you think about Laird Bruce?” Iosbail asked.
“That he isn’t a huge fan of your brother.”
Iosbail chuckled and nodded. “You already know him well then.”
The strain between them softened some. “Why?”
“Why not?” Iosbail shrugged and peered out the window. “Adlin’s more powerful in every sense of the word.” She cast a watchful eye Mildred’s way. “And far more attractive, aye?”
Now it was Mildred’s turn to shrug. “Some might think so.”
Iosbail only gave a small grin and continued to stare out the window.
Was she watching for Adlin at this very moment? Not easy to tell. As tempted as she was, Mildred wouldn’t ask. To her mind, it felt like giving into Iosbail… asking her exactly what she expected.
As if she were reading her mind Iosbail turned and looked her up and down. “Time to get you washed up and dressed. Clans will be arriving tonight for the big celebration.”
“And what would that be?”
“My marriage, of course!”
Mildred couldn’t help but round her eyes. “I thought you were already married into this clan.”
“Nay, I said marriage. To my mind ‘tis already happened. No choice in that. But no. ‘Tis this eve.”
Well, no wonder Bruce expected Adlin’s arrival! Mildred pinched the bridge of her nose. Why couldn’t these people talk straight about things?
“Ech, dinnae look so tortured. Yer not the one marrying a MacLeod.”
The fact that Iosbail’s accent slid back into a deep Scottish brogue told her a lot. The woman wasn’t happy. Leaning out the door, Iosbail whistled and rolled her eyes. “Let’s see how fast they get the bath water here. Better, let’s see how cold it is.”
Iosbail shivered as though she were already sliding into the icy water.
Despite herself, Mildred felt the sudden urge to comfort the other woman but stopped short when she saw the steely determination on Iosbail’s face. She needed no comfort. It was obvious she’d long ago learned how to protect her emotions.
A few quiet minutes passed before servants started to carry in random things. Two tubs of water, two dresses and a variety of other miscellaneous objects. Iosbail immediately unclothed and stepped into one tub, sinking down with an obvious shiver. “’Tis as warm as I thought it would be.”
Though not particularly comfortable with the idea, Mildred stripped and crawled into the other tub. Frigid! She gritted her teeth and quickly lowered into the water. Yet, in its own way, as foolish as it might seem, it felt good to hide beneath the water. And she hadn’t looked timid in front on Iosbail. That was something. However, she drew the line when one of the servants wanted to wash her. She took the crude bar of soap and started to scrub. Iosbail seemed quite content with letting another bathe her and moved comfortably as she was washed.
When finished, Iosbail stood and allowed the servants to help her dry and dress. Mildred swallowed and determined, did the same. It was odd having another help her with such simple tasks. Was she embarrassed? Not really. It just felt unnatural. This was something she could do on her own.
In short time, she marveled at not only the dress Iosbail wore but her own. Long, soft and a lovely shade of blue, Mildred felt like a queen. Iosbail was stunning as well in a crème gown of… she knew that dress!
“My Mama wore that,” she murmured.
“This old thing?” Iosbail winked.
“How is this possible?”
“Surely you know about the wedding gown all MacLomain women wear on their wedding day?”
Did she? Yes she did. But the tale she’d been told said that it’d been passed down through the generations. That the pearls strung through it were hand-picked by a distant relative… one named Iosbail. Impossible. Apparently, the magical dress had been around for thousands of years.
Iosbail wasn’t a day over twenty-five.
“Yer just overthinking things, Mildred,” Iosbail said as she allowed a servant to comb her long, dark hair.
Am I? She had to be. There’s no way that magic was that strong. Was it? Yet even the way Iosbail said it made her once more doubt the woman’s truthfulness. Too many secrets. Despite the meager probability, the idea that she might be that very ‘Iosbail’ made a certain amount of far-fetched sense. Wasn’t the discussion of Adlin’s youthful appearance a recent topic between her and her mother?
“Verra nice,” Iosbail said.
It took Mildred a minute to realize that the servants had left and they were now fully dressed. Iosbail looked amazing with her hair streaming down around her shoulders. The dress fit as perfectly on Iosbail