A Healer for the Highlander

by TERRI BRISBIN

  ‘I will give serious thought to this, Davidh. And I thank you for the generous offer of your house.’

  A house. Not a cottage as he’d described it previously. Well, he’d not truly mentioned it during the tour of the village and the only part of the village they’d not visited had been the place where several stone buildings sat. She’d thought them storehouses, yet could one of those be his house?

  The strangest thing about this offer was what came next.

  He nodded, spoke his farewells and took his leave of her, heading down the path to the falls and below. Anna watched his every step and did not move after he’d been gone for several long moments.

  Would he accept whatever her decision was?

  This man, who held the power to order men, nay, everyone save one in this clan, to do his bidding, had given her a choice in this matter? He must know that few would consider not doing whatever he bade them do. Especially women. She’d witnessed the deference to him from those in the village, but the women they’d passed or met had other emotions in their gazes.

  Admiration. Approval. Liking. A need to please him. Even frank wanting. The things one saw in the eyes of those looking on a man who held the trust of their laird.

  They were not hard to identify if one had lived in a village, among closely knit kith and kin. One where powerful men made the difference between existing and living. Or living in some measure of comfort.

  Where those men were accustomed to being obeyed and not questioned. Whether this newest laird was less brutal than his predecessor or not, this second offer was not something to ignore or refuse lightly. And not without specific reasons that the laird and his man would accept and not take as an insult.

  Not a few times, she had recognised the other emotions directed at her.

  Surprise. Curiosity. Jealousy. Each one of those was a danger to her, to her son. Women might not rule clans, but they held certain power and wielded it in a different way from the power and the ways of men. Yet, women and their powers were no less dangerous. Indeed, it had been village women who’d caused the most trouble for her mother here all those years ago.

  Their rumours. Their veiled accusations and questions. The suspicions they raised and voiced.

  Anna shook her head to no one but herself then. She’d understood the mistakes her mother had made here and had pledged not to make the same ones. If she moved to the village, and it was looking as though she must and she should, she would handle the challenges in a manner unlike her mother had.

  Regardless of the dangers, this offer was exactly what she’d hoped for when she’d planned to bring Iain back to Malcolm’s family. Better still, it would put him in the centre of things and give him the opportunity to learn so much.

  Anna entered the cottage to find Colm asleep on the pallet there. Iain sat at table, working on the few adjustments to the falcon. Davidh had only seen the three carvings, but Iain had dozens more in his trunk. She sat next to him as he held the bird up to check it. He nodded in satisfaction and placed it there before them.

  ‘We must speak,’ she whispered to him as she threw a glance at the sleeping boy. ‘The commander and the laird have invited us to move to the village.’

  Her son’s face brightened and guilt pierced her heart. Her aim had been to keep him safe, but the result was it had kept him isolated. So, while she visited the village and met people, he’d been hidden away here on his own.

  ‘Can we?’ Iain asked.

  ‘’Tis not how or what I had planned for our life here and yet I think we must.’ Anna shrugged. ‘The commander has offered the use of his house to us. And promised to see to your training as apprentice to the carpenter.’

  Excitement bubbled within him. This was an amazing opportunity and it would give him everything he’d ever asked of her.

  Kith and kin.

  To know his father’s people.

  A chance to hone his skills and learn a craft.

  Iain had no idea of her final goal for him and the true reason for her bringing him back here—and he would not for now. First, she would allow him and the Camerons to learn about each other. Then, they would be in a better position to make his claim.

  Without realising it, and while thinking it was to show his gratitude, Davidh Cameron had handed her the perfect opening for her plan. More so than that, by introducing and sponsoring her son to his laird and their clan, he would be seen as supporting Iain’s position when the truth was out. A pang of guilt shot through her as she nodded to her son. A strong warning, but not strong enough to turn her from her goal—Malcolm Cameron’s son taking his rightful place as heir to the chieftain.

