Page 97 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
Norah’s stomach began to rumble again as she trudged on. She had taken a bannock, a little cheese, and an apple from the inn and had eaten them sparingly, but now the last morsel of cheese was finished and she was hungry again.
Presently, Norah came to another little village, no more than a cluster of cottages, where she stopped to drink some water from the well. She looked around, saw that it was surrounded by trees and bushes, and she decided to try foraging for something to eat.
When she entered the shadow of the trees, she saw immediately that the forest floor was covered in mushrooms, some as big as soup bowls. Her mouth watered as she bent to pick one, and looked at it for a second before lifting it to her mouth. However, the mushroom never reached her lips, since it was swiped it away suddenly and landed on the ground beside her. Norah looked up, her mouth open to protest indignantly.
“Do ye want to kill yourself, ye silly girl?” asked the old woman whose hand had deprived Norah of her midday meal. “Those things are deadly! Did ye not know that?” She was glaring at Norah out of faded blue eyes, and although her face was wrinkled, and her hair pure white, Norah could see that she had once been very beautiful.
“No, I-I did not know that,” Norah replied, suddenly feeling very foolish. “Thank you for telling me. You probably saved my life.”
At that moment, her stomach grumbled again, and the old woman’s expression softened. “Are ye hungry, hen?” she asked gently. “Is that why ye are tryin’ to eat poison mushrooms?”
Norah nodded and stood up. The old woman smiled at her, hesitated, then a moment later took her hand and led her out of the trees and down the small street to a cottage at the bottom. It was exactly the same as many cottages she had seen before - small, with rough wooden furniture and a recess in the wall that held a single bed. There was a fireplace at the end of the room, above which a cauldron was suspended on a chain, and a smell of cooking fish pervaded the room, making Norah’s mouth water again.
“My name is Caitrin,” the woman said, as she bustled around the room collecting ingredients for their meal. “What is yours?”
“Norah,” she answered shyly. “Thank you for helping me. I have no idea what I would have done without you.”
Caitrin turned around to frown at her. “Where are ye goin’, hen?” she asked. “Because I can tell ye are runnin’ away fae somethin’.”
“I-I don’t know,” she replied, shrugging. “I suppose I will know when I get there.”
Norah was exhausted and practically too tired to think any more. Caitrin was kind, and as a plate of fried trout, eggs and bread with fresh butter appeared on the table before her, Norah began to weep silently. Caitrin sat down beside her and began to eat too, surreptitiously watching Norah as she tucked into her food.
Presently, a visitor arrived in the kitchen in the shape of a pure black cat with wide, bright green eyes who jumped on Norah’s lap without asking permission. Norah laughed and patted him, and was rewarded with the soft soothing sound of a loud purr.
“This is Sooty,” Caitrin told her. “As cats go, he is a friendly wee thing.”
“He is very handsome,” Norah said, smiling as the little creature began to rub its cheek against her hand. “I had a cat once, but he was ginger, and his name was Tam.” After a few moments Norah looked up at Caitrin.
“I am running away, but I don’t want to burden you with my troubles. You are very kind,” Norah said reluctantly.
“Only to some people,” the old lady said grimly. “Tell me your story, hen. Ye will find I am a very good listener, an’ whatever ye tell me will not go outside this room.” She poured them each a glass of ale and put her hand over Norah’s on the table.
Norah took a deep breath and began to speak, and when she was finished, Caitrin did something that amazed Norah and warmed her to the bottom of her heart. She came around the back of her chair and hugged her from behind, touching her cheek to Norah’s. “Dinnae ye worry, hen,” she said soothingly. “Ye are safe here.”
“Thank you,” Norah whispered. “Thank you so much.” she looked down at the cat, who was sitting in her lap, blinking slowly and purring. “Is there an inn here? I need somewhere to sleep tonight.”
Caitrin smiled again. “No, there isnae an inn here, lass. But you can stay here.”
For a moment, Norah did not know what to say. “I can only pay you with this,” she said, holding up the pearl from her necklace. “You can sell it.”
“I wouldnae know how,” Caitrin replied, laughing. “Ye dinnae need to pay me, Norah. I have seen lassies like you before. You have nae freedom. The likes of us -” she thumbed her chest. “We might be poor but we can choose who to love.”
“But who are we going to say I am?” she asked, shrugging. “I have appeared from nowhere. Who shall I be?”
“My great niece fae Perth,” Caitrin replied promptly. “An’ if any of your people come lookin’ for ye, come in here an’ hide in the pantry where I keep our food. If ye want to earn your keep ye can help me in the house an’ in the garden, an’ go to the market for me. If that is what ye want, of course.”
“I do!” Norah’s face lit up with joy, when she thought of something else. “But I don’t speak like a Scot. They will know I am different.”
Caitrin thought for a moment, then held her finger up in the air. “Ye were the daughter of a schoolteacher an’ he was very particular about your speech.”
Norah shook her head in disbelief. “What a clever lady you are!” she cried, then rose from her chair and hugged the old woman, dumping the little cat on the floor as she did so. He gave an indignant ‘meow’ and stalked away. “Thank you!”
Caitrin laughed and flapped a hand at her. “Ye are doin’ me a favor, hen,” she replied. “I am not gettin’ any younger an’ my old bones are startin’ to creak. Ye can take a bit o’ the weight off my shoulders. An’ I am lonely sometimes, so if ye can put up with this old widow for as long as ye need I will be very thankful.”
“Gladly!” Norah took a few steps across the room to stand by the fire, and tripped over the trailing hem of the kirtle she was wearing. She recovered her balance and Caitrin turned around to inspect the skirt.
“We need to dae somethin’ about that before ye fall an’ crack your head, Norah. I will put a few stitches in it tonight.” She held up her gnarled old hands. “These might no’ look like much, but my wee hands are very good with a needle an’ thread.”
