“As were ye, but it is past. I’ll have a bride very soon, and she shall be yer mistress.”
Anyon laughed. “You may call her what ye will, but that weak-kneed creature will never be my mistress. She’ll hide in her chambers or run away from ye, mark my words on it. Then ye’ll be back looking for a woman who does nae whimper because yer grip is too tight.”
“Anyon—”
She blew out a hard sound, interrupting him and not caring if it was a slight to his authority as her laird. “I am a woman, Gordon, and that is what the beast inside ye needs. That girl will never satisfy ye. Never.”
“Tell me about the girl Gordon was wed to.”
Ula jerked her head about, looking more startled than Jemma had ever seen her.
“Who told ye about Imogen?”
It was clear that the housekeeper wouldn’t tell her a thing unless she answered the question in a way that she deemed acceptable. The warning in her eyes spoke of loyalty to her laird. “Gordon did. He said he was wed and that the girl is now a nun. I believe this is a matter that I need to know about if he is considering marrying me.”
“The laird should have told ye, but I agree that ’tis something ye have the right to understand.” Ula drew in a deep breath and looked about to make sure they were alone. “The girl was no good at being a wife, did nae care for it at all. She cried until her eyes were puffy every time he told her he intended to enter her chamber. She claimed that bed sport was sinful, and the awful truth was that she believed it.”
“Many think that. Why do you say it is awful?”
Ula stopped looking tired for the first time. The housekeeper placed her hands flat on the top of the stack of ironing she had been working to fold.
“That poor girl had her thoughts twisted beyond what normal parents do with their daughters. I’m no talking about instilling a healthy respect for remaining pure, that is right, but Imogen took to lashing herself every morning after the laird left her.” Ula lifted her face and shot Jemma a hard look. “’Twas a horrible sight what that girl did to herself because someone twisted up her thinking. She could nae tolerate knowing that she enjoyed being a wife. Her back was a bloody mess when we discovered what she was about.”
Ula stopped and drew in a deep breath. “The laird was a kind man when he let her go. I know men who would have set a guard on that girl to keep the dowry she came with. Her own father knew she wanted to be a nun but forced her to wed because of the alliance it would gain him with the Barras clan.”
It was a sad tale but not an uncommon one. Marriage was a business first. It was strange the way the world worked. A poor girl was granted the right to marry where her heart led her, but she longed for the better life that came with being born to a higher position. Those born to better, to titles, often discovered themselves envious of the chance to decide whom they would have affection for.
“I’m glad to see that ye are nothing like Imogen. The laird has refused to open any of the offers sent to him from other clans. He claims that he cannot stomach the sight of ink on parchment when it comes to marriage. Ye’re different, lass. He’s taken with ye because he set his eyes on ye. ’Tis a good thing for the laird, and ye being kin to our neighbor makes it a good match for the Barras.”
So simple, unless someone, anyone recalled that she had not lent her agreement to the match. Of course it was not needed; she might be wed by the clergy with only her brother’s word on the matter. Her dowry would be handed over, and Gordon would have the right to keep her on his land any way that he deemed appropriate.
She truly wasn’t, but knowing that didn’t bring her any peace. It should have, for Gordon had treated her more than kindly.
“Yer thoughts are too troubled.” Ula handed a stack of linens to her with a quick flick of her hand to indicate a large cabinet that stood open for them. It would be locked when Ula was finished ironing what had been washed the day before. There were enough linens to change them out with fresh ones from this storage cabinet, but it was kept locked because fabric was expensive.
“Ye need some work to keep ye from turning matters over in yer head the way ye do.” Ula considered her for a long moment. “Go and fetch up the laird’s shirts that should be drying along the back of the west tower, and tell me if those laundresses are working or lying on the slope sunning their noses.”
It was only midmorning, so it would be best if the laundresses were working. Jemma decided that she wouldn’t care to have Ula cross with her. Such was a good thing in a housekeeper. If she failed to keep a tight fist around everyone drawing pay from the laird’s coffers, there would be dark times ahead for the castle. More than one great noble family had found themselves bled dry of silver by servants who spent more time resting than working while still expecting their pay. Ula didn’t seem to be the sort to allow laziness to flourish under her watchful eye.
Jemma made her way from the north tower where she had been working with Ula. The west tower was used for washing because the sun would shine on it last, allowing time for washing in the mornings. Laundry was left hanging all night if the weather was fair, and she heard dry cloth snapping in the breeze when she came around the side of the tower.
“I warned ye, ye English whore!”
Anyon was in a rage, the girl shoving at Jemma before she realized that an attack was imminent. The force of it sent her tumbling down the slope with its harsh stones that scraped and cut into her hands and face.
“I warned ye that the laird was mine!”
Anyon came down the slope after her, aiming a vicious kick at her head before Jemma regained enough of her senses to move. Pain shot through her neck and back, but she snarled and rolled out of the way of the next kick the girl sent at her.
“Enough, Anyon! I am not going to fight with you.”
“That’s because ye think yerself so much better than me, but ye aren’t! Ye’re a slut, and I will nae let ye take Gordon from me.”
The edge of the river was mere inches from her nose and the ground muddy beneath her hands when Jemma
