to her chagrin, cormac was waiting in the hall. as soon as she entered, he rose and fell in step beside her. she shot him a disgruntled look, but he merely smiled and offered her greeting.

deciding not to offer him any encouragement, she instead pretended he wasn't there and went toward the kitchens to brave gertie's wrath. when she got to the doorway, the ruckus within made her pause.

there was an awful clanging and banging of pots and gertie's voice rose above the din as she screeched her displeasure at one of the kitchen maids.

maybe it wasn't the time to try to cajole a late breakfast from the cranky cook.

"uh, cormac?"

"aye, my lady."

"is it close to time for the noon meal? i confess i slept over late this morning. i didn't at all sleep well last night," she rushed to say. she didn't want to give cormac the idea that her lateness was due to anything else.

he smothered a smile with the back of his hand and then summoned a more serious expression. she glared at him for his thoughts were plainly written in his smug look.

"he probably boasted to everyone," she muttered.

"your pardon, my lady?" cormac said as he leaned forward.

"nothing."

" 'tis approaching the noon meal. perhaps another hour at most. if you like, i'll ask gertie for a plate if you're hungry now."

her stomach growled at the suggestion of food, but a wary glance at the kitchen when another crash sounded decided the matter for her.

"nay, i can wait. i have other things to do."

she set off at a determined pace, hoping cormac would take the hint and leave off. but he dogged her steps, keeping pace with her as she descended the steps of the keep.

she was greeted by a blast of sunshine that warmed her despite the chill. she hadn't remembered the shawl that maddie had left for her, and she was loath to go back up the stairs to fetch it. unless ...

she turned and gifted cormac with a sweet smile. "i left my shawl in the laird's chamber and there is still a chill to the air. would you mind ever so much fetching it for me?"

"of course not, my lady. it wouldn't do for you to take a chill. the laird would be most unhappy. wait right here and i'll have it for you in just a moment."

she stood demurely until the moment he disappeared back into the keep and then she set off at a brisk walk, careful to avoid the courtyard. on the way, she stopped two women and asked if they knew where she could find maddie. after being told that maddie was in her cottage after her morning duties, mairin hurried toward the row of neat cottages that lined the left side of the keep.

when she reached maddie's door, she took a deep breath and knocked. a moment later, maddie opened the door and seemed surprised to see mairin standing there.

"my lady! is there something i can help you with?"

mairin glanced over her shoulder to make sure cormac wasn't breathing down her neck.

"there is. that is, i hoped there is something you could instruct me on," mairin said a low voice. "in private."

maddie stepped back and motioned mairin inside. "of course. do come in. would you like refreshment? i was warming some rabbit stew over the fire. my husband does like a nice hot bowl of stew for his luncheon, but he won't be here to eat for a little while yet."

remembering her missed breakfast and her rumbling belly, mairin sniffed appreciatively of the air and the wonderful smell emanating from maddie's kitchen.

"if 'tis not too much trouble. i did oversleep this morning," mairin said mournfully. maddie smiled and gestured for mairin to follow her into the small area that housed the hearth for cooking. "i heard gertie was in quite a temper this morning."

mairin nodded. " 'tis the truth i feared for my life if i ventured in after missing the morning meal."

maddie pulled out a chair and ushered mairin into it and then set about dishing up some of the stew into a bowl. she handed it to mairin and then took her own seat across the table.

"now, my lady, what is it you would like me to instruct you on?"

before mairin could open her mouth, a knock sounded at the front door. maddie frowned but got up to see about the summons. a moment later she returned with christina and bertha, whose eyes rounded when they saw mairin sitting at maddie's table.

"oh, my lady," christina exclaimed. "we were just coming to see if maddie knew of your whereabouts. cormac has the entire keep in an uproar trying to find you."

mairin let out a sigh. "i persuaded him to fetch my shawl so i could seek maddie's advice about something. 'tis a private matter, you see, and not appropriate for cormac's ears."

bertha grinned broadly. "then we needn't tell him where you are."

mairin nodded her appreciation and fully expected the two women to depart, but both sat down at maddie's table, and bertha leaned forward in interest.

"what is it you wish instruction on, my lady? we're all willing to help. you're our mistress now."

"our lady said it was a private matter," maddie scolded.

mairin nodded. "aye. a delicate matter, indeed."

warmth traveled into her cheeks and she was sure her face was afire.

"ah, a woman's matter," bertha said knowingly. "you can tell us, lass. we're very discreet."

maddie nodded her agreement while christina looked on in puzzlement.

"well," mairin began reluctantly. "perhaps it would be better to gain more than one perspective on the matter. 'tis the truth i'm a bit confused at the coflicting information. you see, mother serenity instructed me on the ways of loving."

"oh dear lord," bertha muttered. "lass, tell me you didn't receive all your instructions from an aging abbess."

startled, mairin stared back at the other woman. "why aye, mother serenity is knowledgeable in all things. she wouldn't lie to me. i think perhaps i may have confused some of her instructions. there were so many, you see."

maddie shook her head and made a tsking sound through her teeth.

"tell us what you want to know, child. i can assure you that your mother serenity, while well intentioned, couldn't possibly have told you the whole of it."

"well, she instructed me on kissing, and the laird-" she broke off, mortified at the idea of saying aloud what was in her thoughts.

