Chapter 2
Elspeth’s heart sank. The world melted all around her as she listened to his words. Her knees buckled, and she had to steady herself against the frame of the door, else she would have fallen to her knees. A small whimper escaped her lips as she twisted her neck around to look at Eoin.
“What dae ye mean he’s dying?”
“There was a fire. The whole stables nearly went up. Yer da rushed in tae save the horses and the stable boy, but he took in a lot of smoke and the burns…aye…if it were not for him, all the horses would be dead. Ye need tae come with me.”
Elspeth’s mind was awhirl. She called out to Eoin, who moaned and whined and said he didn’t want to come.
“Ye come here right now!” Elspeth shrieked.
She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him outside.
She hated doing it because he didn’t understand, but she was in too much of a state to explain it to him now, and she couldn’t leave him alone.
It didn’t make sense. Why did her father have to be so brave?
Wasn’t there anyone else who could have gone into the fire?
She had already lost one parent. The thought of losing another was too much to bear.
The day had turned to twilight. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and the crescent moon was already visible.
From the castle, a plume of smoke rose, as black as death itself.
Elspeth groaned as she marched alongside the guard.
Other people were emerging from their homes, their attention drawn to the fire.
The guard explained that one of the stable boys had been careless with a match, and Lyle had been the only person aware enough to realize that something had gone wrong.
He had rushed into the blaze, fighting against the smoke and fire to free the horses and drag the stable boy out.
Unfortunately, he had been struck by falling wood, and it was a miracle that he had been pulled out with some life still left in him.
Eoin continued to whine by her side. She stopped for a moment and gripped his shoulders. Her eyes were wide, and all the color had drained from her face.
“Dae ye want tae see Da again? This could be yer last chance.” Eoin looked wounded.
The words struck him with force, as though she had slapped him.
Elspeth trembled with emotion, and she wiped tears from her face as they rushed towards the castle.
A crowd began to gather. The guard forced them through.
Elspeth picked up Eoin and held him tightly against her.
His small arms wrapped around her neck, and his cheek pressed against her.
Wet tears trickled down her face as the guard led them through.
She glanced at the stable, which had been completely destroyed.
The roof had caved in. It was a mess of straw and broken wood; her heart broke when she thought of her father being trapped inside.
“Where is he?” she cried frantically, her gaze darting around in every direction.
The guard led her into the manor and told her to wait.
She paced around and called out to him, hating that she had to be removed from her wounded parent once again.
She was still haunted by the fact that she had never been able to say goodbye to her mother.
It wasn’t the guard who returned, but Laird Gallach himself.
He was a tall man, thin, with a silver mustache framing his upper lip.
Wispy hair settled on his scalp like a fine mist on the moors, and in his kind eyes, Elspeth saw pity.
Something in her body broke, and she was unable to hold herself upright.
She stumbled into a chair. Eoin was by her side, still not understanding what was happening, just as she hadn’t understood six years ago when their mother had been taken from them.
“I’m sorry, Elspeth,” Laird Gallach began in a somber tone.
Elspeth shook her head. “No,” she croaked, not wanting to believe. Unable to believe. Her chest tightened, and the world became an abyss around her. It was happening again. It was all happening again, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Yer da was a hero. What he did…he saved people’s lives, and he saved the lives of animals as well.
He was a kind man, giving himself without fear.
Ye should be proud of him,” he said. His words were vague and distant.
Even though they were designed to make her feel better, nothing could soothe the ache in her soul, not even Eoin’s hand in hers.
“It’s a terrible tragedy, and I’m sorry ye couldnae see him.
He tried his best tae hold on for ye, but he couldnae. ”
The laird’s face was etched in hard angles, and his body was rigid with tension.
He sank to his knees and took Elspeth’s other hand.
“I spoke tae him before he died. There were some things he wanted me tae say tae ye. He told me that he wants ye tae be happy above anything else and that he’s sorry he wouldnae be around tae help ye make the final steps intae being a woman.
But he also made me swear tae him that I would look after ye and make sure that ye hae a good life.
