Highland Blessings (23 page)

The knocking and banging continued all morning until Akira thought her ears would grow as deaf as Sim’s. She turned to look at him eagerly breaking his fast, completely unaware that her head hurt from all the noise around them. She felt pity for the lovely sounds he would never hear, and at the same time, grateful that he was being spared at the moment. The sounds echoed throughout the castle. Finally, she slammed her goblet on the table in exasperation and stood, pausing to give Sim a pleasant smile, and went in search of the chaos.

Outside on the west wing of the castle, men were scattered about working on various tasks. Stone lay in different piles, waiting to be carted off to its final destination. Men climbed up and down wooden towers built for hoisting the stones. Her husband stood in the middle of all the confusion, pointing to an unfinished patch and bellowing commands.

A feeling of pride swelled in Akira, and she smiled, watching him from a distance. Self-confidence radiated from his stance. They had returned home almost a sennight ago, and of late she noticed Bryce spending more time in the chapel with Vicar Forbes. Subtle changes slowly began to take place in her husband, and she liked it. He consulted the Lord more often before making decisions, and he seemed thankful that God answered his prayers for peace between their clans.

Three days ago, Bryce had started overseeing the project of repairing the west wing where it had deteriorated from old age. Pleased with his determination to see such an undertaking through, she also wished she could spend more time with her husband. The project seemed to consume him most days, and at night he collapsed early in a deep sleep from pure exhaustion.

An idea occurred to her. Mayhap if Bryce were to give her something to do, she could work alongside him. The two of them could make a wonderful team. After all, she wasn’t helpless. Growing up with three brothers, Akira learned to play and do things that lads enjoyed or she would have spent most of her childhood alone.

Since it appeared that Bryce had no intention of taking a break anytime soon, she walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned in mid-sentence and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her to speak. She leaned up toward his ear. “May I speak to ye for a moment?” Bryce looked mildly irritated, but she didn’t let that deter her. “Please? ’Twill only take a moment of yer time.”

He nodded. “Be quick about it then.”

She pulled him around the corner for privacy. “Bryce, I would like to help with the repairs.” She bit her bottom lip with uncertainty.

His thumb circled her knuckles as he stared down at her. Akira thought he might not have heard her. “Bryce, did ye hear me? I want to help.”

“What did ye have in mind?”

Taking his question as a positive sign, she went into an explanation of her training with her brothers, projects she helped with, and emphasized how useful she could be with the repairs on the castle. His dark eyebrows drew together, looking as if they were almost one.

“Is this the only reason ye interrupted me?”

“Nay.” She tried to ignore the tone of his voice. “The noise distracted me while I was trying to break my fast, and on my way out here to complain, it occurred to me that if I were somehow involved, I might not be so aggravated by it.”

“Akira, don’t ye have some household chores to see to? Ye’re my wife. Ye have a whole castle with servants to manage. If ye want to be helpful, tend to household matters.”

“Bryce, I’ll manage the staff, but I don’t want to be inside day after day missing out on the glorious creation that God intended for His people to enjoy. At least not now while it is warm and the days bright with sunshine.”

He smiled down at her with a mischievous grin. “I suppose there’s no harm in ye being outside a wee bit.”

“Ye truly mean it?”

“Aye.” He nodded his consent.

“Wonderful! As soon as I finish the morning chores and give the staff their duties for the day, I’ll join ye out here.”

Bryce shook his head. “Nay, lass. Ye misunderstand me. I’ll find someone else to manage the castle.” He stepped back from her and pointed a finger at her. “And I don’t want ye anywhere near the west wing. The construction and unsteady structures aren’t safe. I don’t want ye to get hurt. Is that clear?”

“Very.” She nodded, her smile fading.

“And do not get any ideas of training with my men. I know ye like swordplay and ye may even be good at it, but ye’re to stay away from my warriors while they’re training. Understood?”

“Absolutely.” Her lips transformed into a tight line and anger replaced the uncertainty.

