Chapter Six
The burden of lives was a strong incentive indeed, especially so many. Diana stared out into the wilds of the Highlands. Evander certainly knew how to use words for impact.
Her father could have used some instruction from the Scottish laird.
Diana skimmed her fingertips over the place where Evander had held her hand. The skin there still tingled. Why did he have to look at her so softly? So kindly? As if he actually cared when he knew nothing of her.
“Ach, Lady Diana, I’m so sorry to have missed yer arrival.”
Diana turned from her place at the window to find a short, stocky woman wearing a plain servant’s dress. Threads of bright red hair escaped the white cap she wore, jutting out in wiry curls around her apple-cheeked face.
She spread out her full skirt and dipped into a low curtsy. “I’m Agnes. I’ll be yer lady’s maid. The laird said ye dinna have one to travel with ye.”
Diana smiled politely. “That’s unnecessary. I can handle things on my own. Thank you, Agnes.”
She turned dismissively from the servant and resumed her stare outside.
Agnes’ presence did not abate. Rather, a stunned stammering came from behind Diana until she finally looked over her shoulder to find a very red-faced Agnes still holding out her skirt.
“But…but…my lady. It’s my job.” The woman’s expression was absolutely crestfallen.
Diana shook her head. “I’ve never had a maid before, I don’t need one now.”
Agnes released her skirt from her hands and it fell into place with a swish. “Ye’re expected soon. For the wedding. I’m to help ye prepare.” She bustled over to the trunk brought in earlier and flung the lid back.
“I’ll find ye a lovely gown,” Agnes said with a puff of pride and set to rummaging through the garments within the trunk.
Diana settled back and watched with interest, waiting for the woman to discover what the trunk truly held.
Agnes’ frantic sorting slowed as realization dawned. “It appears they’ve sent ye the wrong things, my lady. These are all just rags.”
“Not rags.” Diana pulled the mantle and cloak from her shoulders, revealing the well-worn dress beneath. It had been fine once.
In fact, it had been her mother’s. They all had.
The green gown she wore hung from her shoulders, shapeless around her narrow hips and legs. She did not possess the lush, curvy figure her mother had been so known for. “These are my dresses.”
She plucked a blue one from the tumbled pile. The few remaining beads over the neckline winked up at her. All the careful whorls of beading had long since torn away from the hem, save a few left at the edges of the sleeves. Blue had been her mother’s favorite color.
Agnes slowly took the treasured gown in her hands and ran the white edge of her fingernail over a patch of missing beadwork, where sad errant threads marked their missing counterparts. The older woman turned her gaze to Diana. “I can fix the beading for ye.”
Diana craned her neck forward, curious in spite of herself. “Can you?”
“Aye.” Agnes smiled and a rosy flush accented her round cheeks. “If ye agree to let me be yer lady’s maid.”
“How very persuasive of you.” Diana lifted her brow and watched the maid warily.
Agnes winked and lifted the dress, waving it in the air.
“I can restore all yer gowns.”
Diana couldn’t help but smile at the crafty older woman. “Very well.”
Agnes opened her mouth to speak, but before anything could come out, Kitzi came scampering into the room, yipping as she ran in a wild, arcing circle around Zeus before departing as swiftly as she had come.
Both women stared at the open doorway a moment after the dog had left.
“Have ye met Kitzi?” Agnes asked.
Zeus grumbled to himself and sank to the floor.
Diana lifted her brows and nodded. “Oh, yes. She’s one I won’t easily forget.”
“It’s as if all the joy and exuberance of Emilia’s youth went into that dog.” Agnes gave a sad smile.
Diana gave Agnes a questioning look, not wanting to pry and yet wanting to know more.
