not know whether to be amused or insulted and decided she was a little bit of both. The MacFingal laddies obviously used this inn as a trysting site with some regularity even if Sir Brian did not. Molly had decided that Arianna was just another woman one of the MacFingals would enjoy for a little while and then blithely discard.
The room they were led to came as a pleasant surprise to Arianna. The inn looked worn on the outside, but Molly clearly took great pride in keeping the inside very clean and well appointed. There was a large, high bed with ample pillows and linen, plus two chairs and a table set before a small fireplace. A wooden privacy screen in the corner undoubtedly held what was needed to clean up, perhaps even the chamber pot.
“A maid will be up soon as I have requested a bath,” said Brian as he put his packs down on the bed.
“A real bath? Heated water and all?” Arianna wanted to push him down onto the bed and kiss him senseless.
“Aye.” He grinned. “Molly drove a hard bargain for it but I thought we both deserved one. All I ask is that ye dinnae linger until the water chills.”
“Nay, I swear I shall leave ye some of that heat.” She looked around the room and then frowned. “Where will the bath go?”
“Right before the fireplace. As soon as it is brought up, I will go down to see about a hot meal and give ye some privacy.”
Even as she was thanking him there was a rap at the door. A boy entered with the round wooden tub followed by two maids with buckets of heated water. It was obvious that Molly kept some water readied for
“Aye, I would and, Molly? If anyone comes looking for us, we are nay here and ye have ne’er set eyes on us.”
She nodded. “Helped yourself to someone’s daughter, have ye?”
Arianna was just opening her mouth to answer what she saw as a slur upon Sir Brian’s honor when he gripped her arm so tightly she feared there would be bruises left behind. She understood the silent warning. What she did not understand was why he would want the woman to think he was such a man, one who would spirit away someone’s daughter for a tryst at a lowly inn. Unless he was such a man, she thought, and scowled at him. He did not see her disapproval, however, for his gaze was fixed upon Molly. Since she had already decided a MacFingal could not be constant, the one thing she would insist upon if she ever became interested in marriage again, she was also being very contrary to take umbrage at Molly implying the same thing. Arianna inwardly shrugged, and scowled at him again.
“Any Frenchmen come here, Molly my beauty, and I want to ken about it.”
“If ye havenae already slipped away, eh? Weel, best ye pay me all I will be due right now. I am getting too old to be chasing young laddies down the road. The will is there but nay the strength.” She slapped her knee and laughed.
A look of confusion and then anger passed over Sir Brian’s face before he joined in with Molly’s laughter. Arianna recognized that look. She had seen it often enough on the faces of her kinsmen. Sir Brian had just heard something he had not understood, had thought it over, guessed what was meant, and was not at all pleased. Some of Sir Brian’s brothers were probably going to get a hard lesson when he next saw them. She ignored how relieved she was over the indication that Sir Brian was not some lecher who made regular visits to the inn with a different lady on his arm every time.
When the woman named her price, Arianna was prepared to call it nothing less than base thievery. But then Sir Brian laughed, flung his arm around the woman’s wide shoulders, and began to bargain with her with a skill that many of her kinswomen would have envied. It quickly became evident that this was exactly what the woman wanted and thoroughly enjoyed.
It also became quickly evident that Molly considered Arianna of as little interest as she did the packs Sir Brian carried. She did not know whether to be amused or insulted and decided she was a little bit of both. The MacFingal laddies obviously used this inn as a trysting site with some regularity even if Sir Brian did not. Molly had decided that Arianna was just another woman one of the MacFingals would enjoy for a little while and then blithely discard.
The room they were led to came as a pleasant surprise to Arianna. The inn looked worn on the outside, but Molly clearly took great pride in keeping the inside very clean and well appointed. There was a large, high bed with ample pillows and linen, plus two chairs and a table set before a small fireplace. A wooden privacy screen in the corner undoubtedly held what was needed to clean up, perhaps even the chamber pot.
“A maid will be up soon as I have requested a bath,” said Brian as he put his packs down on the bed.
“A real bath? Heated water and all?” Arianna wanted to push him down onto the bed and kiss him senseless.
“Aye.” He grinned. “Molly drove a hard bargain for it but I thought we both deserved one. All I ask is that ye dinnae linger until the water chills.”
“Nay, I swear I shall leave ye some of that heat.” She looked around the room and then frowned. “Where will the bath go?”
“Right before the fireplace. As soon as it is brought up, I will go down to see about a hot meal and give ye some privacy.”
Even as she was thanking him there was a rap at the door. A boy entered with the round wooden tub followed by two maids with buckets of heated water. It was obvious that Molly kept some water readied for
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