It was difficult to avoid Rowan Douglas, no matter how hard Agneta tried, the man always managed to find her. She had hoped that by hiding in the kitchens he would not dare venture into such territory. Unfortunately her hope vanished when he spied her peeling carrots for the stew. She tried to hide her grimace as he made to plant himself firmly in front of her.
"There ye are fair lass. Tis always a delight to watch a woman tend to woman's work. " he stated with a saccharin smile as if he paid her the highest of compliments.
"Rowan" she managed to say "it's thoughtful of you to stop by. Did you want to lend a hand?" She asked demurely although she meant the remark to be sarcastic.
"Nay" he shook his head vehemently"I should leave the kitchens well alone for fear I may make a stew of me fingers" his grating laughter irritated her ears as she tried not to cringe. "I was hoping perhaps to coax ye for a bit of a stroll down the loch. Tis a pleasant day and would hate to waste it indoors. I can have our horses saddled and ready by the time ye are through with the peelin" he said.
"Ah..." She struggled to look for an excuse. In the few days she had returned she had managed to avoid the leech but the night before he had been rather adamant of her attentions and if Liam persisted in protecting her she knew it would have drawn a crowd of attention in the worst way possible. Now he wanted a stroll and there was no one about to distract them.
"Mam had asked me to help with airing the rooms this day" she thought of the first excuse that came to mind.
"Truly" he looked skeptical and laughed "why the keep is filled with an army of servants perhaps your mam can spare ye for a few hours" he leaned forward so his face within inches of hers making her almost wince from his foul breath "I'm sure ye could use the escape from yer chores."
Agneta couldn't stand his proximity and decided to stand away from the table and Rowan " A woman's work can never truly be completed." She began laughing nervously."an army of servants would never suffice, what with the amount of guest poring in ye ken. Perhaps later we could stroll by the garden path."
"Later then lass. Fer now I leave you te yer woman's work" he said idly his eyes roaming her body before turning from her and walking out the back way.
She watched his retreating back with dread, palms started to sweat as she thought about ways by which to avoid him later when Dorothy came up behind her. She gave a startled jump clasping her hand to her padded breast.
"Ye ken that mon woulda sensed your avoidance but he's too thick skinned te notice ye dunna want te be around 'im."
"I have be be crafty enough to find a way out of his cloying presence." Agneta replied
Dorothy clucked her tongue and sat to continue peeling the carrots "That one there he'd be hard to notice being rather slow in the head if ye ken what I mean. You have to think of another way to stop him from sniffing around ye."Dorothy warned shaking her head in disdain.
"What do I do Dorothy when my father gave him permission to court me?"
"Ye'd better come up with a plan ye ken and fast otherwise you'll have yer feathers plucked by that one."
"I ken, I ken!" She shook her head
Mairi chose that moment to come into the kitchen to grab her mama for their singing practice, a welcomed distraction.
Afternoon
Agneta coundn't find her brothers and as the day wore on she had enlisted Sarah's aide in extracting her from Rowan's clutches but they planned to make it look like a chance meeting which was why she had finally agreed to meet with Rowan at the appointed time for a stroll.
Keeping her pace as slow as she could so her sister could catch up, Agneta dallied pretending to be out of breath every few paces. The afternoon proved to be pleasant, the suns's rays danced with a brilliant light casting a glow that lit the garden path exposing brilliant colors of flower beds which had been cultivated during the early spring.
The garden was a project her mother worked hard to design and on that warm summer day all their efforts flourished with the vibrancy of various hues coupled with the pleasant aroma of a variety of flowers that blossomed to perfection. All this seemed to have escaped Rowan Douglas's notice as he proceeded to fill her ears with tales of his immense prowess in battles.
Clearly he was full of himself, Agenta thought trying to keep an even distance between them. Nevertheless her hand rested on his arm as they walked through the winding path that led to the main garden patch. In the center was a small pool of water that filled naturally by the ingenious device designed by her brother Jarod allowing the water to cascade through a rock formation that served as a small waterfall.
It looked simple enough but the months of labor and digging through a tunnel that would allow the passage of water from a nearby well onto the rocks was pure genius. It was one of the rare moments the family had gathered together to plan a layout and it did not disappoint.
Rowan seemed out of place in such a picturesque, almost serene atmosphere. His harsh features and soiled clothes were a direct contrast to the beauty that surrounded them, however one almost could ignore his stench when surrounded by the various scents that permeated from the flowers.
Butterflies danced through the air, one even dared to land on Rowan's shoulder but her quickly swiped at it making the rest of the butterflies fly away and land on something less malodorous. Agneta tried hard to ignore the presence of the man beside her and focus on the scene before her but the sudden question brought her out of her thoughts.
"Did ye hear what I said lass?" He asked facing her her with an intent gaze.
Try as she might she only could see the harshness of his face "I beg yer pardon Rowan, I was lost in the beauty of this place" she watched him sniff and dart a furtive glance about but largely ignoring what they saw.
"I asked if you would be singin this eve?"
"Nay" she shook her head walking to a stone bench where she sat.
" why no, I hear your voice is legendary" she could sense from the tone of his voice he was aiming to flatter but it did nothing to spark any interest.
"That be Sarah, I am just a poor substitute." She laughed nervously.
"Nay, never that Agneta lass, your sweet nature is a treasure not to be ignored" he stated firmly occupying the empty area beside her.
She tried not to jump up and run for her dear life "Sir you are too kind. My sweet nature as you call it can sometimes turn feisty when I dunna get my way."
