“My lady, if ye’ll come with me, we’ll get ye dry and warm.”
The familiar face and voice, one she’d counted on for years and never thought to hear again, made her knees buckle. Malcolm’s arm went around her ribs to hold her up.
“Bessie?” she croaked. Her eyes filled once more.
“Aye.” The wrinkled old woman beckoned her forward. “Ye’d not think I’d leave ye after carin’ for ye since afore ye was born?”
“We asked her to be your lady’s maid. She came ahead, with Chester and your bed, as the weather was clear,” said Malcolm. “Bessie wished it to be a surprise. Does this please ye?”
Kiera pressed her lips together, unable to talk. Malcolm was often gruff outside their chamber, making her think he didn’t care. Then he did something like this. She nodded.
“Thank you,” she managed to whisper.
“Duff, help our lady into our new home.”
Duff took one arm, Bessie the other. Chester pranced around them, proud as only a small, well-fed dog could be.
“Malcolm told ye the wee beastie wouldna travel with us, not that he’d be left behind,” murmured Duff in her ear. “He’s gruff as the role of laird rests heavily on his shoulders. Yet he cares for ye, as do I.” He dropped his hand to pat her bottom. “We’ll be proving that to ye after ye bathe.”
Chapter Seven
Kiera turned to her left and faced her new home. As Duff had said, the large, six-story tower was only part of the living quarters. An even larger section went to the right, all the way to the north wall. More pepper-pot coned turrets edged those corridors as well. As Lady, she was now responsible for managing it.
She walked through a sea of faces, some smiling, some eager, and some no doubt unhappy having MacKenzies take over what had once belonged to Clan Urquhart. It had passed through dowered property, so at least no blood had been spilled during the transfer. She would learn about these people in time.
A pair of women waited at the foot of the steps. Both wore white aprons over their clean working garb. Bessie gave a respectful bob to them. As Kiera’s lady’s maid, Bessie was in a difficult spot. Normally a lady’s maid reported to the housekeeper, but as Bessie was a longtime servant, one who’d served Kiera’s mother and helped raise their new lady, it complicated matters.
“My lady,” said Bessie, “this is Mistress Hetty, Kinrowan’s housekeeper, and Cook. They’ve been very good to me.”
Kiera welcomed them with her most gracious smile. These two women could make or break her as they had ruled Kinrowan for many years.
“My father, the Lord of Kintail, said I would learn many things from you. My laird husband spoke of how well you cared for them. And Master Duff said he ate better here than anywhere afore.”
“’Tis true,” said Duff. He patted his flat, hard belly. “I would have gained weight while I was here if I hadna trained so much with the men.”
The two women beamed. Cook bobbed. “I’d best get back to my kitchens. There’s hot stew with fresh bread and butter in the men’s hall when ye are ready for it, Master Duff.”
He held his hand on his heart and pretended to swoon. “Ye make it hard to obey my laird brother when ye say such sweet things in my ear, Cook.”
She turned pink, swatted his arm as if he were a lad, and bustled across to the north wall. Not only was the pathway covered, stone pavers ran from one side of the bailey to the other in front of the buildings. It would save people from getting wet and from tracking in as much mud. Kiera followed Hetty through the doorway. Inside was a small entryway. A set of straight stairs led down to the right while an extra-wide spiral staircase went up. Narrow windows brought enough light to see well.
“There’s two cellars and a prison pit down there,” said Hetty. “But ye can only get to the pit through the trap in the floor above.”
“I have no wish to see that,” she replied with a grimace.
“My brother Gillis met his wife Fiona in a pit,” said Duff. “They escaped Campbell of Glenorchy’s men, and now they have a tower on Loch Lochy.”
There was so much she didn’t know about her husbands. History would have to wait, as there was so much to learn about now.
“This stair is so wide,” she exclaimed, thinking of the narrow one she’d had to climb to her chamber at Castle Leod.
“’Tis a man’s stair, wide enough that I can raise my sword arm without hitting the wall with my blade,” said Duff. “It goes to the top, to the wall walk. The third floor is ours. Yer loom and spinning wheel will go in the solar. Our chamber has two windows to the southwest, facing Nigg Bay, and one looking down on the bailey.” Duff looked up with concern. “Do ye think ye can climb that many stairs?”