“Ye wish what?”
“Nothing,” Marion said, forcing hergrin wide once more. “I’ll tell him tonight when we are alone. You must keepthis a secret until I’ve done so.”
“I vow I will.”
“Come.” Marion grabbed Bridgette’shand. “I’ve a feeling he’ll limit my leaving the castle even more once he knowsthis, so let’s go. I want to do a great deal today.”
As Marion and Bridgette made their way to thekitchen, Graham appeared and Marion had to suppress the desire to pokeBridgette with her elbow when an irritated look crossed her face.
Graham faced Bridgette with such alook of tenderness that Marion ached for him. “Bridgette, would ye care to goriding with me and Lachlan?” he asked.
Her entire face lit up at themention of Lachlan. “Yes!” she gushed. “Let me go get my bow.”
Graham grinned. “I’ll come with yeand we will go to the stables from there.”
Bridgette started to dash off andthen turned back to Marion. “If ye dunnae need me to stay?”
Marion waved a hand at her friend.“Go.”
Bridgette nodded, and she andGraham departed, leaving Marion alone in the hall. She stood for a momentlooking down at her flat stomach and grinning, anticipating the quickening.When Marion entered the kitchen, the heat from the ovens and the smells offreshly baking bread and venison assaulted her. Normally, she loved both, butright now they mattered not. She pressed a hand to her stomach and smiledsecretly to herself.
Before she could linger on thethought any longer, she caught sight of Elspeth, who paused her stirring in mid-motion.A smile came to Elspeth’s face, and Marion released her held breath.
“Marion, it’s good to see yerecovered!” she said and laid her spoon on the counter.
Several of the women stopped whatthey were doing, including Kyla, who rushed over to Marion and embraced her.The woman arched her dark eyebrows as she surveyed Marion. “I see I judgedcorrectly with the gown.”
“Oh, Kyla!” Marion exclaimed.“Thank you! It’s lovely.”
Kyla nodded and patted Marion’shand. “We all ken what a rotten thing Fiona did to ye. I went directly homeafter he ordered ye out of the great hall and started on a gown for ye. Idecided if it did nae fit quite right, it would do until we could make yemore.”
“That was very kind of you,” Marionsaid, running her hand down her skirts and thinking happily that she would needlooser-fitting gowns soon. She glanced around the room at the women who werehovering but feigning interest. She felt as if she needed to say somethingabout what had happened with Fiona. “I want you all to know how sorry I am thatFiona was sent away.”
She locked eyes with Elspeth, whosimply waved a hand as if to say,Please don’t fret.Marion took a deepbreath in the suddenly very quiet room and continued. “I asked Iain to thinkabout letting her stay, but he refused.”
Suddenly, comments were coming fromevery direction, so fast she could hardly tell who was saying what.
“Fiona always acts wanton toward myhusband.”
“Mine as well!”
“She thought herself too good towork in the kitchen.”
“She didn’t even cry at Catriona’sfuneral!”
Marion’s cheeks burned withgratitude for what the ladies were trying to do to show her that they didn’tcare for Fiona overly much, but she also felt a twinge of pity for Elspeth.“I’m sure Fiona has positive qualities, as well,” Marion said loudly, purposelylooking at Elspeth.
Elspeth shrugged. “I’ll nae speak unkindlyof my sister, but I’ll say she is nae a happy soul and what she did to ye was cruel.I dunnae think what has happened will be harmful to her. She would never havebeen happy here as anything less than the MacLeod’s wife. She thought it herright as the eldest sister, and she always felt Catriona snatched the chanceaway from her.”
“I thought ye were nae going tospeak poorly of yer sister,” came a sharp voice from behind Marion.
Marion saw several of the women’seyes grow big as they stared at whoever was standing there. She slowly turnedand met Alanna’s hostile dark eyes. The woman’s full lips were pressed into athin, angry line.
Elspeth brushed past Marion andmoved toward Alanna, who flinched away from her. Marion frowned at the oddreaction.
“Alanna, why are ye here in thekitchen?” Elspeth asked. “Ye should be home getting ready for the bairn.”
Alanna’s hand fluttered to herbelly. “I’d feel better about my bairn coming if yer sister were still here.”Her eyes cut to Marion. “Fiona acted as clan midwife, though I see many of thewomen here have forgotten that she helped deliver their bairns.”