  As his father had been all those years ago.

  And if it meant deceiving the commander to attain that, she would regret using him in this manner, but would not turn away from it. The guilt would be hers to bear while the high seat would be her son’s to inherit.

  She bade Iain to sleep for the next day would be a busy one. Though her son fell right into sleep’s grasp, it did not take her. So, she spent the next hours organising her thoughts on the best way to move all of their belongings and her supplies and plants. The only variance between this time and her move from her mother’s village was that she was not even fully settled in here yet.

  Anna did not begin packing, for on the morrow she would take Colm back to the village and inspect the house. No matter where she lived, she would need to tend to the plants and herbs she’d just planted here. Now, though, instead of living here and visiting the village, she would do the opposite.

  * * *

  ‘Wait, Colm.’ Anna rushed after the boy who insisted on running down the road into the village. ‘You must not run!’ she called out.

  He slowed then and Anna caught up with him, taking hold of his hand and waiting for Iain to reach them. Now people called out greetings to her and Colm while scrutinising her son. They would know him soon enough. They walked towards the ever-present smoke rising from the smithy and found Suisan working within.

  ‘Mistress Mackenzie!’ she called out. ‘Malcolm Cameron!’

  The woman grabbed Colm and dragged him to her ample bosom, rocking him and murmuring words in his hair. The boy allowed it, probably due to his father’s reprimand about worrying one and all by his reckless behaviour. The boy did not fight it and Anna understood the genuine affection between this motherless child and the woman who cared for him.

  ‘So, are ye moving to the village after all?’ Suisan said, after releasing Colm. The blacksmith’s wife leaned over and glanced behind Anna. ‘And who is this fine young lad?’

  ‘Suisan, I would make you known to my son, Iain.’ She tugged Iain in front of her. ‘Iain, this is Mistress Cameron. Her husband is the blacksmith there.’

  ‘Mistress Cameron,’ Iain said as he nodded a slight bow to the woman.

  ‘Well, no mistaking him for anything but a Cameron,’ Suisan said. ‘His colouring is yours, though.’ The woman waited and Anna knew she hoped for more details about her son, but Anna just smiled and nodded agreement.

  ‘Colm!’

  Anna turned at the call and saw the same small gathering of boys who’d been waiting at the bottom of the falls. Davidh’s son looked out the door and she saw the hesitation in his manner.

  ‘They are waiting for you,’ Suisan said. ‘Go. Speak to them.’

  Colm raised his serious glance to Suisan. ‘Papa told me they had been punished for...what happened.’

  ‘Aye, they have. ’Tis over and done now. Go on with ye,’ she said once more. ‘Take Iain with ye, too. He looks about their age.’

  A pointed look at Anna and she understood the woman wanted to know more about him. Iain followed Colm out and Anna watched as Davidh’s son made him known to the others. After nothing more than a moment’s awkwardness, they fell in together and all she could hear was a garbled burst of chatter. T
urning back to Suisan, she shrugged.

  ‘Iain has ten-and-two years,’ she said.

  ‘And ye have been gone from here for how long, Mistress Mackenzie?’

  ‘Just so.’ That was all she would say.

  ‘Davidh was not certain ye would accept the offer. Have ye then?’

  ‘Aye, Suisan. Iain and I will move to the village.’

  ‘Into Davidh’s house, then?’ The woman crossed her arms over her bosom and narrowed her gaze.

  ‘Aye, into his house, once he moves into the keep.’

  The woman let out an exasperated breath and shook her head. ‘’Twas not the arrangement I had hoped for, I will tell ye that much.’

  She’d no idea the blacksmith’s wife was also a maker of matches. Or that she had some plan in mind for the two of them. Unfortunately, no matter how appealing the commander was or however much she might be willing to consider some other arrangement, he would never forgive her for her deception once it came to light.

  ‘My only question is whether he’ll permit Colm to stay with us rather than moving him to the keep.’

