"If only ye could tell our parents that ye work for the king," she said quietly."They would not pressure ye so to wed.The clan would be proud of ye instead of belittling ye all the time."
"No.The less people ken, the better.Let them think of me what they will – it matters not."
He swung up into the saddle, and Nessa stepped back.He gave her one final wave as he rode away.
Behind him he could hear Annag's shrieking voice as she returned from the gardens demanding an explanation, his mother's protests following close after, his father's attempts to calm everyone down, and somewhere in the middle of it all, Ninian's laughter rising cheerfully above the chaos.
But Cormac didn't look back.
A half-league to the south, his men were waiting.He had a king to see.
***
Chapter 3
Kyleakin Village, Inner Hebrides
Una Murray sat in thecorner of her small sewing school, her needle flying through the delicate silk as she demonstrated the proper technique for split stitch embroidery.Around her, three young women watched with varying degrees of attention.
Catriona, the youngest at eighteen, was actually paying attention, her own needle moving carefully through the practice cloth Una had provided.Fenella, at twenty-one, was spinning thread absentmindedly while gazing out the window.Elspeth, the eldest at twenty-two, was openly staring at her own reflection in the polished metal mirror she had propped against her sewing basket.
They were not only Una's pupils but also her somewhat haughty distant cousins, the daughters of her mother's wealthy relations, sent to Kyleakin specifically so Una could teach them the fine needlework skills they would need to impress at King David's court.
"Una," Elspeth said without looking away from her mirror, "how much longer must we continue with this tedious work?My fingers are cramping."
"As long as it takes for ye to master it," Una replied evenly, keeping her voice pleasant despite her irritation."Split stitch is necessary if ye wish to create floral designs.Every lady at court kens how to do this."
"Every lady at court has servants to do her embroidery," Fenella interrupted, finally tearing her gaze from the window."That's what our mother says.She says once we're married to wealthy noble men, we'll never have to pick up a needle again."
"Then why are we even here?"Elspeth added, finally setting down the mirror."If we're going to have servants do it anyway?"
Una counted to five in her head before responding."Because noble men at court expect their wives to embroider.Good needlework is highly valued amongst the queen's ladies-in-waiting.'Tis a quality that makes a noblewoman more marriageable."
She hated saying it, hated playing into their shallow ambitions, but it was the only argument that ever worked with her cousins.
"But ye ken the skill well enough, yet remain unwed, and I dinnae see any noble men offering for yer hand in marriage," Elspeth scoffed.
