“Morna, he’s already sleeping. We canna wake him up. I refuse to do it.”
Pointing over to the stables, I grabbed her arm to prevent her from running off toward the castle.
“Look at the candlelight. He’s still tending to the horses. I know he willna mind us visiting him there.”
“Kip never works so late. If someone is within the stables, ’tis Rab, the newest stable hand.”
Worry rolled off Mary in waves and her arm tensed beneath my grip. It was time to end her pain.
“Doona worry, Mary. I only mean to facilitate a meeting between the two of ye. Ye needn’t say a thing that ye doona wish to as long as ye promise to not be so doubtful of me next time.”
I smiled in the darkness as Mary sighed in relief.
“I’ll never doubt ye again.”
Inside, we found Kip leaning against the widest stall at the stable’s far end staring intently at the mare inside. Hearing our approach, he turned to greet us. His smile was wide, and his eyes never left Mary. I wasn’t even sure he knew I was there until he spoke.
“Did the two of ye come to see the birth?”
“Birth?” Mary’s voice rose with excitement as she moved around me to look down into the stall.
I grinned inwardly as I slowly approached the two of them from behind. A birth would be the perfect excuse for Mary to linger. Perhaps she could offer him aid while I slipped away feigning exhaustion.
“Are ye alone, Kip? Shouldna Rab be here helping ye?”
Kip waved a dismissive hand and scooted near Mary so I could join them.
“Ach, the lad wouldna know what to do, and ’tis more trouble than ’tis worth to teach him. He said an errand—though he wouldna tell me what it was—needed his attention, and I saw no reason to keep him here.”
Determined not to let this opportunity pass, I leaned forward to look across Kip at Mary.
“Kip, I canna believe our good fortune. Why, Mary was telling me only this morning that she’d never seen a mare give birth.”
Eyes wide and disbelieving, Kip took over the conversation just as I’d hoped.
“No? Is this true, Mary? Surely, it canna be. Why, ye helped deliver Elspeth’s baby all on yer own.”
Blushing, Mary shot me a quick glance before answering him. I had no idea whether or not what I said was true, but I hoped she had enough sense to go along with it without question.
“Aye, ’tis true. Would ye mind if we stayed and watched? We’ll help if we need to.”
Yawning, I threw my arms above my head and stretched dramatically.
“Oh, Mary, I’m far too tired to stay, but I can see myself inside the castle if ye would like to wait for the birth.”
In a gesture that surprised and filled me with hope, Kip reached out to gently touch Mary’s arm as he spoke.
“Ye must stay. ’Tis a wondrous sight.”
Content that my matchmaking would carry on fine without me, I bid them farewell and made my way along the short path from the stables to the castle.
I loved the castle even more in the dead of night when none but me lay awake, and I was free to roam its halls undisturbed or watched. The castle would never belong to me in the way it would someday belong to Alasdair, but in the moments when I moved through its corridors unaccompanied by watchful eyes, it felt like I was its mistress. My affection for its stone walls and elegant beauty knew no bounds.
I approached the door to my bedchamber with growing weariness as I considered just how shameful it would be to crawl into bed without changing out of my dress. As long as I woke early, none would be the wiser. It sounded delightful.
Opening the door and slipping inside, I walked through the room’s darkness picturing my impending dreams as I crawled on top of my blankets still fully clothed.
A sudden rustling sound near the window caused my head to whip in its direction. The shadowy figure of a man stood not far from my bed.