  ‘You would do that? Care for his son?’

  ‘He has offered to help my son,’ she said, nodding. ‘How could I not at least offer to do so for his?’

  Suisan grew quiet then and Anna faced her.

  ‘He is not well, is he?’

  There were ways to answer this question—one his own father had not dared ask yet. Anna could give hope and allow one and all to think the boy was recovering. Or she could give the truth and voice her own fear.

  ‘Nay, he is not.’ Even spoken softly, between just the two of them, the words sounded harsh.

  ‘And will he recover?’

  ‘I think not.’ The silence spun around them as Anna watched the lads outside. A soft sob drew her attention then. She touched Suisan’s arm. ‘That does not mean I am not going to fight the affliction with every tool at hand. I will.’

  She brushed the unexpected tears from her own eyes and stepped out of the door.

  ‘Come now, Colm. You must show us the way to your house.’

  The boys followed and it took little time to reach the road that led out of the keep and past the large stone buildings there closest to the gates. Colm brought them to stop before the larger of the two.

  ‘This is my papa’s house, Mistress Mackenzie. This one.’

  As she and Iain stood there in surprised silence, Anna wondered what she had got herself into with this offer.

  Chapter Eleven

  A casual comment from one of the warriors about the healer broke Davidh’s attention to their task. The man had seen her in the village.

  So, she was here. He wondered if she’d made her decision since they spoke last evening. By now, she must have. Was she still in the village? Davidh glanced up at the weak sun above and guessed it to be nearing mid-afternoon. She would still be seeing to people and most likely not return to the falls until nearer to supper.

  He was out of the gates before he knew he’d taken a step. Then, as he turned to go to Suisan’s to see how Colm fared, he glanced towards his own house and noticed smoke rising from the chimney of the hearth. He walked closer and heard the voices from within. Had Colm allowed the other boys inside, disobeying his rules? Why was he not with Suisan? He strode up to the door and lifted the latch.

  Anna stood in the middle of the main chamber and the lads, all of Colm’s friends along with Iain, sat in a circle around her. They all turned in unison to glare at his interruption.

  ‘Papa.’ Colm frowned and waved him in. ‘Mistress Mackenzie is telling us about a stone up the glen that tells the truth. And you interrupted her!’

  ‘I...’ He stepped inside and closed the door. Leaning against the door frame, he nodded for her to continue.

  ‘As I was saying...’ Anna began her story once more.

  Davidh did not know which impressed him more—the lively manner in which she told her story or the way she drew the lads into it. As she explained the story of the large boulder that seemed alive on a certain day each year, those listening never looked away from her.

  Though he’d heard the story before, he found himself drawn into it now. He even called out his suggestions when she asked questions. The lads seemed to fall under her spell and, by the time she’d finished weaving the tale, they all believed that the stone could tell the truth when asked questions.

  She chased all but Colm and Iain out then and he noticed how they obeyed her without hesitation or delay. Soon, the noisy chaos had ebbed away and he turned back to see her standing in the middle of the main chamber.

  ‘I have not heard that story in years,’ he admitted then. ‘And when I did, ’twas not that good in the telling of it.’

  ‘’Tis Iain’s favourite,’ she said. ‘Is it true that the stone exists? I have heard it lies in the glen on the way to Ben Nevis.’

  Davidh smiled. He and Malcolm had searched for many weeks to find the truth stone after hearing the story of it. And they’d found what was purported to be the actual rock of the tales.

  ‘I have seen it with my own eyes,’ he said. ‘My friend and I walked many hours to get there and we did see it. It is about this—’ he motioned in a huge circle with his hands ‘—this big. And though it is too heavy to move, some there said they had seen it wobble in answer to questions put to it.’

  ‘Where is it, sir? Close by?’ Iain asked.

  ‘Closer to Tor Castle in the south,’ he said. ‘Though it has been many years since I saw it. If my duties permit, mayhap we could go there and look for it.’

