Chapter 20 #2
“Pottery,” Jago explained, unconsciously moving to shield the container from the worst of the rain. “Papa, Calan, and I design them. Jamie and Kitto paint them. We sell them at markets.”
“They’re beautiful and popular with the tourists. The family has done well with them,” Liam said.
Niall’s eyebrows rose with interest. “Really? We get coachloads of tourists every year. I’m always looking for authentic Scottish crafts.”
“These aren’t Scottish,” Calan said quickly, as if he was worried about being accused of false advertising.
“No, but they’re handmade by skilled artisans,” Niall replied. “That’s what people want. Something genuine, made with care.”
Another violent gust shook their shelter, and this time, part of the tarp tore free entirely. Rain immediately soaked the area where they’d been standing.
“Right,” Hedrek said, his decision made. “Boys, start packing the essentials. Quickly now.”
“What about the rest?” Tamsin asked, looking around at their carefully organized camp.
“We’ll come back for it tomorrow if the weather clears,” Niall said. “Bring what you need for tonight.”
The efficiency with which the family moved spoke of long practice. Within minutes, they’d gathered personal items, secured their pottery, and dismantled what they could of their camp. Liam helped Jago wrestle a tent into submission while Suzie assisted Tamsin in gathering cooking supplies.
“Travel light,” Hedrek instructed his sons. “We can always return.”
But Liam caught the way he said it, as if he didn’t quite believe they would. As if this was another temporary stop in a series of escapes.
As they loaded the last of the immediate necessities into the vans, Tamsin paused beside the driver’s door, looking back at what remained of their campsite. Her expression was unreadable, but Liam detected a flash of something like grief.
“Mrs. Teague?” Suzie appeared at her elbow. “Are you all right?”
“It’s just…” Tamsin’s voice was barely audible over the rain. “We’ve been running so long. Sometimes I wonder if we’ll ever have a proper home again.”
The raw honesty caught Suzie off guard. For a moment, she stood in the downpour, staring at a woman who’d lost everything yet held her dignity.
“You will,” Suzie said, her voice fierce. “I promise.”
The castle emerged from the rain like something from a fairy tale, its ancient stones darkened by water but somehow more imposing for it. Warm light spilled from dozens of windows, casting golden rectangles against the lead-colored afternoon.
Liam heard Kitto’s sharp intake of breath from the back of the van. “Is that where we’re going?”
“Aye,” Jamie whispered in awe.
Even Sienna was stunned into silence as they neared the main entrance. She’d been here before, but arriving now seemed different.
Niall had radioed ahead because the massive front doors opened before they’d even stopped. A small, energetic woman with silver hair hurried out, accompanied by two younger staff members carrying umbrellas.
“Mrs. Fraser,” Niall called as he climbed out of his Range Rover. “I should have known you’d be watching for us.”
“Course I was. Can’t have folk turning up to a cold welcome. Come on then, all of ye. Let’s get ye inside before ye catch your deaths,” she said, her Scots accent warm and inviting.
The organized efficiency reminded Liam of military operations he’d seen in films. Within minutes, the Teague family found themselves ushered through an entrance hall that could have housed their entire cottage, past suits of armor and oil paintings that seemed to watch their passage.
“Mrs. Fraser is our head housekeeper,” Angus explained as he appeared to help with bags. “She runs this place with an iron fist, and we’re all terrified of her.”
“Speak for yourself, Angus Falconer,” Mrs. Fraser replied tartly, but her eyes twinkled. “Now then, who needs dry clothes? I can see you’re all soaked through.”
Tamsin’s cough chose that moment to return, echoing off the stone walls with an alarming rasp. Mrs. Fraser was at her side an instant later.
“Right, ye’re headin’ straight to a warm room to get into dry clothes. I’ll have Dr. Mackenzie take a look at that chest.” She cast a quick, practiced eye over the group. “How many rooms will we be needin’?”
“I don’t know—” Hedrek began.
“Six,” Liam said. “Hedrek and Tamsin share one, and each of the boys—and Sienna—has a room.” He caught Sienna’s questioning look and added, “For now.”
Mrs. Fraser nodded with approval. “Good. I’ve got the Blue Suite ready for Mr. and Mrs. Teague.
It’s got a bonnie view o’ the loch, and there’s a sittin’ room if they want a bit o’ privacy.
The tower rooms are for the young men—they’ll like them, good views and plenty o’ space. Miss Teague can have the Rose Room.”
As they climbed a grand staircase that could have accommodated a small parade, Calan whispered to his brothers, “Are we sure this isn’t a dream? Because if it is, don’t wake me up.”
“The portraits are watching us,” Kitto murmured back, staring at the succession of stern-faced ancestors lining the walls.
“They’ve been watching everyone for centuries,” Suzie said with a laugh.
“You get used to it. That one there—” she pointed to a fierce-looking Highland warrior, “—we pretend that’s Niall’s great-great-grandfather, but Niall and Angus inherited the castle from Cameron Glenkirk.
Family legend says Cameron’s ancestor once held off an entire English army single-handedly. ”
“Did he really?” Jamie asked, momentarily forgetting his usual shyness.
“Probably not,” Niall admitted. “But it makes a good story.”
They reached a long corridor lined with doors, each bearing a small brass nameplate. Mrs. Fraser began directing traffic with the efficiency of a general deploying troops.
“Mr. and Mrs. Teague, ye’re here. There are robes in the wardrobe and tea things on the sideboard.
