Henri had felt absolutely nothing as he had taken this woman's life. He left the room and pulled the door closed behind him. The next door was also closed, so he turned the knob slowly and stepped inside. Again, he was met with the scent of flowers and some kind of herb. The bed in this room was over by the window, which was cracked just slightly, as if to allow some fresh air into the room, he thought. He could still hear that noisy owl calling "hoo hoo" as he came closer to the bed. Did that bird never sleep?
As he crept closer to the bed, the woman suddenly turned over in her sleep! His heart began to pound so loudly he as sure she could hear it. He waited, barely breathing, until she settled back into her blankets again. She sighed deeply and then he looked at her. This woman was probably no more than fifty years of age, not young certainly, but she probably had some years left, and she had such a kind expression on her face.
Henri jerked the pillow from beneath the woman's head and placed it over her face. ":Whaa . . . wh . . . No!" This movement had awakened the woman, and she tried to push Henri away. After a brief struggle, he had to get up on the bed and straddle her body.
"Hel. . . help!" She managed to get the words out, but there was no one around to hear. Unable to think of anything else, Henri struck her on the chin with his fist, and she ceased her struggling. He hesitated briefly, then put the pillow over her face and held tightly. He didn't like to hit a woman, but he had no choice. She was still now, and quiet — for all time.
Henri was glad to have this job over with, and he would start his trip back to Warwick Castle to claim the remainder of his payment. As it was, Warwick had just paid his most recent debts, so Henri had no choice but to do this job. He didn't particularly like Warwick personally, but did like his coin.
He started back down the stairs intending to leave the same way he came in, when he heard some commotion coming from the kitchen.
"Malcolm! Leave that bread alone. The missus will blame me if there's not enough for breakfast!"
Henri halted his step on the stairs, trying to figure out what to do now. There were more people moving about in the middle of the night than he would ever have expected. Jesus! They would find that girls' body any minute now!
"Ah, Miss Ethel! She'll not miss a couple of slices!" And off the lad went smiling and taking two thick slices of the still-warm bread. The cook had come to work much earlier than usual as she had extra cooking to do for a gathering of local folk to be held at the kirk. Just a couple of days ago she had been in her usual place, the kitchen, when her mistress walked in.
"Good morning, Ethel. We'll be needing some cakes and sweets for the gathering at the kirk on Sunday. I promised the vicar you would prepare some of your wonderful currant scones and maybe one of your special custards. Do you think you could do that?" asked Mistress Cameron.
"Of course, milady. 'Twould be me pleasure. The vicar has a sweet tooth hisself, so I'll be sure to make a couple of extras for him personally!" laughed Ethel.
Malcolm, too, had come early as it was his job to keep the fireplaces going, and he needed to bring wood in early before the household awoke.
Henri had thought he would have plenty of time do his work and then leave, but he had apparently misjudged these early risers. Now he had to find a way to leave this place and right now! He watched as the young lad left and the cook went out another door that took her into the garden.
Moving with purpose, Henri fled through the kitchen, halting long enough to grab a loaf of the freshly baked bread sitting on the counter. This was one of the loaves the lass had just taken out of the oven when he had encountered her in the kitchen. He then continued down the cellar steps, stopping to take a bottle of wine also.
"Now that's what I call luck! Bread and wine for my trip home." At least he would have something to eat and something to keep him warm on his return trip back down to England, he reasoned. And he left, with never a moment's regret at having snuffed out three lives on this dreadful evening.
He headed directly to the stable, hoping not to run into anyone else. There were a lot of people at this one household. Warwick hadn't exactly told him what he might encounter, but this was more than he bargained for. He was now responsible for three deaths, and there was still the stable boy who could identify him.
"He'll have to find me first and that'll be difficult to do. England is quite a ways from here, and I've gotten away from many others who are still looking for me." He spoke to himself which was not unusual for him. Most of his jobs required that he work alone, so muttering to himself had become part of his ritual.
