Zander grinned at him. “Quit complainin’. That’s the kind of work any man would be happy with if they were lucky enough to get it.”
When Zander went off to see to his duties as captain of the guards, Edan decided to go and see his grandmother.
Olivia had specified five dates. He needed ideas, and he reckoned his grandmother would have plenty. He left the study and headed for the stairs, fairly sure he knew where he would find her at that hour of the day—the solar. The place where women gathered to do their needlework and embroidery and suchlike and whatever else they did. He was a bit uncertain about the details, but he knew it took a lot of yapping.
He was striding along the hallway leading to the solar when he heard his grandmother’s laughter ring out from inside the room. As he drew closer, he saw the door was ajar, and he could stillhear her laughing. It was a lovely sound, and he smiled as he stood outside the door. He adored his grandmother and would do almost anything to make her happy, so he was curious to know the cause of her merriment.
He peered through the crack in the door, and the scene he saw turned his smile into a wide grin.
Megan, the young maid, was on her knees on the rug, with her hands cupped over something. He could not make out what it was, but it seemed she was trying to protect it. Next to her stood Olivia, holding one of her shoes in her hand. He thought she looked exceptionally lovely in a green woolen gown and little black shoes, with her fair hair in a thick plait over her shoulder.
“Nay, Me Lady,” Megan was pleading, looking up at her mistress. “Dinnae kill it. It’ll bring bad luck.”
“Megan,” Olivia said, stifling her laughter, “that is nonsense. It is a spider—an insect. It should not be indoors at all. It has nothin’ to do with luck. Except that by comin’ in here, its luck has just run out.”
“Och, please, Lady Greta, dinnae let her kill it,” the maid begged his grandmother.
Greta and Jane were sitting next to each other on a settee, and he could see they were almost crying with laughter.
“I can do nothin’ to stop her, lassie—she’s the mistress of this castle. She can do as she likes with the wee spider. As for meself, I cannae abide the creatures.”
Megan let out a wail of distress at which Olivia asked, “I dinnae understand why ye’re so upset about a spider. What does it matter if I kill it?”
“Because a spider in the house is a sign of incomin’ wealth,” Megan claimed. “Besides, everyone kens that if ye wish to live and thrive, ye let a spider run alive,” she added, quoting the adage.
The spider chose that moment to escape from the protective cage of Megan’s hands and raced off across the rug, wringing shrieks from Megan and Jane, but for different reasons. Jane picked up her skirts and jumped up onto the settee, while Megan crawled on her hands and knees after the creature. Greta’s delighted laughter rang out again.
Olivia chased after the insect and brought her shoe down on it with a loud thwack. “There, that’s the end of that,” she said, standing back with an air of accomplishment, before putting her shoe back on her dainty, little foot.
That’s me lassie!
Edan felt a strange surge of pride for his wife’s practical attitude. He had no truck with superstition unless it was to humor his grandmother, who was occasionally influenced by such things. He was pleased to discover that his wife was of the same mind.
“Ye can come down from the settee now, Jane. It’s dead,” Olivia said, picking the dead spider up by one leg and crossing to the widow. She opened it and threw the little, flattened corpse out before shutting the window again.
“Och, thank ye kindly, Me Lady. I cannae stand anythin’ creepy-crawly. It gives me the willies, and spiders just have way too many legs for me likin’,” Jane said, sounding relieved as she gingerly got down from the settee and resumed her seat next to Greta.
Edan could no longer stifle his laughter, and all eyes turned to him.
“Edan! Come in and join us, lad,” his grandmother called, her face lighting up at the sight of him.
He entered and went over to kiss her cheek.
“Ye’ve just missed all the fun,” she told him, her eyes still wet with tears of laughter.
Megan had gotten up from the floor by now, but she looked very disappointed.
“Actually, I saw what was goin’ on. I see me wife dealt with the situation very capably, but I pity that poor spider.” Edan looked over at Olivia, whose cheeks had suddenly turned a delightful shade of crimson. It put him in mind of what had transpired between them the previous night.
He nodded to her and sat down in a chair next to the settee.
“Ye can leave us now, lassies,” his grandmother told the two maids kindly. They departed, leaving the three of them alone.
“I’ve talked to the council about what happened,” Edan said, looking straight at Olivia, who had come to sit in Jane’s place. She folded her hands neatly in her lap, looking very prim and proper, and incredibly tempting. “They’ve apologized to both of us, and they’ll each come in person to apologize to ye in the next few days.”
She appeared surprised. “Och, thank ye for tellin’ me. I’m glad that the misunderstanding was cleared.”
Since he could not speak to his grandmother alone about the five dates but could not seem to keep his eyes off Olivia, Edan slapped his hands on his knees and asked, “So, ladies, what have ye been up to today? Apart from flattenin’ spiders, I mean.”
