Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
Before she really thought about it , Keira threw her arms around Laird MacAllen’s neck.
She did not know whether it was the relief of knowing she would finally be away from the villagers or the knowledge that she was safe. All she was certain of was that he was saving her life.
She had not felt safe since her parents had died. Moving to the village was meant to be the beginning of a new life for them all—instead it had almost been the end.
For the first time she would be able to take a breath, regroup, and plan for a brighter future.
Her arms were only around his neck for a second or so, but the laird tensed considerably. His arms came up as though to return the embrace, but at the last second, his fingers closed gently over her arms and pulled her away from him.
“Thank ye,” she said as the tears began to fall down her face. “Thank ye, me laird.”
She was about to tell him all the reasons she was grateful, but those emerald eyes suddenly fixed her with an intense stare, and she closed her mouth abruptly.
“Let’s get one thing clear, lass; I dinnae want ye there. I have saved ye twice, and I’m collectin’ me debt for ye to repay, nothin’ more. Ye’re nae to touch me unless it’s to treat me.”
She stepped away from him, smelling the smoke from the fire as it crackled into embers behind her.
“Treat ye?” she asked, “what do ye mean?”
“Did ye think I came all the way here just to check on ye?” he asked incredulously. “I’ll let ye ken of yer duties after ye’re rested, but until then, we need to get out of here. Come, lass.”
And, with that, he turned away and walked towards the treeline in the distance.
“Wait, wait!” she said swiftly, following behind him as he glanced back at her. “Ye’re sayin’ ye wish me to be yer healer?”
“For the short term, aye. Our healer departed for me grandparents’ seat a time ago, and we have been in need of someone with similar skills.”
She stopped in her tracks, looked back at her cottage, and put her hands on her hips. He continued walking until he finally turned and looked at her in exasperation.
“Are ye comin’ or nay? I can leave ye here to be burned by the mob if ye prefer.”
She let the cruel words wash over her, knowing that he would not have offered to help her if he was just going to leave her here.
“I have some things I must fetch. Ye may not have all the ingredients I require in yer castle. I need to go back to me house and collect some things.”
“The castle has everything ye could need.”
“And how do ye ken that when ye dinnae even ken what ailments may come knockin’ on yer door? If I leave it here, the villagers will loot me supplies. If I’m forced to leave me garden, I shall bring as much as I can with me now.”
She could tell she was pushing the boundaries of what he would allow. At the mention of her garden, he looked even more furious than he had before, but she would not back down on this.
It had taken her years to gather everything she needed, and she was proud of her collection of rare herbs. Some of them were so rare they were hidden around the house. She would not abandon them.
“Ye have ten minutes,” he said abruptly, “then we are leavin’.”
She nodded. “More than I need. Where is yer horse?”
“Och, I’m comin’ with ye lass, need to protect me investment from skippin’ away while me back is turned.”
“Where would I go?” she asked, throwing her hands up in frustration.
She glanced back as she made her way to her cottage and realized that as he followed her, his eyes were darting all over their surroundings, his hand on his sword.
Has he come with me to protect me, she wondered, or to protect his ‘investment’ in his new healer?
Either way, she was comforted by his presence and walked swiftly up the path to her front door. She felt a pang in her heart at the beautiful little garden that she would no longer be able to tend. Doubtless, another of the villagers would move into her home and make their life here.
She opened the door and was met by Scott, spinning around in place with a dirk in his hands. She huffed at him.
“It is alright, Scott; I just need to get some of me things.”
“That’s good,” he said, nodding down at the bag at his feet. “I dinnae ken what ye would want to bring.”
Keira gave him a warm smile as she recognized many of the jars she would have wanted to pack herself. Her brother had been doing his best to bring as much as he could and she loved him all the more for it.
“Where is Daisy?”
“She was gatherin’ whatever she could bring with us, I think,” he said, giving her a worried stare. “She’s scared, Kee. I dinnae ken whether she’ll like it in the laird’s castle.”
“She’ll be looked after,” came MacAllen’s deep voice from the doorway as he entered. “Good grip there, boy; someone teach ye that?” he asked, glancing at the dirk in Scott’s fist.
To Keira’s surprise, Scott held it out for inspection, and MacAllen nodded approvingly.
“Are ye teachin’ me brother to fight now?” she asked.
“Better that than he be defenseless all his life,” MacAllen quipped, walking into the kitchen, dwarfing the doorway with his bulk, and sitting down expectantly. “Do ye have any tea?” he asked.
She tutted under her breath. “If the fire were goin’ perhaps, but nay. Scott, get the bannocks I made. The laird has traveled a long way. Perhaps he can try one while I pack.”
Scott hurried to the shelf behind the washbasin, bringing down a little tin and handing it to MacAllen. He opened it warily. Keira had been making honey bannocks since she was a wee girl and knew they were good. MacAllen sniffed one tentatively and then bit into it with care.
He clearly expected it to be dry and stale until he chewed it. He raised his eyebrows in approval and put the rest of it in his mouth. Then he helped himself to another.
