Chapter Twenty-Two
As Hamish entered the schoolroom, a child sitting at the back turned to look at him. The boy colored, his eyes widening as he recognized his laird. Hamish placed his finger on his lips.
“Shh, Calum,” he whispered. “Ye must listen to what ye hear in school if ye’re to grow up to be a fine lad like yer da.”
The boy nodded, then resumed his attention on the teacher who sat on a chair at the front of the schoolroom, her bandaged foot resting on another chair…
…and the woman standing beside her.
Hamish caught his breath as he watched Mia deftly bandage the teacher’s foot.
“So, as you see, I’ve wound this tight enough to ensure that Mrs. MacLennan’s ankle is supported, but not so tight as to—” She broke off as she caught sight of Hamish.
He smiled encouragement, and, after a pause, she returned the smile and his heart swelled to see that the disgust in her eyes of last night had gone.
The class turned to stare at him, and whispers threaded through the room.
“Children!” the teacher said. “Ye know better than to chatter during a lesson. Now, it appears that we have another guest today. What do ye say to Laird MacLennan?”
“Good afternoon, Laird MacLennan!” the children chorused.
“Is there anything we can help ye with, Yer Lordship?” the teacher asked.
“No, Mrs. MacLennan,” Hamish replied. “I’ve come to learn about bandages. Please continue.” He gestured to Mia. What ought he to call her in front of the children?
The teacher came to his rescue.
“Miss Lucas has been teaching us about more than bandages, sir.”
Hamish winced.
Miss Lucas…
But then, that was what, no doubt, she’d be called when she embarked on her future life as a doctor.
“Is that so?” was all he could think of to say.
Mia blushed. “I’ve told the children a little about vaccination.”
“Why are ye blushing, Miss Lucas?” one child said, and Mrs. MacLennan shushed the little girl.
“Sienna, lass, we dinnae ask questions about anything other than the lesson.”
“Yes, Mrs. MacLennan,” the girl said. “Sorry, Mrs. MacLennan.”
“Please continue…Miss Lucas,” Hamish said. “I have no wish to discompose ye. I can leave if ye wish it.”
“No,” Mia said. “Stay. Please.”
Her soft words warmed his heart, and he leaned against the back wall and smiled. “Thank ye, lass.” He felt his own cheeks warm as her smile reached her eyes. The little girl—Sienna—stared at him, then opened her mouth, and the teacher clapped her hands.
“Concentrate, children!” she said. “Do continue, Miss Lucas.”
“Very well,” Mia said. “Now, children, you’ve seen how I’ve tied a bandage on Mrs. MacLennan. Who would like to have their leg bandaged next?”
The children glanced at each other and the whispering resumed, then a young lass at the front of the class put her hand up.
Mia smiled. “Thank you, Ada,” she said. “Come and exchange places with your teacher.”
She helped the little girl onto the chair then propped her leg up on the other.
“Now, who would like to tie the bandage on Ada’s leg?”
More whispers, then a boy in the middle of the class let out a laugh.
“Is there something you wish to say, Billy?” Mia said.
“No,” the boy said, his voice sulky.
“Do you find it amusing, the notion of bandaging Ada’s leg?”
Billy folded his arms and stuck out his lower lip in defiance. “She’s a girl!”
“Girls are the same as boys,” Mia said. “They have arms and legs, just like you.”
“Not everything they have is the same, is it?” Billy said. “We have something that the girls dinnae.”
He let out a giggle, and some of the other boys laughed.
“Quite so,” Mia said. “Boys are physically different to girls in many aspects. And to make up for the lack of”—she hesitated—“of what you are referring to, girls have larger brains, Billy, which heightens their capacity for intellect relative to their male counterparts.”
Hamish suppressed a smile.
The girl who’d spoken earlier raised her hand. “Is that true, miss?”
“Of course, Sienna,” Mia replied. “There have been numerous studies on the relative levels of intellect between men and women. The results don’t tend to be widely recognized or published, given that most of the journals are owned by men. But we know better, girls, do we not?”
“Yes, miss!” the girls chorused.
Billy scowled and leaned back in his seat.
“But boys can be useful,” Mia continued. “After all, many fine doctors are men. Perhaps Billy can show us what men are capable of if they apply their minds appropriately. Billy, would you like to apply a bandage to Ada’s leg?”
He shook his head.
“It’s only fair that you try,” Mia said. “If a young man is prone to accidents—or is often present when accidents occur—he must know how to deal with any injuries sustained. With that in mind, I think you’re the most appropriate person to bandage Ada’s leg today.”
