So Seonaid knew she was going to have pain. That wasn't something she was looking forward to. But she'd be damned if she was going to admit to any anxiety about it. Now, about her gown ... that was another matter entirely.
She gestured to the thin white linen shift they had dressed her in. It was her mother's gown, one they had found in an old chest of her things. Fortunately, her mother had been tall like herself. In fact, she'd been much the same size apparently, for the gown fit beautifully. Seonaid stared down at herself. She'd never worn anything quite so lovely or delicate. And she wasn't at all comfortable in it. She felt terribly vulnerable.
"What is it, dear?" Lady Wildwood asked.
Seonaid glanced from the woman to Aeldra, Helen, and Iliana, then held her hands out helplessly and admitted, "I feel naked."
"Oh." When Lady Wildwood merely smiled gently, Seonaid's gaze skipped around the room.
"Where's my--?" She paused and moved across the room to grab her sword when she spotted it.
"Oh!" Lady Wildwood was at her side in a heartbeat, grabbing the weapon away. "No, no, dear. You will not need that."
"I wasna goin' to use it," Seonaid assured her. "I just want to hold it. I--"
"No," Lady Wildwood said firmly, and turned her toward the bed. "Just hop in and wait there. Everything will be fine. Truly."
Seonaid moved toward the bed, but when she glanced over her shoulder to see Lady Wildwood wasn't following, but had walked over to Iliana, she veered off to snatch up her sgian dubh from the chest where it had been set, then rushed to the bed. Unfortunately, Lady Wildwood happened to turn back as she was slipping the weapon under one of the cushions at the head of the bed.
"Seonaid!" She rushed to her side and leaned over to snatch that up as well. "No!"
"But I just want to have it near. I'll feel less defenseless," Seonaid protested.
Iliana's mother heaved out a breath and sat down on the side of the bed. "My dear child, I know this is all new and alarming, but you do not need defenses." She patted Seonaid's hand soothingly. "Trust me. Everything will be well. Blake will be gentle and kind."
"I doona ken, Lady Wildwood," Aeldra said doubtfully. "Sherwell looked none too pleased at sup when Duncan was recounting what Gavin had told him of all that has occurred since he found us at St. Simmian's." She made a face. "He didna take well to everyone laughing at him. Mayhap ye should leave the sgian dubh at least."
"Aeldra, you are not helping." Lady Wildwood rubbed her forehead with one hand, a pained expression on her face. "Iliana, dear, perhaps you should take the girls and go see what is holding up the men."
"Aye, Mother."
"Thank you." Lady Wildwood waited for her daughter to usher the women out, then forced a smile for Seonaid. "While it is true Blake was no doubt distressed at being the butt of everyone's amusement, by all accounts he is a fair man and will not take it out on you. 'Tis hardly your fault that Duncan took it into his head to tease him."
"But had I no done those things, Duncan would have had nothin' to tease him with."
"Aye, but--" She paused when the door suddenly opened and Iliana leaned in to announce, "The men are coming."
Lady Wildwood was on her feet at once. She paused to pat Seonaid's hand reassuringly and murmur "All will be well," then hurried out of the room, taking the sgian dubh with her.
*
Blake spotted the women outside the door to Seonaid's room and tried to ignore the way they were watching his approach. Sister Helen and Iliana were looking slightly anxious, tense smiles pasted on their lips, and Aeldra was looking positively ferocious, glaring at him in what could only be warning. He presumed the little Scot was trying to convey with her eyes that he'd best not mistreat Seonaid. The message was coming through loud and clear.
He was almost to the women and the door they were guarding when it suddenly opened and Lady Wildwood slipped out.
"Oh!" She gave what sounded like a forced laugh and waved her hand vaguely as she said, "Here you are, then. Oh!" The last was gasped as she spotted the knife she was waving around with her gesture and quickly hid it behind her back. "She is ready for you."
Blake glanced from the arm that disappeared behind her back to the sword Iliana held and frowned slightly. The sword looked like--
"There ye are, then!" Angus Dunbar slapped him on the back and chuckled. "They've disarmed the lass, so ye should be able to get the deed done."