Practically running to the stable, he turned the corner at the last stall. Then he heard that blasted owl again! "Hoo hoo. Hoo hoo." Henri felt chills running up his back. That owl seemed to be everywhere.
"Will you stop that noise! I can feel you looking at me, bird!"
He knew it couldn't be, but he mounted up and fairly flew out of the stable slapping his horse with his whip. He needed to put a lot of territory between himself and this estate. He saw no one, but couldn't be sure that no one had seen him.
In just a few days, he was back in England and made his way to Warwick Castle. He reported to Lord Warwick he had completed his task and no one had seen him nor heard him. And, he was correct, no one had seen him, nor heard him — except the owl, that is, whose mournful cry could be heard all across the moor surrounding the estate.
CHAPTER 34
Caitlin readied herself for another day of riding, after a strange night filled with disturbing dreams. She couldn't quite recall it clearly, but she had heard Willie whimpering and raised up to listen. She heard nothing, but for just a moment, she caught a scent that always raised the hair on her arms — like Alex's scent. Of course, she knew he wasn't here. But Willie continued to whimper and stand until she told him to lie back down. If there had been any danger, he would have been much more alarmed. She immediately returned to the dream world and gave Willie's whimpering no mind.
Caitlin liked this horse, but was ready for a real bed, some real food, and was more than ready to walk on her own two feet. But, for now, this big guy was a life saver for her. She still smiled when she remembered that she had stolen him. Riding was certainly a lot better than walking. But she did get off his back frequently in order to give him a break.
"Caitlin, you must care for your animals the same way you care for your family. They will return your care in more ways than you know." Uncle Wabi had taught her to do this when she was very small and learning to feed her new puppy.
More often than not, she found herself thinking about Uncle Wabi, and now the dreams were a nightly ritual. Uncle Wabi was calling her from deep in the forest somewhere and it looked familiar to her. But, where was it?
As she tried to follow a path that seemed to be going north, she hoped she would get to the Black Isle soon. Maybe then it wouldn't be too much farther to MacKinnon land.
"If only Uncle Wabi were here! He would know what to do." Caitlin addressed Willie who just wagged his tail and let his tongue hang out. Just at that instant, the owl flew in front of her face, flapping his wings and "standing still" it seemed to her.
"If you want to talk to him, then just call for him! It's as simple as that, you ninny!" The owl's eyes looked even larger than ever.
Caitlin, jolted back to her senses, just shook her head. That owl had spoken to her again! Just like yesterday, and it's the same voice that was in the cave. Obviously the "impossible" was no longer "impossible!"
It was late, all was dark, and Caitlin stopped for the evening. Frustrated beyond words, she lashed out at the owl.
"Just call him . . . just like that! Well, should I just yell to the top of my voice calling Uncle Wabi, Uncle Wabi?" she asked. For a woman who had always prided herself on being level headed and intelligent, she felt most foolish and, truth be know, just a little afraid.
"No, of course you don't yell! How ridiculous!" said Owl, clipping his words in a truly English fashion. Realizing the girl was mos
t uncomfortable, Owl decided to calm down, get his feathers back together, and try to help her.
"Dear girl. Get off that horse and let's sit down here under the trees and discuss the matter at hand." He sounded so very British and so very proper that Caitlin didn't know whether to laugh or scream.
Pulling the reins back gently, something the animal was not used to but liked, she stopped and got off. Her backside was too sore to contemplate, and sitting on the ground was a great relief.
"Now, dear girl, just relax. That is required to learn this most essential skill. I, too, wish that Wabi were here. He is much more adept at this sort of undertaking than I. But, if you will listen, I am quite sure that we may accomplish our goal of learning to communicate with other species. It's child's play, actually. Relax . . . just relax," said the owl.
Caitlin peered over at Willie as if he may have some explanation that could be helpful. But her wolf was just lying at her feet, enjoying this whole experience, or so it seemed. So, lying back on the soft grass, she tried to relax.
