Page 64 of Sins of a Scot
“Good day tae ye,” Iseabail began. She and Owen had already decided it should be Iseabail who spoke to her, thinking it might be less intimidating given she was a woman. “We have travelled far in search o’ ye. I am truly hoping ye can help us.”
The scowl remained on the woman’s face, and she grunted. “What is it that ye want?”
“We were told a merchant came tae ye and might have traded some crystals,” Iseabail said.
As the door closed even further, showing her reticence to converse, the woman said, “I dinnae ken what yer talking about.” Gone was the suspicion now. Instead, the woman looked fearful.
“We’re nae here tae cause ye trouble,” Iseabail said gently. “We ken that the merchant who came tae see ye is dead, and that ye had naething tae dae with that. I am only trying tae discover where he sourced the crystals he sold tae ye.”
The woman still looked fearful, and eyeing Iseabail and Owen carefully, she hesitated. For a moment, Iseabail actually thought the woman was going to close the door on their faces, and refuse to tell them anything.
But then, she seemed to come to a conclusion, and said, “I havenae seen him in weeks. But even when he came tae me, I only bought small pieces from him. I cannae tell ye from where he got the crystals because I never asked him, and he never told me.”
Iseabail heaved a disappointed sigh. All their effort had been for naught. The journey across dangerous waters, her nearly drowning, the time they had wasted, was all for nothing.
The woman’s face seemed to soften at Iseabail’s reaction, and she opened the door a little more.
“I’m sorry I cannae help ye. If I kent, I would tell ye. Ye’re nae from the island, are ye?”
It was Owen who answered her. “Nay, madam. We travelled here tae see ye after a sailor told us ye might be able tae help us.”
The woman nodded. “I’m sorry fer yer troubles. Truly, I am. But I dinnae ken where he got his crystal. He was very secretive and was only interested in me trade.”
“Thank ye fer speaking tae us,” Owen said. “We’ll be on our way and will leave ye in peace.”
Iseabail nodded gratefully to the woman, even as the disappointment soaked through her very being, and with Owen’s hand resting gently on her shoulder, he guided her back onto the road.
“I’m sorry, Iseabail,” he said, his voice loaded with sadness.
“Aye, as am I,” she replied. “Every time we think we are close tae discovering something more, we get blocked. It’s like the gods are against us. If I dinnae find this crystal soon, it will be too late.Laird Sutherland isnae a patient man. It’s only a matter o’ time ‘afore he murders me faither and braither in anger.”
Owen didn’t reply, and Iseabail imagined it was because he did not really have an answer to her dilemma. They had followed every lead so far, and yet, after all they had done, they were no closer to finding the whereabouts of this crystal.
Not only that, but they were now back to where they had started. The merchant was dead, the woman knew nothing, and despair raced through her as now Iseabail did not know where she was supposed to look.
Someone somewhere had to know something, but who, and where was she supposed to find them?
“Let’s make our way back tae the harbor,” Owen said eventually. “I dinnae think there is anything more fer us on this island.”
Iseabail nodded in agreement. They had to return to the mainland and once there, they had to figure out what their next move was going to be.
The rest of the journey was made in silent contemplation, at least as far as Iseabail was concerned. Her mind raced with thoughts of her father and Keane, wondering what they might be going through, knowing they were relying upon her alone to free them. It was a great weight upon her shoulders, but she was no longer alone, not that they would know that. She was only glad that she had Owen to help her, for as she thought about it, had he not, she may well have been dead already.
Owen did not speak either, and Iseabail could only imagine it was because he had nothing to say in the way of comfort. Their situation was not quite hopeless, but it certainly felt close.
As they reached the coast, they followed the path that ran along it, and once over the brow of a hill, the harbor and the small village of Brunswick came into view.
“I hope there is a boat available tae tak’ us back this day,” Iseabail said, as they ventured down the track to reach their destination. “I dinnae want tae waste any more time stuck here.”
“Another boat. Fantastic,” Owen growled.
Iseabail couldn’t help smile at his remark. “We could always swim,” she quipped.
“That might be an idea if ye could actually swim,” he returned, giving her a smirk. “Instead, I’m going tae have tae get on another damned boat.”
They were now entering the village, and leaving the grassy terrain behind, they walked the cobbled road that led to the harbor. There were several boats moored up, but only one that seemed to be readying itself to sail, for people were already boarding it, and the sailors were hurrying up and down the deck, clearly getting ready to leave.
“There’s a boat ahead,” Owen said. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back tae looking fer this crystal.”
