Chapter 5
The following morning,Meredith sat waiting for Ryder in the little room just off the Great Hall, which Ellen had described — somewhat euphemistically, Meredith couldn’t help but feel - as “The Morning Room.”
“Och, Me Lairdship doesnae call it that, of course,” the maid admitted, blushing slightly. “He doesnae come in here at all, really, he always takes his breakfast either in his chamber or nay at all.”
Meredith nodded, pulling her shawl a little closer around her to ward off the chill in the air.
“His mother always used to sit here in the mornings, though,” Ellen continued, making a move to start a fire in the hearth, having noticed her mistress shivering. “Or so some of the older servants say, anyway. So, I thought ye might like to sit here, too, like a lady.”
Meredith smiled encouragingly at the girl. Ellen had always had aspirations to be a lady’s maid, rather than simply a scullery maid, she’d admitted, and Meredith enjoyed seeing how carried away the girl was with her new role. “Morning room” indeed! The small stone chamber was as grey and cheerless as all of the other rooms she’d seen so far, although, she had to admit, it had a fine view down to the loch which sat below the castle, and the way the morning sun was streaming in through the window made it almost pleasant. Almost.
“This will do very nicely, Ellen,” she said. “Thank ye. Although, I had been hoping the Laird would join me. I daenae suppose ye know where he is, do ye?”
Ellen straightened up, the fire now burning merrily.
“Either the stable or the estate office,” she said immediately. “If it’s nay one, it’ll be the other. Me Lairdship either rides out in the mornings, or he locks himself up in that room with Matthew, his estate steward He lives on the estate with his family. Ye’ll probably meet them today, for they often come to the castle for breakfast. Mrs. MacDonald lays on quite a feast!”
“I’m sure she does,” Meredith smiled, her stomach rumbling at the thought. Sure enough, though, no sooner had she started to tuck into the plate of eggs that was the first thing Ellen set in front of her than the door to the little room opened to admit an older gentleman with iron-grey hair and an upright stature, followed by what Meredith assumed to be his wife and two children.
“Ye must be Matthew,” she said, getting to her feet. “Ellen was just telling me all about ye.”
“Indeed, aye. I’m pleased to make yer acquaintance, Me Lady,” Matthew replied, bending to kiss the hand she offered him. “May I introduce my wife, Margaret, and our two children, Angus and Marion.”
Meredith smiled warmly as the family stepped forward to greet her, the woman giving her a quick hug, which Meredith returned gratefully, while the two younger members of the family hung back a little stiffly. They looked to be around Felix’s age, Meredith thought, glancing at them out of the corner of her eye. That explained the slight sulkiness she detected, then! Lord, I hope they don’t ever get to know Felix, she thought, horrified. Imagine how they’d all rub off on each other!
She needn’t have worried, though, because, within a few minutes of them all sitting down at the table, it was obvious that the Murray siblings’ slightly standoffish nature was merely the product of shyness rather than something ingrained in their personalities. Before long, Meredith had them chattering away happily and clamoring to hear more about herself and where she’d come from.
“Enough, enough,” their mother cried at last. “Me Lady will be tired of answering all these questions!”
“Och, please call me Meredith,” she replied, smiling at the woman. “And daenae worry, I can give as good as I get when it comes to talk.”
Margaret beamed back at her, relieved. She reminded Meredith a little of her mother. The same kind face and selfless nature. Her husband, meanwhile, was a quiet man with impeccable manners, who seemed content to let his wife and children take over the conversation while he sat back and watched them, only joining in when necessary.
“Yer like a proper, old-fashioned knight,” Meredith commented, unable to help herself. “I’d imagine ye must be a lot of help to Ryder on the battlefield."
“Aye, I like to think so,” Matthew replied, his eyes twinkling to offset his serious tone. “Although he’s a big help to me, too, it has to be said.”
“Really? What’s he like?" Meredith asked, propping her chin on her hands as she leaned forward, eager to hear his answer.
“Well, the exploits of the battlefield are probably not best suited to the breakfast table — or indeed, a lady’s ears,” he said diplomatically, catching his wife’s eye and ignoring the protests from his son. “But what I can tell ye is that he’s a brave man, and a true one, is Ryder, a good man to have on yer side. I would trust him wi’ my life. In fact, I’ve done exactly that, more than once. He’s a good man, Me Lady, as loyal and trustworthy as they come. It’s been an honor to fight alongside him.”
