And he did not have to stop and put it down once.
And he talked with Suisan as he walked.
Davidh could hardly breathe himself as he watched this new Colm approach. Every day saw a step towards health. Every day Davidh’s hopes rose in spite of Anna’s warnings about the true nature of Colm’s affliction. He had just been so sick for so long that this improvement, even if a temporary respite from the worst of it, seemed a godsend.
‘Papa!’ Colm called out as he noticed Davidh. ‘Look! Look!’
Colm shifted the bucket into both hands and began trotting towards him. He wanted to urge him to slow, but the expression of sheer joy on his son’s face forced him to remain silent and watch. When his son reached him, half of the water in the bucket had sloshed out. Davidh laughed as he crouched down and pulled his son into a hug.
‘Papa, I carried it all the way,’ Colm said. Suisan reached them and took the bucket.
‘Aye, he did,’ she said, never mentioning the lack of water in the bucket now.
‘How do you feel, Colm? How is your chest?’ Davidh placed a hand on his son’s chest and back, a way he could feel the strength or weakness of his son’s ability to draw breath.
‘I am fine, Papa. Suisan said so. And so did Mistress Mackenzie.’
‘Mistress Mackenzie? When did she visit you?’ Davidh stood and looked at Suisan.
‘She came very early this morn, Davidh,’ Suisan explained. ‘You’d barely ridden away before she knocked on my door.’
Anna had been here? Had she waited for him to leave before seeing to Colm?
‘She said she was in the middle of many things at the cottage, but wanted to bring some supplies for Colm and some of the others in need.’ Suisan gestured to the basket sitting by the doorway that now held trinkets and wrapped bits that were payment for Anna’s help. The woman shrugged and put her bucket down next to it. ‘Colm and I saw that everything was given out.’
He was both disappointed and elated at the same time. That his son was strong enough to walk the length and breadth of the village made that hope within him grow. And yet, Davidh was not pleased that Anna seemed to come and go without seeing him.
‘Did she speak of her return? For I had planned to seek her out.’ Davidh nodded at his son. ‘I thought we could ride out to the falls since the day is a fair one and Colm seems much stronger.’
His son reacted as he thought he would and Davidh had to caution him not to wear himself out before they rode. Soon, Davidh, Colm and the basket for Anna were on their way north, to the end of the loch and on to the falls. He kept the horse from galloping and held his son before him, protecting him from the worst of the jostling along the road.
They rode most of the way in silence, but as they approached the falls Colm began questioning him about them. Davidh spoke of his times as a boy when he and his closest friend Malcolm would try their best to climb the slippery rocks, as Tavish and countless others had, and their failures. When they arrived before the deep pool that captured the flowing water before sending it south to the river, Colm stilled and stared at the falls as they rose overhead.
‘’Tis a long way down.’
‘Aye,’ Davidh said. ‘Tavish is lucky that he broke only his foot and not every bone in his body. Let that be a warning to you and your friends about the danger here.’
He doubted his words would work any better than those of his own father all those years ago. The boys Davidh grew up with spent every possible moment out here trying to make their way up the falls once word of the witch spread. Rumours tied her abilities to the illness the cattle suffered one summer. Other stories spoke of her curses...and of the love philters she could make.
Malcolm had gone looking for one of those.
‘So, how do we find Anna?’ his son asked.
‘’Tis a secret path and I must have your word of honour that you will not share the way with anyone. Not your friends. Not anyone.’ Now that someone lived above, it was for her safety as much as anyone seeking her.
With the solemnity of a man taking Holy Orders, Colm nodded his agreement. Davidh lifted him down to the ground, dismounted and tied the horse to a tree there. Then he crouched down and told Colm to climb on his back—it would be the easiest way to carry him up the steep path. Soon, they were headed to the copse of trees that hid the entrance to the cave and the way up the falls.
It was a slower pace than when he climbed alone, but soon he took the last few climbing steps and stood at the top of the falls not far from Anna’s cottage. As he approached it, the door was open and no one seemed to be within. She must be working in the field she called a garden. The last time he’d seen it, it was much too big to be called a garden.
‘Anna!’ Colm called out over Davidh’s shoulder. Reminded that he yet carried his son, he bent down and let the boy off his back. ‘Anna.’ He scampered towards the woman who was on her knees, digging at something in the dirt. ‘Papa brought me to see you.’
She jumped up at his words, quickly rubbing the dirt from her hands and taking him by the shoulders. She knelt before Colm and touched the back of her hand to his cheeks and forehead. She thought him ill. She’d told Davidh to seek her out if he worsened.
‘Anna, he is well,’ Davidh said, walking to them. ‘He is well.’
The worry did not leave her gaze immediately and did not dissipate until she listened to his breaths and studied his face. She stood and shook out her skirts to remove the dirt she’d collected on them while kneeling there in the field.
‘When you had not returned to the village, I wanted to make certain you were safe up here alone.’ The explanation sounded suspect even to his own ears, but she nodded.
‘I saw this one just this morn,’ she said. ‘But I appreciate having my basket back.’ Davidh had forgotten about the basket his son now held out to her. ‘What are these?’
