Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He lowered his hands from his ears but opened only one eye. The noise and light were more than he wished to battle together.
A smiling clanswoman stood beside him with a tray of steaming bannocks and two mugs. "Gavin, ye and Calum should drink some barley water and eat a wee bite to fill yer bellies. 'Twill help to ease yer pain."
"My thanks, good woman, but I want naught. Perhaps my cousin—"
"Nay!" Calum's voice groaned miserably from between his hands.
The woman nodded her head as if she understood. "Och, well, I will leave it here in case ye change yer minds." She set the tray and mugs on the floor between their chairs and left.
Gratefully, Gavin closed his eye and covered his ears again. Minutes later, the shrieks from upstairs finally ceased. He sighed with relief, lowered his arms and leaned his head back against his chair but kept his eyes closed against the fire's glare. "Ah, thank the saints. 'Twould seem Nelli has tamed the lass. I vow ne'er have I seen anyone who could out talk our Nelli."
Relaxing back in his chair, he added, "'Tis thankful you should be, cousin, that you do not have to tame Nelli's spirit, instead of that of my sister. I do not think there is a man in all of Scotland strong enough for that. I know I am no match for the job."
Grinning, Gavin opened his eyes and looked across at his friend. Calum's face contorted and he looked about to choke. Gavin sensed movement in back of him. "Och. Do not tell me. 'Tis Nelli that stands behind me and I am done for. Am I right?"
The older woman's stern voice retorted angrily. "Aye, ye are right. Right the fool. Ye best explain where an' how ye found the strange lassie that even now weeps as if her heart has been broken, while ye two sit here doin' naught as if ye have nary a care in the world!"
Gavin raised his hands palms outward as if in surrender. "Now, Nelli, 'tis not as it seems. We knew that you would take good care of the lass. 'Twas such that gave us peace of mind to rest here after our long journey. Come join us. I will gladly tell you what I know."
"Long journey, ha. Swilling ale ye mean." Scowling, Nelli pulled over a bench and sat down, taking up a considerable portion of the seat. "All right. I'm waitin'. An' ye had best tell me the whole of it. Where did ye find the lassie? Why was no one with her?"
Calum spoke up. "'Twas she found us, no the other way around. Gavin and I were ridin' through the woods beneath Ben Dearg almost at gloamin' two nights past. We didna see or hear aught before a rock came hurtlin' through the air and struck me. It fair took my head from my shoulders and knocked me from my horse."
Gavin nodded. "When I saw him fall, I pulled up and prepared for attack. Naught happened for a few moments. Then the strange lass charged out from behind the trees, screaming like a host of banshees and flapping her dark rags at my horse. She so spooked Tairneanach that he threw me and I landed without my sword."
He paused to see what effect, if any, his words had on the old woman. "While I was on the ground, the lass ran toward me shrieking like a wild creature. I tripped her and she fell like a stone and did not move. I vow I did not know she was a wee slip of a lass until I saw her face. I would ne'er have caused her fall had I known."
Calum agreed. "Aye. As I walked over to Gavin, the lass awoke. She jumped up and started wailin' and flingin' her arms about like ary demon. He caught hold of her and we bound her hands and put her away from us beneath a tree."
Nelli crossed her arms over her ample waist. "Do ye mean to tell me that the lass felled ye both wi' nay help? Ye saw naught but her in the forest?"
"Aye," Gavin said. "Later, while Calum and I were standing by the horses, the lass tried to take meat from the fire. She could not do it with her hands bound and only succeeded in burning herself. We tended to her injured fingers and then I fed her."
Calum chuckled. "Aye, he fed her aright and she bit him in thanks. Afterward, we bedded down for the night. Gavin tried to convince the lassie to lie down on one of his plaids, but she no understood his meanin' and set up to screamin' again." He shrugged then continued. "Once, I thought I heard her speak but then she screeched so wild, 'twould seem I heard wrong. We gave her the plaid and left her be. Since she was alone, we brought her with us for her safe keepin'."
A muscle in Gavin's jaw tightened as he remembered the fear in the woman's eyes. "Tell me, Nelli, has the lass spoken to any of the women?"