It’s the least I can do for him after all the years of loyal service he hae given me.
He wanted me tae arrange a marriage for ye. ”
Elspeth gasped. Marriage.
“He knows that ye hae given sae much of yerself tae looking after the home. I hae a nephew who needs a lass like ye, a good wife. I can make arrangements taenight for ye tae travel.”
“What about Eoin?” Elspeth asked. Her mind was swimming. It was all happening so quickly.
“Yer da said that yer aunt can look after him, but she cannae afford tae look after both of ye. Ye nae longer need the responsibility, Elspeth. Ye are free. That’s all he wanted for ye, tae be free tae hae yer own life.”
“But I…I’m happy here,” she said in a voice so small that the laird didn’t hear her at all. The laird spoke as though everything had already been decided.
“Ye should be at peace now. I know it is a tragedy, but yer da is with yer ma again, and with his dying wish, he made sure that ye are safe. He loved ye, lass. Ye should never be in doubt about that.”
Yes, his dying wish. How could Elspeth dare to go against that? She sobbed and begged the laird for the chance to see her father. He was pensive for a moment, but then he saw the desperation in her eyes and relented.
“It’s nae a pretty sight,” he said as he led her to the small room where her father had been taken. The mood was somber, and there was little joy in the air. A few candles flickered, but there was a gloom that settled over the room. Eoin was quiet and held her hand tightly.
“I dinnae like this,” he whispered.
“Neither dae I,” Elspeth replied.
They stood over the body, which had a blanket draped over it. Elspeth swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly lifted the blanket. She gasped when she saw the figure of her father. The skin was melted like wax, and his clothes were all burned.
“Da!” Eoin yelled. Elspeth let the blanket drop and fell to her knees to wrap her arms around Eoin in a tight embrace. She wished she could protect him from all the ills of the world, and it broke her heart that she was going to have to leave him behind.
“Eoin, ye need tae listen tae me,” she began in a trembling voice, wiping away the flowing crystal tears. “I hae tae leave this place.”
“Nae—”
“I hae tae. It’s what Da wanted. Ye are gaeing tae live with Aunty Aileen. She’ll take care of ye.”
“She wants me tae be clean all the time,” Eoin pouted. If the circumstances were different, Elspeth might have giggled.
“I know it’s nae what ye want. It’s nae what I want either, but I cannae refuse Da’s dying wish or the commands of the laird.
But I want tae promise ye that I will always be with ye, even when we are nae taegether.
I will always be thinking of ye, and ye hae Da and Ma watching over us.
Whenever ye look intae the sky, ye will know that, especially when the stars are out. ”
“Will ye be watching them tae?”
“Aye.” She smiled and held him close. “When ye are alone in the quiet of night, and ye are looking up at the stars, ye can be safe in the knowledge that I am looking up at them as well. It’ll be like we are taegether, even when we aren’t.”
Eoin seemed mollified by this, and he blinked back his tears. His gaze began to drift back to the blanket, to the mutilated shell that had been their father. Elspeth pulled his head back.
“Dinnae look at him like that again. Dinnae think of him like that. That’s nae how we should remember him.
Remember him when he was carrying ye on his shoulders.
Remember him when he was chasing us through the fields and telling us stories before bed,” Elspeth said.
She hugged Eoin tightly and wished that she knew the right things to say to take the hurt away—if there were any right things.
It was different from the last time, though.
She had had Eoin to cradle and his innocent light to push back the miserable gloom.
But now there was nothing like that to accompany her father’s death...
only the promise of marriage. And with that came uncertainty rather than radiant light.
Elspeth wasn’t sure how long she and Eoin had been with her father, but eventually, someone came in to escort them away.
Elspeth was numb. Although she wanted to remain with her father, she lacked the strength to resist, and Eoin went wherever she was going.
Her heart was a stone in her chest. Eoin was talking to her, but Elspeth’s mind was elsewhere.
She was told that she should return home to prepare for her journey and gather her belongings.
