“Thank ye,” Saidh murmured, hugging the woman back. “Good sleep.”
She waited until Lady MacDonnell had slid into the master bedchamber, and then covered a yawn with her hand and continued on to her own room. Her gaze slid to Fenella’s door further down the hall as she paused at her own and Saidh’s smile faded. She had resolved little, talking to her cousin, and was still left wondering if she had killed her husbands. It was a matter that she needed to put to rest, if only in her own mind.
Sighing, she pushed into her chamber and then paused to glance around. The room was softly lit by flickering flames in the fireplace. A tray with cheese, bread, fruit and what appeared to be mulled cider sat on the table between the two chairs by the fire. It was all quite lovely and Saidh found her smile returning.
Reaching up, she undid the lacings of her borrowed gown as she crossed the room. Then paused by the chairs to remove it. She laid it across the back of the nearest chair with a small grimace. The gown was beautiful, but a pale yellow that had never suited her coloring. However, when Lady MacDonnell had proudly presented it, announcing that she’d worn it for her own wedding, Saidh hadn’t had the heart to refuse the offering. Unfortunately, Lady MacDonnell was a larger woman than her, and had been even in her youth. The gown had been too large, hanging unattractively from her shorter, thinner frame, the bodice sagging and shoulders constantly wanting to slip off. Lady MacDonnell had pinned it in several places to rectify the problem, but the pins had slipped halfway through the ceremony and Saidh had spent the rest of the ceremony and the following feast constantly pulling the shoulders back into place and tugging at the bodice to keep from revealing more of herself than she wanted to.
Ah well, Saidh thought, as she turned to move to the bed in only the shift Lady MacDonnell had given her to wear under the gown. She had never much been concerned about fashion anyway. Besides, Greer had seemed to quite enjoy how revealing the gown had been at times.
Chuckling as she recalled the way his eyes had lit up, filling with promise each time it had happened, Saidh lifted the edge of the linens and furs and slid into bed. Hopefully she would manage at least a half hour sleep before the boys finished with their game, and then . . .
Sighing, she curled onto her side with a smile and fell asleep imagining Greer waking her with soft kisses and caresses.
A loud crash and a burst of laughter startled Saidh from a sound sleep. Sitting up abruptly, she glanced around with confusion to see her brothers stumbling into the room, bearing a dead stag on their shoulders.
Saidh blinked and tilted her head. Nay not a dead stag, but Greer with stag antlers fastened to his head by a cloth that looked suspiciously like a woman’s stockings. They had been wrapped around the center of the stag horns, set on the top of his head and then tied under his chin to keep them in place, she saw, as her brothers bumped about to get him through the door and his head fell, hanging toward the floor.
“Bloody hell, ye killed him!” Saidh roared, tossing the linens and furs aside and flying from the bed in a fury.
“Nay,” Aulay said on a laugh and put out one hand to halt her forward motion. Leaving Greer to her other brothers, he urged her out of the way and added, “He’s no’ dead, just plumb fou’.”
“Dougall drank him under the table,” she realized with a sigh. She should have thought to warn Greer that her brothers were fond of drinking games and had become quite good at them over the years.
“Actually, he drank Dougall under the table,” Aulay admitted, sounding rather impressed.
Eyebrows rising, Saidh glanced back to the brothers now laying Greer on the bed and realized that there were only six of them. Dougall was missing. No doubt snoring under the trestle table where he’d fallen, she supposed.
“And then Rory challenged him and yer husband damned near drank him under the table too.” Aulay was definitely impressed, Saidh thought, and smiled with satisfaction.
“He did no’,” Rory protested, and then stumbled and dropped onto the bed on top of Greer.
Saidh scowled and propped her hands on her hips, waiting for Rory to get up. Instead he merely released a loud snuffling snore.
Her other brothers immediately burst out laughing and turned toward the door.
“Oy!” Saidh bellowed. “Yer no’ leaving Rory here.”
“Nay, o’ course we’re no’,” Conran said as he sailed out the door.
“We’d ne’er do a thing like that to ye, lass,” Geordie assured her on his heels.
“Sorry, Saidh,” was all Alick said as Niels hustled him out, pulling the door closed behind them.
“Aulay,” Saidh growled, turning on her oldest brother.
“Settle yerself, lass. I’ll take him away,” Aulay soothed, then moved to the bed, turned Rory, and then lifted him up and slung him over his shoulder. “Get the door fer me, lass.”
Saidh quickly opened the door.
“I’d apologize that yer new husband is in no fit state to tend to the consummation,” Aulay said as he started toward her with his burden. Pausing beside her, he bent slightly to kiss her cheek and then straightened and continued out adding, “But since the two o’ ye already enjoyed that last night and the proof is in the hall, there seems little need.”