Liandra opened her eyes to a room full of light. The sun splashed it's rays across the room promising a new day. The servant girl was stoking the fire to break the chill in the room. The orange flames blazed and licked the logs, bringing warmth and comfort in Patrick's chamber.
When Elsie was done, she returned the iron poker to the corner and turned around throwing Liandra a sweet smile.
"Morning mistress, did you sleep well?"
"Yes thank you," she lied, her dreams had turned to nightmares, but she did not want to tell that to the servant girl, what would be the point? "have you seen Bruce this morning?" Liandra asked, she must have a talk with him, and beg him to reconsider giving her away.
"Nay mistress, I have not." She answered, and wondered why the beautiful woman spoke with a strange dialog. Mayhap, she thought, she was from a different part of Scotland. "Will you be having your breakfast in your room mistress, or are you joining the Macdonald's in the dining room?"
"I'll have my breakfast with the others thank you." Liandra said, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bruce. She needed to have a desperate talk with him before Patrick comes to claim her as his mistress.
"Very well, I shall help you dress then." Elsie said, and grabbed the new gown that was on the chair and walked over to Liandra. "more gowns are expected to arrive for you by this afternoon, Patrick likes all his mistress to be dressed in the most finest fashionable gowns. He takes pride in the fact that he takes good care of his mistresses, although he hasn't been seen with a woman for a while now. Gossip has it that he has fallen in love with a young maiden and visits her in the wee hours of the night."
Stepping into to the gown, Elsie helped Liandra snapped all the hooks together. When she was done, she threw Liandra an appreciative glance.
"You are very beautiful mistress, Patrick will be very pleased to see you." Elsie said, and grabbed the brush from the table and started to brush Liandras long, golden tresses.
When Elsie was done, she stepped back and admired Liandra. "Hurry along now, breakfast is already being served."
Liandra walked to the door and turned around, "Thank you Elsie, you have been most helpful."
Elsie watched the mistress exit the chamber and was glad that she was assigned the duty of helping Liandra, she liked the woman and found her to be a beautiful, kindred soul.
Liandra stepped out into the hallway and walked over to the stairway. As she stepped down the stairs, her heart pounded against her chest. She didn't know anyone in the castle except Bruce and Elsie, and she was nervous as she made her way to the dining area.
Her keen eye spotted Bruce sitting with his family at the dining table, to his right sat the two men whom Liandra knew to be Bruce's father and grandfather. Anger claimed her that Bruce had put her in this predicament. He brought her to his world and dumped her to fend for herself! Mustering up all her courage, she walked towards the family table that was full with the entire family, and her eyes fell on Bruce.
