One & Only (13 page)

“Grey, would you please introduce me
to the ladies?”

He turned and finally noticed them.
“Bea, Nell, this is Lady Bree. She’ll be staying here at the keep. Have a room
readied for her upstairs for her and her maid, Cait.”

Bea was pretty with her dark brown
waves and blue eyes. The only thing that detracted from her beauty was the
coldness in her eyes. She looked none too pleased to have her there. Nell had
lighter locks and green eyes, she was tall and slender. Her nose was sharp,
like a hawk’s and Bree considered her personally rivaled the bird’s
ferociousness. Neither of them looked at Bree or gave a friendly greeting.

“Oh, please don’t go to any trouble.
We can take care of it ourselves. I’m sure you must have enough duties without
us adding to them. If you’ll show us where we’ll stay, we can get ourselves
settled.” She didn’t want to cause the women extra work and she hoped to
appease them.

“Bree, I must attend to clan
business. I may not return until later.” He handed Sunny to her and waited for
her to say something. To Duff he said, “Call a meeting in the barracks. We have
much to discuss.”

Why Grey felt the need to tell her
that, she wasn’t sure. “Then I shall see you on the morrow, Grey. A good night
to you.”

She followed the ladies up the
beautiful staircase, eager to see what the chamber she’d stay in looked like.
They passed several doors before they came to the last one.

“That is a servant quarter, for your
maid,” Bea said.

“I am sure it will be quite nice.”
When Bree opened the door, it looked to be a storage room with a few trunks sitting
beside the farthest wall and a small bed on the other. A few cobwebs covered
the corner and window casement. Bree glanced at Cait and shook her head. “Where
does Sunny sleep?”

“In the servant quarters downstairs,
near the back of the keep, close to the kitchens. We had to look after her when
the laird was gone.” Bea gave the child a cross look. “Caused a lot of trouble,
she did. And she be a Dunmore, born of a whore. Don’t know why the laird let
her stay. The woman should have thrown her out with the wash water.”

Bea’s speech brought forth anger.
Bree found herself frowning at the woman and she wanted to slap the harridan’s
face. How could someone have such disdain for a small child? “Then she will
stay with me,” Bree said as sweetly as she could. “I will be happy to look
after her. She will trouble you no further.”

“This is your room,” Nell said,
pointing to the door across from Cait’s room.

Bree stepped into the chamber and
gave Cait another glance. “Thank you for your kindness, ladies. I shall rest a bit
and then will come down to the kitchens. Where exactly are they?”

“They’re out back, the building
directly behind the keep. It’s a stone building, and usually smells afoul
around this time of day. Just follow the stench.”

“I certainly look forward to meeting
the cook. Anna, is the cook?”

“Aye, she is. But she won’t be too
happy to meet you,” Bea said.

“I don’t deem she will take well
meeting you,” Nell said. “Best prepare for her screeching.”

“I will just have to change that,
shan’t I?”

Once the ladies left the chamber
without a word, Cait closed the door. She waited a few seconds before opening
it again, making sure the horrid women left. “Bree, they are wretched women.
Why do you deem they dislike us? We haven’t done anything to them. Though I’d
like to give one of them a black eye and the other a fat lip.”

She laughed and Sunny giggled,
though she probably didn’t know why. “Cait, they just don’t know us yet. I’m
sure once they see we are harmless, they’ll get to like us.”

“Humph, I doubt that. I refuse to
stay in that chamber,” Cait said, eyeing the large bed in the middle of the
room with a purposeful gaze. “This room is quite comfortable.”

“Of course you shall stay here with
me. There is plenty of room in that large bed. And Sunny can stay here too. It
will be our girl’s room.” She tickled the young girl’s tummy and smiled.

“I will set the room aright, once
the men bring up our belongings. Why don’t you go and take a walk. It’s still
early enough and the child could use some air.”

“That is a fine idea, Cait. We will
be back soon.” She lifted Sunny as high as she could and swung her in the air.
Her sweet squeal sounded.

Bree knew the girl couldn’t hear,
but there had to be a way to communicate with her. As she made her way outside,
she thought about it and realized she could use signals and teach her words.
That’s what she would do. The poor child had been exiled by her family and that
reason alone was enough for Bree to want to ensure the girl was loved. She
would do everything within her power to make sure the girl was happy and well
cared for.

