Beauty and the Beastly Highlander by Kenna Kendrick
Chapter Four
When Etna awoke the following morning, the sun had barely broken through the horizon. Her room was softly illuminated by the morning light, and though she tried to sleep some more, exhausted as she was from the trip and from the hours she had spent crying, she found that she couldn’t. Her despair settled over her once more, and so did the concern for the days, the weeks, the months that were to follow.
How will I survive here? It’s a terrible place to live!
With a sigh, Etna stood from the bed and dressed quickly, though the thought of going out of her chambers and into that dark, quiet castle made her want to crawl right back into bed. She had her breakfast alone and then spent some time walking around the courtyard, trying to engage those around her in conversation.
No one seemed to want to talk to her for more than a few moments, and any smiles that she exchanged were quickly hidden. Etna didn’t know what to make of it all, and not knowing only served to infuriate her more.
“Me lady . . . please follow me to the library,” said the same woman who had shown her to her chambers the previous night—Mairi, Etna reminded herself. She was a beautiful young woman with lustrous brown hair and bright brown eyes, but she, too, seemed stern and severe. Etna followed her, the two of them staying quiet the entire way to the library, and once they were there, Mairi simply pointed at the door before leaving.
Etna knocked and stepped inside, only to find the sweetest little girl in the room.
Malina.
Malina looked like a cherub from a painting, with her blonde hair and blue eyes and those rosy cheeks that Etna just wanted to pinch. She was nestled in one of the grand armchairs in the room, a heavy book in her lap, and when she heard Etna enter the library, she looked up shyly at her.
Etna gave the girl a smile as she approached her, crouching down next to her.
“Ye must be Malina,” she said. “I’m Etna. Yer uncle told me that ye’re a verra clever and verra bonnie lassie.”
Malina watched Etna intently, but she didn’t reply to her. But Etna could see that the girl was only shy, and she hoped that she could help her come out of her shell with a bit of effort.
“What are ye readin’, Malina?” she asked her, and the girl rotated the book in her lap so that Etna could read it. It was a book about the clan's history, Etna saw, and she wondered if Malina even found it interesting. It was an odd book for a child her age to be reading. “Do ye like this book?”
Malina gave Etna a small shrug and flipped the book once more, ignoring her.
Does this library even have any books for her? Or is it all history and strategy?
There was a time for history, of course, and a time for strategy—though Etna was hardly the person to teach Malina any of that—but there were other, far more fascinating books that Etna wanted to give her. Thankfully, she had brought some of her own, and she was certain that Malina would enjoy them.
“Do ye wish to look at the books that I have brought ye?” Etna asked in another effort to get the girl to speak. And speak she did, but she didn’t give the answer that Etna had been expecting.
“Nay,” she said as she pinned Etna with a glare. “Can I go to Nanna noo?”
It suddenly became clear to her that working with Malina wouldn’t be as easy as she had originally thought. She was not only shy; she didn’t like her. But Etna could hardly blame her. She remembered what it was like to be her age and to pass through set after set of hands. Her father had been absent often due to his profession, and her mother, in her desire to give her the best education and start in life that she could, had often left her to the care of tutors.
Etna tried to think back to what had made her like some of her own tutors. Having her father there at the beginning had helped, and Etna wondered if she could convince the Laird to attend some of their classes.
But in the time she had been there, short as it was, she hadn’t had the chance to meet the Laird. Etna thought it was odd that he didn’t even want to meet his daughter’s tutor, that he didn’t feel the need to ensure that Malina was in good hands. She didn’t dare ask anyone else about him, but she didn’t see what the harm would be if she asked Malina. Besides, it seemed to Etna that if there was anyone to whom the Laird would be kind, it would be her.
“Malina . . . do ye want to tell me about yer faither? What is he like?” Etna asked.
Malina ignored her once more. She seemed to be engrossed in the book that she was reading, but Etna knew better than to think her interest in it was genuine.
“Is he here? In the castle?” Etna asked, still trying to get her to speak, but once again, Malina remained silent.
Perhaps it’s better to na ask her anythin’ else about him.
But who could Etna ask? Lochlan, perhaps, but Lochlan seemed to have a way of deflecting any questions regarding the Laird. He always told Etna to not worry, but how could she not worry when there seemed to be something strange going on in that castle?
In the end, she pushed all those thoughts away. It wasn’t the time for them, she decided. She had to focus on Malina instead and to ensure that she was comfortable.
“I have an idea,” she told the little girl as she offered her hand. “How about we go for a walk?”
Before she took Etna's hand, Malina hesitated for a moment, something that didn’t surprise Etna. As much as Malina didn’t like her, she was certain that she didn’t want to be in that castle any more than she did, and so the prospect of a walk was attractive enough to make Malina accept Etna’s company. “Are ye sure we can?” she asked.
“Of course!” Etna said. “Why na?”
Malina gave her a small shrug, and Etna didn’t push her for an answer. In a few moments, Malina gave an answer on her own, just as Etna had thought.
“I havena been out for a while. Na out of the courtyard. Nanna says she’s too old to go out of the castle with me, and Uncle Lochlan is always busy.”
Etna let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head to herself. “Weel . . . noo that I’m here, we can go out every day.”
Malina stayed silent, but Etna saw that she got a spring to her step as they walked. She didn’t expect her to warm up to her any time soon, but the walks would surely help.
She couldn’t imagine how trapped Malina must have felt in that castle. Etna had only been there for a day, and she could hardly breathe, the atmosphere within those walls suffocating. Spending too much time cooped up in there sounded like a nightmare to Etna, and it was certainly not healthy for a child.
