Page 57 of Sins of a Scot
Iseabail removed a bag from her mare, and while she waited once more, Owen took the beasts to the tavern. No doubt he would pay the innkeeper some coin to have them looked after.
When Owen returned, the two hurried toward the boat. There were ten or so men aboard already, and Iseabail was afforded a few strange looks when she and Owen moved among them. They headed to the stern and settled themselves on a small wooden bench to the side.
There then commenced a lot of yelling as several men untied the ropes that bound the boat to the harbor, another tended to the sail, while the man at the rudder steered the boat into the wind, filling the sail and launching them forward. As the boat tacked out of the harbor, the boom swung from one side of the boat to the other, making the vessel lean heavily to the left.
They had hardly left the mainland when the boat lurched up high, only to come crashing down again as it battled against the tide. Iseabail gripped tightly to the woodwork around her, and only as she turned upon hearing one of the sailor’s yelling instructions, did she notice the perturbed look on Owen’s face.
“Are ye all right?” she gasped.
Owen bowed his head. “I’ll be fine.”
Clearly, he would not be fine, and evidently, he was too proud to admit it. This crossing was going to take several hours, and they had barely left the shore.
“Look at me,” Iseabail said. “Set yer eyes on me.”
Owen lifted his head, and as the boat lurched again, his eyes widened and fear crossed his face.
“Keep yer eyes on me,” Iseabail said, yelling over the crashing waves and deafening howling wind that whipped about them.
Owen finally looked directly at her, and Iseabail nodded. “That’s it.”
She grabbed hold of his hand, even as their bodies were flung to and fro, and not once did she stop from looking at him.
Even as he gazed at her, his frown burrowed with worry. His fingers clasped around hers, his fear forcing him to tense every muscle in his body. The sensations of the rolling ship lasted for some time longer, but the further out to sea they went, the lesser the turbulence was, until eventually, the boat settled into an easy rhythm of rising and falling.
“Ye must think me a coward,” Owen said sometime later. “I have never been a great sailor.”
“Well, ye cannae be good at everything. It wouldnae be fair fer other people,” Iseabail replied with a smile, trying to cheer him up.
Owen had chuckled a little, but the rising and falling of the boat still perturbed him. Iseabail had moved herself closer to him and now gripped onto his arm tightly in comfort. She rubbed his arm with her free hand, and tried to settle him as best as she could.
“When I was a wee girl,” Iseabail said, “me maither and I would spend days in the forest near the castle. She was a great explorer and always encouraged me tae be inquisitive. Back then, there was nay threat from Laird Sutherland. We were free tae dae as we pleased with nay worry.”
She pushed a stray strand of hair from her damp face, and tugged at the hood of her cloak to stop it blowing down completely.
“One day, we came upon a creature I had never seen before. It was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. Maither watched with delight as I went close tae it. Bending down on me haunches, I reached out tae touch it. Suddenly, this thing jumped into the air, terrifying me so much, I fell backwards and landed straight intae a puddle.”
Owen chuckled, and Iseabail grinned. “O’ course, me maither found this quite hilarious, and though me pride, and me bottom was a little bruised, she helped me up and dusted me off.”
“What was it?” Owen asked.
“A toad. O’ course, back then, I was only tiny, and so, tae me, this thing was huge,” she regaled. “And from that day tae this, I’ve never gone near one again. Even now, as old and wise as I am.”
Owen smirked. “Whoever told ye that ye were wise?”
Iseabail grinned. “Och, but I am, Owen, son o’ Madigan Sinclair and heir tae the Sinclair clan. I was wise enough tae get ye tae come with me, was I nae?”
He gazed at her then with a strange intensity. It was the same depth she had seen in his eyes after they had shared that kiss. For a long moment, their eyes locked, and Iseabail found herself mesmerized by him. Owen lifted his free hand and tenderly brushed her cheeks with his knuckles. Her stomach flipped at the sensation. It might have been the lurching of the boat, but she was certain it wasn’t. Eventually, when she could take the tension no longer, she dropped her gaze and looked out to sea.
As the crossing continued, Iseabail found herself snuggling tightly into Owen for heat. Nothing could have prepared her for how bitterly cold it was going to be, and sensing her shivering body, Owen wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer into him. Her head rested high on his chest, and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.
At one point, she glanced up at him, and again, he looked down at her with that same gaze.
“It’ll be over soon, Iseabail,” he said.
She only hoped that were true for both their sakes. Owen had struggled so much on this journey, and she could only imagine he could not wait to see dry land again.
“Land ahoy,” one of the sailors bellowed a little time later.