She put Sunny on her feet and
gestured for her to take her hand. The girl understood. Once they exited the
keep, they walked to the base of the incline and sat beneath a large tree where
a few crabapples had fallen. Bree looked around and saw the clan’s people going
about their lives.

“I could have been one of those
women.” She sighed, realizing she was talking to herself. Taking a crabapple in
her hand, she tried to hand it to Sunny.

Sunny was absorbed by the blades of
grass and had pulled a handful loose, and was touching her face with them.

“You cannot hear a word I am saying,
can you?” No answer. “Well, Sunny, that could have been me. I could be heading
to get water for my evening bath or preparing supper for my husband. But I will
never know what that would be like.” Bree sighed again and smiled when Sunny
touched her face with a blade of grass.

She took a piece of grass from her
and returned the gesture. When she looked up, she noticed Grey standing beside
a cottage down the hill, several of his men spoke to him. His eyes stayed on
her and she felt herself blush. He continued to watch her while he listened to
his men. She could see his nods.

“Aye, it could have been me, Sunny.”

A young squirrel scampered closer to
where they sat. The animal’s eyes looked directly at her. Bree took a piece of
bread from inside the hem of her overdress. Animals seemed to like her and she
often hid crumbs and pieces of bread or cheese in her hem for them. “Here you
are little fellow.” She gave the fluffy-tailed creature a nice hunk and then
looked back at the scene. “I do think I shall get along well here, that is what
I think, Sunny.”

CHAPTER ten

She wasn’t going to get along well
at all. If Bree didn’t know better, she would have thought the women in the
Gunn clan hated her. But they had no reason to. Nell and Bea barely spoke to
her and the cook was worse. Bree had gone to the kitchens to meet the woman and
wasn’t well received. When she tried to introduce herself, Anna completely
ignored her. Then she began banging pots and speaking rapidly in Gaelic. So
Bree tried to win her with kindness.

“I wanted to introduce myself and to
mayhap share some of my herbs. My lord brought me the best, some from other
countries during the crusade, brought at market in Londontown.”

The woman glared. “I’ve no need of
anything of yours. Be gone. This is my domain.”

Bree didn’t know what to say. “I am
sorry if I offended you. Please, can we not be friends? I love cooking and
would be pleased to show you some of my secrets.”

Nothing, no reply, not even a sneer
… the woman went back to ignoring her. What could she do? Bree decided the
woman just might have to get used to her. In time, Anna would befriend her and
why shouldn’t she? Bree was a good sort, a kindhearted person. She had to like
her. If she didn’t, Bree would have no way to win her way into these people’s
hearts.

Bree left the kitchens and went back
to the hall dejected. There she found Cait sitting with Sunny. She was teaching
her a song and used her fingers to keep the child’s attention. Their gaiety
brought a small smile to her lips.

“I don’t know what is wrong with
that woman, but Anna definitely does not like me. I do not deem we’ll enjoy our
meal this night. Mayhap I shall fix us something when we go to our chamber.”

Cait harrumphed. “Aye, these women
are a bit strange. I heard Nell telling Bea that the cook, Anna, has feelings
for Laird Gunn. She thinks to motivate the laird in the marital sense with her
cooking if you can believe that. He’d be dead before he could propose.”

“Oh my. If she doesn’t let me help
her, they’ll be no marital anything, even from Laird Gunn.” Bree felt
disheartened for the poor woman. Next to warring, and as Cait said, loving
women: men liked nothing better than to eat. Anna couldn’t catch a man with her
cooking, even if he was ravenous. The foul odor coming from the kitchen almost
made Bree gag.

“Why’d you want to help her?
Besides, we know what direction Laird Gunn’s desire goes.” Cait laughed and set
Sunny on the floor.

The child scampered away and began
running around the room, using her arms as would a bird, flapping them madly.
Seeing the child so playful chased away the un-pleasant thoughts. Bree snatched
Sunny into her arms and kissed her soft cheek and then set her back upon the
floor. Sunny ran in circles around her skirts and laughed.

“Laird Gunn’s desire is of no
concern to me and it shan’t concern you either. Why wouldn’t he want to marry
Anna? She is lovely even if she’s cross.”

Cait laughed harder, she crinkled
her eyes and held her stomach. “I don’t suspect he’d even consider marrying
her. I see the way he looks at you. I tell you, Bree, that man has feelings for
you, desirable feelings. He wants ye, wants to bed ye.”