  Their two sons yelled out, Colm with an excitement and vigour that was unexpected. Then they ran off into the chamber that Colm used as his own.

  As Davidh looked around the house, the other thing he realised he’d not seen in years was...life. Even now that the boys had gone, their excitement yet lingered here. Davidh looked at the one responsible for the change.

  Anna had not moved anything in the chamber and somehow it felt like a different place. She’d brought laughter and the lads back in and she’d not even told him of her decision. If she could do this in a few hours, what could she do in days or weeks or...?

  ‘You did not tell me you lived in such a place as this.’

  He smiled then. ‘In truth, I have not lived in one place for several years. I have spent days and many nights at the keep or seeing to my duties. Colm has been shuffled from place to place as others have seen to his care. This has been ours since Robert took control and made me his commander. But I have not called a place home since Mara passed.’

  ‘Colm’s mother. She died several years ago?’

  ‘Aye. Then my parents this last year.’

  ‘You have a sister?’

  ‘Aye, my sister Aileen returned here briefly to help me. Apparently, Colm did tell you about everyone.’ His son had not been so talkative in...for ever.

  ‘Except you. He left your secrets intact,’ she said. ‘If he knows them at all.’

  ‘Speaking of your secrets...’ Her gaze narrowed for a scant moment and then she blushed, a becoming pink flush rising in her cheeks, at his reference to her son. ‘Have you made your decision about the boy? And living here?’

  ‘We must talk about that.’ Anna motioned to the table and brought a pitcher and a cup there. Filling it, she handed it to him as she sat across from him. ‘I do not feel it would be right to push you and your son from this house.’

  ‘You are not—it was my offer.’

  ‘Aye, but the result is the same. You and your son will not be here in the village. And you’d said you wanted him to live here.’

  ‘Did I say that?’ Davidh asked. He tried to think back on their words about this. ‘Aye. This, though, would work better.’

  Anna stood then and walked to the door leading to Colm’s cham
ber. She tugged the door closed a bit and came back to face Davidh.

  ‘I will only move here if you and your son remain in your house. I can see to his care just as I have these last days.’ Anna sat again and he studied her face as she spoke. ‘He will be no more burden than your offer to help my son will be.’

  ‘So you seek to make this measure for measure? You will see to my son in exchange for me helping yours?’ Even as Parlan’s words floated in his thoughts, Davidh nodded his agreement to Anna’s demand.

  ‘Then, aye, I accept your offer and will move here,’ she said. Then she huffed out a breath and looked exasperated. ‘And I just sorted out my stores and supplies up at the cottage.’

  ‘More moving, I think,’ Davidh said. ‘How did you get everything up there?’

  ‘There is a very narrow path along the river next to the hillside. We have a small cart that we pulled along there, moving everything from the larger wagon that brought us here. But I will not move everything down here at once. It will be easier to bring some things down when I come into the village. And some of the plants and herbs growing up there will need to be tended and dried.’

  ‘If you need help...’

  ‘Nay, you have helped so much already. And you have your duties.’

  ‘Ah, duties.’ He shrugged. ‘This is timed well, for I expect to be sent off on an assignment.’

  ‘Well, then.’ She pressed her hands on the table and stood. ‘On the morrow, I will begin bringing our belongings down.’ Davidh stood as she called to Iain and prepared to leave.

  They exchanged a few more words about her move and her needs and expectations for tables and places to work and then she was gone. He watched as the two walked down the road towards the other end of the village and he smiled.

  For the first time in so long a while, Davidh felt relief pass through him.

  * * *

  Each day over the next several brought more of the woman and her son and their belongings into his house. Each night when he arrived at the house, sometimes long after dark, a hot meal was waiting for him. When he returned from his duties and three days on the roads around Loch Arkaig and the surrounding Cameron lands searching for the outlaws after another attack, he found that Anna had taken over his house completely.