Chapter 13
Beltane Day had arrived, and Emma’s spirits were higher than she would have thought possible.
Beltane Day was one of her favorite times of the year, as everyone was always so happy, and the mood around the village was one of festivity and joy.
This year it was different because she would be attending with Trevor.
Although so much of her life was uncertain, she was determined not to allow it to affect her enjoyment of the day.
She rifled through her closet to pick out an outfit that she thought Trevor would like.
She pulled out a few dresses and tried each of them on in turn before settling on a red frock.
The dress was long and reached her ankles, and it billowed out in such a way that she thought it would be impressive if Trevor asked her to dance, the chance of which she thought was quite likely.
Despite the fact he was English, Trevor seemed to fit in with her family naturally, and she had loved spending time with him at dinner.
The only downside was that he had to leave.
She had almost asked her father if Trevor could stay in one of the spare rooms, although she thought that might have been pushing her luck too much given the animosity Douglas had for the man, although that seemed to have cooled somewhat after dinner.
Emma walked downstairs to find her father and mother dressed in their finest clothes. Douglas was struggling to close a button on his collar and was quite red in the face.
“This is why I told you to check it before Beltane so that I could adjust it if I needed to.”
“It fit the last time; I dinnae see why it should nae fit now,” Douglas muttered.
“Because you are putting on a little weight. There’s no shame in it. It happens to all men as they grow older,” Lyndsay sighed.
“It’s the clothes that are getting smaller. They must have shrunk while they were in the closet,” Douglas said.
Lyndsay shook her head and rolled her eyes in Emma’s direction, which brought a stifled laugh from Emma.
“I think ye both look wonderful. It’s nice tae see ye sae happy, given what’s happening,” Emma said, feeling a little wistful that such moments might not last for as long as she hoped they would.
Lyndsay gave up trying to fix Douglas’s buttons and allowed him to wear it undone, which looked a little scruffy, but at this late stage, there was little that could be done.
She patted his chest and looked up at him with adoring eyes.
“Yes, well, it’s Beltane Day, and we’re not going to allow any of these matters to ruin our night.
We’re going to have fun with each other, and we’re going to celebrate with the village,” she said, rolling forward on her tiptoes to give Douglas a kiss.
He smiled too and draped an arm around Lyndsay’s shoulders.
“Speaking of which, we should leave. I dinnae want tae miss the feast. I hae been starving myself all day sae that I can get my share,” Douglas said, patting his stomach as he said this.
“Then let us not tarry,” Lyndsay said, although she turned to Emma and tilted her head to the side as though she noticed something amiss. “Do you not want your shawl?”
Emma ran her hand through her hair, twirling the curled strands at the end and feeling a little self-conscious, but she was a woman of her word and made sure she was going to keep her promise to Trevor. “Actually I thought taenight I might gae without it,” she said.
Lyndsay smiled and linked hands with her daughter.
“I’m glad. Now I won’t be the only one with blonde hair.”
The mood in the village was already wonderful even though the sun was only beginning to set.
Doors and windows of houses were decorated in yellow flowers, while fires had already been lit.
There was one huge bonfire in the middle of the village, while other smaller ones had people huddling around them.
A few of them had people jumping over them, screaming with delight as they managed to boost themselves over the fire and avoid the flames licking their legs.
Tables had been pulled out of the inn and other buildings to house the feast. Smoke came out in thick plumes of various houses of people who had volunteered to cook, and the smell of roasting meat sizzled in the air.
Emma’s stomach began to rumble as soon as she smelled it, and Douglas grinned.
“Now this is what I’ve been waiting all year for,” he said, licking his lips like a hungry wolf.
Children were playing near the fires as well, albeit under the supervision of adults.
Emma noticed a few people staring at her and whispering to themselves.
No doubt they were talking about her blonde hair.
She almost ran home to fetch her shawl but realized that would only be giving them the satisfaction of knowing that they were having an effect on her.
Besides, she hadn’t realized how hiding her hair all this time might have affected her mother.
It was indeed something they shared in common and one of the few threads from her mother that were visible in Emma’s life.
After all, she had her father’s accent, and she knew nothing of the country of her mother’s birth.
She hadn’t thought before how Lyndsay might have been adversely affected by Emma’s desire to keep her hair hidden, and now she was glad that she had the opportunity to show that she was neither embarrassed nor ashamed of the heritage that had been passed down from Lyndsay.
Her mood was improved to an even greater degree when she saw Trevor approaching them. He wore a wide smile and walked with purpose. He kissed Lyndsay on the cheek and shook Douglas by the hand, and then he regarded Emma with an admiring look.
“I must say that I have been impressed with the way the village has been decorated, but its beauty does not compare to yours. If this truly is the beginning of summer, then we are in for a treat,” he said.
Douglas and Lyndsay glanced at each other.
“We should go. I think Douglas is about to go wild if he doesn’t get some food in his stomach.
Enjoy the evening, Emma, and we will see you later,” Lyndsay said.
Douglas muttered something that Emma couldn’t quite hear, but Lyndsay dragged him away.
Emma turned to face Trevor, who was still marveling at the decorations of the village.
“The only time London is like this is at Christmas,” he said.
“Well, we like tae celebrate a few things around the year, and the summer is always a time for people tae look forward tae warmer weather and fertile crops, as well as protecting the cattle that are driven out tae pasture. Dae ye truly hae naething like this at home?”
“We don’t, at least not that I’ve seen, but then again, I have lived a very sheltered life.
” He said this in such a way that she couldn’t be sure if he was joking or not.
There was a loud scream behind them as a child took a long run up and jumped over a crackling fire.
For a moment, Trevor almost ran toward the boy, worried that he might have been engulfed in the flame.
However, the boy bounded around and threw up his arms, grinning wildly.
“Why would he do that?” Trevor asked in wonder.
Emma shrugged. “It’s supposed tae help protect the cattle and encourage growth. I suppose if the gods are watching, they can see how far we’re willing tae gae tae protect our cattle and things. Jumping over the flame shows them how much of a risk we’re willing tae take.”
“Have you ever jumped over a fire like that?”
Emma grinned. “I’ve been known tae take a leap once or twice in my life, although I hae nae for a few years now. Perhaps ye should try it.”
“I suppose it would be rude of me to attend the festival and not partake in any of the local traditions,” he said.
They wandered over to a fire, and Emma gestured for Trevor to get in line.
He was standing behind a couple of children, and the fact that children were willing to do this should have suggested that it was safe.
The fires they used for these jumping rituals were smoldering rather than blazing, and nothing like the fires that were used for cooking meat and warming people as the night grew cold.
Even so, it was still an impressive feat.
Emma watched Trevor hesitate for a moment before he ran forward and leaped over the flame, almost stumbling as he landed on the other side.
A great cheer rose from the people who watched, and Trevor bowed in humble thanks.
“That was incredible!” he said. “Are you going to have a go?”
“I think I’ve jumped over enough fires in my day,” Emma said.
“I still remember the first time I did it; the fire seemed sae big I thought for sure I was gaeing tae burn. I could nae understand why Da was sae adamant. He haed tae hold my hand, and we jumped over taegether.” She smiled at the memory.
“That sounds nice.”
“Aye, it’s always a good time of year. If ye look over there, ye will see Leigh and some of the other village elders performing the ritual tae seek protection.
” Emma pointed to the other side of the clearing where the laird and a few other people stood in a circle.
One of them had an old book opened and was chanting in a language that Trevor did not understand.
The old words had an ancient power to them, and as they were spoken, herbs were sprinkled over the fire.
As Emma and Trevor watched, the flames flickered different colors for mere moments, and then the fire returned to its usual amber hue.