Meredith nodded thoughtfully. Ryder's reputation may be fierce, and his manner somewhat unpolished, but he was clearly well-liked by those who knew him best, right down to his cook and maids. Again, her father’s words came back to her, about judging a man by how he treated those beneath him. Matthew, of course, did not fall into that category, but, so far, all those who did had spoken well of their master. She had yet to hear a word against him. It was only she who seemed to be at odds with him. A situation that she was determined to change as soon as she possibly could.
* * *
After she’d finished breakfast and bid goodbye to the Murray’s, having secured a promise from Margaret to visit her again soon, Meredith wandered over to the chamber Ellen had described at the estate office, in search of Ryder, and, finding it empty, marched out to the stables, before she could stop herself.
The more time that passed without any sign of her betrothed, the angrier she became. His behavior is intolerable, she decided, stomping angrily over the rough ground which surrounded the castle’s stable block, cursing softly under her breath as she saw how filthy the hem of her dress had already become.
Curse this place, she thought, snatching it up and holding it high above her knees as she navigated the mud-covered cobbles, which threatened to turn her ankle at any moment.
And curse the man who owned it, for that matter. How could he bring her here, mistreat her, and then abandon her to her own devices? How could he kiss her so passionately, then walk away as if nothing had happened? Had it meant nothing to him? Had she been wrong in imagining a connection between them? Because she had been certain she was not and yet, had it not been for that kiss — and the long minutes that had preceded it as she sat on his lap, only too aware of his excitement — she might now be forgiven for thinking she had completely imagined it.
“Ouch!” Meredith let out a sharp cry as the inevitable happened, and she tripped over a cobblestone that was partially hidden in the mud. “Och, for goodness sake, what’s wrong with this place!” she shouted in exasperation — noticing just as the words left her mouth that she was not alone. From over the top of a stable door, Ryder was watching her, a smirk on his face as she stumbled her way over to him, still attempting to keep her skirts from trailing on the dirty ground.
“What are ye laughing at?” she demanded as she arrived at the other side of the stable door. “D’ye enjoy seein’ a woman in distress, then?”
“Distress?” Ryder raised one eyebrow in mock surprise. “Aye, I suppose a walk across a stable yard must be distressin’ indeed to a fine lady such as yerself. Maybe ye’d be better off indoors, where it’s nice and safe for ye?”
“Och!” Meredith spluttered in anger. “Daenae ye ‘fine lady’ me,” she hissed, her eyes blazing. “I might be a lady, but I’m nae soft. I’m well used to stable yards and being outdoors — I’m just nay used to places that clearly haven’t seen the right side of a broom in years!”
Ryder smirked again. “Me apologies for nay keeping me stable up to yer standards,” he said, shrugging slightly to indicate that he was not troubled in the least by this.
“Or yer castle,” Meredith shot back. “Or yer manners, for that matter. Where were ye this morning? I had expected to at least see ye at breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” Ryder looked at her, surprised. “I had me breakfast long before ye were awake,” he said. “I daenae have the time to be sittin’ around taking breakfast like a lass.”
“Nay even when it’s yer betrothed’s first morning under yer roof?” Meredith replied, incredulous. “Nay even after… after… well, after last night? D’ye nay think we should talk about it, at least?”
A shadow crossed Ryder’s face, and he turned away, taking the horse behind him by the head and stroking its soft nose.
“Nay,” he said shortly. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
He led the horse out of the stable, forcing Meredith to step back to allow him to pass.
“But…” Meredith started to speak but found she had nothing to say. What could she say, after all, to a man who appeared to want no part in the conversation? A man who was happy to mock her but unwilling to take her in the least bit seriously? She stood watching, her anger fading to sadness as he swung himself up onto his horse and turned its head to the hills.
“If ye’ll excuse me,” he said curtly, “I have business to attend to.”
Without another word, he turned and rode off, leaving Meredith standing alone in the stable yard, watching his departing figure grow smaller as she struggled to hold back the tears that had welled up behind her eyes when he’d turned away from her so abruptly.
Nothing to talk about,she thought, as she turned and made her way back to the castle, this time simply allowing her muddy skirts to trail along the ground behind her. Well, we’ll see about that.
* * *