by Katy Baker
"Thanks," she mumbled, staring up at him. "Landing on my ass wouldn't be a great way to start the day.”
A man approached wearing the plaid of the Garrick clan and bowed to Andrew. "If it please ye, my lord, Laird Garrick sends his greetings and asks if ye'll meet him and Lairds MacLeod and MacKinnon this afternoon?"
Andrew groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted was to face his old nemesis. Since he'd thrown Garrick out of Dun Arnwick, Andrew had heard nothing but he knew that Garrick wasn't the kind of person to let such an insult go. Yet, propriety and manners demanded that he accept such an invitation.
He inclined his head. "Tell Laird Garrick I will join him anon."
He turned to Lucy. "I must leave ye now. I'm sure Mona and Annis can show ye the sights."
Mona, hearing her name, came over and put her arm around Lucy. "Don't ye worry about our guest, my laird. We'll take good care of her."
Andrew nodded. He longed to take Lucy in his arms and kiss her farewell but with Mona and the rest of his household watching that would hardly be decent. Instead he gave a stiff bow to the two women and then turned on his heel, waving for Donal and some of the men to join him, and strode off toward Garrick's lodgings.
THE SUMMER FAIR WAS far busier than she'd expected. Lucy hadn't realized there were this many people on the whole of the Isle of Skye. Many of them were merchants from the mainland along with entertainers and visiting family, all come over to the island for the festivities.
Lucy walked down a muddy street with Annis and Mona, looking around at the sights and smells. Stalls selling leather goods of all kinds lined this particular street. They were doing a roaring trade. Haggling was fierce and Lucy heard many raised voices and even a few fisticuffs as the price was agreed. Mona assured her that this was perfectly normal behavior.
On another street they found pens full of livestock. She saw chickens, geese, goats and sheep, all adding their bleating and honking to the cacophony. Every few yards vendors cried their wares, selling whisky by the dram and roasted meat on skewers. To one side of the fair a large field had been roped off and inside contests of strength were in full swing. A large crowd had gathered to watch as groups of men vied to see who could throw a rock the size of a man's head the furthest. In another part of the field a wrestling contest was going on and in another area men fought with wooden swords.
Jamie and some of the other Dun Arnwick children were watching the swordplay with eager faces. Jamie waived at Lucy but he didn't leave his spot by the rope.
Mona tutted. "That lad! He should be doing something useful with his time, not mooning after anyone that can wield a sword!"
"Boys will be boys," Annis replied.
They turned onto a street full of performers and Lucy's eyes widened in delight. She spotted acrobats, jugglers, and people playing instruments of all kinds.
This is more like it, she thought. She stopped to listen at several of the impromptu concerts and was impressed by their skill. Mona tossed the musicians a few coins and they nodded their thanks.
“Look!” Annis said suddenly.
She pointed to a large tent sitting right at the end of the street of performers. It had been painted a garish red and had large yellow stars sewn all over it. A sign outside said Madam Irene, fortune teller and soothsayer.
“That must be her!" Mona said. "Well, what are ye waiting for, lass? Get in there and see her!"
Yes, what am I waiting for? Lucy thought. This is what I've been after since I arrived here.
Yet as she began walking towards the tent her legs felt like lead. What if it was Irene MacAskill? What if she did send Lucy home? What would she do then? Just leave Andrew and all the friends she had made here behind?
She reached the tent and hesitated. The door had been pinned to one side, indicating that the occupant inside was free. Lucy craned her head, trying to see what lay inside but the tent's interior was too dark.
Gritting her teeth, she ducked through the tent flap. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloominess inside. A single candle burned on a small round table. Dried plants and seashells hung from the rafters and Lucy grimaced as she spotted a dead crow hanging there too, its glassy eyes seeming to stare right at her.
“Come to know yer future have ye, lass?”
Lucy jumped. A hunched figure sat at the table slowly placing painted cards in a circle. The figure wore a long robe, the hood hiding the face.
“I...um...” Lucy stammered.