The older woman shook her head. "Nay, nary a word. She didna speak even when the lassie saw we meant to take her clothes from her to bathe her. She just turned wild. Meggie told her we were no goin' to harm her but the lassie was too frantic to listen."
A slight smile lit Nelli's face. "I told the lass that her skirlin' an' screechin' would do her nay good. Then I just picked her up an' put her in the tub, rags an' all. After she quieted a wee bit, we bathed her. Ye should have seen the servin' girls when they finished. I trow they were wetter than the lass."
Nelli straightened her tunic and spoke more seriously. "We dressed the lass in one of Meggie's old gowns an' she seemed content till she remembered a wee bundle she had tied about her neck. She had fought us to keep it when we took away the rags she was wearin'. The puir lassie pulled the thing out from the neck of Meggie's old gown, held it to her face an' fell down, cryin', as if her heart was broken."
Gavin frowned. "What is in the bundle?"
"I dinna ken. The lass wouldna let us touch it. I hoped ye might ken and could tell me more about her." Nelli shook her head sadly and sighed. "'Twould seem we will just have to bide our time an' watch after the lass until she speaks an' tells us aught."
Gavin shrugged, not sure that the woman would ever tell them what had caused her sad state. "Do you think she can speak? I do not know how to make her realize we mean her no harm and will protect her if she cannot understand us."
"'Tis no for me to say. I will treat the lass wi' my tonics and see that she is well fed. Meggie will befriend her. 'Tis all we can do. God willin', the lass will be hale anon." Sighing, Nelli rose ponderously from the bench and left the hall.
Calum said, "What say ye, cousin? Do ye agree with her? Do ye think the lass will be hale in time?"
"I do not know, but I will do everything in my power to see that she loses that haunted look in her eyes. No lass should fear the way she does." Gavin stood. "I must speak to the steward and learn of aught that has happened whilst we have been away."
"Aye. I will oversee the unloading of the supplies and goods we brought back with us. If ye have need of me, I will be in the storehouse."
"Aye," Gavin replied. He watched his cousin cross the great hall and disappear from sight. Calum was an honorable man and a good friend. God willing, he would become a brother by law for he had been in love with Meggie ever since he had been sent as a lad to live with their family some ten years ago. Aye, Calum would make a fine husband for her one day.
#
Nelli spoke to Megan as she walked into her chamber. "And how is our wee lass farin' now?"
"I fear she is still vexed. Perhaps one of your tonics would help to calm her. After she is rested, I will take her to walk in the garden for a time. I daresay the pleasing surroundings may help to lighten her spirit."
"Aye, Meggie. 'Twill nay take me long to make."
Nelli looked over her shoulder at the woman as she walked through the doorway. The lass' abundant deep black hair hung smooth and straight down her back to her waist. Her face was pale, but whether she was normally so, 'twould take time to tell. The paleness and drawn look might be from aught the lass had experienced, more than her natural appearance. Her heart shaped face and high cheekbones framed a pleasant shaped mouth but the shadows around her deep blue eyes drew attention to her overly thin face and figure.
Nodding to herself, Nellie silently walked down the stone corridor to her herb room. Once she put some meat on the lass' frame, she will be a verra comely woman. Not as bonny as Meggie of course. But still, bonny enough. Mayhap Gavin will take notice.
Walking through th
e castle kitchen, into a small alcove where she kept her herbs and potions, Nelli took down a dried bundle of motherwort from a peg in the wall. Then she opened a small wooden casket containing dried, ground valerian. She put two pinches of the valerian along with four sprigs of the dried motherwort in an earthen bowl.
She ground the two herbs to a fine powder with a stone pestle, poured them into a worn, brown clay bowl and added some boiling water from the cook fire. After a few minutes, she poured the infusion through a fine woven piece of linen draped over a mug containing some warmed wine and a dash of honey.
As the last of the infusion drained through the cloth, she put away her pestle and ingredients and tidied her work area. "Nay good healin' e'er came from a dirty crock," she muttered to herself as she put the last things away.
