“Heigl, I want you to take a tray of hot stew, some bread, some sheep cheese, and whatever you can gather. Along with another jug of water and some ale to the tower room.”
“Yes of course, as ye say,” Heigl said.
“Here is the key. I am trusting you with it and no one else. I shall expect you to return it to me as soon as you are done bringing these items to the woman in that room. She is very special, and I want you to treat her with special care. But she is rambunctious and you will have to lock the door behind you when you leave. It is for her own safety. I will be in the dining hall. Bring me the key after you have seen to her comfort,” he said.
“You can trust me,” she replied.
“I know. That is why I ask you and only you.” He gave the plump cook a wink. He knew he could trust her as he would his own mother.
Cameron trusted her more than he trusted his cousin Bran and advisors. Heigl had a kind heart, something that he could relate to.
Cameron left the kitchen and walked down the corridor. He could hear the sounds of his court gathering in the dining hall. It would be time for dinner soon.
Cameron made his way to the stairs and up to his bed chambers. He opened the door and went inside. His chambers were very grand, something that he did not care for, but it was a necessity. The room needed to be large so that he could see out from all views of the castle.
From the sitting chambers where he conducted his official work and had his desk, he had a view of the moors and fields across to the mainland. This way he could keep an eye out for anyone approaching, especially armed men.
Then from the other window of his sitting chamber he could see out over the castle grounds and keep an eye out for fires or other problems in his own castle.
From his bedroom the window afforded a view of the sea and he could see if any would be attacking by water. But it also allowed him to listen to the ocean and fall asleep in the cool air of the salty breeze.
Cameron quickly unhooked his belt and pulled the long feilidh-mhor through the loops. . He pulled the diagonal belt from his chest and laid it on the desk along with his plaid. Then he pulled the tunic from his body.
Naked, he walked to the wash bin and poured cold water in from the pitcher. He washed up, splashing water on his face and washing his hands. Then he got dressed in a fresh tunic and grabbed his feilidh-mhor and rethread it through the loops and replaced his belt.
Next he put on his diagonal leather belt across his chest and secured his sword to his waist. Then he left his chambers to join his court of men to eat dinner downstairs in the grand hall.
He reached the end of the corridor and entered the grand dining hall. This was his favorite room in the castle. He stood at the entry way.
Suddenly a tin mug slammed on a table three times. Everyone stood up from their chairs in honor of the Laird entering the hall.
There were rows upon rows of tables, and one very long table at the head of the long narrow room. This was where Cameron would take his place. He walked around behind this table and put his hand up then said, “Let us feast.”
“Here. Here. To the Laird,” voices shouted together. Mugs of whisky or ale were raised.
Then Cameron took a seat at the middle of the table. This was the signal for everyone else to be reseated.
The tables were set with large platters of food. Mutton, potatoes, root vegetables, and pots of stew were served from ceramic platters and bowls. Loaves of bread were piled high and added to the scent of delicious food inside the hall.
In the middle was a grand hearth, a fire pit dug into the middle of the floor where a high pile of wood burned. It was one of many hearths around the dining hall, but since it was summer only this one needed to be lit. In the colder months all of the hearths and fireplaces were lit.
Cameron sat between his cousins, Bran on one side and his other cousin Hugh MacLeod on the other.
As Cameron took a strong and long drink of ale from his mug, he could see that his cousins were eying him.
“Are you both going to say what is on your mind? For it is obvious that you have been talking about me while I have been gone,” Cameron said. He reached for a loaf of bread and tore at it to pop some pieces into his mouth. A maid servant was over his shoulder pouring some hot stew into a bowl and serving it to him. Then she refilled his mug of ale to the top. As the Laird, he was always attended to first. Then she walked away tending to the others at the long table who had the privileged position of sitting at the Laird's table.
“Ye know very well of what we wish to speak of cousin,” Bran said.
“Is it true? This one is wildly beautiful and already has you in her spell?” Hugh said smiling at Cameron.
“It is not true. That is, she does not have me in her spell,” Cameron said feeling frustrated.
“But she is wildly beautiful? You are not denying that cousin?” Hugh teased him.
“This is no laughing matter. The other clans have sent an assassin to yer door, and ye are ready to warm her bed and allow her to kill ye in the night. This is nothing to make fun of, and ye are not helping, Hugh,” Bran said as he grabbed a drumstick of chicken and bit into it. The juices ran down his chin and into his beard.
“I don't know. Being between the milky thighs of a dangerous woman might be exactly the way that Cameron wants to go, knowing him.” Hugh teased and joked.
“You would say such a thing,” Cameron said to Hugh with a smile. He was glad that at least one of his cousins was making light of the situation.
“Just do not lay with this woman until ye know more about her. There is talk of the MacDonalds. They are using the summer months to strengthen their forces. There is not a farm across their lands that they have not hit upon in order to recruit a farmhand to teach him fighting skills. Something is afoot, cousin, and ye should not let yer guard down, even if it is from a pretty woman,” Bran said.
