Page 19 of Captured By the Highland Devil
They soon came to the outskirts of the village, not unlike any other village of a great castle, it had thatched cottages sat on large swaths of land, many had large pens that contained small livestock.
Others had massive pastures of cows, sheep and goats.
All this wealth…
They got closer to the town center where the houses got closer. There she saw women outside, laundry fluttering on a line, children romping outside with dogs while a few men were out chopping wood and loading carts.
“Are we near this orphanage?” she asked.
“Aye,” he said nodding. “We’re here.”
The first impression Paige had gotten at seeing the two-structure house was that it was… sad. The house had no doubt weathered some storms, but it still looked ragged and drab.
Ruben alighted from his horse, helped Paige down then hitched the horse to a post under a sprawling oak.
“Come on, then,” he said. “The children are waitin’.”
Stepping through the doorway, Paige took note of the scrubbed walls, the bare staircase leading to the level above, the wide hallway under it led to a room beyond.
A young woman in a blue frock, a gray apron and cap came out of the room beyond. She jerked at a stop at seeing Ruben but then broke out into a smile.
“Me Laird, we dinnae ken ye would be visiting us today,” she paused to open the doorway to a cupboard and pulled out a mop, a bucket. “And ye brought company. Welcome.”
“T’is a surprise, Sarah.” Ruben said.
She then tucked rolls of dried towels under her left arm. “Please, come this way. The children are in the readin’ room.”
“Readin’ room?” Paige murmured to herself.
“Would ye gather all the housemothers and the children in the readin’ room?” Ruben said. “I have an announcement I think ye should all ken.”
“Aye, me laird.” Sarah said, smiling, “This way, please.”
She led them beyond the great hall dining room to two classrooms at the back of the building where the children were having their daily lessons. The children, ten of them, were on the floor listening as the older woman read to them.
The room was drab, one part of the wall had some paper drawings of a garden and pretty flowers, and another of a woman with grey hair, kind eyes and wrinkles.
Paige’s eyes dropped on the woman in the middle of the room, who under her cap, had grey hair—the same as in the drawing.
“Maither Etna,” Sarah called to the woman. “Children, his lairdship is here to see us. Is that nae wonderful?”
A wave of delightful cries surged into the air as the children surged to their feet and went to hug him. He lifted a young lad to his arms, warmth sparking in his eyes.
It was the closest thing Paige had seen to him smiling.
She turned to the door as more children started filing in, these were the older children. Paige estimated their ages to be between thirteen and seventeen.
“Me Laird?” Mother Etna said invitingly. “Yer announcement.”
While holding the boy, Ruben said. “I daenae ken if word had gotten around the village yet, but I want ye all to meet me wife, Lady Paige McKinnon.”
Cries of joy ran through the room and the elder caretaker pressed her hand to her chest, pure joy on her face. The lady bowed her head and whispered what looked like a prayer of thanksgiving.
Paige did not have the heart to correct her. It would probably break her gentle heart.
“How wonderful,” another caretaker said. “We have all been hoping and praying ye would find a wonderful lady to marry.”
Again, Paige bit her lip. Would Ruben tell them who she truly was, or would he leave the part that she was from the enemy clan out of it?
