by Fiona Faris
“I have somethin’ to discuss with ye,” Daividh said to him.
“Ye will nae come in?” Glenn asked.
“Nay.” He shook his head. “I do nae plan to take much of yer time,” Daividh started. He considered telling Glenn the whole story but even more than his need to confide in his friend, his desire to keep him safe overwhelmed him and so he shrugged.
“I have decided to keep the team really small. The one I set up to guide against the attacks. I feel they are too petty. I will only need one man, Harry.”
“Harry?” Glenn asked bewildered.
“Aye, Henry’s son. Me father’s advisor.”
“I ken who Henry is,” Glenn replied, irritated, “Why?”
Too late, Daividh realized that he hadn’t planned a reason to give his friend.
“Well,” he said scrambling for a reason. “Henry has done really well for us. I just feel he is the right one,” Daividh said.
Glenn looked at him and sighed. “Aye, it doesnae settle well that ye would pick Harry’s protection over mine, but I will say naught. I support ye.”
Relieved, Daividh nodded and smiled. “Thank ye.”
“Did ye see Lorraine today?” he asked Daividh.
“Aye,” he nodded, glad to be able to tell his friend a bit of what was going on.
“Kyla forced a basket on me. We ate at the loch.”
“Ye only ate?” Glenn laughed. “I used to think ye worked fast,” he laughed.
“What do ye mean?”
“Did ye see her in that dress at the feast? She could make a man want with that body.”
Daividh said nothing. He disliked where the conversation had been steered.
“Or perhaps ye tried, aye? She didnae let ye?” Glenn laughed in his usual way. “I wouldnae be surprised. Lassies like that need a little persuasion.”
Still Daividh said nothing.
“If I had a chance with that body, I would put on the moves fast enough. Heed me advice, Brother,” Glenn said, “Perhaps ye will be the first.”
Rage filled Daividh but he said nothing. He only looked at his friend and wondered whether or not he fancied Lorraine.
“I will head back in,” Glenn said, not noticing the rage in his friend’s eyes.
“Aye.” Daividh nodded.
The pair exchanged handshakes before Daividh mounted his horse.
He had to make her his and he had to do it soon.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Lorraine arrived home, it occurred to her how strained their home had been before she left. She wondered how they would talk. It would be awkward, and she hated awkwardness, but there was little she could do about it. She didn’t even want to be angry with anyone. How could she be angry with anyone?
What had happened between her and Daividh was a miracle – a special one – and she didn’t want to mar the day by being angry with her mother. But what could she do? Why didn’t the woman seem to understand that she couldn’t just forget the people who had laughed at her? Why did her mother find it alright for her to mingle with those who hadn’t cared to check up when her father had passed? And then, there was Maxwell. He was ever diplomatic and seldom took anyone’s side even when it was obvious that one person was in the right. While he was quick to apologize to his mother on her behalf, it wasn’t enough.
Lorraine opened the door to her home tentatively. It was later in the evening and there was the chance that her mother wasn’t home.
“I have been waiting for ye,” her mother said as soon as the door opened.
Lorraine stifled a groan and pasted a smile on her face – the second fake one she had had to create that day.
“Hello, Ma,” she said, and smiled again.
Mairi was seated on a small chair and shook her head as her youngest child stepped into the room. She was so much like her father that it hurt most times. They had the same strengths. Lorraine was brilliant, strong, wise – just like he had been. But they had the same weaknesses, too.
“Oh, please,” she said to her daughter, “Ye do nae have to pretend to be pleased to see me. I wasn’t rather happy with thoughts of ye this morn.”
Lorraine let her smile fade and a scowl replaced it. How hard was it to make peace?
“Come,” Mairi said, “Sit.”
Quietly, Lorraine obliged her mother.
“Ye were right this morn,” her mother said, shocking her.
“What?”
“But ye were also wrong.”
Lorraine was silent. What did she mean?
“Do ye ever wonder why I liked the young heir on first sight?” she asked.
“Because he is the heir?”
“Nay,” Mairi laughed, “Give yer ma more credit than that. It is because he reminds me of yer da. He is so strong and it was something’ I saw in yer da. Believe it or nay, I had many a man knock on me door. But I turned them all down for yer da and I never regretted it. Do ye ken why? He was a real man. He was strong without being imposing, kind without being stupid, and most of all, he loved me.”
Talking about love with her mother made her stomach turn. Did her ma know that she loved Daividh?
“Ye need to listen more to me, young lady. Ye may ken more about yer young man but yer da wasn’t too different from him. I pushed ye with him because I knew that he would care for ye. He is an honorable man. But that is nae what we are here to talk about. This morn, ye were right. People who didnae want to be seen with ye when ye were nae known do nae deserve to be with ye now.”