“Let them gather their forces if they wish. They are no match for our castle defenses, I am not too worried about them. Though I do keep a cautious eye, and do not trust any Clan but my own. That is always the way of things. Now I will hear no more ill talk of the woman. There is no use for it. Spreading lies about her could put her in danger and neither of you want to be responsible for that, do you?” Cameron said giving Bran a warning look.
Bran turned away and focused on his food. Hugh gave Cameron a grin, knowing that Bran was defeated.
Just then, Heigl appeared at Cameron’s side and handed him back the key. Cameron nodded to her. He wanted to ask how Maria was, but he didn’t want to do so in front of Bran.
Cameron ate his meal and looked out over the men and women gathered in his court, happily eating and feasting in the dining hall as they did every night. Sharing a meal with his men kept them on his side. Any Laird who did not eat with his men and kept to his chambers as though high-and-mighty did not stay a Laird for very long.
Once the meal came to an end, the music began to play and people roamed about the dining hall, mingling and getting drunk together. With Bran no longer at his side, Cameron spoke in secret to Hugh.
“Hugh, do you know if your mother is at home during this time?”
“She is. I just got word from her yesterday that she had returned from a trip gathering herbs, in the Northern parts.”
“Good. Tell no one, but you and I will ride out to her first thing in the morning. If anyone asks, merely tell them that you are showing me a new horse and I want to take it out for a ride. You are my stable master after all,” Cameron said.
“As you say, cousin. I will expect you in the morning, meet you at the stables.”
“Yes, I will be there at dawn. I want to get back as soon as possible. I do not trust the woman to be in the castle without my protection.”
“That is a good point,” Hugh said.
Cameron liked his cousin Hugh quite a bit. He was a lot like him in that he did not break into dramatics with everything the way that Bran did.
Hugh MacLeod
was two and twenty years of age and a distant cousin and more of a best friend to Cameron. Cameron didn’t know anyone who had the animal skills that Hugh had, and so he gave him the position of stable master and chambers inside the castle once Cameron was made Laird of Dunscaith. This of course was something Hugh was very happy to accept because it was better than fighting for living space at home among his six sisters, all of who had raven black hair, just like Hugh.
“We ride out in the morning, as you say,” Hugh said.
“Good, enjoy your evening, cousin. There is a wench that has been eyeing you from afar all night,” Cameron said.
Hugh followed Cameron’s gaze to a maid who had smiles for him as she poured ale into mugs at a nearby table.
“You were always very observant, cousin, and I thank you for it,” Hugh said as he stood up and gave a playful bow to Cameron before walking off to speak sweet nothings to the maid.
Cameron stood up and made the rounds. He always checked in with each and every table to see how the men were and to listen to them. Sometimes they gave him their grievances on little things, other times they played a gambling game out of fun. But Cameron was always careful not to drink too much because it was important to listen to everyone. He kept his wits about him and if he could overhear a tidbit of information that might lead to a mutiny in the castle, then he wanted to remember it. It was how he kept his men in line.
Before going off to bed, Cameron found himself in the corridor of the towers. This was where Maria was being held. He told himself he was checking on her to make sure that nothing bad had happened to her, but in reality his blood was coursing through his veins.
He stopped in front of her door and pulled out the key. He was about to put it in the latch, when he decided not to. Then he continued walking and returned to his own chambers, restless.
The very next morning, after seeing to food for Maria, he went to meet Hugh. Cameron walked out to meet him at the stables at dawn.
“Does this have to do with the mysterious beautiful woman in the tower?” Hugh asked as he held the reins to a new horse that he had broken. They had to make sure it looked like they were taking this new horse out for a ride so that Cameron could approve of it. Cameron still stopped in front of his own horse, Midnight, who was a very dark black stallion, and gave it a scratch on the nose before taking the reins of the new horse from Hugh.
“What makes you say that?” Cameron said with a knowing look, letting Hugh know that indeed it was about the woman.
“Let us go before more of the castle wakes up,” Cameron said.
The two men mounted the horses and then rode out of the stables to the bridge that connected the castle island with the mainland. They rode hard across the grassy fields and trails that we're cleared between the swampy moors. Hugh's mother lived a good thirty-minute ride away from the castle.
“Brother has come!” Hugh’s youngest sister, Eberden shouted when she saw the two men approaching and ran inside of the cottage.
A few moments later, Hugh's mother Erin and his six sisters came out of the cottage to greet them. The cottage was made of the same gray stone as the castle, with a thatched roof. Large gardens were fenced in by wooden post and beams to keep the deer from eating the herbs and flowers that nourished the family.
“What a fine sight this is. To what do we owe this occasion, not only my son comes to visit, but he brings the Laird of Dunscaith,” Erin said with a smile.
Both men dismounted and tied the horses to a post, and then gave Erin a hearty hug.
“Well I have come to eat your morning cooking of course. And the Laird is always following in my footsteps, is he not?” Hugh teased.
“Yes, always since you were both wee lads,” Erin joked back. “Come inside then. We were just finishing the morning meal and have a nice batch of tea on the pot,” Erin said.
