Page 32 of The Iron Highlander
Grear smiled and held up a hand, “That is a bucket of oatmeal which Willow takes in her mouth just before she throws up.”
“So she’s not really throwing up?” Kate asked, still confused about what was going on.
“Aye, she was faking it,” said Grear.
Freya flashed her eyes quickly at Grear, trying to get the woman to stop talking. But Grear was not listening, she had made up her mind on what she was going to do, and it involved letting out the whole truth to Kate, hiding nothing.
“But Willow, ye’re sick…” Kate asked, looking at her.
Willow shrugged, not sure of what to say. “Aye…”
“Lily had a beautiful plan to use a plant to turn Willow’s tongue to that color, and Freya used powder and coloring to make her skin look as it did. This was the plan that yer sisters came up with, and Hilda and I helped them with it.”
Kate chuckled, looking at them with amusement on her face. “Why?”
“Because we didnae want to leave Kate, we are happy here, and we know ye can be happy here too. Ye just have to forget what ye were taught, and understand that everyone here, they love ye. More than ye know,” said Freya.
“Also, because I daenae want to leave this beautiful garden and head out with ye,” Lily added, hugging Kate from behind.
“My tongue tastes like shite, but I did that, because I want to stay. I am happy here, and I think we can make this our home, Kate. I hope ye see that.” Willow wrapped an arm around Kate’s neck, in her own form of a hug which was a bit too tight for her.
“We understand that ye want to do what is best for us, ye want to take care of us, as our maither would want. But ye need to understand that we are all family, and we all have to take care of each other. It’s not just yer job Kate, it is all of ours, and so allow us to take care of ye as well.” Freya finished off, standing off to the side.
“Ye better get over here and hug me,” Kate sniffled with a laugh.
Freya rushed over and hugged Kate, drawing a laugh from inside her. Kate felt her heart warm inside of her as she let out a deep breath. They were all right, and she had been too stubborn to want to see. But seeing how far they had gone, hearing it from them, it made Kate feel a sense of relief.
She would have to trust herself, trust her sisters, trust the McDonalds, and most importantly, she would have to trust her heart. She hugged them tighter as a tear dropped from her eyes, knowing that she was changing, and everything would change.
Chapter 16
Dinner time came around,and Kate headed down to the dining hall where the table was lined with fine food which had been made with items they gathered from the harvest. Haggis and bannocks filled the table, with fresh roast pork shared out by the cook, and some apples and cheese. Some wine was brought up from the cellar, and Hudson somehow managed to take the most of it, pouring it into the mug which Kate could only guess the man carried strapped to his waist somehow.
“This tastes amazing!” said Lily as she munched on her pork, looking up at Lady Grear, and then to the cook.
“Well, it is the product of all of our hard work,” said Grear, “Everyone at this table eats what they make, and we care for each other. Without the servants, there would be no McDonald estate, and without the McDonalds, there would be no place for the servants. Here, we care for each other, because we need each other to survive. It is the only way we can move forward in this home, and it is how we have done it for years.”
Kate smiled, looking up at Reuben as he sat next to his mother. He had barely taken his eyes off her the entire time, taking only a few spoons of the meal before turning back to her. As he ate his portion, his eyes seemed to scan the entirety of her body, making Kate a little shy about how he was looking up at her. Kate turned away, trying to stop herself from blushing as he wondered what the Laird was thinking. As they ate in silence, Willow suddenly put down her plate, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Wait, if ye didnae kill our parents, then who did?” Willow asked.
“Willow!” Freya scolded, upset with her tone.
“She’s right,” said Reuben. “We have no idea who it was that killed yer parents.”
Grear nodded beside him, turning to Kate, “Who do ye think would stand to gain the most with the demise of yer parents Kate?”
“We would. I and my sisters, why?”
“Obviously, it wasnae any of you. We have to think deeper, and see who else could stand to gain,” said Reuben.
“Obviously Uncle Max, he had been coming around more often just before our parents died. He was there, always playing nice with everyone.”
Kate shook her head, and she stared at all of her sisters. It was the last thing she had thought, and yet she felt so stupid for not thinking it through. Max Sweeney had killed her parents, and gotten them out of the picture, so he could lay claim to the McGowan estate. The same reason he wanted to marry them was so he would have the throne even after his death. He wanted one of the daughters of the McGowans to father a son for him, who would then lay claim to the throne.
Reuben stared at her, with his mind wandering. He watched her lips as they chewed softly on the pork, her eyes as they would lock with his on occasion, and the sweet smile which jumped to her lips when she looked away. Reuben had admitted it to himself, he was in love, and there was nothing that would change that. He had found himself attracted to women before, but with Kate, there was something else. He knew he had found someone he could connect with, someone who he could be with. Kate was the one, and he would not stop chasing her.
After dinner, he sat at the table, watching as she helped clear the dishes off the table. Hudson drove an elbow into his side, pointing at Kate with the mug he held in his hand.
