01 Tamed by a Laird

Author:Amanda Scott [Scott, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0446541370
Publisher: Forever
Published: 2013-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Apparently the company kept costumes ready for any emergency, because Cath and another woman quickly swathed Jenny in a red dress that added pounds to her figure, and a thick veil that concealed her face. Meantime, Hugh continued to argue with the other players onstage, adding considerably to the audience’s delight by playing his own father and arguing with himself.

When Jenny was ready, the Joculator guided her to the stage, and the actor playing the bride’s father escorted her to an altar that had appeared as she dressed.

The priest was yet another fool in whiteface, cap, and bells. When Jenny stood before him, he turned to the audience and said in stentorian tones, “Look ye all on these two. If any amongst ye ken just cause or impediment why this marriage should not go forward, speak now or forever keep a still tongue in thy head.”

Silence.

“Aye, good then,” the priest said. Turning to Hugh, he said, “Now, lad, d’ye take this lass for your wedded wife, to have and to hold, for fair, for foul, for…”

When he finished reciting the familiar phrases, Hugh declared loudly, “I do!”

To Jenny, the fool-priest said, “Lass, will ye have this man for your wedded husband, to be meek and obedient to him in bed and at board from this time forward till death ye depart and if holy kirk will ordain?”

“I will,” she murmured.

“Louder, lass,” he said in stentorian tones. “They canna hear ye in the back.”

“Aye, I do then; I’ll tak’ all o’ him,” Jenny shouted back, trying to mimic Gerda’s accent and manner. The audience responded appreciatively.

She could barely see through the thick veil, but she saw Hugh’s quick frown and knew he had just realized she was not Gerda. Whether he knew who had taken Gerda’s place or thought she was someone else, she could not tell.

When they had finished reciting the vows, the priest said, “I now pronounce ye man and wife. Will ye kindly sign the marriage lines declaring this union, sir?”

“Aye, sure, I will,” Hugh said. Taking the quill the man handed him, he signed with a dramatic flourish.

“There now,” the priest said. “If ye’ll be so good as to turn and face the congregation, I’ll present ye to them as man and wife. ’Tis proper at this point, madam,” he added sotto voce, “to put back your veil.”

Grateful for the cue, Jenny faced the audience and with an exaggerated gesture worthy of Gerda herself, flipped back the veil to reveal her face.

The reaction was a mixture of raucous cheers and laughter that increased greatly when Gerda ran up to the edge of the clearing in a tizzy, fully recovered from her ailment and apparently trying to tear her hair from her scalp.

The Joculator strode forward with two lutes, handing one to Jenny and the other to Hugh.

As Jenny began to pluck the notes of the love song, Hugh quickly picked up the cue. The audience reacted as the Joculator had predicted, and as Jenny and Hugh

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