‘They are...’ he began. ‘Tavish’s mother sent the cheese. The bread is from the baker and his wife. The thread is from Mistress Cameron—the one they call “Peggy”. Oh, and Old Ranald said you can have his needles and threads when you come down next since he willna be using them.’ It all came out of him in an unstopping burst of words and gestures as he explained each and every little thing in the basket and who’d sent it.
‘My thanks for bringing me such treats,’ she said, smiling as she held the basket closer. ‘Though I could have got these when I visited next.’
‘The baker’s bread would have been stale,’ Colm said.
‘They like to pay their debts promptly,’ Davidh added.
‘Ah. I had not thought on that,’ Anna said.
‘More than that, they wanted you to have something for your care and kindness to them.’
She smiled then, first at his son, then she raised her gaze to his and he saw tears shimmering there. Had she not thought those who’d benefited from her treatments would respond like this? Mayhap that was not how it was done in the place where she’d lived before? It mattered not, for she was here now and this was how they would thank her. And in other ways.
‘Do you need help there?’ he asked, trying to change their conversation. The plots of land laid out were covered in overgrown weeds though he knew there must be some plants within the brush and leaves that she wanted to save and cultivate. ‘I could send some of my men to take care of the heaviest work.’
For a moment, she looked as if she would refuse. Then, she stood back and turned away, putting her hands on her hips, her lovely hips, and stared out at the work before her. ‘But you would have to tell them how to get up here.’
‘I could let them try to climb the falls, but I suspect there would not be many willing to do that.’
She laughed then. She turned to face him and let out another burst of merriment that made him smile, as well.
‘You jest!’ she said, nodding at Colm who stared at him as t
hough he spoke a language he did not understand.
‘Of course I jest. I will have them swear an oath as my son did before showing them the way,’ he offered. ‘One that will make them shrivel and die if they reveal the truth.’
Now it was Colm who laughed and Davidh swore he would do whatever was necessary to make such a sound a regular occurrence for his son. He wanted the smile that lit his face now to remain there for ever and the pain and suffering never to return.
‘You did not have your son swear to such a thing!’ She rushed to his side and shook her head. ‘He is too young for such a vow.’ She mussed Colm’s hair up again, something she liked to do each time Davidh saw them together. It was a natural thing to her. As though she understood lads his age.
‘You are under the laird’s protection, Anna. In truth, no one will bother you or they face Robert’s judgement.’
‘Very well, Commander. I would appreciate the help for the tasks I cannot see to myself.’ She took her basket in hand and nodded in the direction of the cottage. ‘Would you like something to drink before you return to the village?’
The words were said with a graciousness and warmth and yet Davidh very much felt he was being told to leave. Glancing around the area, past the cottage and into the forest, he searched for signs of anyone else there. The wind whispered through the trees and the sunlight rippled and threw patterns of light and shadow on the ground. But they were alone.
Colm accepted for both of them and dogged Anna’s steps back to her cottage and waited for her to enter. His curiosity was a welcome thing to witness, but Davidh did not lose sight of his son’s ease at tiring. Too stubborn to admit to such a weakness, Colm would push himself too much and suffer for it later. A drink to refresh themselves and then he would take his son back to the village.
Just as Davidh ducked to enter, something caught his attention and he turned to see a shadow move quickly towards the other side of the cottage. He stepped back, not certain if he’d seen someone or a creature, when Anna called him to enter.
‘I thought I saw someone,’ he said. ‘Between the cottage and the falls.’ She held out a battered cup filled with cold water to him. ‘I wonder if any of the lads did make it up the slippery slope.’
‘I have not seen anyone. Though some deer have been making their way in from the cliffside. I suspect they are waiting to forage on whatever I can get growing in the field there.’
‘Will you need someone to scare them away, Mistress Mackenzie? My friends would do that for you.’ Colm turned his serious gaze to Davidh now. ‘They would swear never to tell, too.’
Anna handed his son a cup and motioned for him to drink it. She placed her arm around his shoulder as he did and then she squeezed him. ‘Firstly, you must be well and strong. So, if you...’
‘Drink all the putrid concoctions and rest...’ Colm finished her sentence, knowing what was coming.
‘Then, your father and I will decide when it is time for you to add your efforts to scaring off the deer.’
‘I think we need to get back to the village, Colm.’
‘But, Papa...’
‘We were a surprise and an interruption to Mistress Mackenzie in her work. Take your leave so she may return to her tasks at hand.’
Strangely, Davidh wished to leave this place and this woman even less than his son did. Something within made him want to work by her side. To come to this cottage at the end of their day’s labours. But he forced himself away from such a reverie and back to his responsibility to get his son home now.
‘We hope to see you in the village soon,’ he said, walking out first. He crouched down and waited for Colm to climb on his back. She laughed again.
‘I did wonder how you managed it,’ she said. ‘Have a care on the way down. The recent rains have made the path near the entrance to the cave slippery.’
Davidh stood and nodded, wrapping his arms around his son’s legs for a better hold. Then he remembered one message he was supposed to pass along to her.