The two men followed the family of women inside. Cameron was happy to drink any tea that she made because it was always tea that was good for you. She was a master of herbs, and knew a great deal of ancient knowledge. Some called her a witch, but it had never been proven. But women who understood her herbs and plants were always called witches in these parts, though it was nothing but medicinal.
Erin also acted as a midwife to women throughout the region. People of the nearby village and of the castle always wanted her when a woman was ready to give birth, and she knew just what type of herbs to give to ease the pain and make the birthing easy with a healthy child. Hugh had told Cameron that his mother sometimes had dreams that later came true, but they wanted to keep that knowledge just among the family because the Scots were a very superstitious people and considered anything out of the ordinary to be witchcraft, and that now included the appearance of Maria Saunders.
But Erin also had knowledge that Cameron sought for she was a woman who had been the daughter of another woman who had great knowledge of the castle history, and particularly the catacombs. That knowledge was very important now, considering what he had seen on the device that Maria had. If there was anyone who could shed light on the subject, it would be Erin, and he also knew that she would do it in confidence.
“Here you are, drink this. It is a good drink for the morning and will wake you up and give you good energy all day,” Erin said setting down hot tea in front of the men.
Cameron noticed that it had been quite a while since he had visited the woman because she had much more gray in her jet-black hair, and her features had grown sharper. Her brown eyes contained more knowledge than before and he knew that he needed to make it a point to come speak with her more often than not.
“Now what really brings you both here?” she asked.
“I have come for your knowledge on the castle, the history of it,” he said.
“There is a lot of history on the castle, lad. You will have to be more specific, won't you,” she said.
Cameron looked around the kitchen at all of the sisters watching. He didn't need more people knowing about Maria and it spreading through the nearby villages. Something like that could cause a mob to show up at the castle with torches and pitchforks.
“I understand. Perhaps we could take a walk and speak,” he said.
“As you wish, bring your cup,” Erin said.
“If you will excuse me, I am going to gather a few items from my chamber to take back to the castle,” Hugh said. “Perhaps my sisters could help me?”
“Yes, brother,” the eldest sister said in a frustrated manner knowing that they were not allowed to eavesdrop on the Laird's conversation with their mother.
A few moments later, Erin and Cameron were walking among the trees, outside of the cottage.
“I have come to ask a favor of you. Something has happened in the castle that we cannot explain. A woman has appeared there, she came in through the catacombs door and she seems to be…” Cameron said.
“Seems to be what. Spit it out,” she said.
“She seems to be from another time,” he said.
Erin stopped walking all together. Erin had heard such things before but only in a dream. Years ago she had a dream that she came upon a woman, about the same age as her who had told her that she had passed through the catacombs door into another time. Erin thought the woman to be the Scathach, but it had been just a dream and she thought nothing more of it. But now here was the Laird of the very same castle telling her similar things.
“Are you sure of this?”
“I have seen it with my own eyes. You are the only person I know of that has knowledge of these things. Will you do me a favor and come to speak with her, see if you can make sense of any and all of this?” he asked.
“Yes I will come. My Laird has summoned me and therefore I shall do as asked. But give me time I want to consult my old books to see what I can find. Perhaps tomorrow?”
“Yes tomorrow is sufficient, or the next day if you need the time. Please feel free to stay in the castle, I shall have a room made up for you. it is yours if you want it,” he sa
id.
“Thank you, I may take advantage of that. For now who knows of this woman and her passage?”
“Most of everyone in the castle. It is not something that I wish them to know, but she was discovered by one of the guards and it caused quite the uproar. My advisors know and my closest men are aware. My maid Heigl also knows for she brings her food and drink. But most do not know of her time travel to be true. They think of her as a witch or mad with fever.”
“Try to make sure that is the end of it. That only those within the castle walls know about it and urge them to not speak widely of the new woman. Things like this are not taken well among our people,” she said.
“Yes, of course,” Cameron said. “Thank you for your time, Erin, as I should be getting back.”
“Very well. Come, I want to give you some herbs to take back to your kitchens,” she said.
“I am forever in debt to you for keeping my castle from getting sick,” he said.
They walked back to the hut and the two men left with bushels of herbs.
A few moments later, Cameron and Hugh made their way back to the castle, riding hard and fast.
Cameron had a lot to think about. He knew that it was not safe for Maria to be out and about as many feared her as a witch, but perhaps if they got to know her and saw that she was not someone to do harm, they would reconsider.
As he rode across the fields, he saw that the clouds were giving way to sunshine and the morning fogs were disappearing. It would be a very fine day. He grinned as he thought of a good idea.
“What is that grinning? I know it,” Hugh shouted to him from his horse.
“I am just smiling because it is a fine day, cousin!” Cameron shouted.
“I think this mare between your legs is why you are smiling. She is a good ride. Or is it a different mare you’re thinking of?” Hugh teased.
Cameron laughed loudly.
Then Hugh spurred his horse into a faster gallop. Cameron followed. Indeed it was a fine horse that he was on and she rode very fast and with good steps. He was glad that they had gone for a brisk ride that morning, it was helping to relieve some of his restless spirit that had suddenly felt caged since the arrival of the mysterious woman, Maria.
Love A Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (A Highlander Across Time Book 1) Page 6
