It was an imposing place, almost foreboding. Its grey walls and battlements rising up out of the heathers and around it a motley collection of outhouses and stables. Evie had never liked it, a grim place which held little attraction except as a fortress against the marauding English and the many enemies which her grandfather had made over the years.
As they arrived at the castle gates, they were met by the captain of the guard. Evie watched, as her father conducted a hushed conversation with the man, whose face was grave.
“There is trouble on the borders,” her father said, turning to Evie and the others, “the road to Lanercost will nae be safe for ye, brother.”
“A monk’s habit is still protection enough, even in these dark days. Nay man would kill a monk,” Duncan replied.
“We are nae dealin’ with reasonable men, brother. Our enemies are on the move and ‘tis nae safe to walk the road. The English threaten us and make allies of those who should be our friends,” Fraser replied.
“Then we must prepare for the worst,” Isla replied, and Evie took hold of her mother’s hand.
“What will happen, mother?” she whispered, turning to Isla, who squeezed her hand.
“I daenae know, Evie. But we shall be ready to face our enemies. Just as we always have,” Isla replied.
Evie followed the others through the castle gates, and as they swung shut, a sense of foreboding came upon her. Life would be very different now, and she knew a new era had begun for them all. Could this castle really protect them, or were the borders now more dangerous than ever? She felt afraid, helpless even, her fate in the hands of others.
“It will be all right, lass,” her uncle said, catching her by the arm as they crossed the courtyard towards the keep.
“How dae ye know, uncle?” she asked.
“Because I have trust in yer father and because he raised ye and yer brothers to be strong,” Duncan replied.
“Life will be very different now, though, will it nae?” Evie asked, and he nodded.
“It will, but full of surprises too,” he replied and patted her on the arm.
Evie could only wonder at what he meant, though her uncle always seemed to possess an insight beyond which others knew. She followed him inside, as from above the rain began to fall even harder and dark clouds settled over the castle. This new life was not what she had hoped for, and she could only feel fear for what was to come, the memory of her grandfather lingering, the future uncertain.
Chapter One
The rain persisted for three whole days. It was as though her grandfather’s death had left a cloud hanging over the borders. A mist hung in the air too, and there was a dank and dreary atmosphere about the place, such that it sent Evie into a deep depression. Her uncle had returned to the monastery at Lanercost, and her brothers returned to their work with her father, leaving Evie and her mother alone during the day.
She had not settled into life at Kirklinton and longed instead for the simpler life she had led at the castle across the heathers. There, she had been free to please herself and to go where she wished, when she wished to do so. Now, it seemed as though her life were regimented and ordered and there had already been any number of visitors to Kirklinton wishing to pay their respects to her father. It seemed she was no longer the free-spirited lass she once had been allowed to be. Now, her mother spoke of responsibility, and she had realized that life would now be very different. Not only for her but for them all.
“I am tired of the rain and bein’ confined to this place,” she said to her mother, as the two sat spinning wool on the third afternoon after her grandfather’s funeral.
“When I was a child, I was often confined here, yer grandfather always worried for my safety. Be grateful that ye had such freedoms as a child,” her mother replied, dexterously rolling the wool into balls, as Evie held it up for her.
“Aye, I know, but livin’ here feels so closed in. ‘Tis like we are always under scrutiny, always bein’ watched,” Evie replied.
“Aye, there is that. Yer father is nae enjoyin’ it either. He has never had any wish to be Laird. I remember him sayin’ as much when first we were married. He had nay desire for such a title, ye have to remember that he was a humble blacksmith until …” her mother said, and her words trailed off.
Evie knew the story well enough, but it still fascinated her. She had loved her grandfather dearly, but she still found it hard to think that he had kept that secret hidden for all those years. Never once revealing to anyone the true identity of his son nor wishing anything to do with him, it seemed so at odds with the man she knew, and in truth, she preferred not to think about it.
“This this castle too, ‘tis nothin’ like home,” Evie said, and her mother sighed and nodded.
“Aye, Evie. It will become like home, and we shall still visit the old castle. It holds many memories for me too daenae forget,” her mother replied.
“What dae ye remember of it?” Evie asked, the wool running through her fingers, as her mother smiled.
“From my childhood? Oh, I remember a little. It was a lovely place back then, and I shall always be grateful to yer father for restorin’ it. When I was a child, my father, my blood father, would hold great feasts there, and I remember my mother singin’ to me as she bathed me. But I remember too the night we were forced to flee and lookin’ over my nurse maid’s shoulder at the castle burnin’ behind us. A dark day,” she said, shaking her head.
“And then ye came here?” Evie asked though she knew the answer well enough.