“The laird’s sister. She was just a lass, a bit of a thing at that.” Agnes moved closer, bringing with her the clean scent of herbs. “People wandered onto our land, as what happens more times than no’ these days, and they tried to take Kitzi from her. They were starving, ye see… She defended that wee dog with everything in her and they…” Agnes’ blue eyes shone with unshed tears. “They killed the lass. The laird saw, only he was too far to stop it. He managed to save Kitzi, and the two have been inseparable ever since. As if the broken pieces of their hearts fit better together than alone.”
“I didn’t know,” Diana said softly. All of it made sense now – the small dog, Evander’s constant protection of the wolves, of Diana, his plea to have her take guards with her. He was right when he said he didn’t mean to keep her a prisoner. He was protecting her.
It also meant he’d suffered love lost as well. Not through rejection as she had with her father, but through the kind of helplessness that she’d lost her mother.
“Aye, well…” Agnes shrugged and went to close the door. “Kitzi has more love in her than any creature so small ought to. Now let’s get ye ready.”
It only took one hour for Agnes to transform Diana from the mess she’d arrived in to something entirely different than she ever thought she’d be. Diana had never been considered a beauty, nor had she aspired to even try. But in the caress of her mother’s overlarge gown with its fresh beading winking along the neckline and sleeves, the oil taming the riot of her hair, and the fresh glow of clean skin, Diana felt beautiful.
She made her way to the great hall where she was to meet Evander. The buzz of voices hit her first, like the eager humming of flies over a fresh carcass. Her pulse quickened at the thought of so many people to create such sound. Several bystanders looked her way as she passed, their stares going to her wolves and then to her dress before grazing her face. Her cheeks ignited with heat and her stomach fluttered with discomfort. She suddenly wished she could disappear inside the gown, to wrap herself in what was left of her mother and have it protect her from all those bloody prying eyes.
Diana stopped abruptly and loyal Zeus sat at her feet, resolute in joining his mistress while Hera walked on for two steps with Agnes before both realized her absence and turned back.
“I’m not going,” Diana stated.
A man leaning against the wall watched her. She returned his curiosity with a glare. Let him feel the weight of a stranger staring and assessing.
Agnes smiled her apple-cheeked smile and reached for Diana. “Lass, ye look bonny, come along.”
Diana snatched her hand from the well-meaning grasp. “No.”
A man appeared from behind Agnes, tall and lean. Diana lifted her head to see him properly and found herself gazing directly into the very green eyes of Evander Mackenzie. “Is everything well with ye, Lady Diana?” he asked.
More people streamed through the halls, more eyes, more gawping. All at her. All curious. All prying.
She clenched her jaw. “I can’t – I won’t do this.”
“Ye can do this.” Evander stood in front of Diana, intentionally blocking all the stares. “I know it’s uncomfortable being here, surrounded by people ye dinna know. Especially when ye’ve been alone for so long. Look at me.”
Her gaze had been darting somewhere past his shoulders where people no doubt gaped with blatant interest at their new English mistress, but now it settled on him.
“I will always protect ye, Diana.” He took her hands in his.
She gave a mirthless smile and shook her head. She’d once looked to her father for protection, and he’d paid a man to kidnap her.
Evander delicately caressed the underside of her chin, bringing her attention to him once more. “I’ll be by yer side the entire time. There will only be a few people at the kirk. Ye can meet the clan in yer own time, over the next few weeks, aye?”
She did not speak for a long moment, enough for Agnes to shoot Evander a worried look. Finally, Diana pulled her face from his touch and nodded. “Let’s get on with it. The sooner it can start, the sooner it can be over.”
“The carriage awaits us out front.” Evander indicated the main gate.
Diana made a face.
“Or we can walk,” he added.
“Outside,” she breathed. “Yes, let’s walk.”
The sun had begun to set and left the sky stained with every shade of a rainbow. Though cold, the weather was at least dry. No rain made for a pleasant walk, and Evander had to admit it did feel good to stretch out his legs after so long atop a horse.
Zeus streaked past them with Hera at his side and Kitzi behind them both. They passed first to the left, then to the right, then cut in front of Diana and Evander.
