Page 46 of A Rogue in Moonlight
“Why?” Fergus asked, glancing at Ranald.
Oh, dear, she thought. They might worry that she would take that information to her brother. “Only so that I can understand why they are especially weary some mornings, or unable to finish their homework. That is all.”
“I see.” Ranald nodded. “My son Andrew, is he a good scholar?”
“Very bright and a fast learner,” she replied.
“And Jamie? He is my grandson,” Fergus said proudly. “A good lad.”
“He is a very smart lad, and quite willing to help others.”
“Andrew has his mother’s wit, not mine,” Ranald said. “I do not read English.”
“You speak it very well. And you are a clever man. Your son is like you.”
“That is true,” Ranald said, puffing proudly.
“Miss, you are a good teacher, I am thinking,” Fergus said. “What of Lucy? We are all her uncles, you know. And the laird will also want to know how she does.”
“She is extremely bright, though a bit spirited,” she said tactfully, while they chuckled. “I—I have not seen Kinloch for a while.”
“He has been busy with matters in the glen,” Fergus said.
“I am sure of it,” she answered, unable to keep the spice out of her tone.
Fergus huffed. “And wee Lucy, is she tormenting poor Jamie?”
“Sometimes, but I suspect it is a form of affection.”
“Huh. She does not want to be in school, that one. Jamie likes the lessons, though,” Ranald said.
“Sooner or later, they will all learn what they need to learn.”
“Miss MacCarran is a good dominie,” Fergus told Ranald. “Here, we must look at the roof.”
Fiona glanced up. “I noticed dampness on the ceiling. I hope it is not a concern.”
“We will see,” Ranald said. “We have not always had a teacher here at the glen school, you know. Sometimes a traveling dominie came to the glen and stayed a season, going house to house so the bairns could learn letters and math at home. We learned that way, my brothers and I.”
Fergus shrugged. “We did not learn much. And John—he was our youngest brother, Miss, the father of the young laird—was more interested in learning than we three. He studied on his own, had a great interest in books and learning, wanting education for his tenantsand his son, too. He wanted Dougal to go to university.”
“He attended for a bit,” Ranald said. “The needs of the glen brought him back.”
Fiona nodded, realizing why Kinloch seemed educated while claiming he was not. “A traveling dominie can be a good solution sometimes. If other children want to come to the Glen Kinloch school but are too far away, I will speak to Reverend MacIan about hiring a traveling dominie to tutor them at home.”
“He will refuse. We cannot afford two teachers. We are a poor glen,” Fergus said. “One teacher. You.”
“The roof is leaking,” Ranald affirmed, walking away to look up. “It is bad.”
“Can you fix it, Mr. MacGregor?” Fiona asked as she and Fergus joined him.
“It will take time.”
“Can the roof wait until I return to Edinburgh in a few weeks?”
The two men looked at each other, then walked away again to examine the back wall for signs of dampness. There, exposed roof beams angled lower beneath thick and visible thatching. Fergus reached up to tap at the rafters within his reach and murmured to his brother. Fiona went toward them.
“I hope it is nothing serious,” she said.