Keira went back to her room, leaving him sitting looking ridiculously large in her tiny kitchen. She found Daisy perched on her bed, wringing her hands together, tears on her cheeks with wide, frightened eyes.
“Daisy, me flower,” Keira said, coming quickly to sit beside her and pulling her into her arms. “It’s alright.”
“Th – they could have killed ye,” Daisy sobbed, clinging to her so hard Keira winced as her sister’s nails dug into her shoulder. “If he hadnae come, ye would be dead now, and then what would have become of us?”
Keira pushed her back, taking her by the shoulders and giving her a long assessing stare.
“Listen to me, Daisy Young. Ye would have been alright. Ye are not some weak woman who has nay clue how to look after herself; I havenae raised ye that way. Ye remember what I told ye? Ye stick with yer brother, and ye use yer head.”
Daisy sniffed, nodding as she wiped at her eyes.
“Why is he helpin’ us?”
“To be honest, I dinnae ken, but he wants me to be a healer for him for the short term. That means a soft bed, good food, and safety for the next few weeks, and that’s better than here.”
“Do ye trust him?”
“We have nay choice. Sometimes ye have to follow a path that’s not clear. Maither taught us that.”
Daisy nodded. “I shall pack some clothes for ye?—”
“Nay, lass, we dinnae have the time or the space. We’ll take me herbs and anything that’ll help those we might encounter, but everythin’ else can stay.”
Daisy’s eyes were wet with tears again and it broke Keira’s heart to see it. Daisy had always had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She had not coped well when their parents had died. Keira had suffered many sleepless nights worrying about how she would make her way in the world.
“Go and help yer brother prepare Cuddy for the journey,” she said, watching as her sister scampered away to fetch the donkey from the rear of the house.
Once she was gone, Keira took a last look at her room, trying to make a mental image of this space that she had lived in for so long. She did not have any illusions that it had been a perfect home, but it had been somewhere she had felt settled for a time.
She felt bile rise in her throat as the image of standing on the pyre reared before her again, and she squashed it down.
There is nae use dwellin’ on it; ye are safe, yer braither and sister are safe, and ye have a place to rest yer head. That is more than a lot of people have.
She rose, picking up a few of the gems and seashells she had collected over the years and adding them to the bag.
She considered bringing other items of clothing, but the bulky bag was already heavy. She grabbed a shawl, hoping that wherever they ended up, she could get some fresh clothes or at least borrow some. The burgundy dress she wore had been given to her at the castle and that was all she had.
When she returned to the kitchen, her brother was gone, and so were all of the bannocks.
She put one hand on her hip and raised her eyebrows at MacAllen. “Did ye at least share them with me sister?” she asked as she looked at the empty tin beside him.
“Aye, I gave her the last one,” he said contentedly, patting his belly before he rose. He had to duck his head to keep it from hitting the ceiling and Keira suddenly felt small in his presence.
She looked about her to check that her brother had picked up what she might need. She went to a jar of tallow on the kitchen side and placed it into the packs that would be placed on the donkey’s back.
“What is that for?” he asked.
“Ye never ken what ye’ll need,” she said. And just as she turned, the sun streamed through the window, catching the glass and illuminating the center of the table in a soft green glow.
The kitchen was silent and still, and there was no noise from outside, save for the gentle plod of the donkey’s hooves as her siblings brought him around to the front door.
MacAllen stood in the center of the room, his long fingers curved around the back of the chair. Green reflections skittered over his face, making his eyes look even more green than usual. Keira found herself wishing she could capture the color and keep it for herself.
“Will ye miss it?” MacAllen asked.
She was surprised and a little taken aback by the question.
“Aye,” she replied shortly, feeling her chest tighten. “I helped a lot of people in this cottage, and they came to me for guidance. I will always be sorry to leave in this way.”
His eyes were sad, anger smoldering below the surface as he looked out at the village before them. The area was still eerily quiet, as though the occupants were hiding until they were gone.
Keira bent down to retrieve the final few bags that her brother had gathered just as MacAllen stooped to do the same and their hands closed over one another.
She gasped, pulling away as he hoisted all of the bags over his shoulder as though they weighed nothing at all.
Keira stared at him, her mouth hanging open in surprise as he stood to his full height, only inches away from her. She looked up into his face, his expression grave and serious.
“Ye’re not accustomed to people helpin’ ye, are ye lass?” he asked as he shifted the bags into a more comfortable position on his shoulder. She found herself unable to speak, impressed by his strength and touched that he was so willing to relieve some of the burdens in her life.
“Ye arenae alone today, lass,” his voice was low and intimate in the quiet space. “Ye dinnae have to do it all yerself.”
He turned then, his large chest brushing against her and sending tendrils of pleasure through her skin. She watched him walk out into the weak sunshine, just showing itself through the clouds.
She felt hope in her heart for the first time in many years, and it was a frightening feeling. She could not afford to be dependent on anyone but herself, she had learned that long ago.
Four weeks and we will be away, she thought, I willnae have to rely on him for long, nae matter how much I may wish to.