“Do ye have any other requests?” He folded his arms over his chest, his lips turned down in a slight frown.

“That depends. It seems I am to be punished with a new set of rules for each request I make. What would be the consequences if I were to make a demand?” She clenched her fists at her sides and tapped the toes of her right foot.

“Akira, I’ve not asked much of ye. I simply want ye to stay away from dangerous areas. Ye’re my wife. I want ye to concentrate on wifely duties.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t tend to my duties. I only meant that I didn’t want to be confined inside all the time and allowed naught else. I only wanted to be useful, to work beside ye.” Her throat ached with defeat. She backed away from him. “Never mind, being with ye is the last place I’d want to be right now.”

“Lass, ye’ve got to understand that right now being out here with all this construction isn’t a safe place for a woman.” He reached for her, but Akira evaded his grasp and backed away.

She straightened to her full height and lifted her chin. “I’m certain I can find other activities that will keep me quite busy. I’m sorry to have bothered ye.” Her voice held a cutting edge to it. She turned and left him.

A
kira paced back and forth in front of the window of her chamber, waiting for Sim to finish his training lessons with Bryce. It seemed as if the hours would never end. Finally, her husband reached out a thick hand and tousled Sim’s brown head, a sign that their training had come to an end for the day. Akira grabbed her basket and flew down the stairs on her way to intercept Sim before he could disappear. By the time she reached him, he headed toward the well and Bryce disappeared in the opposite direction.

She made a gesture with her hands to tell him she wanted to go riding. He hesitated, looking quite weary as he breathed heavily. He wiped beads of sweat from his brow.

Akira’s hands tightened around her basket. Bryce worked him entirely too hard. Despite her opinions, Akira never interfered and did her best each day to keep it that way, yet she still wanted a chance to teach Sim. She pleaded with him again until he finally relented with a nod.

After he had drunk his fill and washed up, they selected their mounts and were soon on their way. They came to an empty field. Akira led him to the bottom of a steep hill, hoping it would be a good spot away from other distractions. They dismounted, and she spread a blanket on the ground. They sat facing each other. Akira pointed to her mouth and gestured that she wanted him to talk.

Sim gave her a disbelieving look and laughed. He could make a noise when he laughed, so she was convinced he could speak if he just learned how to control the muscles in his throat.

Akira shook his arm to gain his attention. She moved his fingers to her throat and began talking, letting him feel the muscles move in her throat. “Ye can feel me speak.” A curious look entered his brown eyes, and she smiled, knowing she had managed to pique his interest. “I canna believe no one ever tried this with ye before. How can they expect ye to learn how to talk if they don’t take the time to teach ye?” She reached over and touched her fingers to his throat. “Try to talk.”

He moved his hand to his own throat and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He looked at her as if to say, “What now?”

Akira nodded, determined to encourage him further. “Go ahead. Try it again.”

He repeated the test. After a few more times, he shook his head and gave her a look that all but said this bordered on ridiculous.

“Nay.” Akira shook her head. He grew impatient, and they engaged in a series of hand motions, arguing. Akira began to wonder about her sanity for what she attempted to do.

“Ye have a stubborn streak, ye do!” She grabbed his hand and held it against his throat. Sim always made strange noises when upset or excited. On impulse, she reached over and pinched him on the arm. He squealed in response. A look of amazement centered on his face as he realized the muscles in his throat had moved. Sim squealed again, just to make sure he hadn’t imagined it. He gazed at her with wide eyes, and she laughed with delight, nodding that she understood.

Sim jumped up and bounced around the blanket, squealing and feeling the newly discovered sensation. His excitement bubbled over, and Akira stood, laughing with him. He stopped. Although he had grown over the last couple of months, he still stood an inch shorter than Akira. He pointed to her throat, and she realized he wanted to compare how the muscles in her throat felt to his. Akira leaned forward and sang a little ditty while he felt her throat.

