Hiding Katherine

stare and turned his head to their grandmother. “Margaret, I have fulfilled my promise to you and my uncle Gabriel. May God rest his soul.” The laird looked back at the girls. “I will see your grandchildren settled and get them something to eat.”
“I am in your debt, Herbert.” Her wrinkled hand fell on top of his as her eyes dropped, and she fell into a deep sleep breathing steadily.
The laird turned to a young maid and nodded his head ignoring both Deanna and Katherine. The girls were led out of the room and entered a chamber on the same floor that was designated their sleeping area. The maid curtsied to both. “We will send up a tub for a bath and we have placed fresh straw stuffed into the mattress for your comfort. The laird told me you both would probably like to rest. There is a tray on the table with bread and cheese.” She turned and left the girls alone.
Katherine looked around the room as she sat on the bed. “Did you see how old she looked? It scares me that she is so frail.”
Deanna sat beside her. “What did you expect? She has been ill, Katherine.” Deanna rubbed her arms and laid her head down on a pillow. “The laird gives me a bad feeling. Did you see the way he was looking at us? I don’t like it.”
Katherine ran her fingers through her hair. She frowned in concern. “I noticed.” She leaned back and grabbed another pillow propping her head up to look at Deanna. “What do you think he is about?”
Deanna shrugged her shoulders. “I am not sure yet. Just be careful around him. Do not find yourself alone—he can probably tell we are vulnerable. The warriors who took us here are loyal to him. We have no other protection.”
Katherine nodded her head as she thought about what Deanna had said. Surely, her grandmother would not send for them if there was danger in the clan?
A knock at the door interrupted her woolgathering. Deanna sat up and scooted off the bed. She opened the door to a few young stable boys who carried a tub and buckets of steaming water. The girls thanked them and took the opportunity to bathe. Their maid joined them shortly and helped them into their nightclothes.

Chapter 3
The next morning the girls dressed and decided to visit their grandmother before they went down to breakfast. Despite looking everywhere, Katherine and her maid could not find her veil.
Deanna shook her head, “You mustn’t be without it, Katherine. Especially here. The men are already up in arms about you.”
Katherine shrugged her shoulders. “I took it off last night and put it on the table. This morning it was gone. My extra one was left at our campsite.”
Deanna’s nostrils flared angrily. “Very well. Then you must stay in the room until we can get you a new one.”
Katherine placed her hands on her hips defiantly. “You will not put me in another prison. You are not my guardian. I am a grown woman of sixteen and if I am old enough to marry, then I am old enough to make my own decisions.”
Deanna let out a groan of frustration and walked out the door. Katherine smiled to herself as she looked back into the fireplace. Her veil would never be found after she burned it last night. She was tired of hiding.
Their grandmother was sleeping peacefully but slowly opened her eyes as the girls walked farther into the room. Her voice cracked as she spoke softly, “You both brought me sunshine.”
Katherine smiled and sat next to her on the bed taking her hand. “I have missed you so much.” Margaret started coughing and Deanna poured her a glass of ale. She took a few drinks and turned her mouth away from the cup. Katherine smirked as her grandmother grimaced at the strong drink. “Deanna, that tastes awful. Are you trying to kill me before my time?”
Deanna started giggling and then Katherine did too. Their grandmother joined in and all three hugged. “You precious girls bring life to this old body. Thank you for coming. I was afraid your father would deny my last request.”
Katherine’s smile faded, and Deanna shot her a warning look. Deanna cleared her throat. “Father was disagreeable as always. But we worked around it. You are important to us—we want to spend more time with you, and we pray for you to recover, Grandmother.”
Margaret closed her eyes and the girls thought she had fallen asleep. They learned to take a closer look, and she opened her eyes again. “Forgive me, the medicine the healer gives me keeps me asleep most of the time.”
Katherine giggled, “Grandmother, do you wish for anything? Perhaps some sweet meat?”
“No, child. Just sitting here with both of you is all I need.”
The girls sat with her until she fell asleep. They tiptoed out of the room as the healer met them in the corridor. Deanna whispered, “She sleeps.”
The healer nodded. “It is good for her to rest.”
The great hall was full of tables of men eating their breakfast. Silence draped over the room as the girls entered. Smells of cooked cabbage and burnt bread invaded their nostrils. Deanna covered her nose huddling close to Katherine trying to shield her from prying eyes. Thoughts of announcing that they were both betrothed to Englishmen back home danced through her head. But she wasn’t sure if she could pull off such a tale without proper names of their soon-to-be husbands. To make matters worse, making that kind of announcement could encourage the Scots to pursue them as a challenge to their hatred of English soldiers. No, she was better off keeping Katherine safe herself.
They took a seat at an empty table and a serving wench came by to give them a plate of fruit and a bowl of gruel. She made no polite conversation and walked away quickly. The gruel was