‘Lady Elizabeth, the laird’s wife, would like you to call on her when you are next in the village,’ he said. ‘She was very happy to learn that a new healer was in our midst.’
‘If you see her on the morrow, tell her I will.’
Davidh walked towards the falls and turned to follow the path down. At the last moment before entering the heavy brush that covered the path from prying eyes, he glanced at Anna.
And she stood staring into the shadows, clearly searching the forest for something...or someone. Then, she startled and ran towards him.
‘Davidh. When will you send the men?’ she called out to him.
‘In three days.’ He would speak to Robert on the morrow.
‘I am grateful. My thanks!’
Davidh nodded and turned back to the path, while Colm called out and waved to her. As he walked into the shadows of the thick trees, Davidh glanced back.
Anna stood staring towards the falls with a very worried expression on her face.
Chapter Seven
Anna held her breath as she entered the hall of the keep. All around her, servants carried out their tasks of cleaning or preparing for the noon meal. Others, men on the laird’s business and those who needed his attention, waited near the dais as Robert spoke to those of more importance.
She’d tended to her own matters over the last two days.
Iain was getting restless and bored, a frustrating thing to be told he must not stray and must not be seen or speak to anyone from the village. She could not keep him hidden much longer. And now that she was becoming accepted, mayhap she would not need to. Still, having others know about him was one thing while having them know the truth was quite another.
The good thing was that his curiosity about the lands around the falls and their cottage kept his interest. Hopefully, he would be enthralled for a few more days. His hunting skills had made it possible to trade with the baker and others for needed household items and other foodstuffs. No one asked how she came by the fowl and hares for they each most likely thought others had paid for her help with the various items.
Today, she was not here to seek out the laird but his wife as Davidh had told her. As lady here, Elizabeth Cameron supervised all the women within the keep and saw to the more domestic needs of the clan. From what Anna had gleaned from Suisan, the lady had taken on much work when her husband took his position as chieftain less than a year ago. Turmoil had reigned for too long and there had been no ladywife to take things in hand.
Nor, Suisan had whispered, would any woman have dared, with the late Gilbert Cameron as husband and laird. Two wives of his had died and a challenge to him over that and his other crimes against the Camerons, his own clan, had led to his death. Now, his once-banished older brother and sister-by-marriage controlled the lands and people here.
As she made her way to the door near the front of the hall, Anna nodded to a few people she recognised. She approached one of the servants and explained her purpose. Anna was directed to a small alcove to wait. Within a short time, an older woman entered from behind the dais. The chieftain paused and greeted her so Anna knew this was the lady herself.
For someone old enough to have three grown or nearly grown sons, the lady retained her youthful appearance and carried herself as one much younger than she must be. Wearing not the costly gown and veil of one of such rank and wealth, but the simple gown of a woman working in a household, she surprised Anna. Regardless of her appearance, Anna dropped into a curtsy before the woman who, now that her husband had given his permission, was in charge of her.
‘My lady,’ Anna said, lifting her gaze and then rising at the lady’s signal. ‘The commander said you wished to speak to me.’
‘Anna Mackenzie, is it?’ the lady asked. Anna nodded. ‘We are glad of you settling here, as your mother once did. We are sorely in need of a healer.’ The lady then laug
hed at the inadvertent jest she’d made. ‘Even Old Ranald is pleased and relieved to have someone with skills here now.’
‘I am grateful for the laird’s permission and your welcome, lady. Is there something I can do for you?’
‘I have already heard of your work in the village. Tavish’s father works here and told us of your rescue and treatment of the lad. My boys managed to get into such trouble when they were that age,’ she added. Elizabeth motioned for Anna to walk with her. They went past those assembled there and into a smaller corridor that led away from the hall. ‘Just down here.’
They walked down a short flight of stairs and stopped at the bottom. The lady peered down one hallway and then another before leading on to a doorway at the end of the one to the right.
‘I found this and had thought to ask a brother from the nearest abbey with skills in such to come, but then you arrived and I thought it must be meant for you.’
The lady lifted the latch and pushed the heavy door open. A torch already burned inside the chamber and Anna stepped in behind the lady. Then she glanced around the room.
Bins and bottles. Jars and sacks and baskets. All sorts of containers lay on shelves before her. Dried herbs hung overhead, lending all their scents to the heady mix that filled the room. A small window high in the wall let in some light from outside and she could see there was an abundance of different types and sorts of medicaments already made, as well as the supplies needed to compound more.
‘My lady!’
‘A grand mess of things,’ Lady Elizabeth said. ‘I have not the knowledge to determine if these are beneficial or even safe to use or for what treatments they could be for,’ she said as she pointed around the chamber. ‘But Davidh tells me you do.’
‘My lady, I am not as knowledgeable as a learned brother might be,’ she disclaimed. ‘I am only familiar with those things my mother taught me over the years. Many of these—’ she waved with her hand at the astonishing sight ‘—are unknown to me.’
Anna walked closer to the large work table in the centre of the chamber and studied what lay there. Several of the plants dried and bundled were known to her, but the rest were not.
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