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CHAPTERSIX
The morning sun shone down on heras soon as she opened her eyes. The glare from her window caused her to crawl back under her quilt. Her eyes hurt, herbody ached, and her muscles were sore from the cramped carriage ride the night before.
When a knock sounded on her door, her eyes widened. Who could it be? She hoped it wasn't the Highlander. She wasn't ready to confront him yet.
“Who’s there?” Nora asked from under her blanket.
“Lady McKay, ‘tis yer maid,” a woman replied.
That’s me now! Nora was slow to remember her new title.
“May I come in, milady? Laird McKay sent me to ye,” the maid said, and Nora called her in.
She watched as the maid walked into the room and hurriedly crumbled to her knees before her. “Good mornin’, milady," she said, bowing her face diligently. “I am Mae.”
“You need not kneel before me. Please, stand,” Nora said. She seemed young, with timid eyes and jet-black hair. “Your name is Mae?”
“Aye,” she replied. “I will be yer maid from this moment onwards. I shall be your guide in the clan lands, and I shall clean yer sheets, fetch yer bath, and tend to yer meals.”
Nora liked her right away, seeing the spark in her eyes when she mentioned being herguide. Nora suspected that her maidwas as daring as she was.
“Do you know the clan’s lands well?” Nora asked.
“Aye, Lady McKay,” Mae replied sharply.
“Is the Lady of the clan allowed to leave the keep as she pleases?” Nora asked the most important question of all, butMae’s face fell. “What’s wrong?”
“The guards would come with us if ye venture into the clan’s lands. They would expect ye to attempt an escape and have eyes on ye. They will never allow ye step out of the keep alone,” Mae explained.
“That’s fair.” Nora shrugged before she made her way to her window.
Her breath was taken away as she gazed out her window at the surrounding fields and trees. She had only ever visited her father's lands in Scotland and had never ventured out to see the rest of the country.
“Do you have a market nearby? Or a town?” Nora turned back, excited.
“Aye, Lady McKay,” Mae responded. ”It’s common for the wife of the Laird to visit the markets alone.”
Nora was delighted to find that she wouldn’t be kept inside.
Maybe I might survive here after all.
Nora had found no peace since moving to her new home, but the view of the fields in the distance gave her hope. She could see the brazen sun that had bothered her that morning, hiding behind the hills like a little golden speck.
What do I do as a lady? she wondered. “Where is the laird?”
“Laird McKay rode out early this mornin’, milady.”
He hasn’t even greeted me. She wasn't looking forward to talking to her new husband, but she had hoped he would try. Had she married a man like her father?
“Mae, will you prepare me a hot bath and some fruits to break my fast?” she asked, putting her hand leisurely on her flat belly to steady the rumbling hunger that afflicted her.
“Right away, milady,” Mae said and dashed off.
Nora gazed out her window at the keep and the town beyond. She hadn't seen the old houses or the thin trees that littered the surrounding area because it had been dark when she arrived.
Looking off in the distance, she was certain the village would be teeming with people who needed her assistance, just as Naomi had. She remembered how she had given Amelia instructions to find a way to help Naomi before she left the manor with Lord Benett.
However, Nora knew that in order to assist the clansmen, she needed to learn what resources she had at her disposal. She had no clothes or belongings with her other than the ones she had worn the day before.