He started to laugh which sounded like a snort "You dunna appreciate yourself as much as others. As much as I." He said boldly turning to look into her face keenly She could see his yellow teeth as he smiled and tried not to flinch.
He started to angle his face toward her making her lean back and turn away from what she thought was an attempt at kissing her Ugh!
"You flatter me sir." She replied demurely.
"I dunna flatter I mean what I say and I find you a comely lass, comely enough te be my wife if Ye'd but give me the chance te make ye see that I can make ye verra happy. Ye would want for nothing Agneta, nothin at all."
She stood up and walked a few paces away from the bench, her back to him as she tried desperately to think of a retort to brush him away. Where the devil was Sarah and Robert?!
"I dunna ken what te say Rowan" she began"I canna think only of myself ye ken, there is Mairi to consider"
"The lass needs a da Agneta, ye canna protect her by herself." He stood and came behind her.
Agenta could feel the stench of his breath as he leaned down and whispered in her ears "I would need a house full of bairns to keep Mairi company. She must be lonely" he started rubbing her arms.
She shut her eyes and prayed for intervention.
"Am I interrupting something" the strong husky voice made Rowan drop his hands. Both of them turned at the intruder, Rowan with a frown looked like he wanted to take a swing at the man while Agneta sighed with relief, even if it was the man who had been betroth to her seven years ago and even if it was an unexpected surprise which shocked her, anyone was welcome to intrude at that moment and she had felt that God had delivered her from evil's clutches.
Ian had watched Rowan sieze the shoulders of the frail woman and wondered if the lout would attempt to molest her but as he looked from one to the other then back at. Rowan , with a determined gleam in his eye he walked forward closer to the couple. "I followed the path, it seemed like grand idea at the time seeing the way it had been created was a temptation I couldna resist, only the stench grew stronger. But perhaps putting this much horse manure helped te grow the flower beds much faster" his eyes never left Rowan's face.
Agneta hid her laughter with a slight cough ."horse manure wasna used to fertilize the soil" she replied evenly, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
"What then for the smells are sour?" Ian continued glancing briefly at Agneta. He could see Rowan's face turn red. It was common knowledge among the men that Rowan Douglas rarely bathed.
"I canna ken what you refer. Perhaps the stench comes from ye Ian MacTaggart."Rowan bit out sarcastically.
Ian lifted his arms to smell his armpits and shook his head "Nay fer I just came from me bath. It must be something else."
"We used cattle dung" Agneta supplied smiling brightly.
"That must be it then" Ian returned her smile "it has been a long while Agneta MacInnes."
"Aye it has Ian MacTaggart. She replied slowly. The two of them stared at each other for a long time until. Rowan cleared his throat.
"Since ye did indeed intrude mind ye, you can turn back around and leave us. the lass and I were having a conversation before ye interrupted us."
"I do apologize, however" Ian said in an even tone "I couldna help myself, the design of this place is quite unique. How did ye manage to build a water puddle?"
"Tis no water puddle mind ye, it's my brother's own design ye ken." Agneta replied defensively.
"There ye are Rowan!" Another deep masculine voice broke the tension that filled the air.robert Menzies decided to show himself, walking with the boldness of a Laird "Sarah mentioned you would be taking Agneta for a stroll and. I wanted to catch ye before the evening to show you my new gelding."
"Yer gelding?" Rowan frowned as his gaze shifted to Robert.
"Aye. When I discovered you were coming I thought to bring it along and show it te ye. A fine gelding it is too. Why when Duncan McKinnon saw him he offered for it immediately but I told him that I wanted the Douglas to see it first before I consider another's offer." Robert continued.
"That's rather kind of ye Menzies but I am otherwise occupied perhaps another time" Rowan turned his confused attention to Agneta.
"I canna reisist the Mackinnon for long ye ken" Robert persisted.
"Do go on Rowan, I shan't mind" Agneta coaxed.
Rowan reluctantly agreed noding his head " Are ye sure ye will be fine lass?"
"Dunna fash herself Douglas, I can see the lass safely to the castle." Ian replied smugly.
As soon as Rowan left with Robert, Ian turned his intent gaze toward Agneta, rubbing his hand against his bearded chin his eyes narrowed as he studied her.
"What is the matter?" She frowned wondering why he stared at her so making her feel self conscious. She had been surprised to see him appear suddenly out of nowhere. It had been seven years since she last saw him and time had certainly changed him. The angles on his face were sharper and his body seemed brawnier but it was his eyes that captured her interest. The Ian of old had the clear blue bright almost translucent blue eyes but now they seemed darker having lost their luster.
"There's something that doesna quite fit lass" he mused walked around her in a slow circle.
She stood her ground eyeing him keenly as he walked intent on trying to figure her out. This made her slightly nevrvous for his perusal was slow, dissecting her with his eyes. When he came toward her she stepped back instinctively self conscious. "I dunna ken what you mean" she replied haughtily lifting her chin.
He started to from "Tis the dress is doesna fit verra well"
"Ye must be imagining things,I've tarried long enough" she whirled around to leave the garden.
"That's it!" He said triumphantly "a part of your arse has fallen. Is that padding yer wearin underneath the gown?" His voice was filled with mirth as she stopped horrified.
Clutching her buttocks she realized the padding on her left side had slipped, she gave a yelp before making a dash for the castle cursing at the MacTaggart for his hearty chuckle not far behind.