Anna slowly blinked her eyes open. Her limbs felt heavy and her thoughts fuzzy. It took her a moment to figure out why she was looking up at thick wooden beams rather than the ceiling of her bedroom, but then yesterday came flooding back with a vengeance. Oh. Right. Yesterday.
She stretched her arms over her head and yawned hugely. After such an insane day she wasn’t surprised she’d slept like a log. She’d been so exhausted when they’d arrived last night that she’d barely registered it. She remembered meeting Emeric’s mother and then being escorted to this sumptuous guest room but that was about it.
She lay there for a while, enjoying the feel of the pillows beneath her head and the thick blankets weighing her down. She was pretty sure she could sleep all day if she tried.
With a groan, she sat up. Light was spilling from beneath the heavy drapes, suggesting the morning was wearing on. She gave a little huff, swung her legs around, and climbed out of bed. Padding across the room, she grabbed the drapes and pulled them wide, squinting at the sudden bright sunlight that flooded the room. The window itself was tall and narrow, and through it she could see a seemingly endless expanse of moorland stretching into the distance. It lookedbleak and uninviting but somehow beautiful at the same time. How did Emeric and his family make their living up here if they hadn’t turned this place into a hotel?
There was fresh water in a jug on the nightstand, along with a fresh set of clothes hanging on the back of the chair. The bowl of dirty water had also been taken away. Somebody had been in while she slept—Maisie?
Seating herself by the nightstand, she took another quick wash—the water was freezing—and then examined the clothes that had been laid out for her. There were linen undergarments and a heavy blue dress to go over the top.
There was no sign of her own clothes and she guessed that whoever had taken away the dirty water had taken them away too, leaving the dress in their place. Really? This is what she was expected to wear? It looked like something out of a historical drama. It was not her thing at all.
Still, there wasn’t much choice. With a shrug, she began to dress. The linen underwear was a little itchy, the dress heavy and difficult to get into, but she finally managed it and turned to the mirror to see what she looked like. Except there was no mirror. There was, however, a comb that looked to be made out of bone, so she pulled it through her tangled tresses, doing her best to make herself look presentable. After the treatment her hair had received in the bog yesterday, a trip to the hairdressers was definitely in order. And maybe the spa for good measure.
Satisfied that she looked at least halfway human, she opened her bedroom door and stuck her head into the corridor. A long passage stretched off in both directions, with a tartan runner covering the flagstone floor and severaltapestries attached to the walls. There was nobody in sight but she could hear the general hubbub of a large house echoing through the floors: distant voices, a barking dog, the clatter of crockery.
She stepped out and, trying to remember the route she’d taken last night, turned right. This soon brought her to a winding staircase that spiraled downwards. A young woman was walking up the stairs, carrying an armload of folded linen.
Anna stepped back to let her pass and gave her a broad smile. “Good morning!”
“Good morning, my lady,” the woman replied, giving her a little curtsey. “Did ye sleep well?”
My lady? And what was the curtsey all about? These highland aristocrats had strange manners. The young woman had blonde hair and a dimpled smile and Anna realized it was the same girl who’d shown her to her room last night.
“Maisie, isn’t it? Yes, I slept well. That bedroom would make any Glasgow hotel jealous!”
A confused expression crossed Maisie’s face but then she curtseyed again. “I’m pleased. Lady Mackintosh and her daughter are in the great hall if ye would like to join them?”
“The great what?”
Maisie nodded at the stairs. “To the bottom. Left at the entrance hall. I know that Lady Aislinn in particular is dying to make yer acquaintance.”
With that, Maisie curtsied again then walked off along the corridor, carrying her pile of linen. Anna stared after her, before giving a shrug and carrying on her way.
At the bottom of the stairs, she came out in the wide entrance hall she remembered from last night. This time though, the big double doors were thrown open, letting light spill inside and giving a view of the large courtyard beyond. The rain and wind from last night had blown through, leaving the day sparkling and bright.
Turning in the other direction, she saw a large inner door standing ajar. Through it, Anna could hear two female voices. They seemed to be arguing.
“If ye put them there, ye are asking for trouble,” said an older voice. “Graeme and Robert MacAllister dinna get on at the best of times and their wives are even worse. They’re like a pair of wildcats when they’ve got whiskey inside them. It’ll end in a brawl!”
“I dinna see why I have to have either of the MacAllisters here at all!” responded a younger voice. “Crotchety old sots, the pair of them!”
“And two of yer uncle’s most loyal tenants. What would it look like if ye didnae invite them?”
“Fine. I’ll put Robert and his wife on the table at the back with the Dunsmoors.”
“Do that and ye’ll have to put Graeme on the other back table or Robert will think ye are showing favoritism to his brother.”
There was a cry of frustration and the sound of breaking crockery.
After a moment’s silence, the older voice said. “Now that was just childish.”
Anna crept to the door and peered through the crack. A cavernous room with a vaulted ceiling lay on the far side,with a vast fireplace against one wall. It was filled with tables and benches and an older woman who she recognized as Emeric’s mother was standing by a table with her hands on her hips.
A younger woman with long dark hair was facing her, also with her hands on her hips, and they were glaring like two fighting tomcats. The jagged pieces of smashed pottery lay on the floor between them.
Anna delicately cleared her throat. “Um. Sorry...I hope I’m not interrupting?”