“Then how was I wrong?”
“Patience, child,” Mairi said, “Ye do nae have to make enemies in the running down of friends. Yer da for all his wisdom had one fatal weakness – he had no trust in him. It was nae only to his friends, nay. It was even to me. Yer da trusted no one but himself. He would flare up if anyone was around me and all my pleas would fall on deaf ears till he found out by himself that there was no hidden secret. Aye, he would beg me and apologize but after a while, it became a habit.
“He didnae trust friends, either, yer da. Ye expect people to come to his funeral? How many did he go to? He would be there for those in need, aye, but only when he was sure that his help was indeed needed and so, if a person still had other options. The only time I had seen yer da trust was when it came to ye. But a man cannot live with the trust of only one person in his heart.”
Lorraine heard the words her mother spoke but she didn’t want them to be true. She didn’t want to hear anyone speak ill of her father but a look in her mother’s eyes revealed the sorrow of being joined to man who didn’t trust you.
She wondered what it would be like if Daividh had no trust for her. She wondered how she would live if he had to follow her every movement. It would be torture and yet it was what her ma had endured.
Lorraine reached for her and held her tightly in her arms. She understood and yet it hurt to do so.
“I would nae push ye to the arms of just any man, ye should ken this. Yer da would turn in his grave.” Her mother laughed. “And ye are too precious for me to see ye suffer and aid it. Ye must believe that. I am yer ma and I love ye more than I love meself. Trust me – ye must understand that a life without trust is one spent making enemies of who would be friends.”
Lorraine nodded and smiled. “I love ye, Ma,” she said.
Mairi kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I love ye, me darling.”
Lorraine slept that night, happy. Why make enemies when one could make friends?
The next morning, Lorraine woke bright and early. There was a lot to do that day. She realized how many jobs she had pushed away and resolved to see to them that day no matter how hard it would be.
When she got out of her chambers, her ma was dressed and headed out the door. There were more flowers and letters. They didn’t annoy Lorraine, instead, she had a plan.
“Ma.” Lorraine rushed to her for a hug. “I have decided,” she said, “I’ll write back to the people who sent invitations and decline. If there are any
that ye would like to go, I could accept but ye would go in me stead.”
Mairi hugged her daughter close. “Ye learn fast,” she praised, “Tonight, we will sort them out together.”
Lorraine watched her mother step out and just as she was about to turn back, she heard her converse with someone. Curious, she stayed until there was a knock.
Her heart beat fast in her chest. There was only one person who would come to see her. Memories of the previous afternoon flooded back and Lorraine had to fight to keep the smile off her face.
She opened the door and came face to face with Glenn.
“Oh,” she said feeling disappointed. Then, remembering her manners, she apologized. “Sorry, I was expectin’ someone else. I shall call Maxwell for ye,” she told him.
“Nay,” he said, stopping her in her tracks.
“Nay?” she asked, confused.
“Nay,” he repeated, “I didnae come to see him.”
“Oh?”
“Aye, I came to see ye.”
“Oh,” Lorraine said. She didn’t know what else she could say.
“Aye,” he nodded, “We never really got to speak at the feast. I was hoping to be able to talk to ye.”
“About anything in particular?” she asked.
“Nay,” he said to her.
“Alright.” Lorraine was tired of talks that would lead nowhere. It was obvious that he had come to pay a courtesy call and there was nothing she could do. She didn’t have the time. “I will have to go soon.” She had Anton’s horse to cater for. “I have a call to a house close to the castle,” she said to him.
“Oh, the castle,” he said in an eager voice, “I am headed that way. Perhaps I may be yer escort.”
“But as ye see, I am nae ready yet. ’Twill take some time to prepare.”
Glenn shrugged it off as though waiting for women was his favorite thing to do. “I will wait out here. Ye need nae worry.”
“Alright,” Lorraine said in a hesitant voice.
As she readied to ride with Glenn, she wondered at the strangeness of his visit. Had Daividh sent him? But if he had, he would have mentioned it, wouldn’t he?
It was all too confusing and Lorraine decided that she hadn’t the time for games. She would ignore it until his intentions came out clear and true.
Finally on her horse, the pair began to ride to Anton’s house. Glenn made small talk and Lorraine on her part replied politely.
“When did ye begin to heal animals?”
“I learned the basics of the craft from me da. The rest was from an apprenticeship.”
“Tell me, were there other lassies like ye there?”
“Like me?” she asked to clarify.
“Beautiful lassies,” Glenn said.
Feeling uncomfortable, she gripped the reins of her horse tighter, but without hurting the horse, and looked straight ahead.