Bree sat in the chair across from
her friend, but didn’t take her words seriously. Sunny fled to the hearth where
one of the smaller hounds lay licking his paws. “He knows me from childhood, is
all. I doubt he wants to bed me, Cait. Besides, I really don’t want to marry
anyone. Not with the situation I am in. Mayhap one day when all this is settled
I can resign myself to the idea being a wife.”

“Where is Laird Gunn?” Cait
continued to play with Sunny, sending silly faces her way. The child now hid
beyond a chair and would peek out, playing the game. Cait smiled when the child
grabbed hold of a tie on her bodice and yanked it.

“I don’t know, haven’t seen him. I
wanted to cook for them this night, but with the kitchen closed to me, I might
as well go to bed.” Bree stood and as she did so, she noticed the men coming
inside the hall. Their deep burrs instantly brought the room to life. Sunny ran
to her and held out her arms indicating she wished to be picked up. Bree held
her and soothed her worry. The child seemed to fear the men and Bree could
understand Sunny’s distress. She had certainly feared them too when she’d first
met them.

Duff, Greer, Colm, Kenneth, Sean and
James all took seats at the massive table. They looked at her and then at each
other, and back at her expectantly.

Colm asked, “Where’s supper?”

“What’d you make, milady?” James
asked. “We’re going to enjoy this meal.”

Kenneth cleared his throat and
looked derisively at his companions. “We shouldn’t expect milady to cook for
us, after all she will hold a high place in our clan. Our apologies, milady.”

She almost laughed. They had
expected a feast, and sadly, she’d have to disappoint them. “Kenneth, I would
not mind cooking for you. I gain much pleasure from it, but I suppose your cook
will bring it in shortly.” Bree thought to escape and rose to take to the
stairs, but before she could reach them, others came inside and blocked the
path.

The hall began filling with other
clan members and some watched her. Bree felt out of place, considering the
stares coming her way. Self-consciously, she lowered her gaze and kept it on
her feet. It was then that Sunny drew her attention by setting her small hands
on her cheeks and raising her face. The adorable child hugged her and settled
any misgivings she might have had.

“Why aren’t you cooking for us,
milady? Don’t you like us?” Kenneth asked.

She looked up at him. “Of course I
like you, Kenneth. ‘Tis just … Your cook is very possessive of her kitchens.
She did not want me getting in the way.” That was as kind as she could say it.

Grey finally came into the hall and
for some reason, she felt comforted by his presence. He stopped next to the
entrance and watched her. She smiled at the sense of calm he brought to her. An
older man was speaking to him in a harsh tone. Bree could tell by the redness
of his face that the man was not pleased with Grey. Suddenly Grey grabbed the
man by his neck and pulled him out of the hall. She could tell Grey used force,
because his muscles tightened and the man had no choice but to concede.

Bree felt the breath leave her. The
way Grey handled the man scared her. As if she were suffocating, she had to get
some air before she fell to floor and made a spectacle of herself. She made an
excuse to Cait, set Sunny on her lap, and fled out the back entrance. Without a
thought as to where she was going, she walked toward the kitchens.

Kitchens always soothed her and she
could relax when a pot was nearby. Usually she’d stir whatever was cooking and
the motion would mollify her. When she entered, she found the cook behaving outrageously.
Seeing the woman throwing things around the room reminded her of her sister
Melinda. But Melinda was very young and could get away with throwing such a
tantrum.

The kitchen was a mess. Pots and
various foodstuff was thrown on the floor. It looked as if she’d disheveled the
entire kitchen. Bree stood and watched aghast from afar, but as soon as she saw
her precious herbs all dumped on the stone floor, she wanted to cry.

Sinking to her knees, she took a
handful of saffron and clutched it in her palm. Baron Thomas had paid a good
amount of coin for it and now it was wasted. The spice was precious to her and
used for so many things, mainly for the infirm. If someone became ill, there
wasn’t much she could do without the spice to make a remedy.

Tears sprang to her eyes. She wasn’t
sure if it was because she missed her lord and lady or because the herbs were
now useless. Her world crashed down around her and there was nothing she could
do about it. Anger bubbled inside her like a pot overflowing its rim.

Bree approached Anna and grabbed a
fist full of her hair. She wanted to slap the woman senseless and make her feel
the woe she felt. Her hand itched to come down upon Anna’s face.

“What is going on in here?”

