Chapter 30

Ailene put her arms around Isobel from the rear, just as Frang had done for her. She cupped Isobel's breasts in her hands. They were small, scarcely more than would fill her own small hands. She felt Isobel's nipples grow hard in her palms and she felt her cheeks flush as she realized that Isobel was becoming aroused at her touch. She tried to note the position of her cupped palms so that she could remember to show Frang, then removed her hands. Isobel covered her breasts with her own hands and turned to face her, noting the blush on Ailene's cheek.

"I'm sorry. It's been so long since anyone touched them so gently," Isobel said, apologizing for her arousal.

"It's okay. It was awkward for me as well. You can go ahead and put your clothes back on," Ailene said. "I want you to make sure that you eat enough every day, past the point where you think you're full. You've been on poor rations for so long your belly may not be used to enough food. You need to put some meat back on your bones. You don't look healthy."

"Are you sure, Ailene? So far, I've done nothing to contribute to your household. I feel I'm abusing your hospitality."

"Nonsense. I feel that we're going to be great friends, Isobel, and there's nothing that two friends shouldn't do for each other."

"Thank you. I'd like that a lot. I've not had any friends in a long time; not since my father sold me to McTavish."

"Things are about to change for the better, Isobel. Never doubt that." Ailene opened the door now that Isobel was dressed again. "In fact, you may want to get more to eat now. I'll be a few more minutes out here and then I can show you the rest of the Keep and we can decide how you may help around here."

"Bless you, Ailene. Bless you."

"Go along now. I just need to speak to Frang, and I'll be right along."

As soon as she was gone, Ailene approached Frang and gave him the string and her approximate breast size based upon my hands. He looked them over carefully and tried to estimate how big they would be in his own hands.

"We may have to do this over again in a few weeks," Ailene said.

"Why?" Frang asked.

"She's so thin. I think McTavish was starving her. I could count her ribs and her hip bones stuck out. When she starts eating more food, I imagine even her breasts will get larger."

"So, you think that we should make it a wee bit larger to accommodate extra flesh as she eats more?"

"Aye, not much more, but some," Ailene replied.

"So breasts get bigger as you gain weight?" Frang asked.

"Not tremendously so with small weight changes, but she's so tiny, it might be substantial. She needs to put on twenty pounds at least, maybe twice that given her height. I'd be surprised if she weighed much more than 90. McTavish was a nasty bastard and I'm glad you took her away from him. Can you tell me if the other servants go with the property. From what Isobel said, all the women may be underfed."

"All but his butler, personal valet, estate manager and a couple bodyguards."

"From the sounds of things, the estate wasn't doing that well. Not sure losing the manager is much of a loss. She said he fed the men okay, probably because he needed them for his protection."

"The manager may have done a fine job keeping his estate afloat considering his gambling habit," Frang warned. "Hard to manage anything when the owner's giving it away as fast as it comes in. We'll make sure there's some changes to the food distribution as soon as we get our hands on the property."

"Might have to do it even sooner. It's unlikely he'll feed them any more food now that the property's coming to us."

"You might be right. Maybe Stuart, Thorburn and myself should go over there first thing tomorrow with a wagon load of food, make sure they don't all starve to death before we take it over."

"I think you're right. You'll have to make sure that they get to keep it and McTavish doesn't take it with the rest of his property. I'll talk to Stuart."

"I'll talk to Thorburn then."

Ailene went back in the house and found Isobel eating as instructed. After she finished, Ailene gave her a tour of the house, excepting the punishment room. A woman who had been brutalized by her husband didn't need to see that room at all. She talked to her about her responsibilities at her husband's home. Isobel said that he didn't have a lot of female staff, so she was expected to do a lot of the cleaning, assist the cook with cooking, make and mend her clothes and that of those servants who couldn't do their own. She confirmed once more that her husband had loaned her to others to pay his gambling debts. Some of them treated her a little better, but not substantially so.

"Well, it sounds like you have a lot of experience with a household. Is there anything particular that you'd like to do to help out?"

"Anything you wish, Ailene. I'll cook, clean, sew, whatever you need."

"That's fine, Isobel, but what do you enjoy doing? My mother always said that the day goes quicker when you do what you like."

"I love to sew. I'm a pretty good seamstress," she replied.

"There it is then, we'll put you in charge of the needle workers. You can help train them, teach them to sew a straight stitch, how to read patterns. You can refit the clothes Muiríol found for you so you have some things to wear. We'll have to make you a shirt and trousers, linen to start, and leather when you start fencing in earnest. Oh, and I bought material in town yesterday for a new dress. We're going to have festival for the first day of summer. The next time we go to town, we can get you some fabric for your own dress."

"I have no money to pay, Ailene. I can't impose on you to buy me material."

"If you can help me with my dresses, that would be more than enough. My mam always told me I should practice my needlework more, but I didn't listen and I'm only half as good as I should be. It's from Paris and quite scandalous, but Teárlag convinced me to buy the design. Said my husband would love me in it."

"Teárlag?" Isobel asked.

"Teárlag Mackintosh. I met her in the dress shop yesterday and we had tea afterward. Do you know her?"

"I know of her, Ailene, but I've never met her. Her reputation wasn't the best. Most women thought she was too familiar with their men."

"She is a force of nature. She kind of made it known that she was looking for another husband and apparently picked out Thorburn as Stuart was taken. Thorburn thought she was forward, but he didn't seem to mind her attentions."

"From what I heard, she may not stop at Thorburn if he isn't interested. Frang or even Stuart could catch her eye."

"She'd dally with a married man?" Ailene asked.

"That's what I heard. As I said, I've never met her."

"I might have to keep an eye on her if she's around Stuart then. But never mind. Does that sound good, the sewing I mean?"

"Of course. Anything you need, I will be happy to do."

"It doesn't sound as if we'll be starting your lessons tomorrow, but I can show you a few things involving footwork. I think that Stuart and his brothers and a few other men-at-arms will be going to your former husband's and checking the status of the servants who will be staying. We're worried that McTavish won't feed them if he's going to lose the property anyway."

"You're right to worry," Isobel said. "He's a cheap, brutal bastard and he won't care if people die under his care."

"It's all settled then," said Ailene. "Why don't you get those clothes you need to alter and we'll get started. Maybe you can teach me to sew proper stitches."

They spent the rest of the afternoon sewing, two other maids assisting, altering Ailene's old clothes to fit Isobel. When it was time for supper, Isobel ate with the rest of the family, wearing one of the altered dresses, which now fit her quite well. Her hair had been done up by one of the maids after she took a bath. She looked quite lovely and Frang appeared to be taken with her.