Page 49 of When a Highlander Vows
“Och, daenae remind me.” Caitlin put a hand on her head where Arla had pinned her hair a little too tight.
It only made the headache worse. Paige kept laughing.
“I’m sorry for laughing, but I suppose it is part of the point of Lottie’s feasts. She wants everyone to engage in as much merriment as possible.”
“Kind of ye, but I am payin’ for it this mornin’, and now I have a new resolve to never drink so much again. I suppose I have never had a feast before. At least nae to that size. Nae since I was a little girl.”
Paige nodded, still smiling a little. “Well, now that ye have moved here, ye will have many a feast. Lottie loves to celebrate, especially after—” Paige stopped, and Caitlin waited for her to continue, but she did not.
“After what?”
Paige hesitated for only a moment before she continued. “Well, after her son and husband died. I dinnae ken them, but I heard that they werenae kind men. That Lottie was forced to dae as they said. They dinnae like celebrations, and if they had them, it was only for the sake of drinkin’ themselves into a stupor.”
Caitlin’s mouth opened. Lucas had not said any of this to her, nor Lottie.
Why should they? Ye are nae their family. Why should they share their secrets?
“I suppose I might have heard that as a child, but I dinnae realize it was true.”
“Aye, so they say. Here we are.” Paige took Caitlin’s arm as they approached the entrance to the village.
She had been so absorbed in their conversation that she’d not looked ahead, and now she could see the thatched roofs and wooden buildings of the village a little more clearly.
“Do ye mind if I hold yer arm, Paige? I daenae wish to stumble or slow ye down, and with me head the way it is this afternoon, I think I will have more trouble than normal.”
“Certainly.” Paige held out her arm, and Caitlin took it, glad they’d come to some sort of peace together. “We can walk wherever ye’d like, but I dae need to visit the herbalist as well as get a few other things for me poultices and such. I grow me own herbs, but some of them fail to produce as much as I need. I like to have plenty on hand, and when Lucas and the others go to battle, I send them as much as I have.”
“It is nay trouble. I am at yer disposal; I will simply enjoy the village sights.”
“Good.”
Paige spoke a little bit more about healing as they walked along, but Caitlin was distracted by the activity of the village. It felt so like home that her heart ached for her old places, her old people, waking up each morning to feeling comfortable and safe.
Home was now such a fluid idea. It had changed from one place to another in a way she’d never thought possible. Despite her homesickness, Caitlin could envision herself living in the castle forever.
With Lucas by yer side, nay doubt.
She bit her tongue to distract her foolish mind. But it was true. Whenever she thought about living at McDougall Castle, she always pictured Lucas there too. It was becoming more and more a comforting image and thought.
And a dangerous one.
25
In the village, everyone was busy doing something. She could smell all kinds of scents, from hot bread to cooking meat to the strong scent of lye as women made soap and others washed clothes in front of their homes. Young men pushed wheelbarrows filled with stones or vegetables, and there were other men hammering nails and cutting wood. It was abuzz with activity.
“I am amazed that everyone could work so hard the day after such a feast.”
Paige chuckled. “We are quite used to it, and for many, they have nay option but to keep workin’. It is us in the Castle who have more of the luxury of time and layin’ abed if we wish.”
Caitlin stole a glance at Paige to see if her expression showed her distaste of Caitlin and Lucas’ actions the night before. But Paige was calm and still smiling.
“Aye, it is a luxury,” Caitlin replied.
“Here. This is where I’d like to stop first, if ye daenae mind.”
It was a bakery, and Caitlin could smell it before she could see it. As they stepped into the wooden hut, her mouth began to water as an array of warm, sweet smells hit her nose.
Her vision cleared as she neared the long table in front of her. Paige was in a far corner making selections from an older woman while a young, handsome man leaned his elbows on the counter, grinning at her. A large stone oven stood behind him.
