Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
The Journey
In her quiet corner of the kitchen, Elayne felt the warmth from the hearth.
The embers glowed, the sparks flying up the stone chimney, and she heard her father snoring from his room, even through his closed door.
His sonorous snores were louder after he first fell asleep.
The sound wasn’t what kept Elayne from sleep.
Memories of Cailean circled in her head like a kaleidoscope.
Watching him digging in the garden and pounding the nails into the wood, Elayne couldn’t help but notice the play of the powerful muscles in his arms. Observing how his muscles flexed and bulged left her warm, restless, and with a dry mouth.
His eyes had always mesmerized her. But there was more to the man than his eyes and his lips.
His lips looked soft, but he had been more demanding when he had crushed his own to hers as he pulled her to his chest in an embrace, as if he wanted to claim her.
They had been friends. He was her only friend, the only person with whom she had shared her burdens and worries.
With wide, questioning eyes, Elayne had asked him innumerable questions about things she burned with desire to ken.
Questions that she would have asked her father if he wasn’t working every day.
Questions she would have asked her grandparents if she had them.
Confessions she might have shared with a girlfriend if she had one.
Now she felt plagued and confused. Her heart beat faster and she couldn’t catch her breath.
His kisses made her tingle all over. What did they mean?
Did he treat other women the same way? Never kissed before Cailean, she had no experiences for comparison.
When near Cailean, Elayne smelled his scent of the pine, fir forests, and leather.
So masculine that it stirred her senses, and when he kissed her, she lost focus and melted into him.
It felt wonderful and warm to be held in his arms and kissed by him.
She felt safe and cared for in ways she had not experienced before.
The next morning, Elayne worked diligently in the forge until after lunch. Her father told her she could have the afternoon free.
His next announcement surprised her: “I will interview a few lads in the village and out on the farms today to identify who may be best suited to become my apprentice. I have thought about yer recommending another apprentice to learn my trade and I agree, the time has come for me to teach someone else. Ye work too hard for a lass and I ken how tired ye must be each day. I appreciate yer hard work and great skill. I ken there are other things better suited to a young lady. Enjoy yer afternoon free today. I will be at dinner and afterward at the farrier’s. ”
“Thank ye. Papa, Ye ken Cailean, the man who brought the deer to ye. Who is he and how do ye ken him?”
“Aye, I have kent Cailean many years. He is the laird’s son. His youngest son.”
“The laird’s son?” Elayne was dumbfounded and astonished. She had ken Cailean for years. But he had never told her his father was the laird. She wondered why he had never shared that with her. This changes everything.
Elayne cleaned and put her tools away. In the kitchen, she washed her face and hands and changed into another dress.
She walked to the well carrying a small empty basket, took a cool drink to quell her thirst, and greeted others who had gathered there to talk.
Everything was changing around her all at the same time.
Cailean planned to leave in a couple of days. Her father had finally relented and agreed to an apprentice.
One thing that hadn’t changed was that she would continue hammering at the forge for now and would be alone again without Cailean to confide in.
She had been without him last summer and early fall when he had been engaged in clan wars.
But this time it was different. And she didn’t ken why.
Cailean strode up beside her and nodded to the others, who chatted by the well.
“Could ye hand me the ladle, lass? I’m quite thirsty on this warm day.”
Elayne said not a word but gave him the ladle holding the cool water and arched her brow at him. His hands brushed hers as he took the ladle from her, sending fiery sparks shooting up her arms.
“Thank ye.” He drank with great thirst. His deep warm voice resonated inside her, and she shivered in the warm spring sun.
Elayne turned and walked away, breathing in deeply as soon as she had passed the castle gates.
Free—at least for a few hours. She hoped to find a few herbs she could dig up, collect in her basket, and transplant into the herb garden Cailean had built for her.
Along the path to the forest, he jumped off his horse and stood beside her. “Good afternoon, Elayne. How are ye?”
“Good afternoon, Cailean. I am well.” As he tilted her chin to gaze deeply into her eyes, he saw her tone and eyes did not match, however. A fierce storm brewed in her eyes.
