“Can ye tell me what it is?”
His eyes, I noticed, were the exact shade of blue-green as my Highlander, err, roomie, and couldn’t help but wonder if they were related.
“No…” I shook my head adamantly back and forth. “That would ruin the surprise.”
Eyes filled with horror landed on mine.
“I thank ye for yer trouble lass, but if it’s all the same ta ye, I think I would like ye ta make me something else ta eat.”
“Well too bad,” I nearly yelled. “That’s all there is. Take it or leave it.” There was no way in hell I was going to make more food. This was hard enough to make and besides, I wasn’t lying, there really wasn’t anything else to eat. At least nothing I could identify.
A squeamish look crossed the young man’s face as he lifted up a bowl from the table.
Reaching out, he grabbed the wooden spoon and pulled.
It didn’t move.
Setting his bowl down, he tried again. This time he used two hands. Finally, the spoon came out making much the same noise as my body did when I was extracted from the mud yesterday. He whopped the spoon on the edge of the bowl and a rather sickly sounding plop of oatmeal made its way down inside.
“Thank ye,” he murmured and stepped back away from the pot with a cross between curiosity and horror on his face at the prospect of eating what he had just scooped up.
After that, the rest of the men, who all looked to be in their late teens or early twenties, lined up with similar wooden bowls as they took turns fighting with the spoon until they too had a bowlful of the disgusting meal I made. I didn’t blame them for the looks they were giving the food, as it too, made me wrinkle my face in disgust and I was the one who cooked it. Last but certainly not least, the laird, Gavin, my grumpy roomie, came to stand beside me.
“Lass, is this the best ye could do?”
“Yes,” I nearly cried. “I tried, I really did.”
“I am sure ye did,” his tone softened. “I didn’t give ye much ta work with, now did I?”
“No, you did not.”
“I apologize, but that is all I have.”
Fighting back tears, I sniffed. I wasn’t sure if they were from relief or exhaustion, maybe both. “I really did try.”
“I can see that, lass.” He too lifted his bowl, finally, and scraped a bit of my ‘Oatmeal Surprise’ out of the pot. He slapped the spoon on the side of his bowl and it made a gross sounding plop when it finally released down into his bowl. “Thank ye, for yer efforts, lass.”
“You’re welcome.” I sniffed again and wiped away my tears with the back of my sleeve.
“Ye may have some as well, lass.” He stepped out of my way so I could get to the pot.
I did not want to eat…that… but as I stood there, thirteen pairs of eyes turned on me…with spoons poised… waiting.
“Great,” I fake enthused and lifted up a bowl. I grabbed the spoon but it was even worse than earlier. It was stuck well and good.
Setting my bowl down, using both hands, I tried again and scraped a miniscule amount of food off the bottom of the pot. My scoop had a lot more bits of brown and black than the others.
Holding one hand on my bowl, I smacked the spoon down on the other side.
Nothing happened.
It did not go unnoticed to me that my audience of thirteen still had not taken a bite of their food. No, instead, they were watching me with rapt interest. A flash of irritation shot through me and I really slammed the spoon down on my bowl. A glop of the slop finally released from the spoon and landed inside.
Giving them a sheepish grin, I made my way over to the corner of the room where the only empty chair stood.
All eyes were still trained on me.
Faking my exuberance, I shoved my spoon in my bowl and took a bite. I immediately felt like spitting it back out but couldn’t since everyone was watching me. I swallowed and made an “Hmmm, mmm,” sound and then once everyone was turned back to their bowls of food, I pressed my hand to my mouth so I didn’t spit it back out.
Literally forcing myself, I swallowed the most disgusting thing I had ever eaten and that was saying something since I accidentally ate a bug once.
♦
“Muir,” Callum said, keeping his voice low turning his attention back to his food. “If this…” he pointed down to his bowl, “is what we will have ta break our fast for the next week, I want ye to know I will stick ta my word and ye can have all my second helpings.”
Muir made a snorting noise. “Callum, if this is what we are eating for the next week, I want no parts of yer second helpings, let alone my first helpings. Besides, it doesn’t look like there is enough for any second helpings.”
“Och, Muir! That is no way ta act after the lass has went ta all the trouble to make food for ye.”
“If ye think it is so great, by all means, ye can have my first helpings as well.”
Callum made a face. “What are the crunchy brown bits, do ye suppose?” He took a bite.
“Bugs.”
Callum gagged. “Och, Muir…” he choked.
Muir laughed and took a bite of his food. He too, gagged, as he tried to swallow.
Now it was Callum’s turn to laugh, that is, until one of the brown bits in his bowl moved. Then his laughter turned quickly back into a gagging fit.
♦
Gavin eyed his men, noting the green expressions on their faces as they dutifully ate their paltry meal and then turned his attention back to the lass, who also looked a bit green. His belly grumbled. Throwing caution to the wind, he took a bite of his own food and he too, thought he might very well be sick. This, what he was eating, wouldn’t be fit for a dog, let alone his starving men. He needed to get some real food soon or at this rate they would surely starve.