“Aye, that’s right. I came here, and I was happy here, as will ye be, though perhaps nae for long,” her mother replied.
“What dae ye mean? Are ye sendin’ me away?” Evie said, surprised by her mother’s words.
“Nay, of course, nae, Evie. Daenae be silly, but ye are twenty years old, soon ye shall have a husband and who knows where ye shall live then,” her mother replied.
Evie had not thought about it like that. The idea of a marriage or a husband had seemed remote and distant from her. Her two elder brothers were not yet married, though Rory was forever chasing women from the village, and it had not occurred to her that she would marry before them.
Evie was an attractive girl, possessed of long flowing red hair and deep green eyes. Her skin was soft and her complexion pretty, yet unassuming. She knew that men often looked at her with interest. But she had never felt ready to pursue such things, content instead to wait until her father and mother should decide the time was right.
“But I have nay thoughts of a husband yet, mother,” she replied, smiling and shaking her head.
“Aye, but in time ye might dae,” her mother replied, “and when ye dae ye shall live elsewhere, away from this castle, a different life to this.”
Evie had no desire for such a thing, she might not relish life at Kirklinton, but she certainly had no desire to leave her mother, father, and brothers behind. They were all she knew, and there was no desire in her heart for something different. She knew that marriage must one day come, but for now, she was content to help her mother with the spinning and to be a friend to her brothers. She had only one other friend, and that was Caitlin Macready, a girl of her own age who lived a few miles across the heathers with her mother in a croft on the moorlands.
They had been friends since they were children, and Evie had always confided in her and known her to be a loyal and close friend. She had not seen her since the day of her grandfather’s death, and the thought of her now put into Evie’s mind the desire to see her. Outside, the rain had grown lighter, a drizzle upon the moorlands rather than the deluge of the past few days, and far across the borderlands, the merest hint of sunlight was breaking through the clouds. Evie set aside the wool and crossed to the window, looking out across the heathers to where her father and brothers were working down on the track, which led to the village. They were building a dry-stone wall, in which to enclose the sheep which her father intended to keep for their wool and meat.
&
nbsp; “I think I shall walk over to Caitlin’s croft and see her,” Evie said, turning to Isla, who smiled and nodded.
“Aye, it would dae ye good to see a friend, be back by nightfall though, Evie,” her mother said, and Evie nodded.
Her mother always said that, as though the arrival of the night brought with it untold danger and threat. In truth, Evie’s life had been peaceful, troubled only occasionally by an English raid or the rumors of robbers on the road east. She had never experienced that which her mother and father had lived through when the threat of an English attack was ever-present.
She took up a shawl and wrapped it around her and bidding her mother farewell, she clattered down the steps of the keep and out into the stable yard. Her horse was tethered up over by the stables, but she wished to walk, enjoying the fresh air and the coolness of the day. The rain had turned to mist by now, and she set off across the moorlands, passing her father and brothers as she went.
“And where are ye off to, Evie?” her father called out, as paused to watch them at work.
“To Caitlin’s, Father,” she replied, as Owen and Rory laid down their tools.
“Well, be back by nightfall, ye hear me,” he said, and she smiled, as both her brothers laughed.
“She is always back by nightfall, father,” Owen said, “if she were nae, then ye would have the whole clan out lookin’ for her.”
“I am only doin’ what any father would dae. When ye are a father, Owen then ye shall be just the same,” their father replied, and he returned to his work.
Rory walked across the heathers towards Evie and smiled.
“Will ye give my love to Caitlin?” he asked, blushing a little as he spoke.
“I always dae, Rory, but I am afraid the answer will always be the same,” she replied.
Her brother had always held a flame for Caitlin, ever since they were children. But she had always resisted, ever making this excuse and that for why she and Rory could not be together. Still, he was persistent, and every time that it was known that Evie was visiting her friend, he would send her with his love and a sprig of heather, which now he plucked from the ground below.
“And give her this if ye will,” he said, and she smiled and nodded.
“She will have a whole moor before long,” she replied, taking the sprig and tucking it into her tunic.
“I can only try,” he replied, for Evie knew that it pained him to suffer such rejection.
He had often confided in her, longing for just one chance to prove himself to Caitlin. But she was a beautiful girl and could have her pick of men on the borderlands. But like Evie, she had no interest in marriage just yet, at least that is how it seemed to Evie, the two girls knowing one another better than anyone else.
“I will tell her,” Evie replied, and with a nod to her brother and a wave to her father and Owen, she set off across the heathers.
It would take around an hour to reach Caitlin’s croft, which lay upon a hill about a mile from the castle in which Evie and her brothers had grown up. She would have to pass it to get there, and, as she came in sight of the familiar towers and the imposing keep, she sighed to herself and paused.