Billy glanced about the room, his eyes shimmering with uncertainty.
“You want to be a capable man when you grow up, don’t you, Billy? To look after your wife and children—and to look after your mother.”
At the mention of his mother, Billy’s lip wobbled.
“Go on, Billy,” one of the boys said.
“Your mother’s very kind,” Mia said, her voice softening. “I’m sure she’d be very proud if you could show her how to tie a bandage.”
The boy scraped his chair back and stood.
Mia held out her hand. Billy approached her and took it, and she leaned over him and whispered something in his ear. His color deepened, then he picked up a bandage.
“Remember what I said? You need to tie it tight enough so it won’t work loose, but not too tight. You wouldn’t want to hurt Ada, would you?”
He gave a slight shake to the head, and Ada flinched.
“Now, Ada, perhaps we might learn to trust Billy. You’re not going to hurt Ada, are you, young man?” The steel had returned to Mia’s voice.
“No, ma’am.”
The boy held the bandage against Ada’s leg, then, while Mia issued gentle instructions, he wound the bandage around her ankle and secured it with a knot.
“Is that comfortable, Ada?” he said.
The little girl’s eyes widened and she nodded. “Aye. Thank ye for not hurting me.”
Billy retreated.
“Not so fast,” Mia said, catching his hand. She patted his shoulder, and Hamish caught her whispered words of praise: “Well done, young man. Your mother is fortunate to have such a capable son.”
The boy flushed with pleasure.
“Class, I think Billy deserves a round of applause, don’t you?” she said.
The children clapped as Billy resumed his seat.
“Well done, everyone,” the teacher said, “especially ye, Billy and Ada. Now, it’s almost the end of the day, so make sure yer desks are tidy. Miss Lucas, did ye have anything else to say?”
“I just have some questions for the children,” Mia said. “Remember what I talked about at the beginning of the lesson? Who can tell me the name of the disease I caught in London that caused these marks?”
She gestured to her face, and a volley of hands shot up.
“Yes, Calum?” she said.
“Smallpox?”
“That’s right. And what do we call the process that doctors follow to ensure you’re protected from diseases like smallpox?”
Several hands went down, until there were two left aloft.
“Billy—and Jamie,” Euphramia said. “Who would like to answer?”
“Vack…” Billy began, then frowned.
“Vaccine!” Jamie said. “Billy, dinnae ye know anything?”
“I know how to tie a bandage better than ye, Jamie Sutherland.”
“And I think, on that note, we’ll bring the class to a conclusion,” the teacher said. “What do we say?”
“Thank ye, Miss Lucas!” the children chorused.
“Very good. Tidy yer desks, then ye’re free to go.”
The children busied themselves arranging books and papers, then filed out of the schoolroom. Mia chatted to the teacher while she tidied the bandages and jars on the table at the front and placed them in a basket. She glanced up as Hamish approached.
“That was well done,” he said.
“It was nothing,” she replied. “I used to help at a school near the hospital in London. Most children want to learn, and the younger ones can apply themselves to the basics of what I teach them without the need to read and write. Your praise should be directed to Aileen here.” She gestured to the teacher.
“A guest in a school is someone new, a change from their routine, which will always excite interest. The real skill in teaching is being able to maintain a child’s interest over a sustained period. ”
“Ye shouldn’t talk yerself down, ma’am,” Aileen said.
“Ye did well today.” She glanced toward the few children remaining in the classroom and lowered her voice.
“And ye handled young Billy, though he cursed something awful. He can be a handful—most folk hereabouts would strip his hide for the way he behaves, and I confess to wanting to give him a leathering after what happened to my Ada. But he cannae help having Murdoch for his da. Whereas his ma…” She hesitated and looked up. “Evie! What are ye doing here?”
Hamish turned to see Murdoch’s diminutive wife in the doorway.
“Ma!” Billy rushed toward his mother and flung his arms around her waist.
“Careful, lad,” Hamish said. “Ye’ll knock yer ma over.”
Evie placed a kiss on the top of her son’s head. “I fancied a walk on my way to see Ailsa,” she said, “and I wanted to meet Billy at school. I hope he’s been behaving, Aileen.”
“I have, Ma!” Billy said. “Just like ye told me.”
“Aye, that’s right,” the teacher said. “He showed everyone how to tie a bandage on Ada’s leg.”
“Ada?”
The boy put his thumb in his mouth and nodded, leaning against his mother.