CHAPTER EIGHT
LOCH MORAR, SCOTLAND
Sometime during the reign of King James
Breakfast ended quickly. Each of the men were kind enough to thank me for the meal and then they vacated the premises, promptly taking themselves out of the castle, all looking a little greener than they had before they started the meal. Now the only one remaining was my grumpy roomie, the Laird. He said nary a word but simply watched me from across the room.
It was a bit unsettling to say the least. Finally, I couldn’t take him watching me any longer.
Standing, I carried my bowl to the table and set it down. Busying myself, I gathered up the other spoons, once again noticing they looked like they were from the future, not the past like they should and the bowls to wash. As I placed them on top of one another I noticed they still had most of my ‘Oatmeal Surprise’ inside. I couldn’t blame them. My own bowl was still pretty full as well.
“Lass,” Gavin said.
I looked up and my breath caught as I looked at his handsome face. “Yes,” I somehow managed to answer.
“Thank ye for the meal.”
“Oh, don’t mention it.” I waved my hand dismissively in the air.
“Ye don’t cook much, do ye?”
I set the stack of bowls down which made a resounding thud on the table. “No, I don’t.”
“Didn’t the crone, err, gypsy, ask ye if ye could cook?”
“Not really.”
He nodded his head, seemingly accepting my answer. “We don’t have much food in the larder.”
“I know.” He was slouched back in the chair with his long legs kicked out in the front. It was hard not to stare.
“We…I mean, I,” he amended, and sat forward, “will try to get ye something better ta cook with in the future.”
“I just don’t know what half of that stuff is…” I tried to explain.
“Aye, I suppose ye do not.” He exhaled and stood up from the table. “What do ye usually eat?”
“Spaghetti, Alfredo, Lobster on special occasions…” I stopped talking because his eyes were rounding. “Right,” I sighed and rubbed my sweaty palms on my dress. “You don’t know what I am talking about do yo
u?”
He shook his head. “Nay, lass, I do not.”
“Well, it’s really good and easy to make…” I stopped again because his eyes were growing larger by the moment and not in a ‘Wow…that sounds delicious way’. “All righty then…”
“Did ye bring such wonders from the future with ye?” he asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes…or was that merely hunger?
“No, well, I am not sure. The gypsy, err, woman, did give me a basket.”
The hopeful gleam was back in his sexy eyes.
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.” I lifted my shoulders in a noncommittal shrug.
He raked his hand through his dark hair, in aggravation, I supposed, and expelled a lengthy breath.
“Then I will have to leave for a while,” he said as though coming to some kind of decision.
“Wait…what?” I stepped closer to him, and was once again reminded of how large he really was in comparison to me.
“I will have to leave ye for a wee bit.”
He stared down at me with a curious look on his handsome face.
“Why?” My heart rate jumped into double time. I didn’t want him to leave me… alone. “Where will the rest of the, ah, men, be?”
“No need ta fear, lass, they will be coming with me.”
I wasn’t necessarily afraid of them being here with me but the opposite. I didn’t want to be here all alone.
“I need ta find some food for us ta eat.”
That was true enough, I supposed, but what was I going to do while he and the other men were gone.
“Ye can clean up this…while we are away.” He swept his hand through the air indicating the hall.
“Clean what exactly?”
He lifted his brows. “This…” Again, he indicated the room with a sweeping hand gesture.
I looked around at the mess. “By myself?”
“Do ye see someone I do not?” His brow lifted again.
“Well no…”
“Then ye have yer answer, aye?”
“Where do you keep your cleaning supplies?”
“My what?” His brows creased.
“Oh, never mind.” What was the point? The man obviously had no idea what I was talking about.
He gave me another one of his curious looks.
“Do you have anything in particular you would like me to do, other than clean this…” Dump, I wanted to say, but instead swept my hand in the air, not able to keep the derision from my voice.
“Do ye need more duties while I am away?”
“No…not at all.” I didn’t even want to do this.
“Ye bit off a bit more than ye could chew, didn’t ye, lass?”
I sighed. “I suppose.”
“Not ta worry, lass, there is plenty ta keep ye busy.”
“I can see that.”
He chuckled and took a step closer. Again, my belly did another involuntary flutter.
“I will be back before ye know it, lass.”
He was standing so close my temperature immediately shot upward.
“And if ye are good…”
Lifting his hand, he cupped my face tenderly, his thumb caressing the side of my jaw. I had all I could do not to press my face closer to his hand.
“I will even consider letting ye tend ta me later.”
He gave me a winning smile that made my breath hitch and my toes curl in my shoes.
“Oh, joy! Not!” I said callously without thinking what I was really saying. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction because I was so flustered and didn’t know how to respond.
His smile turned upside down into a severe frown as his dark brows drew together and that pained look I had seen briefly earlier entered his eyes for a moment before it was replaced with a cold unnerving stare. I shivered in spite of the warmth I felt standing so close to him.
“Do not forget ta change the rushes.” He turned on his heel and stormed out of the castle.