Akira motioned for him to sit. She had to find a way to help him control the noise. The only sound he knew how to make, unfortunately, hurt one’s ears after a while. Bryce would be furious if Sim continued running around the castle squealing like an injured bat. They worked on different levels of noise for the rest of the afternoon. They agreed to meet secretly each day to continue working on his speech, wanting it to be a surprise once Sim improved. They rode back to the castle before dark, regretting the end of an afternoon of discovery.

Akira entered the attached kitchen to return the rest of the leftover bread. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of the beautiful woman, ordering the cook about and sending the rest of the kitchen staff into a frenzy. The noise abruptly died, and everyone turned to look at Akira. Mirana noticed something had caught her staff’s attention and turned a curious gaze toward the entrance.

A smile lit her ruby lips, apparently amused at the sight of Akira gaping at her. A moment later she made her way toward Akira. Her hips that narrowed into a slender waist swayed perfectly with each step. Her wavy blonde tresses brought Akira up to her full height. It should have been a sin to have hair that beautiful, Akira thought with envy, and then released a silent prayer, asking forgiveness from the Lord.

“So the mistress of the house wishes to relinquish all responsibility to me.” She spoke with an air of confidence that matched her beauty and made Akira feel even smaller than Bryce managed earlier that day. “’Tis as well.” Her voice dripped with mocking sympathy, and a bold challenge in her eyes. “I warned Bryce. I told him he couldn’t be happy with the likes of ye. No one wants a MacKenzie here, least of all Bryce. Things are finally beginning to be as they were before ye came. I ran his household. Ye didn’t know that, did ye?”

“If Bryce didn’t wish me here, then he wouldn’t have wed me,” Akira said through clenched teeth, praying in her heart that the Lord would help her hold on to her temper.

The sly fox laughed. “Surely ye’re not that naïve, are ye?” She threw her hands on her hips and shook her head, clicking her tongue. “He did it to save his people. Bryce wants no more bloodshed. Once he’s sure that peace has been achieved, he’ll only need ye for a legitimate heir. And now that I’m back, he’ll remember how ’twas before ye came. I’m the woman he really wants. I always have been.”

Color rose to Akira’s cheeks. She hated the warmth flooding them, knowing Mirana would witness her shame. Her chest tightened as she searched her mind in her husband’s defense, but her faith in him faltered. Ever since their return he’d been more distant and too busy for her. What could she say? Everyone knew he only wed her for peace and to keep the promise he made to his father. She and Bryce had no knowledge of each other before. His words echoed in her mind: “
Nay, lass. Ye misunderstand me. I’ll find someone else to manage the castle.”

Akira thought she’d made it clear that she didn’t mind managing the household duties. She struggled to hide the anguish searing her heart. Akira felt betrayed by her family when they left her here with the MacPhearsons, but this betrayal cut her to the core, and the knowledge of it sank deep inside her. Akira shook her head, unable to examine her feelings in the presence of Mirana and the kitchen staff.

She swept a disgusted look at Mirana and tried not to visibly flinch at how inadequate she felt beside her. To what extent did this woman’s authority go? What had Bryce told her? Straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin, Akira thrust the basket at Mirana.

“See that ye don’t waste the rest of that bread. I expect a superb meal tonight, and if I’m not pleased, we’ll see if ye remain.” Akira stomped out of the kitchen in search of her husband.

Ignoring her husband’s rules, Akira strode to the west wing where she assumed Bryce would be. As his wife, he owed her more respect than hiring the likes of that woman. Akira fumed, huffing and puffing with each step. Bryce knew Mirana disliked her. He had witnessed the humiliation she bore from the woman’s scorn on the first day they had met. How could he? Akira’s anger grew the more she thought about the whole situation. She managed to work herself into a fine frenzy by the time she found him.

Bryce squatted on his haunches, talking with Kian, Balloch, and Tavis, as they huddled in a circle, pointing out stone markings in the dirt.