Chapter 7
Callan managed to forage a makeshift breakfast with what he had left in the cupboards.
He chuckled to himself as he stared at the pan, which would probably never be the same again.
There were parts of the egg that had been burned so deeply into the pan that he could have scrubbed for a lifetime and he wouldn’t have been able to loosen them.
Nora seemed dispirited, but that was to be expected after what happened.
After breakfast she came into the hut and tried to mend her clothes.
How different could sewing be from embroidering?
While she pulled the fabric around her leg and stitched it together carefully, it didn’t seem to fit together as well as it did before.
Some scraps of it must have been left in the forest, and the dress was unable to be salvaged.
Callan couldn’t stop himself from sneaking a glimpse of her shapely calf.
“I can hardly come tae Laird MacPherson like this,” she said despondently.
“I dinnae ken, some men might find it fetching. It’s certainly different. Ye could herald in a new style,” he said, intending his words to be humorous.
Nora did not take them in the way that he intended. Her face was ashen and her lower lip wobbled, as though she was about to cry. Clearly the ordeal with Brune had taken more of a toll than he first realized. She tossed the thread across the room and then dug her hands into her lap.
“I cannae dae anything,” she scowled.
“Now, lass, there’s nae need for that. I ken where we can get ye some new clothes, and it’ll be good tae get away from the hut for a wee while. There’s a woman I ken, Mrs. Peters. I’m sure she hae something ye can use.”
Nora rolled her shoulders, not seeming too enthused about the prospect, but Callan didn’t see the harm. They mounted the horse again.
Callan stretched his arms around her to grip the reins, feeling the shape of her body again.
It was happening so frequently he was almost beginning to get used to it.
The proximity inflamed something inside him.
It ran deeper than his usual lustful desires, and this made it difficult for him to comprehend.
They approached the chapel and dismounted from the horse. He pointed behind the chapel to a small hut. Callan walked up and knocked confidently, striding in before anyone called out to him.
“Callan, I was nae expecting ye this early,” Ellie said.
“Well, ye ken I like tae be unpredictable. Ellie, this is Nora. She’s a… friend,” he said, unsure of the best way to describe Nora. Friend somehow seemed inadequate, but he didn’t know the most accurate term to use.
Ellie’s face brightened as she saw Nora and approached her, clasping hands.
“Och, ‘tis a pleasure tae meet ye, Nora. Ye are the first lass Callan hae every brought by. Ye must be special,” she winked, then regarded Nora’s clothes. The brightness faded from her face and was replaced by concern. “My… it looks as though ye hae been through some things.”
“Just a wee bit. Callan is helping me,” Nora said.
Callan noticed how quickly she spoke and wondered if she was trying to dispel the notion that they were friends. She would have been right to do so as well. A woman like her shouldn’t have been friends with a man like him.
Still it stung that she’d deny him that quickly.
Then, two boys rushed into the kitchen and called out Callan’s name. They climbed upon him and he laughed, trying to struggle, but making sure their roughhousing wouldn’t end up in tears. He managed to swing them around and chased them out of the door.
“I think I’ll head intae the village and get some supplies. I find myself in need of some eggs,” he said, winking at Nora.
Again she did not seem to find any amusement in the words. He didn’t understand why, they were just eggs. He bid Nora and Ellie farewell and stepped outside, hoping that Ellie wouldn’t say anything too incriminating about him.
Despite not appreciating the joke about the eggs, Nora found her heart warming at the sight of Callan playing so effortlessly with the boys. They raced towards him with such excitement that they seemed to have a close relationship.
The man contained multitudes, she thought. One day he could be slaughtering guards, covered in blood, while the next he could be playing with children, laughing gaily. The contrasts were such that it was almost enough to make her dizzy.
“Now, would ye like some tea, lass?”
“That would be lovely, thank ye. Callan failed tae mention it, but the reason he brought me here was in the hope that ye could help me with a dress. I find that I’m in need of a new one. This one is beyond repair, unfortunately,” she said, holding the tattered pieces of fabric.
Ellie laughed. “I like tae think naething is beyond repair, but I can see that would take a lot of work. I’m sure I can help ye. Give me a wee moment and I’ll hae a rummage around tae see what I can find.”
Ellie moved out of the kitchen. Nora lingered by the window, not daring to touch anything in case it erupted in smoke and she caused another disaster.
She watched the two boys running away, their laughter drifting in the air.
They looked so happy and innocent. Nora remembered a time when she used to feel that way as well, but the world had a way of shattering those notions.
Then, her gaze drifted to Callan.
He walked at a slow pace, confident and assured. There was a swagger to his stride, as though he was a master of his own destiny. She admired his gait, but any unbidden desire that came into her mind was quickly pushed away as she saw a woman approaching him.
Her gait almost as confident as Callan’s.
She had long, glossy blonde hair that shimmered as she walked.