“I didn’t mean…” I tried to explain, but it was too late, he was already gone.
♦
“Way to go, Paige! Of all the stupid, idiotic things to say…” I stomped around, feeling like a real ‘b’. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. And obviously, he didn’t know I was being sarcastic because of how embarrassed I was and now he probably thought I was…well, I didn’t know, but he wasn’t happy, that was for sure. And neither was I. When I asked for a Highlander for my own I didn’t stop to consider the repercussions of such a wish. I certainly didn’t think I would be made to do menial labor for my wished highlander as well.
♦
Fifteen minutes later, after I had a mini tantrum, where I railed to myself and stomped my feet around the filthy hall expelling a good amount of my energy, I decided to just do as he asked.
Surprisingly, not only was cleaning universal, it also spanned time, with the exception of vacuums, dusters, and well, the products I needed to clean with.
However, I somehow made do with what I had. I boiled water in the pot over the fire in the kitchen and once it was good and hot, I dumped the bowls inside as well as the spoons to get rid of the sticky remnants of my ‘Oatmeal Surprise’.
While that was boiling away, I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen as best as I could by wiping down the table and putting things away on the shelves.
Now, I was back in the main hall with nothing but dirty grass all over the floor that looked like hay. Not able to find a broom, I tried kicking it. Dust floated up in the air, choking me. Covering my mouth, I backed away from the cloud.
“There’s got to be an easier way.”
In hopes of finding a broom, I ran back to the kitchen/cook room. No luck.
“Think, Paige…” I walked in circles and then finally came up with an idea. Leaving the kitchen, I walked out the back door. It was the same one the dog ran out of earlier. A rather bushy pine tree with low hanging branches was off to the side of the dirt pathway. Walking over to it, I broke off one of the smaller limbs.
“This should do the trick.”
With my makeshift broom in hand, I made my way back to the great hall. Swishing it back and forth, I tried sweeping. Again, dust floated up in the air and some large chunks of something that looked a lot like bones went sailing across the room and pinged against the stone wall.
“Gross.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what it was. At least the pine-branch was better than kicking the hay/rushes but it didn’t help with the cloud of dust. What I needed was a cloth for my face. Since I didn’t see anything else to use, I lifted my gown and pulled up the bottom of the linen under-dress and ripped off the ruffle and then tied it around my face. If I had a mirror I was sure I would look like a bank robber.
Getting to work, I swept/kicked and dragged the smelly grass/hay out the door. With one big push, I shoved the entire pile over the side of the stairs, where they fell into a heap. No one was around save for the mangy dog, the one that had run from my food earlier, and his head was going back and forth like he was watching a tennis match as I made each trip outside until I finished sweeping out the main hall.
Standing my broom in the corner, I looked around at my handiwork. It did look better and it definitely smelled better too. Brushing off my hands, I made my way back to the kitchen.
I checked the dishes in the pot. Most of the water was gone. Lifting the hem of my gown up, I wrapped it around my hands and pulled the pot off the hook and set it down on the table. Once the water cooled, I pulled out the now reasonably clean dishes to dry on a large piece of cloth.
♦
Twenty minutes later, after I finished with the dishes, I went back to the main hall to see what else needed cleaning. All in all, the place looked pretty good and if I wasn’t so damn tired I would have patted myself on my back for achieving that no small feat in just a single day. Walking over to the door, I looked outside. The sun was gradually fading from the horizon as heavy clouds gathe
red, pressing down from the skies above. It looked like a storm was brewing and now that I had stopped moving I realized how alone I was. Shivering, I rubbed my arms.
A large tree in the center of the yard shook in the wind as dust and debris lifted in the air pushing its way across the flattened grass and out the open gates. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as an uneasy feeling coursed through me.
I felt like someone was watching me.
Slowly, I turned to look over my shoulder but the gloomy hall was just as empty as I had left it.
Not wanting to go back inside, I sat down on the stairs and waited for my highlander, correction, highlanders, to come back.
CHAPTER NINE
LOCH MORAR, SCOTLAND
Sometime during the reign of King James
“Come now, Shamus,” Gavin said in a placating tone with his hands held aloft as he was rounded on by the large tavern owner who was wielding a pitchfork at him.
“Och, ye know we are in a bad way what with the drought and all the wee bairns the misses and me daughters keep popping out at every turn.”
“Aye, I know.” Gavin sighed. He scrubbed his hands over his face, and let them drop back down to his sides. His men kept back, like he instructed, watching. They were only to interfere if he needed them and Shamus, even though he was a large man and carried on with a good amount of bluster, his threats were just that, threats. He would not act on them.
“Gavin, ye are my friend and ye know I would help if I could.”
“Aye, I know.”
“I know yer intentions are good, but ye have yet ta give me back what ye borrowed that last time ye were here.”
“I would if I could, ye know that. And when I get the treasure…”
“Ye keep talking about this supposed treasure but ye still have not found it have ye?
Lost in the Highlands, Volume One Page 6