This woman abducted you and took you back in time five hundred years! she told herself. It's time to demand some answers! Anger kindled in Lucy's belly and she stepped forward into the light from the candle flame.
"I don't want to know the future," she said. "I already know that! Don't you recognize me? It was you who brought me here after all! Now I demand you tell me just what the hell is going on!"
The figure sat back. The hands reached up and pulled down the hood to reveal a middle-aged woman with glossy black hair and a gold ring through her nose.
“Whatever are ye talking about, lass?" the woman asked.
Lucy's mouth dropped open. This wasn't Irene MacAskill. In fact this wasn't some wizened old fortune teller at all. This was a robust woman who clearly only acted the part of a crone to get more patrons through the door!
“You're not her," Lucy said.
"I'm not who, lass?" the woman said. "I'm Madam Irene. Who were ye expecting?"
"I'm sorry," Lucy mumbled. "I made a mistake. I thought you were somebody else. Sorry."
Before the woman could reply, Lucy turned and fled. Mona and Annis were waiting outside with curious looks on their faces. Lucy pushed past them and stumbled up the street.
"Well?" Annis asked as she and Mona caught up. "Did she give ye what ye needed?"
"It wasn't her," Lucy mumbled. "Oh my God, it wasn't her!"
She halted in the middle of the street as the full realization of that sank in. It wasn't Irene MacAskill. Lucy still had no idea where the old woman could be found and hence no idea how she might get home. Annis and Mona shared a look. Then Mona put her arm around Lucy's shoulders.
"It doesnae matter, my dear. We'll find her eventually, ye'll see. But until then ye know ye have a place with us.”
Lucy nodded, blinking back tears. Truth be told, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about failing to find Irene MacAskill. Sure, she was disappointed. She wanted answers and the assurance that she could get home if she chose. But beyond that she wasn't half as disappointed as she expected to be. In fact, a tiny part of her was relieved.
She smiled at her two friends. "I know. Thanks. What shall we do now? I vote for trying some of that wine I saw those Italian merchants selling!"
Mona frowned. "I dinna reckon the laird will approve of us drinking."
Lucy rolled her eyes. “The laird can disapprove all he likes! Come on, we've earned it!" Then, before the housekeeper could protest Lucy took one of her arms, Annis the other, and marched her bodily to the wine merchant’s stall.
"THEY'RE GOOD AREN'T they? Laurie said, taking a big bite out of his apple and watching the musicians.
Jamie frowned at his friend. "Aye, but not as good as Lady Lucy!"
The two boys had found herself and the others a short time ago. They all stood watching one of the impromptu musical performances that seemed to spring up around the fair like mushrooms. The quartet across the street were playing fiddle, lute and lyre and a small crowd gathered in front of them were dancing or singing loudly.
They were very good, Lucy had to admit. The amount of coins the crowd tossed to them was testament to that. The crowd parted enough for her to get a good look at the musicians.
“Oh!" she said, putting a hand to her chest. "It's the ones Andrew hired when Laird Garrick visited!"
"So it is," said Mona. "Mayhap they decided to stay on for a while and ply their trade on the island after they played for us."
"Go and join them, Lady Lucy!" said Jamie.
&n
bsp; Lucy waved her hand. "Oh they seem to be doing just fine without me."
But Jamie was having none of it. Before anyone had a chance to stop him he ran across the street to where the performers were playing. The leader bent down and listened as Jamie whispered in his ear, pointing at Lucy. The musician straightened and grinned over at Lucy and beckoned for her to come over.
Lucy blushed under the sudden attention as many in the crowd turned to look in her direction. Annis and Mona laughed.
“That Jamie!" said Mona. "He gets cheekier by the day! The laird is going to have to take him in hand!" But she laughed even as she said it.
"Ye've done it now," Annis added. "I dinna ken how ye are going to wriggle of this one, Lucy!"
The musician was still waving her over and Jamie was all but jumping up and down in excitement. Suddenly Laurie grabbed her hand.
"Come on, my lady," he said in his high, piping voice. "Everyone wants to hear ye play!”