Her eyes were bright and her lips were full.
A dress adorned her body, flowing along her buxom curves.
Whoever she was, she was a woman in every sense of the word, whereas Nora felt like a girl.
She must have known all the dark secrets of the world.
A smile broke upon her face and she reached out, her hand resting intimately on Callan’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind.
Nora was filled with a sense of jealousy, a possessiveness that was completely unwarranted. She had no idea from where in her soul it sprung, but it filled her entirely and intensely, and it again reminded her how inadequate she was.
That was the kind of woman Callan wanted—men wanted. Someone who understood her place in the world and carried herself with confidence.
“Well, I hae found this wee thing, although I’m nae sure it will match yer beauty.
But it’ll dae for now. I’m sure that I can rustle up a more suitable dress for ye from one of the other women in the village.
I’m afraid my days of sprucing myself up are long gone,” Ellie said with a warm chuckle, returning to the kitchen.
A simple, plain wool dress was draped over her arm. Nora turned and offered a smile.
“I’m sure it will be lovely, and I welcome anything that ye can offer. Is there anything I can dae tae repay ye?” Nora said, taking the dress from Ellie. At a glance it seemed as though it would be a good fit.
Ellie waved a dismissive hand through the air. “Ach, dinnae worry about any of that. Just wear it well, that’s all I ask. A friend of Callan is a friend of mine,” she replied.
Nora’s gaze turned to the window again and she looked out at Callan and the mystery woman, who were still deep in conversation.
“And what about people who are more than friends?” she asked.
Ellie followed her gaze, then gave a scoffing laugh. “Alison? Och, she is nae friend. She’s more like a bee, flitting from flower to flower until she’s sucked out all the nectar.”
“I dinnae ken about that. They seem close. Are they engaged?” Nora asked.
Ellie looked sour and shook her head vehemently.
“Och nae, I hope Callan hae more sense than that. He’d never settle for her, and I would hae strong words for him if he ever thought of such a thing. She’s nae gentle enough tae take care of a wounded soul like his.”
Nora’s ears pricked up at this. “Wounded?” she asked.
The simple question was enough to get Ellie talking. The older woman sighed as a sorrowful look came upon her face.
“Aye, I cared for Callan when he was wee,” she placed a hand against her waist, indicating how small he’d been.
“There was a terrible fire. His kin lost everything, and soon after that his parents died of sickness. The healer said it must have been the lingering effects of the fire. Callan was left all alone in the world, and life hae never been kind to him.”
“I dinnae ken. He dinnae tell me,” she said.
Ellie started to help Nora into the new dress. Nora slipped off the tattered fabric and stepped into the new wool dress. It was smooth and comfortable, fitting around her perfectly.
“Well, that’s Callan. He likes tae keep tae himself, as though his life is one big secret.
But he dinnae realize that some people ken him better than that,” Ellie tapped her nose with her finger.
“He would never say it himself, but he’s a good man.
He always gives more than he keeps, and thanks tae him we hae enough food tae feed the orphans.
When people are suffering ye need men tae stand up and dae what’s right.
Thankfully Callan is one of the good ones, and when it comes tae Alison…
well, let’s just say he deserves a good lass, like ye. ”
Nora burst into a laugh at that. She put her hand across her mouth and shook her head. “Like me? Ellie, I told ye that he just happened tae help me. There is naething more tae it than that,” she protested insistently, perhaps to try to fend off her own doubts.
She turned away, feeling heat rising to her cheeks. It only seemed to intensify even though she mustered all her effort to push it away.
“Och aye? Take it from an old woman, I can tell these things. I ken Callan and he would nae ordinarily spend as much time with someone. Ye are special, I can tell.”
“Well, even if there was a chance for that it’s impossible. I’m already betrothed tae another,” Nora said firmly, hoping to put an end to this speculation once and for all.
“Och aye?” Ellie looked saddened by that but was not deterred.
“And what is he like compared tae Callan? He might live in a grander house, and he might hae more friends, but when it comes tae a husband ye need tae look in his heart. Ye want someone who will look after ye and protect ye. Ye hae better make sure ye are choosing the better man, but even if ye dinnae, well, fate hae a funny way of playing with people,” Ellie said, chuckling softly to herself.
Nora wasn’t entirely sure she was choosing the best men, but that wasn’t part of the equation.
Ellie had no idea that the wellbeing of an entire clan’s worth of people rested on her shoulders.
If she was purely thinking about herself then of course she would have refused to marry Laird MacPherson, but this was bigger than her.
She turned around, gazing at Callan and Alison again.
While that woman might have been bad for him, she wasn’t sure Callan knew it.
She pressed her lips together and tried to push away these feelings of envy.
What did it matter who he spent time with?
They had only known each other for a matter of days and it shouldn’t have been any concern of hers.
Even so, she wished she could have scared Alison away.