“You’re looking well, Evie,” Mia said. “I trust you’re still visiting me tomorrow for luncheon? I’ve some more of that nettle soup you love so much.”
Evie wrinkled her nose then let out a soft laugh. Hamish stared at her. When had he last seen Murdoch’s wife smile, much less laugh?
Mia joined in her laughter. “Dr. McIver always says that the more disgusting something tastes, the more it’s likely to be good for us.”
Dr. bloody McIver again!
As if she’d heard his thoughts, Mia glanced at Hamish, frowned, then resumed her attention on Evie.
“I’ll have a bowl with you,” she said. “If I dish out the medicine, I must be prepared to take it myself.”
“Nettle soup?” Billy said. “Does it sting yer tongue?”
“No,” Mia said, laughing. “Once it’s cooked, it’s safe to eat.”
“Ma, we learned about vack…” Billy said. “Vack-seen? Is that it?”
“Yes, vaccines,” Mia said. “A medicine to protect against diseases,” she added as Evie raised her eyebrows in inquiry. “I’m hoping to set up a procedure here at Glenblath to vaccinate everyone against smallpox.”
“Can we have the vack-seen, Ma?” Billy said.
“I’ll have to ask yer father,” Evie replied.
“Will ye ask him tonight?”
“I-I’ll need to find the right time, Billy, lad. Dinnae ye go saying anything until I’ve spoken to him. Ye know how he—” She broke off, blushing.
“Ask him in your own time,” Mia said. “Perhaps Hamish might help persuade him? After all, he’s the laird.”
Hamish opened his mouth to say that a laird ought not to interfere in how a husband ruled his home—and Murdoch, more than others, wouldn’t appreciate being told how to manage his wife. Then he closed it as he caught the plea in Mia’s eyes.
“I’ll see if I can speak to him,” he said. “That is, if ye’re determined to go ahead with the vaccine?”
She set her mouth in the determined little line that always threatened to undo his resolve, then nodded.
“Ye’re a kind woman,” Evie said. “I’m so glad ye’re here with us at Glenblath.”
“As am I,” Hamish said, before he could stop himself.
Mia glanced at him, and her lips parted as she drew in a sharp breath. Evie glanced from Hamish to Mia and back again. Then she patted Billy’s hand.
“Come along, lad. I’ve a hundred things to do before I set to making yer da’s supper, and standing about here won’t get them done, will it?”
“I ought to be going also,” Mia said with a grin. “I’ve nettles to pick.”
Evie let out another laugh and led her son out of the classroom. After bidding farewell to the teacher, Mia followed, her basket over her arm, Hamish in her wake. As they stepped outside, he reached for her basket.
“Let me.”
“It’s not necessary,” she said. “I carried it here, so I can carry it back.”
“Och, I know that, lass, but will ye indulge me and let me do something for ye, to make up for being such an arse last night?”
“I rather think I was the”—she paused—“the arse last night.”
He suppressed a smile at the way her tongue curled over the profanity. “Then yer penance shall be to let me carry yer basket.”
Smiling, she handed it over.
“I ought not to have blamed you for smashing my things when I know you could never have done it,” she said. “It was uncivil of me to turn you away when you offered help. Thank you for sending my friends over this morning. I didn’t deserve such kindness.”
“Ye do,” he said. “There’s much to admire in ye—and Mrs. MacLennan’s right about the way ye handled that young Billy.”
She gestured to the retreating backs of Evie and her son, who clung to his mother’s hand.
“He’s not a bad boy at heart, though he’s done bad things,” she said. “It’s obvious that he’s learned many of his ways from his father. But I believe that his love for his mother will be his salvation.”
“Aye,” Hamish said. “The true test of a man’s goodness is how he treats his ma. And”—he turned his gaze to her, his heart flickering at the expression in her hazel eyes—“and how he treats his wife.”
He offered his free arm. “Now,” he said, summoning the mettle to voice his wish despite the fear of rejection, “I’d like to escort ye back to Riverview.”
“But it’s out of your way.”
“That matters not,” he said. “What matters is that here, and now, ye’re my wife, and I’m glad of it. I wish to escort my wife home.”
She blinked, the color of her eyes deepening, and the flicker of rejection in them threatened to cleave his heart in too.
“Please dinnae deny me, Mia,” he whispered, his voice catching.
After a pause, she nodded.
“Very well, husband,” she whispered. “You may escort me home.”
The flare of joy in his heart was tempered by the realization of what it signified…
…that he was in danger of falling in love with his wife.