After checking to see that all of the liquid had run through her straining cloth, she carefully gathered the ends of it together and removed it from the mug. Then she spread it open on a wide wooden board to dry.
Later, when the mixture in the cloth had dried, she would shake clean her straining cloth and put it in its place, ready for the next time 'twas needed. She glanced about her to make certain all was where it belonged, and nodding to herself, carried the mug to Megan's chamber.
Nelli's knees creaked and she muttered as she climbed the stairs. "'Tis getting too old, I am, to go up and down these stairs so often." Then she shrugged. "But, if 'tis for my Meggie or her brothers, I trow these old bones will climb, no matter."
She carefully stepped over the tripping step so as not to spill any of the tonic. When she arrived at Megan's chamber, she noticed the lass looked wary but nay jumped up or tried to run, as before. Mayhap Meggie's pleasant nature had begun to affect the lass.
Megan looked up and smiled. "Ah, Nelli, thank you. I have been telling our new friend that you are a wondrous healer and that you were preparing a soothing drink for her. I do not know if she understood aught I said, but she does not seem as frightened as before."
When Nelli offered the drink, the lass took it in her bandaged hands and drank the contents. Her face puckered at the taste.
"Aye," said Megan. "'Tis not as tasty as you might wish but 'twill aid you."
The lass seemed to hesitate as if pondering over an idea, and then handed the mug up to Nelli with a small smile.
"Nelli, did you see that? I vow she was thanking you."
"Of course, I saw it. 'Tis naught wrong wi' my eyes. Well now, lassie, ye will be feelin' better soon. Meggie, dinna have her walkin' down those stairs till ye see how strong my tonic affects her. I dinna wish to be settin' broken bones this day."
Megan stood up and hugged Nelli lovingly. "Thank you. What would we do without you?"
"Hmph," Nelli snorted. But she smiled and patted Megan's shoulder before she left the room.
Megan turned her gaze to her new companion. The melancholy expression on her face touched her heart. "Now, none of that look. You are to be feeling better, not sad. Do you think you can walk a wee bit with me?"
Pulling the lass to her feet, Megan watched her new friend closely, as she led her around the room to see if she was experiencing any ill effects. "How do you fare?"
Megan clamped her lower lip between her teeth in concentration as they walked. With surprise, she saw the lass tilt her head and mimic her expression. So startled by her mimicking, Megan did not look where she stepped. All of a sudden, the back of her legs bumped up against a chair. She lost her balance and sat down in the chair with a plop.
The look of utter surprise on Megan's face must have touched a place hidden away in the lass' heart, for she giggled.
Her laugh delighted Megan and soon they were giggling together. Looking up, she saw Calum standing in her open doorway, watching them.
"Meggie, I trow we brought a silent sparrow to Kirkholm. Surely I thought wrong. Ye two sound more like chirpin' chickadees."
Megan smiled at him then looked back at her new friend. The drastic change in her expression baffled Megan. Just a moment earlier, she had seemed happy and relaxed. Now she stood rigid with her hands at her throat and a glazed look in her eyes. As Megan watched, she sank to her knees and rocked back and forth, moaning to herself.
"God's bones, Meggie. What's wrong with the lass? She acts as looby as when we found her."
"Do not speak so! I know not what happened. She drank one of Nelli's tonics before you came and she was happy and giggling."
Calum shook his head. "Mayhap it had an ill effect on the lass. Ye say she was content earlier but she is nay so now. If ye wish to fetch Nelli, I will stay with her."
Megan looked over at the woman as she moaned loudly. "No, thank you. I will just let her rest for a time. If she is recovered by the evening meal perhaps I will bring her to dine in the great hall."
"Aye, Meggie. Be watchful around the lass. We dinna know what she may do."
Calum cast an anxious glance at the lass then turned and left the room.
#
The late afternoon sun warmed Gavin's face as he walked across the courtyard to the storehouse. He was well pleased with the assurance his steward had given him that all were thriving at the keep and there had been no trouble while he and Calum had been gone. His journey each year took him far from Kirkholm much longer than he wished, leaving him eager to return and make certain that his family and clan fared well.
