Page 26 of Highland Spy

“Read it loud enough for everyone to hear,” said Bridget, smiling at him oddly. “After all, it is quite noisy with the crowd and the swords clashin’ on the practice field.”

“Of course,” said Caleb, staring down at the page, making up words as he spoke.

“Caleb MacKeefe,” he started.

“That’s no’ even the right page,” said Bridget, stepping up and flipping the page backwards. “There it is.” Her finger tapped the top of page with Caleb’s writing on it. “Try it again.”

“Of course,” he said, flashing a smile. The oddest thing was, that Bridget was smiling, too. She must know her father didn’t really write those things about him. If so, she’d be scowling right now instead. He didn’t understand this at all.

“Go on,” said Bridget with a nod of her head.

Caleb cleared his throat and looked down at the words on the page and started to read. “Caleb is perhaps the most horrific and nosiest of the MacKeefe Clan.”

His brothers let out a chuckle.

“Wait. What?” Caleb looked down at the page, knowing damned well that he didn’t write this! He wrote honorable and noble, he was sure of it.

“Keep readin’,” said Bridget with a smug smile.

When he looked down at the page, his eyes opened wide. He knew now why the girl was smiling. She’d changed his words to make him sound like a fool.

“Nay, we’ve got to go,” said Caleb. He started to close the book, but his brother, Quinn, grabbed it from him.

“I’ll read it,” he said, making Caleb cringe. “It says Caleb is perhaps the most horrific and nosiest of the MacKeefe Clan. He helps lassies undress and has a rock-hard head.”

“Stop,” said Caleb as his brothers burst out laughing. “Give me the book.” He reached for it, but Finn took it next and continued to read. “He protects them from the mice as well as shields them from the happy elemental nature spirits.”

“Let me see that,” said Grant, taking the book next. “Praises for his pine marten only are often sung by the bards that travel the lands.” Grant closed the book as Quinn and Finn almost burst a gut laughing so hard. “Brathair, this makes ye look like a fool.”

“Aye, it does,” said Caleb, taking the book and glaring at Bridget. She, in turn, smiled as if she had won some kind of competition between them. “Bridget, what did ye do?”

“Mayhap the question is what did ye do, Caleb?” She snatched the book away from him. “My faither and I need to rest now, before the king arrives. Then my faither will record the events of the true heroes.” With her nose up in the air, she took her father’s arm and they disappeared through the crowd.

“Egads, Caleb,” said Finn with a chuckle. “If that’s what’s written in the Highland Chronicles about ye, then I hope I never get mentioned.”

“Me, neither,” said Quinn, as they walked away laughing.

“How could ye let them say these things about ye, Brathair?” asked Grant, disappointment showing in his eyes. “This is goin’ to sully the family name.”

“Grant, ye ken those things ye read are no’ true.”

“Then why did the chronicler write them?”

“He didna. I wrote them,” Caleb admitted.

“Ye did that to yerself?” Grant asked in shock.

“Nay, I wrote – I mean – someone changed . . .” It didn’t matter what he said, he’d end up looking like a fool. “Never mind.” Caleb reached down and picked up his bag. Slink’s back end was sticking out and the pine marten played with something inside. “I need some Mountain Magic,” he mumbled, furious at Bridget, but even angrier at himself. How could he have ever done such a stupid thing to begin with? This was something that was going to haunt him until the day he died.

Chapter 9

“Da, lay down, please,” said Bridget, trying to pull her father away from the window. He had one leg up on the sill and he was spouting nonsense again.

“Yer mathair’s drownin’. I have to save her.” He acted like he was actually going to jump out the open window if she didn’t stop him.

“Lady Wren will be here soon with some herbs,” she told him, closing the shutter and pulling him over to the bed. “Please, lay down and rest.”

Her father finally stopped fighting and sat down on the bed. She heard a knock and ran over and pulled the door open.