Blake's eyes widened incredulously. They'd had to disarm her? Good God. This was ridiculous. Women did everything they could think of to seduce, lure, or trick him to their beds, yet his bride had to be disarmed for him to bed her?
"Go on, then." Angus gave him a push toward the door. "We'll be below fer a bit. If ye find yerself in difficulty give a shout."
The crowd began to move off. All but Lady Wildwood who, after a moment's hesitation, stepped closer and whispered so that the others could not hear, "I trust you shall be gentle with her? All that teasing at sup tonight was not her fault, and while the girl may seem strong and fearless, she is as overset as any virgin on her wedding night."
When Blake stared at her, too shocked to respond, she poked him lightly in the ribs with what he presumed was Seonaid's knife and hissed, "Promise me you shall be gentle."
"I promise," Blake said quickly.
"Good." She relaxed somewhat and smiled as she smoothed a hand over her hair. "Good night, my lord."
Blake stared after her with amazement as the older woman walked serenely down the hall after the others. If he had ever questioned what Lord Wildwood had seen in the woman--aside from her beauty--he no longer wondered. She hardly knew Seonaid yet acted like a female wolf protecting her cub. She was obviously a special woman. Although he wondered if that did not reflect on Seonaid too. The woman had obviously seen something in his bride that made her worthy of such a reaction. He wasn't surprised. Blake had already come to the conclusion that his bride was a special woman too.
Blake waited until the hall was again empty, then turned to the door.
*
S
eonaid stared at the door. She had heard her father's laughter and the murmur of voices, but silence had reigned in the hall now for several minutes and yet the door remained closed. Had he decided not to bother with consummating the marriage? Perhaps he had thought to have it annulled after all. Seonaid wasn't sure if that outcome would be a relief or not. It might be embarrassing, but she truly wasn't looking forward to the next few minutes of time. At least she thought it should only take a few minutes. She wasn't terribly knowledgeable about these matters, but between what she had seen when stumbling across couples indulging in the endeavor and what Lady Wildwood had told her, it did seem to her it shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
That was a positive point, she told herself. It would not take long. She should think about it like a trip to the smithy to have a tooth pulled. She'd had that done once when a blow to the face had broken a back tooth. It couldn't be any worse than that, she thought.
Actually, now that she recalled it, that had been pretty bad. And the smithy had made her drink a large glass of uisgebeatha 'ere doing it. The water of life, or whiskey as the English called it, could be good for numbing pain, but it hadn't seemed to help much that time.
Tonight Seonaid hadn't had a drop to drink at dinner. She should have drunk. What had she been thinking?
"Bloody hell," she muttered, shifting where she sat in the bed. Well, there was no hope for it now. It was too late for drink or anything else. It had always been Seonaid's motto that unpleasant things were best done quickly. So ... she would ensure this was done that way too. If her husband ever bothered to show up to do it.
Seonaid blinked at her own thoughts. Husband? Good Lord, she was married now. She had a husband. She was a wife. Not that she felt any different. She didn't feel married, however that was supposed to feel.
Her rambling thoughts came to a dead halt when the door suddenly, finally, opened, and her husband entered the room.
His bride was seated in bed. Blake's eyes found her the moment he walked in. The sight of her made him pause in the doorway. Seonaid had proven herself full of surprises in the short time he'd known her. The memory of his first proper look at her still set him back on his heels: Seonaid in braies and a tunic. He'd never before seen a woman in braies. He was learning to like it. Long gowns were pretty enough on women, but they hid the lower body from view, and while every inch of Seonaid's skin was hidden by the pants she wore, they also revealed every curve she possessed. He liked watching her move in the braies. He had enjoyed seeing her fight in the nude even more. But this afternoon she had arrived--perhaps been dragged was the better description--to their wedding in a gown. Her hair--customarily worn carelessly pulled back--had been set free and left to soften her face and trail down her back. The sight of her dressed so had surprised him and taken his breath away.