Since there had been no problems for him to solve, he had time on his hands. Perhaps he should check with Calum to see how he fared with the tallying and storage of the goods they had brought back. He smiled as he thought of their profits from the sale of their herd.
There were several bolts of fine linens, jugs of usquabae, tools for woodcraft and farming, jars of herbs and ointments. But the finest of the things was the grand spinning wheel carved from Irish blackthorn. It had taken some careful planning to get it inside Kirkholm without Megan finding it. 'Twould be a fine addition to the solar and his sister would be pleased with it, to be sure. Now, if he could just convince Calum to ask for her hand, Gavin could give his blessing and present Megan with it as a wedding gift before it became dry and cracked from disuse.
He remembered searching the market place in Braemar looking for goods Nelli and his sister had requested. The spinning wheel had been on the back of an Irish weaver's wagon, lumbering through the street. Its smooth polished wood had glistened in the sunlight, catching his eye. There had been just enough profit from his share of the sale of their cattle to purchase it after buying the essential things he had come for.
Ducking his head as he passed through the low doorway to the storehouse, he walked over to the far wall where Calum was noting the goods in a leather book. "How did we fare?"
"Well, very well. There willna be hunger at Kirkholm this winter. If need be, we have extra goods to barter for aught we lack."
Gavin found the spinning wheel standing beside a small crate of usquabae. "Aye, as long as we do not barter this." He spun the wheel. Gaelic symbols carved and painted on its spokes danced in the sunlight that shone through the room's small window. When the wheel stopped, he ran his fingers down the symbols, naming them one by one till he reached the center hub with its deeply carved Claddagh. That same shape was etched into the hearthstone in the great hall.
Gavin looked over at his cousin. "When do you plan to ask for Megan? You know you have my blessing. 'Twould be a shame to make the lass wait overlong for such a fine wedding gift."
Calum shrugged. "I will ask her soon. I only wished to bide a while till the lass comes to her senses and admit she loves me." A large grin spread across his face. "I think she has finally come to that conclusion. I but wait to hear her say the words."
Gavin clapped him on the back. "Good man. Till then perhaps you should store the spinning wheel out of sight. I would not wish one of our lasses to pledge herself to me for want of the thing."
"Ha, as if any would have ye."
Chuckling, Gavin walked back toward the keep. 'Twas heartening to k
now the clan had fared well with the sale of their cattle this year and there would be plenty of food and clothing for everyone when winter came. The thought of clothing brought him to a halt. Had Meggie found clothes for the lass he had brought to Kirkholm? Perhaps by now, with food and rest, she had spoken. As laird, 'twas his duty to learn how she fared.
Entering the great hall, he scanned the faces of the few people there. Megan and the lass were not among them. They must still be in his sister's chamber.
Climbing the stairway, he thought of this morn when he had checked on the lass' welfare. She had been as angry as a swarm of bloodthirsty midges. With luck, Megan's pleasant demeanor had calmed the woman. Aye, perhaps he would have a chance to—
All at once, Gavin found himself sprawled on the stairs. Embarrassed, he hurriedly righted himself and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Thank the saints none were about. God's bones, what ailed him? He had climbed those stairs all his life. The fact that he stumbled over the tripping step told him just how deep in thought he'd been. When he gave the lass into Megan's keeping, he had hoped to lessen his thoughts of her, not break his neck from further contemplation.
Carefully, he stepped over the unique stair. It had been carved when the keep was first built, long before his sire had been born. The step's subtle difference in height had been done purposely to throw off the quick ascent of any intruders unfamiliar to the castle.
By the saints, if his men learned his reaction to the lass caused him to fall from his horse and trip over his own feet they might doubt his ability as laird. Smoothing his kilt into place, he took a deep breath and pulled his shoulders back. He had best keep his wits about him.
As he walked the short distance to Megan's chamber, he listened for crying and wailing as he had heard earlier. All was quiet. 'Twas a good sign. He knocked on the thick wooden door and waited.
"Aye, enter."
The Talisman (Heart of the Highlander Series Book 2) Page 5