“I ken ye are upset about something that bothers ye. I want to ken what it is, but let’s ride first.” She nodded in agreement, so he lifted her into the saddle and got on behind her, drawing her to his chest as he gripped the reins.
Night took off in a canter, as if sensing the storm of emotions emanating from Elayne and Cailean.
Sensing that Elayne needed to vent her anger or frustration through riding before disclosing the reason behind her feelings, Cailean unleashed the beast inside his warhorse, and they flew like the wind across the wide expanses of the meadow.
The wind whipped their hair and their faces as they raced.
The speed and unfettered freedom that flooded Elayne helped her lose herself in these sensations and calm her inner turmoil and worries.
After they rode an hour, Cailean led them to a shadowed meadow.
He dismounted and lifted Elayne from the saddle, then tethered Night by the stream. “The healer said this was a suitable spot to find herbs for yer garden. Let's search now, eat lunch, and talk then.” They walked in different directions, but remained aware of each other and their nearness.
A beehive in the distance hummed with active occupants.
As they searched, the sun bathed them in the afternoon light as it filtered through the trees.
They found the healing plants of comfrey, nettles, betony, and heather.
Cailean helped dig up the plants with his dirk and set them inside Elayne’s basket.
She wanted to return to the meadow with the healer and learn more from her to help her find additional useful plants.
Comfrey helped heal open wounds and lung infections common in the winter.
Betony and nettles helped heal infections, and heather was an antiseptic.
Elayne relished smelling the heather and often used it when making soaps.
They had to rely on what nature provided and what grew in their gardens for medicines.
On their way to a picnic spot, they found mint for stomach ailments and wild coriander, used to reduce fever.
“We will dig those up, too, before we leave today.” They washed their hands in the cold water of the raging burn.
Cailean placed a tartan blanket on the ground and unpacked his sack for them to eat.
Bessie had given him meats, cheeses, and bread, with lemon tarts for dessert.
He poured ale, and they ate in silence at first, both hungry from their work earlier in the day.
Elayne had not even broken her fast yet.
“How was yer morning?” she asked after taking the edge off her growling stomach.
“I worked at the farrier’s and did the work of each of the apprentices, so they got bathed and scrubbed clean, and afterward put on new clothes, shoes, and boots. They were most appreciative. Between the seamstress, and myself, we outfitted the grooms too.”
Elayne clapped her hands with admiration and happiness.
Cailean had acted on her ideas to improve the lot of the apprentices to the farrier as well as the grooms. “That’s wonderful!
Ye must do something similar to discover useful things the other clans need.
It will help ye to determine the best course of action. ”
“I don’t want to leave ye for so long, Elayne.
I recommended I stay behind and watch over the clan in my father’s absence as he attends the wedding, but he informed me my older brother, William, will act as laird.
” Cailean’s gaze looked out into the distance.
Cailean’s distress was evident to her as he avoided eye contact.
Elayne grabbed his hands in hers, immediately capturing his attention.
“Ye have the most important job in the clan, except for yer father’s role as laird.
Ye have a vital quest. By making these agreements between clans, ye will improve the welfare and lives of many people in our clan and in many other clans.
It hasn’t been yer role to venture out into the countryside to visit individual families, but I urge ye to accompany the laird or his steward to look into the lives of how each clan lives and survives.
This will show yer genuine interest in their clan’s welfare, not just yer own. ”
“I understand what ye mean.”
“The laird will be more willing to engage in yer business proposition. Ye have the most vital role. Yer goal before was to become a powerful warrior, and ye proved yer valor last summer when ye fought. Now, ye have new goals and skills ye must learn. I ken ye will be successful. That does nae mean that every single laird will wish to do business with our clan. Ye must be open to new ideas.”
“Ye are right, Elayne. I have learned so much from ye and will continue taking yer advice and doing what ye recommend. But I still wish I didn’t have to leave ye. I will worry about ye while I am gone. If ye need something or any help, please visit Bessie, and she will help ye.”