"Start with your feet and work up to the top of your head," said Owl.
So, Caitlin, well experienced at teaching patients to relax their muscles in order to help with the healing process, mentally went through the process of starting with her toes, up to her ankles, then the calves, feeling each muscle becoming more relaxed. Then she moved to the upper thighs, the abdomen, muscles along the spinal column, which she knew could create backaches, and even higher to the shoulders. She felt completely relaxed and could almost have gone on to sleep, a thought that was very enticing.
"Yes, that's right. Now, just picture Master Wabi in your mind . . . remember how his voice sounds . . . and open your mind to receiving a message from him."
"Open you mind, Caitlin. Open your mind, Caitlin." She whispered the words to herself.
Then, she did indeed see Uncle Wabi in her mind. He was in the same woods she saw in her dreams, but this time she recognized where he was. He was walking along the edge of the water, picking his way through the ruins of an old castle that had been there since the Vikings, along his property line in Skye, the place where he did a lot of the training with his dogs. She could see the small inlet that led from the sea to a rocky area farther inland. It actually seemed that she could hear the wind whistling through the tall trees on the bank! And the water became a stream and made a tinkling sound as the water cascaded down the rocks and came to rest in the larger pool of water.
Just at that moment, her scalp began to tingle, as it had in the cave when the commander was coming for her. She panicked! Immediately, the tingling stopped and she could no longer hear the water. What had happened?
"Oh, Owl! I could hear the water and see Uncle Wabi in my mind. But my scalp began tingling and it scared the daylights out of me! That's what happened in the cave! Does that mean the commander is near? We must leave!" And she started to jump up.
"Hold on, dear girl! The commander is not near. You know that Willie would tell you if he were. No, no, my dear. The tingling scalp is apparently the way your body tells you someone is trying to communicate with you, or you with them. It is exactly what should be happening. Now, no fear. All is well. Try again, dear girl, just once more."
After a brief moment, Caitlin went through the relaxation process once again, having been assured by Owl that this tingling was to be expected. Once her muscles were all at ease, the tingling came back, but stronger this time.
She closed her eyes and almost instantly she was aware of a strong scent of leather, cinnamon and oranges. Uncle Wabi was near! She knew that scent as it permeated his very being and was something she knew from childhood.
"Uncle Wabi? Can you hear me?" she whispered very softly, as if afraid the he might just hear her! And then what?
A momentary roar of wind filled her ears and she put her hands up to them as if to block the sound.
"Caitlin? Yes, Cait, I can hear you! Splendid my girl, splendid! I was beginning to think you were never going to answer the calling. But, for reasons known only to the Creator, you have embraced your destiny, and I am glad!"
"Uncle Wabi! I can hear you, too! However can we be doing this? I don't understand any of this. Why did you not explain this to me when I was younger? What is the purpose of my 'calling?' What does it mean?"
"Oh, well, that would take some time, explaining, and we'll discuss all at a later time. But, for now, just know there is a line of communication available to you. But only in times of great distress. Trust your instincts and intuition, Caitlin, for they'll not lead you astray. Know that I'm here and always within your reach."
Very quickly, the roar returned briefly and then total silence. She could feel Uncle Wabi was no longer there. But, my, what an experience!
Owl had kept himself mute during this exchange, but then hopped closer to Caitlin, waiting for her to gather her wits. He could see this was a very moving experience for her and he knew it could leave one a bit disoriented. But, he could see she was very excited and her eyes were sparkling.
"Ah, I see you no longer fear the power, but wonder what else lays in store for you. That's a step in the right direction," offered Owl.
"Owl, I'm glad you're here. Having you close somehow makes me feel Uncle Wabi is near, and I'm not as alone as I thought."
"Yes Caitlin, I am here."