As for her mother, the castle held many happy memories. It was here that she had first come to realize the power of the family into which she had been born and the grave responsibility, which would one day rest upon her father. They had shared happy times and sad in this place, not least the news of her grandfather’s death, which had so altered life for them all. Above her, she could see the old croft where her great grandparents had once lived, up on the moors and where her parents first lived when they were married. The landscape held such memories for them all, and for a moment, she stood taking it all in, lost in thought.
The gates of the castle were open, for her father still kept servants there, and several of the clansmen still resided behind its walls. She could see soldiers on the battlements, and she waved to them, hurrying across the heathers towards the gate.
“Hail there, Evie,” the captain of the guards said, “we have missed yer bonnie face these past weeks.”
“And I have missed this place too,” she called back, standing to look up at the high walls above.
“How is life at Kirklinton? Are ye settlin’ in?” he called back, for all the soldiers had a soft heart for Evie.
“Tolerable,” she called back, “I am on my way to see the Macready’s. I have been confined to the castle these past days, and I couldnae bear it any longer.”
“Be careful on the heathers lass, keep yer wits about ye,” the old soldier called back, and he waved to her as she walked on.
Evie had no fear; she had known this landscape and its paths her whole life. Besides, she was the daughter of a Laird, and, like her mother, she was possessed of boldness and fearlessness such that no man would cross her.
The moorland path rose steeply upwards from the castle, which lay on the low heathers close to a gushing stream. The rains had caused it to swell, and she had to walk some way upstream before she could find a place to cross safely. The trees overhung the water’s edge at that point, and she looked up and down the torrent for bare rocks over which she could make her path.
I shall have to go higher, she thought to herself and continued to climb up through the trees, towards where she thought would be a safe crossing point. The path along the stream had almost disappeared, and she was now high above the castle, with still no place to cross. Growing frustrated, she decided to remove her shoes and hitch up her tunic to wade across. The water was not too deep there, and she would soon be on the other side. Caitlin’s mother always had a fire burning, and she could sit in front of that to dry herself off.
Evie paused, glancing up and down the stream for a final time, but there was no easy place to cross, and instead, she removed her shoes and stepped into the water. It was icy cold, and a shiver went through her body as she waded knee-deep into the gushing torrent. The current was stronger than she had imagined it to be, and she stretched out her hands to steady herself. It was not far to the other side, and she took another step further into the water.
Chapter Two
I hope the fire is well stoked up, she thought to herself, wading on through the water. She pictured Caitlin’s snug croft and looked forward to the prospect of griddle scones, cooked in the embers of the fire, and a warm cup of something to raise her spirits.
But just as she was close to the other side, where trees hung down low over the bank, a surge of water caused her to unbalance. With a cry, Evie slipped into the cold water and was caught up in the torrent. It sent her down the stream with such force that she went under several times, flailing in the murky depths, as she gasped and struggled to catch her breath.
She screamed, trying desperately to swim against the current, but to no avail. The water was gushing around her, carrying her downstream, and despite striking out with all her might, she found herself unable to swim or catch her footing. The water was far more treacherous than she had imagined, freezing cold too, and she was helpless against the force pulling her along. With a final effort, she cried out again as a fresh surge of water overwhelmed her, and she went hurtling down the stream. There were falls further down, and if she could not get to the bank, then she would be swept over and dashed upon the rocks. Desperately she tried to swim, but the water was unforgiving, sweeping her along in its torrent. She could hardly breathe, gasping for breath, as the water hurled her up and out of the current, before pulling her back down. The rain lashed at her face, and the water swirled about her as she felt herself drifting out of consciousness.
“Help me,” she cried out as her head went beneath the water again.
It seemed there was no hope, and with a final gasp, she tried to swim again, her hand reaching out when all of sudden another hand took hold of hers. With great strength, she was pulled through the waters, her head emerging from the depths, as she gasped for breath.
‘I have ye, daenae worry,” came a voice, “ye will be
all right, here we go,” and with another heave, she was dragged up onto the side of the bank.
Evie was coughing and spluttering, her whole body shaking with the chill of the water, and for a moment, she had no idea what had just occurred. It had all happened so fast, and she was almost delirious as she began to babble senselessly.
“I … oh … please …” she cried, but the stranger pulled her further up the bank until she lay panting and breathless on the heathers above the water.
“All right, ye are safe now. But I daenae advise ye to cross the waters like that again. The stream is treacherous after the rains, and ye clearly have nay skill at swimming,” he said, laughing a little.
Evie coughed and spluttered, her mouth and nose filled with water as she struggled to draw breath.
Highlander’s Gypsy Lass (Highlander's 0f Clan Macgregor Book 1) Page 28