“There were nay other apprentices,” she said to him, “Neither lasses nor lads.”
“And yer teacher, was he man or woman?”
“Man,” she replied, wondering why he asked.
“And ye stayed alone together?”
“Aye, we did.”
“He must have found it hard to concentrate, aye? Gorgeous women distract us men, ye ken?”
Lorraine said nothing. Mentally, she calculated how long the journey had to last. The comments made her uncomfortable and she could scarcely hide it.
“Come on,” she said to him, “Let’s trot. I will be late soon.” And without another word, she trotted her horse along the path. Soon the trot became a slow run and this didn’t allow him to speak to her again.
Finally, they arrived Anton’s gate. Lorraine feared that he would insist on coming in with her. However, he didn’t. Much to her relief, he claimed to have errands to run.
“Perhaps, we shall see each other another time,” she said, not looking forward to it.
“Aye,” he said. His eyes didn’t waver from hers.
Feeling awkward, she looked away and moved to dismount from the horse.
“Few women can make breeches look as appealing as ye do, Lorraine,” he said to her.
Lorraine’s head snapped to him. Had he just said that? That had been suggestive, hadn’t it?
However, the look on his face hadn’t changed to the leery one that she felt leeches wore and so she said nothing but hurried into the gate. She must have imagined it, she told herself.
“Ye are early!” Anton said, pleased.
“Aye, I have other places to be,” she said to him.
Anton nodded. “Ye are a busy woman. ’Tis easy to understand.”
Together, they walked to Ash’s stable. Upon seeing them both, Ash neighed, delighting them. It had been the first he had made a sound that wasn’t in pain.
Lorraine took her time to pat the horse, making sure to give him scratches and tell him what a good horse he was. Anton stood and watched them. He was pleased beyond words. They fed him next, together. He received his meals beautifully, pleasing them both.
When it was time for the drugs, the horse obliged them making it easier for them to feed him. Lorraine felt no need to hide it anymore.
“He is improving,” she said to Anton.
“Aye, he is.” The man beamed. “I thank ye very much, Lorraine.”
“I am happy to be of help.” Lorraine meant it too. As she left his manor, she promised herself, as she did always, that Ash would walk again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Glenn rode on his horse, beating the strong beast as he wanted to go faster. He knew that Lorraine’s mother and brother were not going to be home with her at that time of the morning, so he’d set out quite early from his manor to see her. He had looked in the water that morning and knew he was handsome. He’d asked his servants how he had looked and they had given him positive responses. As he rode through town, all the maidens had looked his way as he passed them.
Oh Lorraine, ye shall fall for me charm. He told himself the secret that Lorraine did not know. She was like all other women to him, hesitant to jump into his bed for they feared he would lose interest the days after. He did know that he would, quite quickly, but there was something different about Lorraine and until he could put a finger on it, he was determined to woo her.
True to his premonitions, he could tell that the rest of her family had left the house. He got off his horse elegantly and tied his stead to a tree.
“I shall be back soon,” he said to his horse before heading for the house. He smelled good but he had bathed himself in expensive soaps and had used ointments with beautiful scents. He adjusted his shirt to show his muscled chest and pulled back his hair. Getting to the door, he changed his mind and pushed his hair forward.
“Good day to ye, Lorraine,” he muttered under his breath before he decided to knock.
Knock, knock, he knocked on her door but there was no answer. He knew she had to be asleep. So, Glenn knocked again.
“Who is there?”
He heard a weary voice from behind the door. She was awake; he beamed with a smile, his most charming smile. A hundred women had fallen under his spell and he knew she would be no different despite Daividh being in the picture.
She must ken that they are two worlds apart. A MacDougall would never wed someone such as her. She must ken this. I however- He had a smile on his face. Getting Lorraine to tolerate him was only a matter of time, he told himself.
“It is quite early in the mornin’,” he heard Lorraine complain just before she pulled open the door.
“Good day to ye, Lorraine,” he said to her.
Her face wore no surprise or glee at seeing him and she tried to close the door but he stopped her.
“Ye need nae be rude. I only wish to speak to ye,” he told her.
Lorraine rolled her eyes in frustration before she turned back to him. He was stronger than she was and she could not slam the door in his face, so she listened.
Glenn could tell by her demeanour that she
was unhappy with him and he hoped to change that.
“I do apologize for me behaviour yesterday. I must admit that I feel jealous whenever I see ye with another man that does nae deserve ye. I pray that ye might forgive me and that we might nae be enemies to one another,” Glenn told her.
“I forgive ye. Would ye leave now? I have chores that must be done before I set out this mornin’.”