The tense expression on Diana’s face eased. “It would appear your Kitzi is going to keep the wolves from growing bored.”
Evander met her eyes, and together they shared a companionable smile. “And maybe they’ll tire Kitzi.”
The animals ran by once more.
“Is such a thing possible?” Diana asked, and they both laughed.
Hers was delicate, throaty – an entirely pleasant sound he would love to hear again. And again and again. In fact, he fully intended to.
The smile slipped from her mouth and drained from her eyes. Her step faltered. Evander followed her gaze to the stone kirk at the top of the hill.
“If we dinna hurry, our animals will beat us there,” Evander offered. Diana did not laugh again, nor did her smile return. But she did at least continue forward, a severe expression on her face.
The minister waited for them by the open door of the kirk with his hands folded patiently in front of him.
The kirk hadn’t been a welcome sight for the clan fifteen years back, a blemish of English control overtaking something as sacred as religion. Were it not for Reverend Richard’s part in handing out their scarce food rations, he would still be entirely unwelcome.
“Lady Diana, welcome.” Reverend Richard gave her a winning smile and bowed low enough to reveal the patch of thinning hair atop the back of his skull. His English accent was particularly crisp in the presence of one of his own.
Diana, for her part, appeared indifferent. “I’d prefer an expedited ceremony.”
The reverend gave an energetic nod and shot a knowing grin at Evander. “Of course.”
Evander ignored him. Camden already waited inside to bear witness to the union. Originally, Evander had thought to have his clan come out for the event. After having met Diana, he knew it would be easier done with more of a private intimacy. He was glad he’d taken her wishes into consideration.
True to his word, the reverend proceeded with their union in haste. Even his speech seemed rushed. His stare, Evander noticed, continued to drift toward Diana. Irritation edged through him, and he was damn well ready to speak up about it when Richard looked to Diana and asked if she would take Evander to wed.
She shifted her gaze to Evander. Her lips pressed together and her brow furrowed. It was a look that could only be described as pained.
Diana took a step back and bumped into Hera. The wolf brushed past her and nuzzled Evander’s knee. He couldn’t help but chuckle and patted Hera’s large head.
“I think she is saying this is a good match.” He winked up at Diana.
She turned to look back at Zeus, but Evander stopped her. “Ye know he’s got a grudge against me,” Evander whispered to her.
This time Diana laughed, that warm, husky sound Evander enjoyed. “That he does.”
Together they both looked back at where Zeus sat in the center of the aisle, his golden stare level and unyielding. Not to be outdone, Kitzi scuttled over to Diana and ran a series of circles around her before yipping enough to get herself picked up into Diana’s arms like a squirming bairn.
“Just ye and me and a lot of pampered animals.” Evander lifted a shoulder in a helpless shrug and got another balance-jolting nudge from Hera.
“Yes.” Diana looked to the preacher. “Yes, I’ll marry him.”
Reverend Richard watched them with a bewildered expression on his face, as if he thought them both daft. Camden’s face twitched with a barely controlled smirk.
When it was Evander’s turn to agree to marry Diana, he bridged the gap between the menagerie of beasts between them and took her left hand with his right. A warm tingling sensation tickled from his palm and up his arm to spread through his body. He smiled down at her and nodded. “Aye, I’ll marry her.”
“In that case, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” said Reverend Richard. “And pets. You may kiss your beautiful bride.”
Evander slid Richard a look, knowing just how beautiful the man found the bride. Before Diana could shy away, Evander caressed her cheek, framing her jaw with his fingertips and leaned in close to her. She had a sweet, fresh scent about her, like the forest.
She gazed up at him with those wide blue eyes, and he leaned closer. His lips grazed hers, soft and warm, a touch gentle enough to almost not be felt, and yet his lips hummed with the sensation of having done so.
He eased back from Diana, and the grip of tension around his chest eased. He had done it. He had married Diana Stuart.
His people would have food for the winter and hopefully beyond.
Why then did it suddenly not feel quite enough?