Once they were out of the castle walls, a weight lifted off her shoulders. It was a beautiful day, but she wouldn’t have known had she stayed inside, as almost all the windows in the castle were covered. There was a gentle breeze, and the few clouds in the sky cast playful shadows on the ground. The scent of grass was unmissable, permeating the air around them, and Etna couldn’t help but smile the moment her feet touched the path that led out into the countryside.
“How about we go to the loch?” she asked Malina, and the girl was eager to agree, nodding fervently. Etna had seen the loch on her way to the castle, and she hadn’t stopped thinking about it since. It had looked so inviting, its calm waters shining under the sun.
Once they got to the lake, Etna noticed that it was much larger than she had originally thought. Dipping her hand in the water, she saw that it was chilly, but not unbearably so. With Malina next to her, Etna taught her about the plants that grew around the lake, the flowers, the herbs, and the bushes, and it wasn’t long before she realized that Malina was an attentive student, even though she made certain to antagonize her whenever she could.
Once again, Etna was reminded of herself.
When Etna had told Malina everything she knew about the plants, she watched her run around, playing with the grass and the water, and by the end of it all, she was sweaty and muddy and in desperate need of a bath.
Returning to the castle seemed to be as hard for Etna as it was for Malina. Neither of them wanted to go back, but it was getting dark, and Etna didn’t want to risk staying out for too long. Once they were inside the walls, the feeling of despair returned, and so did Malina’s sour mood. When the maids took her for a bath, Malina didn’t even say goodbye to Etna.
I’ll make her warm up to me. I will. I willna let her waste away in this castle.
That night, when Etna settled into bed, she couldn’t get the thought of the Laird out of her mind. Everything about that castle bothered her, and she wished that there would be some way to find the Laird, to speak to him and give him a piece of her mind. Something had to change. She couldn’t even understand how the rest of the clan put up with the man’s behavior, and she wondered why they hadn’t replaced him yet. Surely, a man like him didn’t inspire any confidence in his people.
Then again, perhaps they were all afraid of him. It wouldn’t surprise her. The Laird seemed to have such power over everyone, and that kind of power could only be gained through fear.
Nothing changed in the days that followed. Etna spent her days with Malina, and she would often see Arlene, too, who seemed to have a great interest in her great-granddaughter’s education. Every now and then, she would also see Lochlan, but the man was usually busy with other things.
The routine helped Etna adjust to her new life. She came to know to expect the same thing every day, the same drabness and gloominess, the same frigidness from Malina, and in the end, she even stopped thinking much about the Laird. It was clear that the man wouldn’t show his face any time soon—if ever—and so she stopped expecting to see him.
It was only two weeks after her arrival when she heard about the Laird once more. It was late in the evening, and she was walking to the library when she heard a sound that she could only imagine was the sobs of a woman. Alarmed, Etna began to approach the source of the sound, but before she could find the woman, she heard her speak.
“Please, dinna make me go there again,” the woman said. She sounded young and terrified, and Etna paused to listen. “I’ve brought him dinner three times this week. I canna go there again.”
“I dinna want to go, either!” another woman said. “Na one of us wants to be in the same room as the Beast, noo, do we? But we do it anyway.”
“I’m beggin’ ye, dinna make me do it.” The woman sounded so rattled that Etna had half a mind to take the dinner to the Laird herself and, while she was at it, ask him why he was being so terrible to everyone, to the point that the maids were so afraid of him. “I’ll do anythin’ . . . anythin’ but that.”
Etna didn’t stay to hear how the matter was resolved. Instead, she decided to track down the Laird since it seemed like he was there. As she walked through the castle corridors, she remembered what Arlene had told her: avoid the west wing. Surely, the only reason why she would tell her that was because the west wing belonged to the Laird. Whether it was a warning to not bother him, or to save herself from his presence, she didn’t know. All that she knew was that there was something very wrong with the man.
What if something truly sinister was taking place in that castle, Etna wondered? Whatever it was, she wanted to get to the bottom of it, and she wouldn’t rest until she did. If there was one thing that she couldn’t stand, that was injustice, and it seemed to her as though the castle was full of it.
When she got to the west wing, she found that it was even darker than the rest of the castle. There weren’t even any torches on the walls, and she wondered how anyone could see where they were going. The place looked abandoned in the dark, and a musty smell permeated every wall that surrounded her, as though the west wing hadn’t seen any fresh air for months.
Then again, she reasoned, that was very likely.
There was something strange about the west wing, and she felt as though she was being followed, but there was no way to know for certain. Even when her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could hardly see anything.
Perhaps, I willna find anythin’ like this. How am I supposed to ken where the doors even are if I canna see?
She decided that she would have to return the following day, armed with a torch and a little more courage. But just as she was about to turn around and try to find her way back, she saw Lochlan rushing down the corridor that ran perpendicular to the one where she was. Though Lochlan didn’t notice her, Etna was certain it was him after seeing his face illuminated by the torch he was holding.
He was certain to have some answers for her, she thought. If she couldn’t find the Laird, then Lochlan would have to give her an explanation.
Etna followed him, but the man was in such a hurry that she soon lost him. Once again, she was left in the dark, and now she didn’t even know where she was. Finding her way back to the main part of the castle would be almost impossible, but she could hardly stay where she was.
With a sigh, she turned around to retrace her steps. But just as she was about to head back, an arm shot out through the darkness, grabbing her, and Etna felt the cold press of a blade against her throat.