Bree released the woman and looked
toward the door. There stood Grey, looking as angry as she was. His bellowed
question went unanswered. Bree lost the strength of her legs and sank to the
floor, her breath coming harshly. He’d shouted his question and everyone in the
room, including the cook, Nell and Bea, stood stock still. No one said a word.

“Out, all of you, leave. Get out. I
will speak with you later.” His voice gave no room for argument and the ladies
fled the kitchens.

Bree wished he’d leave too. She
wanted to be alone so she could cry like a babe without being judged or
scorned.

Grey sat next to her. “Are you all
right, lass? Did they hurt you?”

“Nay, I am not all right. I wish to
be alone so I can cry like a baby without you seeing. Pray, leave me be, Grey.
Let me sit here and wallow in my misery.”

He sighed. “You can cry. I won’t
mind.”

She did just that. Grey took her in
his arms and held her. She couldn’t stop weeping. It wasn’t like her to cry,
but the thought that she couldn’t cook, let alone use her precious herbs made
her suddenly desperate. Once the tears started flowing, she couldn’t stop them.
Cooking was the only thing she was good at and now that she had lost that
pleasure, her life would be miserable. If she couldn’t cook, no one would like
her.

“I … can’t cook … and they wouldn’t
let me. The cook … hates me, Grey. I …” she hiccupped and continued, “They
destroyed my herbs. My … lord gave them … to me.” As if she were a child who
hadn’t gotten her way, she hiccupped the last of her despair. Shame brightened
her cheeks. She became abashed at how she’d acted in front of him.

“I’ll replace your herbs, Bree, I
promise. Now stop weeping and tell me why they don’t like you. Because I like
you, and my guards like you.”

She found a tiny smile. “I do not
know why. I was kind, Grey, I vow. I came in to introduce myself and they
ignored me. Cait said the cook wanted you to …”

“To what?”

“She wants you to marry her. I
suppose she wasn’t happy having another woman in her kitchen or household. I do
not blame her, because I certainly would be upset if another woman came into my
domain.” Bree suddenly found the entire situation humorous. She giggled. “You
will have to explain to her that I am no one to fear.”

“Aye, but you are, sweetheart. She
has every right to fear you.” Grey lifted her chin and nodded. “But don’t
worry. I’ll be finding another cook, one that will enjoy having you in the
kitchen.”

“Really? Then you do not intend to
marry her?” Bree wasn’t sure why that news lightened her. It was none of her
business whom he married. Yet the thought of him with Anna put a sour taste in
her mouth.

“Nay, never.”

Bree looked in his eyes and saw his
sincerity. She wished he would kiss her, but then she remembered how he’d
handled the man in the hall and quickly moved away from him.

“Why are you fearful now?”

“I …You sometimes scare me. I should
not confess that, but there it is. I saw what you did to that man in the hall.
Why did you hurt him?”

Grey stood and held a hand to her,
helping her up from the floor. “He said something I didn’t like.”

“Will you do that every time someone
says something you don’t like?”

“Not to you. You can speak your mind
whenever it pleases you. I won’t get angry, never with you, Bree.”

“I am not sure if I can believe
that.” She wiped the tears from her lashes and tried to fix her appearance by
pressing her skirts.

“I’ll have your faith in me, Bree.”
With that, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

It was the kind of kiss she’d always
dreamed of. He held her face between his hands and his mouth covered hers. Bree
liked the way he held her, so tenderly, yet obstinately. His tongue moved
sensually, making her want to give in to him. She’d never been kissed like this
before, or ever in fact.

Even Rhys goodbye kiss couldn’t
compare. Strange senses came and she wasn’t sure how to respond to them.
Returning his kiss, she gave him full measure. Twirling her tongue around his,
she held on to him and hoped he wouldn’t end it.

He didn’t, but pulled her against
him as he leaned against the wooden table. Bree thought she heard herself moan,
but she was so caught up in the kiss, she wasn’t sure. His hands moved over her
back and pressed her body to his. She could feel the hardness of his muscles
and the strength of him radiating.

Without thought of what she was
doing, Bree put her arms around his neck, hugging him in return. She couldn’t
catch a thought in her head or even comprehend the significance of what they
were doing until she felt his hand move over her breast. He squeezed her and
she quickly pulled away.

“Oh God, we should not be doing
this.”

“Aye, we should. You liked it,
didn’t you?”