"Well, then, let's continue. We should pass through the Black Isle by nightfall and that's a major accomplishment as it will mean we are getting closer to MacKinnon land. Hopefully Commander Campbell will have sorted through his grief enough to know I'm not to blame for his son's death, but I'll feel safer when we get farther north."
CHAPTER 35
Jack tried to figure out what he would do if he were wearing Alex's boots. It was no secret that Alex was going to some great lengths to ensure this healer came to no harm. But, after that? What then? She certainly had a mind of her own, and he laughed when he remembered her putting Alex in his place when he suggested she should come with them. Well, now, Alex may be in charge on the farm, but Jack was not so sure the healer would feel that way about him.
It was way past time for Alex, actually all three of them, to find a woman and wed. Their Mam had taught them manners, how to treat women, and had told them to "listen to ye heart as it will no lead ye astray," and they had believed her. But, up in the Highlands, as far up as they were, there weren't a lot of occasions in which a man could meet a woman, especially one that would agree to live on a sheep farm with a whole house full of men and not another woman in sight. Mam never complained, but just caring for a house full of men was quite an undertaking. But, when he thought about it, just remembering her face, almost always smiling, he realized that to Mam it wasn't a chore. She accepted her place and took as much pride in her work as they did in raising the finest sheep in the country. Mam was special. Yes indeed.
Alex had, a long time ago, sort of taken up a little bit of time with a woman a few years older than he. He had met her when he had gone down to Edinburgh to "study" as Mam had wanted.
"Ah, Jack. You shoulda seen her! There was certainly some physical chemistry between the two of us, and I thought maybe she was the one for me. 'Course, this woman was an English woman, a real English rose, who could take her pick of men. So, we began a courtship which, initially, had seemed amenable to both of us. She was keenly intelligent, brother, and I actually liked that in her. Oh, you wouldn't believe the discussions we had relating to cultures, beliefs, and philosophy., Now, as it was, we often disagreed about some issues, but that was alright too, kept things more interesting! As you know, I hadn't had much experience with women, and finding one who had an opinion on many things was exciting. The one thing we most disagreed on, however, was the differences between us Scots and the English folk. Well, after some time, these differences began to surface more often and we didn't just discuss them now. We actually had begun arguing about most everything. The final straw was when my English rose constantly referred to Scots as 'all a bunch of
heathen, unschooled barbarians.' Well, I was gentleman enough not to point out to her that she had received her education in Edinburgh from some of these very Scots that she so disliked!"
Alex was proud of his Scottish heritage, and even if most Scots were not educated as this English rose had been, he was well aware that most of them were very intelligent and able to survive and thrive when others could not. That alone was enough for all the McKinnon men to wear their heritage with pride.
"Well, in the end, I realized she would never see me as anything other than heathen, even if I was pursuing an education. As it turned out, it was just as well we parted. But, ye ken, I found that even though I enjoyed many of the discussions by the masters, particularly the Greek classics and learning more of the geography of the world, the classroom was just too confining for my likes. I needed to be outside, feeling the wind on my face, listening to the calls of the birds and animals, and smelling the peat fires on a chilly evening."
And, most of all, Alex needed to be surrounded by his family. So, he ended his relationship with the English woman and shortly returned to his home where his heart was.
"And what about you?" Jack spoke aloud to himself, and maybe Goliath if he was listening.
Jack had grown up in these mountains, surrounded by a beauty that he was still aware of every time he looked around himself. There was never any doubt in his mind this was where he belonged. He had never wanted to go to Edinburgh for any reason, well, maybe just to see the sights, but never to stay very long. He worshipped his older brothers and had never resented them. There had never been time for much bickering about family position. Everybody knew they were loved and needed, and that was enough for Jack.
As for women, he had danced with a few girls at a local ceilidh now and then, but never had found one he thought fit in with his idea of living, which was staying on the sheep farm and being around family. Plus, the biggest obstacle in his pursuit of any woman was his size. They all seemed to think he was some sort of giant and were usually afraid of him.
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