Lucy sighed, realizing she really wasn't going to get out of this. She curled her fingers around Laurie’s and allowed him to lead her across the street and into the small raised area where the musicians were playing. The crowd clapped as she walked onto the makeshift stage. Samuel MacGregor, the leader of the quartet, gave her a flourishing bow and then turned to address the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he announced in his big booming voice. "I'm pleased to have Lady Lucy Jennings join us for this next song. Lady Lucy is from America and has been kind enough to share some of her musical abilities with my troupe in the past. I'm sure ye'll be delighted with her playing."
Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "Big me up why don't you? What happens if I'm terrible?"
Samuel chuckled. "Ah, it’s good to see ye again, my lady. We both know ye willnae be terrible." He handed her the lute and instructed her on what they planned to play. "The five of us together will make them part with their coins like never before!"
The other musicians nodded their agreement and Lucy, feeling a little excited now, took up position next to Samuel. He struck a few chords so the rest of the group could get their tune and timing and then on the count of three they all began playing.
It was a lively tune designed to get people up and dancing and Lucy soon realized it was having exactly the desired effect. The people in the crowd, many of them who had been visiting the ale and wine stalls just as Lucy had, danced in dizzying circles, clasping arms with partners and spinning each other around. Those not dancing clapped along, including Annis, Mona and Laurie who stood at the back of the crowd, grinning in Lucy's direction. Jamie was at the front throwing himself around in circles with a couple of girls about his own age, watched over by their mother.
Samuel began to sing. His refined baritone sailed out over the hubbub of the fair. The crowd cheered and the small wooden buckets placed at the front of the stage were soon filling with coins. As the song ended the crowd erupted into wild clapping and cheering. Lucy set down the lute and turned to her fellow musicians, smiling broadly.
“What did I tell ye?” Samuel said. “Lady Lucy, ye are our good luck charm! Tis the Lord himself who sent ye to us today, I’m sure!”
"You reckon?" Lucy laughed. "It was a pretty good bet that I'd be at the fair today seeing as almost everyone else who lives on the island is!"
“Aye, well I’m grateful all the same.”
Just then, somebody in the crowd caught Lucy's eye. A shaggy haired man was watching them, a man she recognized. Her eyes widened.
“Seamus,” she breathed, remembering the man she’d encountered when she first came to this century. He’d shown her kindness but Andrew claimed he’d stolen his horses. Seamus turned away and began pushing his way through the crowd.
“Seamus! Wait!” Lucy called.
She sprang off the stage and threaded through the onlookers in the direction Seamus was heading. She wanted some answers from him. She’d defended him from Andrew, believing his story about Andrew being the bad guy and Seamus being the victim but now she wanted the truth.
She soon discovered that following anyone in the tightly packed streets of the fair was difficult.
"Excuse me," she mumbled, pushing her way through. "Mind your back! Coming through!"
She slowly gained on Seamus but then he turned a corner and disappeared from view. When Lucy reached the corner there was no sign of him. Lucy's shoulders sagged and she sighed. She was about to give it up and retrace her steps when she heard voices talking. One of them had a broad Irish accent.
She crept closer and peered around the back of a stall. Seamus stood with another man. Three fine looking horses were tethered to the back of the stall which sold dyes for wool.
“Ye’ll see, they are the finest stock," Seamus said. "Clean lines and strong withers. Ye'll find nay better in the Islands."
The man, a dodgy-looking individual if ever Lucy had seen one, bent to inspect the horses’ hooves. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Lucy bit her lip, wondering what to do. It was obvious that the horses were not legally purchased. Otherwise why would he be selling them covertly from the back of a stall, rather than in the open with the other livestock? In fact these horses might very well be Andrew's own. She made up her mind. Looking around, she fixed this place in her memory using a stall draped with a yellow and black plaid as her landmark, then turned and quickly stole away.
Chapter 15
ANDREW WAS FEELING on edge. The fair, a chance for his people to meet with distant kin and generally have a good time, was nothing but a headache for him. There was so much to be done. Meetings with other lairds, talks with merchants, deals to negotiate, prices to haggle, deliveries and shipments to oversee. He would rather be back at Dun Arnwick.
