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Keir found himself curious about his brother’s words. After all, to his knowledge, Duncan had never been in love—or at least, not enough to tie the knot. Among their clan, whispers abounded about whether Duncan would ever seek a bride and settle down. At well past thirty, many considered it to be about time. Even Keir had felt the pressure to make the same decision; before meeting Sarah, he had never given marriage much thought. Now, though, the temptation of seeing her made his bride was growing more powerful with each day, and he knew that before long he would have to do something about it. Aye, he would wait until Sarah had a chance to settle in, and then he would ask for her hand.
Chapter Twelve
A GIANT OF A MAN
As Keir and his brother walked the horses down the dock and toward the vessel, Sarah stared at Duncan. Kate, it seemed, did the same. “The comparison to a bear seems quite accurate,” her sister murmured, her arm linked with Sarah’s. “I’ve never quite seen a man like him.”
Sarah nodded. “Englishmen do not seem to come in that size.” Indeed, Keir’s brother was huge, terrifying in a way that Sarah had never experienced before. And then something happened that changed Sarah’s perception of him in an instant.
While Scout followed Keir, unbothered, as they made their way to the ship, Autumn seemed reluctant. Her ears flickered back and forth, and Sarah could sense her unease. She was about to step forward and reassure the mare when Duncan pulled Autumn close, his voice soothing as he murmured to her. His paw-like hands stroked down her neck and back, and gradually the mare relaxed.
“He seems very kind, though,” Kate remarked beside Sarah, her own voice no longer as tense as before. “I suppose first impressions can be misleading.”
Sarah nodded, knowing it to be so.After all, did I not fear Keir upon first seeing him?
Watching with rapt attention, the girls whispered to one another. “I’ve never seen a man so huge,” Augusta remarked as she stared at him open-mouthed. “Thea, do you think he’s a giant?” She turned to her little sister. “After all, not too long ago, we met a fairy. I mean, she did not have wings, but she granted our wish. Do you think he could be a real giant?”
Dorothea was about to respond when Duncan stepped forward, obviously having overheard every word Augusta had uttered, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he gazed down at the girls. “Well, there’s no use in denying it. Truth be told, I gobble up at least two or three children each morning for breakfast.”
Augusta backed away from Duncan, her cheeks devoid of color. Dorothea, though, watched him with an inquisitive eye, not appearing frightened. “Do ye truly mean that?” she asked boldly, and Sarah and Kate exchanged a look of disbelief.
Duncan fixed his eyes upon the girl. “Do ye think it wise to question a giant, lassie?”
While Augusta took another step backward, Dorothea crossed her arms over her little chest. “Ye shouldna frown so much,” she said in her best imitation of Keir’s accent. Then she poked her forefinger at Duncan’s furrowed brows before leaning in rather conspiratorially. “’Tis what makes people think ye’re a giant.”
A grin claimed Sarah’s lips as she watched tiny Dorothea standing dauntless before Keir’s giant of a brother. Then Duncan’s laughter filled the air, and Sarah knew that this was a moment she would never forget.
“I like this lassie!” Duncan declared, winking at her. “Aye, she’s a plucky one!”
“My name is Dorothea,” the girl instructed him. “But ye may call me Thea if ye like.”
Duncan smiled at her. “I’d be honored, Thea. Thank ye very much.”
After Keir had taken the horses down to the hold of the ship, he returned to help the others on board. “Go ahead,” Sarah told her sister, nodding to Keir. “I’ll fetch the girls. Don’t worry.”
The expression upon Kate’s face clearly stated that she did worry. Her mouth opened as though to protest; however, she stopped herself, swallowed whatever she was about to say with great effort and then accepted Keir’s arm. Still, her gaze drifted back to her daughters, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
Sarah waved over her little nieces, a smile coming to her face as she watched them almost trip over their feet in their eagerness to reach the boat. “Watch your step,” Sarah warned with a chuckle then abruptly stopped and turned back toward the beach, her eyes searching. “Loki! Loki!”
Out of nowhere, a soft mew filled the air, and Sarah spun around to see the little feline sitting by her feet. “How long have you been there?” Sarah chuckled, then bent down and scooped him up into her arms. More than anything, she had feared he would be left behind. “Come, your highness, it is time to go aboard.” She waved Augusta and Dorothea onward, and then they all followed Duncan up the gangplank. He offered each of them a hand as they clambered onto the vessel.
“I’ve never been on a ship,” Augusta remarked, wide eyes sweeping over everything.
Dorothea nodded. “Neither have I.”
“Do ye wish to go below deck?” Duncan asked, looking first at Sarah and then turning toward the girls. “There’s a small cabin.”
As one, the girls shook their heads. “We wish to stay here!” Each of them had one hand clamped upon the railing as if frightened that a gust of wind might blow them away. “We’ve never been on a ship! Never!”
With a grin, Duncan nodded. “Aye, as ye wish.” He yelled out some commands in Gaelic to his two crewmates, and the three of them got to work preparing the ship.
“If you wish to stay above deck, we need to go and speak to your mother or she’ll be worried,” Sarah told the girls. Though clearly displeased to have to abandon their spot at the railing—even if only for a moment—the Augusta and Dorothea did not argue but rushed below deck in search of their mother. Half-way there, they ran into Keir, who was on his way to see to the horses once more. “Right over there,” he said, pointing at a small door and the cabin beyond. “She seems rather pale,” he whispered to Sarah as Augusta and Dorothea burst into the cabin like a horde of marauders.
Although reluctant, Kate gave her permission when Sarah promised not to let the girls out of her sight. “Rest,” Sarah instructed her sister with an insistent look, Loki squirming in her arms. “You need it.” Then she hurried after her nieces back up on deck.
Standing with the girls at the railing and looking out toward the sea, Sarah felt excitement well up inside her. Indeed, the past few months had led her to many unknown places, and yet she knew deep down that the greatest adventure was yet to come.
Holding Loki tightly in her arms, Sarah kept a watchful eye on her two nieces as they gazed with wonder down into the turbulent waters. All the while, she warned them not to lean too far over the railing. “Did you know that a sea serpent is rumored to live in these waters?” she whispered to them, remembering the story Keir had told her.