Ring if ye need aught at all.” She moved on before they could protest. “Young men, your rooms are down this way. Hot baths drawn, fresh clothes laid oot. Don’t fash yersels about sizes—we keep a selection. ”
Liam watched Hedrek’s face as he took in the opulent surroundings. The older man’s expression remained blank, but his gaze betrayed his wonder. Tamsin was less successful at hiding her amazement, her gaze traveling from the rich tapestries to the carved wooden ceilings.
“This is too much,” she said quietly to Mrs. Fraser. “We can’t impose.”
“Nonsense,” the housekeeper replied. “Mr. Niall’s instructions were clear. We’re to treat ye as honored guests. Now, I’ll have dinner ready in two hours—nae fancy, just good Scottish cookin’. Will that suit ye?”
She addressed the group, but it felt like Mrs. Fraser was really asking Hedrek, recognizing that despite Niall’s authority, he was the one who’d decide for his family.
“That’s very kind,” Hedrek said. “We’re grateful.”
“No thanks needed. Just get yerselves warm and dry.” She bustled away, already calling orders to staff members who seemed to materialize from nowhere.
In the sudden quiet that followed, the Teague family stood clustered together in the hallway, looking somewhat overwhelmed by the grandeur surrounding them.
“Well,” Jago said. “This is different.”
Two hours later, Liam barely recognized the family he’d camped with for weeks. The hot baths and fresh clothes had transformed them beyond the physical. Color had returned to their cheeks, and their movements no longer carried an edge of wariness.
Sienna appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing a simple green dress that brought out the color of her eyes, her dark hair loose around her shoulders instead of pulled back in its usual practical braid. When she caught him looking, she smoothed the skirt self-consciously.
“Mrs. Fraser insisted,” she said. “She took my clothes away to be laundered.”
“You look beautiful.”
The compliment flushed her cheeks, but before she could respond, Kitto bounded down the stairs behind her, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Liam, you should see my room! There’s a window seat that looks out over the loch, and there are books everywhere. Art books with pictures of paintings from all over the world!”
“And the bath,” Calan added, appearing with Jamie close behind. “It’s the size of a small swimming pool.”
“Bit different from washing in icy streams,” Jago observed dryly, but he was grinning.
Hedrek and Tamsin descended more sedately, but Liam could see the change in them too. Hedrek wore a simple shirt and trousers that fit him well, and his usual guarded expression had softened. Tamsin looked almost fragile in a soft blue dress, but her cough had already improved in the warm, dry air.
“The doctor says it’s a chest cold,” she said when Suzie inquired. “Nothing that rest and warmth won’t cure.”
Mrs. Fraser appeared as if summoned. “We’ll serve dinner in the wee dining room. Less formal than the great hall. Thought ye’d be more comfortable there.”
The small dining room could still seat twenty, but someone had arranged chairs around one end of the long table, creating an intimate atmosphere despite the room’s grand proportions. Candles flickered in silver holders, and the smell of roasted meat and fresh bread filled the air.
“This is incredible,” Tamsin said, taking in the scene.
“Mrs. Fraser’s outdone herself,” Niall agreed, pulling out chairs for the ladies. “Though I suspect she’s been planning this feast since the moment I called ahead.”
“Guilty as charged,” Mrs. Fraser said, appearing with a procession of serving dishes. “Haven’t had a proper family dinner in ages. Mr. Niall grabs something from the kitchen and eats while readin’ reports, and Miss Suzie loses track o’ time when she’s writin’ her music.”
“She exaggerates,” Niall protested, but his grin suggested otherwise.
As the food was served—roast lamb with rosemary, vegetables from the castle’s gardens, and thick slices of fresh bread—Liam watched the Teague family relax in earnest. Jago and Kitto were engaged in an animated conversation with Suzie about New Zealand, while Calan peppered Niall with questions about the castle’s history.
“How old is this place?” Calan asked, gesturing around them with his fork.
Niall smiled. “Parts of it date back to the thirteenth century. Though different lairds have added and modified it countless times. They built the dining room we’re in now in the eighteenth century.”
“It must be a lot of responsibility,” Hedrek said.
“It is. But it’s also a privilege. This place has sheltered people for centuries, and it seems right to continue that tradition.”
The comment hung in the air for a moment, and Liam saw understanding pass between the two men. Hedrek nodded, as if recognizing something in Niall’s words.
“Tell me about your pottery,” Suzie said, turning to Tamsin. “Liam mentioned you have quite a business.”
“Had,” Tamsin corrected. “We’re not sure what comes next.”
“Why not?” Kitto asked, looking up from his plate. “We could set up anywhere, couldn’t we? Find new clay sources, new markets?”
“It’s not that easy,” Sienna said. “People don’t always welcome our kind of family.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the table. It was Jamie who broke it, his youthful voice cutting through the quiet room.
“They welcomed us here.”
The simple truth landed hard, rippling through the room. Liam saw Suzie’s eyes grow bright, saw Niall’s expression soften further.
“Yes,” Hedrek said, his voice rough with emotion. “They did.”
Mrs. Fraser chose that moment to appear with dessert. It was a magnificent trifle that drew appreciative murmurs from around the table.
“If ye don’t mind me sayin’, sir, it’s been far too quiet around here lately.
Nice to have a proper family at the table again.
” She set down a large glass bowl layered with sponge, custard, and cream.
“And before anyone asks—nae, it’s no’ a trifle.
It’s a Tipsy Laird, and there’s a good splash o’ whisky in it, so go easy unless ye fancy a nap afterward. ”
As she bustled away, Liam caught the look that passed between Hedrek and Tamsin. It was the same one he’d seen countless times during their journey—the silent communication of two people who’d faced the world together for decades.
But this time, instead of wariness, he saw something else.
Hope.