son, Hugh?”
“Yes, I’ve met him,” Anne said.
Kathleen smiled with a mother’s pride. “I’d like to see him married too. He’s a fine lad, but the time has come he made me a grandmother.” She turned to the women close to her. “This is Mary MacEwan and her daughter Fenella.” Mary looked almost as young as her daughter, who was a lovely strawberry blonde.
Suddenly, Kathleen changed the subject. “I understand Roy is gone.”
Anne didn’t know how to answer. Were they his friends? Would they blame her for his fate? “Well…he—”
“You don’t need to explain,” Kathleen said in her forthright manner. “It’s good riddance to him and to his lazy wife, too. I hope they run all the way to Edinburgh. But you’ll be needing a cook, and Mary and Fenella are the best in the village.”
Anne hesitated. Aidan hadn’t said anything about household accounts or hiring servants.
Bonnie read her mind. “If Laird Tiebauld can spend what he does on sheep, then he can spare a few coins for a good meal every night at his table.”She lowered her voice to confide, “Mary’s husband died last month. The laird slipped her a bit then. I know he has been worrying about her. He’ll be pleased if you hire her.”
Anne gestured to encompass the kitchen. “I don’t know if it is a position you would want,” she told Mary. “The place is—” She broke off with a shake of her head. There were no words adequate enough to describe the mess.
“It will be fine,” Mary assured her. “Nothing is wrong here that good hard work and soap won’t clean.”
“Oh, yes,” Anne agreed. “But I don’t know if there is enough soap to meet all the needs of Kelwin.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Mrs. Keith said proudly. “We’ve come to welcome you, and to offer our help. I’ve been itching to get my fingers on that mush of stems and leaves the laird takes such pride in on the floor of his hall.”
“I’d like to see it gone, too,” Anne agreed.
A sly smile lifted the corners of Mrs. Keith’s mouth. “Then let’s see it gone together…before he comes home.”
“I can’t expect you to help—” Anne started to protest but Mrs. Mowat shushed her.
“It’s a housewarming we are giving you, my lady. If we’d known you were coming, we would have forced our way in before your arrival.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Keith agreed. “We would have barricaded those bachelors—and their dogs, too!—out ofthe castle, and scoured the place with boiling water.”
“It needs it,” Anne said. “But it is almost too big a job, even for us.”
“Och,” Mrs. Mowat said, taking Anne’s arm and leading her forward. “It’s not just us. Come along, my lady, and meet the rest of the women in the village. They are outside waiting.”
Mrs. Keith swooped in to take her other arm. “And they are armed with buckets, brooms, and mops.”
“And enough soap to scrub every brick in this drafty place,” Mrs. Mowat added.
As Anne stepped outside, the sun came out from behind a bank of clouds and she caught her breath. What they’d said was true. There were close to fifteen women and their children of all ages waiting to pay their respects. Their names ran together during those initial introductions in her mind, but she would never forget their welcoming smiles. Each of them was unique and special.
“I can’t believe you are all so generous,” Anne told them. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
Mrs. Mowat gave her arm a squeeze. “We don’t mind. We do this because you are one of us now. You are the laird’s wife. The Lady of Kelwin.”
For a moment, Anne couldn’t speak. Their open-armed acceptance swept her away. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
She was one of them.
Mrs. Keith took charge. “Let’s clean,” she cried out like a commander leading the troops into battle, and the women sallied forth.
Chapter 7
The trip to McKenzie’s to buy sheep was a hard one for Aidan. He
“Yes, I’ve met him,” Anne said.
Kathleen smiled with a mother’s pride. “I’d like to see him married too. He’s a fine lad, but the time has come he made me a grandmother.” She turned to the women close to her. “This is Mary MacEwan and her daughter Fenella.” Mary looked almost as young as her daughter, who was a lovely strawberry blonde.
Suddenly, Kathleen changed the subject. “I understand Roy is gone.”
Anne didn’t know how to answer. Were they his friends? Would they blame her for his fate? “Well…he—”
“You don’t need to explain,” Kathleen said in her forthright manner. “It’s good riddance to him and to his lazy wife, too. I hope they run all the way to Edinburgh. But you’ll be needing a cook, and Mary and Fenella are the best in the village.”
Anne hesitated. Aidan hadn’t said anything about household accounts or hiring servants.
Bonnie read her mind. “If Laird Tiebauld can spend what he does on sheep, then he can spare a few coins for a good meal every night at his table.”She lowered her voice to confide, “Mary’s husband died last month. The laird slipped her a bit then. I know he has been worrying about her. He’ll be pleased if you hire her.”
Anne gestured to encompass the kitchen. “I don’t know if it is a position you would want,” she told Mary. “The place is—” She broke off with a shake of her head. There were no words adequate enough to describe the mess.
“It will be fine,” Mary assured her. “Nothing is wrong here that good hard work and soap won’t clean.”
“Oh, yes,” Anne agreed. “But I don’t know if there is enough soap to meet all the needs of Kelwin.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Mrs. Keith said proudly. “We’ve come to welcome you, and to offer our help. I’ve been itching to get my fingers on that mush of stems and leaves the laird takes such pride in on the floor of his hall.”
“I’d like to see it gone, too,” Anne agreed.
A sly smile lifted the corners of Mrs. Keith’s mouth. “Then let’s see it gone together…before he comes home.”
“I can’t expect you to help—” Anne started to protest but Mrs. Mowat shushed her.
“It’s a housewarming we are giving you, my lady. If we’d known you were coming, we would have forced our way in before your arrival.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Keith agreed. “We would have barricaded those bachelors—and their dogs, too!—out ofthe castle, and scoured the place with boiling water.”
“It needs it,” Anne said. “But it is almost too big a job, even for us.”
“Och,” Mrs. Mowat said, taking Anne’s arm and leading her forward. “It’s not just us. Come along, my lady, and meet the rest of the women in the village. They are outside waiting.”
Mrs. Keith swooped in to take her other arm. “And they are armed with buckets, brooms, and mops.”
“And enough soap to scrub every brick in this drafty place,” Mrs. Mowat added.
As Anne stepped outside, the sun came out from behind a bank of clouds and she caught her breath. What they’d said was true. There were close to fifteen women and their children of all ages waiting to pay their respects. Their names ran together during those initial introductions in her mind, but she would never forget their welcoming smiles. Each of them was unique and special.
“I can’t believe you are all so generous,” Anne told them. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
Mrs. Mowat gave her arm a squeeze. “We don’t mind. We do this because you are one of us now. You are the laird’s wife. The Lady of Kelwin.”
For a moment, Anne couldn’t speak. Their open-armed acceptance swept her away. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
She was one of them.
Mrs. Keith took charge. “Let’s clean,” she cried out like a commander leading the troops into battle, and the women sallied forth.
Chapter 7
The trip to McKenzie’s to buy sheep was a hard one for Aidan. He
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