Before she left the laird’s castle, however, a voice called out to her.
It was Islay, the laird’s daughter. She was of an age with Elspeth.
Islay ran up to her and flung her arms around Elspeth’s shoulders, hugging her tightly.
“I’m sae sorry, Elspeth. I cannae believe this haes happened. When I heard what yer da did…oh, my poor wee heart.”
“Thank ye,” Elspeth replied.
“If there’s anything ye need dinnae hesitate tae ask.”
Elspeth forced a smile. “I appreciate that, but all I ask is that ye look after Eoin here and be a big sister tae him in my absence.” She noticed the look of confusion upon Islay’s face. “Yer da…he haes arranged for me tae be married tae yer cousin.”
“Finlay?” There was a hint of shock in Islay’s voice, and her eyes widened a little.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nae…I suppose Da haes always wanted tae arrange a marriage for Finlay. It’s just that…”
“What? What can ye tell me about him?”
Elspeth could tell that Islay was struggling with something.
“Finlay tends tae keep tae himself. We dinnae see him often. He’s nae the most courteous man”—Islay forced a smile—“but I’m sure he’ll be more courteous tae his wife than he would his cousin.
Ye will be fine.” Even though Islay said this, Elspeth got the sense that the laird’s daughter was keeping something from her.
Still, she wasn’t in a position to say anything, so she thanked Islay and returned to her home; her empty, hollow home that had once been filled with the love and laughter of her parents but now was filled only with haunting whispers.
Elspeth breathed deeply and summoned all the willpower in the world to quell the sadness that rumbled through her body.
She moved about the house and gathered some of her belongings, but it was impossible to fight back the tears.
Aileen came into the house not long after, for word had spread, and the laird had sent a guard to her to tell her of the new circumstances.
As soon as Elspeth saw her, she ran to Aileen and all the tears came flowing out.
“Aw pet, ye’ll be alright. Ye will. Think of it...
ye get tae be married tae a laird. It’s more than yer da could hae ever hoped for.
And dinnae worry about me and Eoin. I’ll take good care of the wee lad.
Ye can come back and visit whenever ye like, ye’ll see.
I know change is hard, but there’s nay use in getting upset about it.
Soon enough, ye’ll be there, and ye’ll be happy in yer new life.
Ye’ll be sae happy ye’ll barely think about us back in Kilin. ”
“That’s nae true. I’ll never forget ye. Never!
” Elspeth said through a burst of sobs. Aileen comforted her.
She made Elspeth some tea, and they shared a few stories about Lyle, which helped to calm Elspeth down.
It was strange to think that she would soon be away from here forever.
This home was the only place she had ever known.
To her, Kilin was her entire world. This small village tucked away in the Highlands was all she had ever needed or wanted, but now forces that were out of her control were pulling her away.
All her life, she had lived for others, doing what was best for everyone else.
Now she was being forced to live for herself, and it scared her.
It wasn’t long before the carriage arrived to take Elspeth away.
Apparently, the laird thought it best to get things moving swiftly so she didn’t have time to lose herself in grief.
Elspeth remembered her youth when she had run through bramble and gotten thorns stuck in her flesh.
It had been so painful she wanted to pull them out slowly, but her mother had insisted the best way to steel herself against the pain was to rip the thorns out quickly because a shorter, intense pain was better than having a drawn-out sensation.
Without mercy, the thorns had been ripped away, but it meant that her wounds healed more quickly.
Elspeth hoped that the same held true on this occasion.
She had intended to maintain her composure, but when it came to saying goodbye to Eoin, she could not hold in her sadness.
Her entire body shook as the tears streamed out of her, and she had to force herself to let him go.
Eoin promised her that he would be okay.
They told one another they loved each other, and then Elspeth walked to the carriage.
She looked back to see Aileen and Eoin standing in the doorway of the building that was her home no longer.
She was shown into the carriage by the driver, and then they left Kilin behind.
It faded into the distance, and before too long, it was hidden by the rolling hills, as though it didn’t exist at all.