And to make matters worse, his meeting with Lairds Garrick, MacLeod and Mackinnon had not gone well. Just as expected, Garrick had no real business with Andrew at all. Instead, he’d spent the whole time jibing at Andrew but making it so subtle that Andrew couldn’t call him out for it in front of the others. He’d bragged that his wife was now pregnant whilst asking Andrew when he thought he might find a wife. He’d praised the quality of his livestock whilst asking Andrew how he fared with catching the thieves who’d stolen his horses. All the while with that infuriating smirk on his face. It had taken all of Andrew’s self-control not to wipe it off his face for him.
"Are ye listening to me, my laird?" Dougie said.
Andrew startled. "Sorry? What?"
They were sitting in Andrew's room, the desk strewn with parchments detailing the trading deals that had been struck, the excess crops that had been sold, and the upcoming deliveries of goods purchased.
"I asked ye if ye are happy for me to go ahead and agree to the delivery of mead tomorrow morning? It will mean we’ll have to hire an extra wagon to transport it home.”
“Aye. Fine. Whatever ye think, Dougie. “
Dougie nodded and scribbled something on the parchment. He could tell that his old friend’s patience was wearing a little thin. Dougie, like himself, had very little opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of the fair and instead was normally sequestered with his laird, doing his duty.
Andrew placed his hand on Dougie's forearm, stopping his busy scratching at the parchment. “I'll finish that, Dougie. Take the afternoon off and go have some fun."
"Fun?" Dougie said incredulously. "But there's so much to do!”
"And it will get done. I'll see to it. Take a break. That's an order."
Dougie rubbed his chin. "Well, Angus did ask if I'd like to play stones with him and catch up on the news from up north. Mayhap I'll go find him." He pushed his chair back and stood, looking down at Andrew. "Ye are sure ye dinna need me?"
Andrew waved him away. "Go on. Before I change my mind."
Dougie nodded, gave him a brief smile, then turned and strode from the room. After he was gone Andrew leaned back in his chair, stretched his legs out in front of him and rubbed his temples. What he wouldn't give for a few tankards of ale righ
t now. The door suddenly opened and Donal stuck his head inside.
“Lady Lucy would like a word,” Donal said taking up position by the door.
Lucy stepped into the room. She hurried over to him and laid a hand on his arm. Alarm shot through Andrew at the concerned look on her face. He put his hand over hers.
“What is it, lass?" he asked. "What’s happened?"
“It's the horse thief," Lucy said. "Seamus, the guy I met near the church. Remember him? Well he's here, at the fair, and I saw him trying to sell some horses that fit the description of the ones stolen from you."
A shot of adrenaline passed through Andrew's body. The horse thief! Selling his horses right here under his nose!
“Where? When?"
"Not more than half an hour ago. He's posing as a dye seller and has a stall near the wine merchants. I followed him and I don't think he saw me."
Andrew glanced at Donal. "Gather the men. We’ll go and investigate this dye merchant. But by all that’s holy, if he’s stolen my horses I’ll make him regret it!”
Captain Donal nodded and ducked out.
Andrew turned back to Lucy. "Thank ye for bringing this to my attention, lass.”
She nodded, gazing up at him. Andrew's heart fluttered in his chest. He bent his head and softly pressed his lips against hers. It felt wonderful and Andrew wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and forget about the horse thief, the fair, and everything else. But he couldn't.
He broke the kiss more quickly than he would have liked and gently ran his thumb across Lucy's cheek.
“Yer room is ready for ye lass. Go and rest if ye so desire. I'll see ye later."
Lucy nodded and Andrew spun away, hurrying through the lodge and out into the bright sunlight. Captain Donal had already assembled the men and Andrew led them off into the fair. He followed Lucy's directions and it wasn't long before the stall she’d described came into view. He called his men to a halt and they ducked behind a stall on the opposite side of the street, watching the so-called dye merchant go about his business.
