A moment later, a group of people appeared on the brow of the hill. Deryn’s hands clenched. He would not let them take Madeleine and Rory. Anyone who tried would have to get through him first. He strode forward as the group began moving down the hill. His hands clenched into fists and his shoulders hunched, ready for a fight.
But then a familiar voice bellowed, “Ha! Look, we’ve got a welcoming committee!”
Deryn let out a breath as he recognized Craig’s huge form. His wife, Darla, walked by his side and his two little ones, Lily and Sean, trotted in front.
“Craig, ye daft bugger!” Deryn shouted. “What are ye doing coming from that direction? I thought ye were bandits!”
Craig and his family walked up to him and halted. “Have ye seen the lowland road?” the big man asked. “It’s under about six inches of water. In case ye hadnae noticed, we’ve been having some mighty fine weather recently. Seeing as my stubborn friend has made no effort to come visit—despite my urging—I thought we’d take the decision out of his hands and come visit him instead.”
Deryn shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”
Craig raised an eyebrow and a grin spread across his face. “I’ll bet ye have.”
“Not like that,” Deryn growled. “Lambing season has started.”
“Then why didnae ye send word? I’d have come and helped like I always do.”
This was true. Craig and Darla often helped Deryn with tasks that required more than one person and in return he often helped them around their croft as well.
He shifted his feet uncomfortably. “I...um...had other help this year.”
Craig’s grin only widened further. “Aye, I thought ye might.”
Darla stepped up to him. She was a short woman with curly red hair, rosy cheeks, and an infectious smile. “Stop needling him,” she told her husband. To Deryn she said, “Ignore him. We thought we’d come and see if there’s aught ye and yer guests need.” She smiled. “And to be honest, the wee ones heard there was another child in the valley and were desperate to meet him.”
“Is that right?” Deryn rumbled, looking down at Lily and Sean who were clinging to their mother’s skirts and looking up at him with wide smiles. “Well, in that case, we’d better do just that hadnae we?”
Taking Lily and Sean’s hands, he led them to the house. The door was firmly shut and when he tried to open it, he found that it was locked. He knocked softly.
“It’s all right, lass,” he called. “It’s me.”
He heard the scrape of the bar being lifted and the door opened, Madeleine looking out uncertainly. Her eyes sprang to Craig and Darla and then Sean and Lily holding his hands.
“Oh!” she said brightly. “Company! Hello!”
“Madeleine, lass,” Deryn said. “I’d like ye to meet my neighbors, Craig and Darla Grant and their little ones Lily and Sean. They have a croft at the other end of the valley.”
Darla stepped past him. She was shorter and wider than Madeleine but that didn’t stop her reaching up and pulling her into a tight embrace.
“It’s a pleasure to meet ye, my dear,” Darla said warmly.
“Um, you too,” Madeleine stammered, obviously a little flustered by this sudden encounter. Deryn stifled a smile. Darla could be a little overwhelming on first meeting.
“Well?” Darla said, stepping back. “Are ye gonna invite us in or are we going to stand on the doorstep all day?”
“Oh. Yeah. Right. Sorry.” Madeleine stepped back. “Please come in.”
MADDY TRIED NOT TOlook flustered as she was introduced to Deryn’s friends, but she had to admit she was reeling a little.
People! Real people! Over the last few days, she’d gotten so used to it being just her, Deryn and Rory, that it was quite a jolt to be amongst others again. And Deryn hadfriends?He’d not mentioned them in all the time she’d been here. Just one of the myriad of things he kept to himself. Deryn Stewart, she was beginning to realize, was full of secrets.
“Rory, come and meet these nice people,” she called. She wondered how he would react to this influx of strangers. His shyness meant that at home he’d not liked meeting new people and had often retreated completely into his shell.
As it turned out, she needn’t have worried. Darla clapped her hands together and then leant down until she was on a level with Rory. “And this must be the handsome Rory I’ve been hearing about!” She ruffled his hair and then tweaked his nose playfully. “I must say, the stories were right! Aren’t ye just the most handsome lad?”
Rory smiled shyly. Darla called her children over and introduced them. Sean looked to be around the same age asRory, Lily maybe a few years older and had that no-nonsense bossy air about her that little girls often have when dealing with younger brothers.
“Roderick,” she pronounced, airily as she was introduced to Rory. “I like that name.”