"go on." this time christina piped in and leaned forward, her eyes round with curiosity.

"well, he used his tongue. mother serenity never said anything about the use of one's tongue in kissing. she was quite explicit in the matter."

maddie and bertha chuckled and exchanged knowing glances.

"tell me, lass, did you enjoy the laird's kisses?" maddie asked.

mairin nodded. " 'tis the truth i did, and i have to admit, i used my own. it was quite ... breathless. i don't understand it at all."

"kissing with tongues?" christina's eyes went wide.

maddie frowned at christina and then made a shooing motion with her hands. "lass, you're far too young for this conversation. why don't you go stand outside and keep watch for cormac."

mairin noted christina's crestfallen look but she didn't argue. christina stood and left the room. only when the sound of the front door closing reached them did bertha and maddie return their attention to mairin.

"is that all you were wanting to know?" maddie asked.

mairin shifted in her seat and wondered if she shouldn't abandon the entire notion and return to the keep so cormac could lecture her for her desertion.

"there now, lass," bertha said in a kindly voice. "ask us what you want. we won't be telling tales on you."

mairin cleared her throat. "well, i might have told the laird that he was unskilled at loving."

both women looked so appalled that mairin regretted blurting out that tidbit. then they burst into laughter. they laughed so long and hard that they wiped tears streaming down their cheeks.

"and how did the laird take tis?" maddie gasped out between wheezes.

"not very well," mairin grumbled. "i did later tell him i was wrong."

bertha grinned. "ah, you were, were you?"

maddie nodded approvingly. "proved you wrong, did he? you can't hold your wedding day against him, lass. it was your first time. not much he could have done would have helped in that regard. better to get it done with and over, i say."

"but he ..."

"he what?" bertha asked.

"it was indecent," mairin muttered.

maddie stifled her laughter with a hand, but her eyes danced merrily. "but you liked it, aye?"

"aye," mairin admitted. "he did things...."

"what sort of things?"

"well, he used his mouth." mairen leaned forward and whispered, "down there. and on my ..."

"your breasts?" bertha asked.

mairin closed her eyes in mortification and nodded.

both women chuckled and leaned back in their chairs.

"sounds like the laddie has the right of it then," maddie said, approval firm in her voice. "you're a lucky lass to have a skilled man in your bed. not every woman does."

mairin frowned. "they don't?"

bertha shook her head. "now don't be telling anyone i told you so, but my michael, well, it took him a few years before he developed any skill. if it weren't for a few discussions with some ladies older than i, i'm not sure we would have ever gotten it right."

"oh, aye, 'twas the same with my ranold," maddie said. "he was always in such a hurry. it wasn't until i threatened to withhold my charms that he made an effort to work on his skills."

mairin's head was spinning at the women's chatter. such intimate matters didn't seem to bother the other two women whatsoever. mairin on the other hand was ready for the earth to swallow her up.

maddie reached across the table and put her hand over mairin's. she squeezed and offered mairin a smile. "let me give you some advice, lass. if you don't mind an old woman offering it."

mairin slowly nodded.

" 'tis not enough for your man to be skilled in matters of loving. you need to have some skills yourself."

bertha nodded vehemently. "aye, ?tis the truth. if you keep your man satisfied in the bed chamber, he won't have any cause to stray."

stray? mairin looked at them in horror. "are you suggesting that the laird wouldn't be faithful?"

"nay, of course we wouldn't disparage the laird. but 'tis a fact, 'tis better to be safe than sorry. you want your laird to be well satisfied. men are far more amenable when they're sated from loving."

maddie slapped bertha on the shoulder and laughed. "aye, now that's the truth. the best time to ask a boon is just after a rousing bout of loving."

amenable was good. mairin liked the idea of that. and now that the disturbing thought of ewan's fidelity had entered her head, she couldn't shake it. surely he wouldn't?

"what things should i know?" mairin asked.

"well, you said he used his mouth. you know, down there," bertha said with a twinkle in her eyes. "you can do the same to him, lass. 'tis guaranteed to drive him wild."

mairin was sure her absolute ignorance was reflected in her expression. and her horror. she started to say something, but the image of what bertha was describing hit her square between the eyes and she couldn't shake it.

"how ...?" she couldn't even finish the question. what was she supposed to ask?

"you've shocked the lass," maddie said reproachfully.

bertha shrugged. "no point in dillydallying around the point. the lass has to learn from someone. her mother serenity certainly didn't do her any favors."

maddie put her hand back over mairin's. "what bertha means is that a man likes being kissed ... down there. on his cock."

bertha snorted. "tell her right, maddie. a man likes to be suckled."

mairin was sure the blood leeched right out of her cheeks. kissed? suckled?

"you liked it well enough, didn't you, lass?" bertha asked. "a man is no different. he likes to be touched and caressed with a lass's hands, mouth, and tongue."

it was true enough that mairin did enjoy ewan's touches. and his kisses. he was skilled with his tongue. aye, she liked his tongue, even if he did indecent things with it.

"putting my ... my ... mouth on his ..." she couldn't bring herself to say the word. " 'tisn't decent, surely!"

bertha rolled her eyes and maddie laughed.

"there's little decency to good loving," maddie said sagely. "if 'tis decent, it isn't much fn."