Free An English Bride In Scotland by Lynsay Sands

expression.
    “Helping?” the woman said slowly, and then shook her head. “Well, stop it and get yerself back to the bed to finish breaking yer fast. This is me job, no’ yers.”
    “Oh.” Annabel flushed with embarrassment and set the bucket back down. She then scampered back to the bed and sat down to pull the tray closer. She had gobbled down the first pastry to rush over and help with the bath, but took her time and savored the second one. It really was delicious, and she couldn’t help thinking it might be a good thing that the abbey cook hadn’t made things as lovely as this. Her back would have been crisscrossed with welts and scars for gluttony.
    Despite taking her time, Annabel finished the pastry before the old woman had finished filling the tub, so she picked briefly at the cheese and bread. But she was no longer hungry, so set it aside after a couple of bites and simply sipped at the warm apple cider as she waited.
    “There we are.”
    That satisfied comment from the older woman drew Annabel’s attention to the fact that she was finished filling the bath and was now eyeing Annabel.
    Setting the cider back on the tray, Annabel pushed herself up from the bed and hurried over to the tub.
    “The laird said he didn’t arrange to bring yer lady’s maid, so ye’ll have to pick one from the women here. In the meantime, ye’ll have to make do with me,” the woman announced, reaching out to help her take off the dress.
    Annabel was not used to the assistance of a lady’s maid. That simply didn’t happen at the abbey. At least it hadn’t happened for her and as far as she knew the other women didn’t have maids to dress or undress them. Well, except for the abbess. Perhaps that was why having this nice older lady trying to undress her left Annabel feeling terribly uncomfortable.
    Biting back the protest that she wasn’t a child and could manage herself, Annabel suffered her help, but it was a relief when the dress was off and she could hop into the water. However, once there, the woman didn’t let her be, but picked up a scrap of linen and soap. Rather than hand it to her, as Annabel expected, she dipped the cloth in the water, applied some soap and began to work it into a lather. Even then she didn’t hand it over to Annabel, but swept her hair to the side over her shoulder so that it was out of the way and began to wash her back.
    Annabel sat completely still for several minutes, and then cleared her throat and asked, “What is your name?”
    “Oh,” the maid chuckled softly, her back scrubbing stopping briefly as she then said, “I am sorry, me lady. I did no’ even think to tell ye, did I? I’m Seonag.”
    “Seonag,” Annabel murmured, pronouncing it Shaw-nack , as she had. She then twisted in the tub to peer at her and offer a smile. “ ’Tis a pleasure to meet you, Seonag.”
    “Oh.” The woman looked surprised, and then smiled back widely. “Well, I’m sure ’tis a pleasure to meet ye too, me lady.”
    Nodding, Annabel turned forward again. Seonag immediately began to scrub her back again and after a moment, Annabel asked, “This is MacKay, then?”
    Seonag stopped scrubbing briefly, and then straightened and moved to stand at the side of the tub where she could see her face. Her mouth was wide open when she first got there, but she snapped it closed and then said with exasperation, “And well surely ye do no’ ken, do ye? Ye were sleeping when the laird carried ye in. Goodness, ye must ha’e been sitting there wondering who the devil we all were when we came barging in.” She shook her head and then said, “Aye, m’lady. This is MacKay.”
    Annabel nodded. She’d assumed as much, but it was good to be sure. “And where is my . . . husband?” It felt odd calling Ross that. Annabel supposed it was because it was all so new.
    “Oh, he’s off talking with Liam,” she said as if that was to be expected. Annabel had no idea who Liam was and supposed her expression was