Daran shouted, “I want to go with Morgan and Magni.”
“You go with Uncle Connor then, Daran. All the lasses are staying here.”
Daran shouted, “I’m going to the lads’ cottage! John, come with us!”
Dyna added, “The food goes in our hut. We’re eating within the hour. We brought a piece of smoked pork and some beef too, Magni. Plenty. And bread.”
Ailith and Sylvi crept into the cottage that looked new and unused, the scent of pine still fresh. They stepped into a large open area with a huge hearth at one end and a dedicated cooking hearth at the other with a table nearby. Two trestle tables satin the middle with several chairs by the main hearth. There was even a staircase with a small balcony above, leading to three bedchambers.
Magni came in behind the group, his hands on his hips. “What do you think?’
“Magni, you did this with Morgan?”
“And Cormac. We hired someone to build the hearths. The shipping company helps us meet many tradesmen. And Morgan brings the furniture from the mainland.”
Dyna whistled. “It’s beautiful. With a few more homey touches, Aunt Sela may never leave.”
“Did you bring linens? We may need some.”
“We did. Linens and extra blankets.”
Emmalin came over and wrapped an arm around Ailith’s shoulders. “What do you think? Will you feel safe here?”
Ailith knew her parents often worried about her after everything that happened at MacLintock Castle. She couldn’t explain the overwhelming feeling she had in the cottage. The sound of water lapping on the loch, the row of oak trees and pines outside, a grove of apple trees not far away. There was no reason to hide what she truly felt.
“Mama, it feels so cozy.”
“Truly, you’ll be comfortable here? No haunting visions yet or memories?”
“Nay. I love it. I feel like nothing could ever hurt me here.”
How wrong she was.
***
Later that night after everyone had settled, Ailith climbed out of bed. She needed time to herself to think on all that had happened.
Alone.
She wrapped a plaid around herself and put on her slippers, opening the door quietly to make her way toward the loch.The setting was so peaceful that the silence calmed her roiling thoughts.
Ailith stood at the loch’s edge, watching a heron pick its way through the shallows, when she heard the cottage door creak behind her. She didn’t turn. She knew who it was without looking.
“A word, lass.”
“Aye, Dyna.”
Her cousin came up beside her, plaid wrapped tight against the chill. The heron froze, then folded itself into the mist and was gone.
“On the ship yesterday. What Lia said. Did you hear all of it?”
Ailith’s thumb pressed into the heel of her hand, a small habit she’d had since she was a bairn. “Aye. Including what she said about his blood.”
Dyna let out a breath. “I’d hoped you hadn’t.”
They stood in silence for a moment. Somewhere out on the water, a fish broke the surface and was gone before Ailith could see what kind.
“What does it mean, Dyna?”
