“The water… it willnae…”Madison asked. Her voice broke with fear as she glanced at him.
“Nay,”he answered confidently despite not knowing the truth of the matter. “We’ll be fine here. The waves willnae breach the ridge.”
She bobbedher head and sat down. He watched as she drew her knees to her chest and curled in on herself to retain whatever heat she could. Theodore removed his wet cloak and tossed it over the rocks. He pulled off his shirt and handing it to her.
“It’s nae thick,but its dry,” he said. “And it’ll do till I make ye a proper fire.”
She stared at him a moment.He watched her gaze shift from his face to his chest and back again. With a weary hand, she took the shirt from him and cuddled in to it.
Theodore glanced around,relieved for the moment that he could provide some comfort to her. Still, he had promised a fire. Yet, there was nothing around him he could use. His only hope rested in the deeper parts of the cave.
“I’ll be right back,”he said over his shoulder.
“Ye’renae about to go back out in that, are ye?” she asked. Concern riddled her tone and made Theodore smile.
“Nay,”he answered. “But deeper in the cave. I need somethin’ to burn if ye’re to have a fire.”
“I daenae need a fire.”
“Aye,ye do. Yer lips are near blue as it is. And I daenae need ye dyin’ on me out here. Now stay put, I’ll be right back. I’ll nae go far.”
Theodore suckedin a deep breath and ventured into the pitch blackness. He searched about blindly, grabbing whatever his fingers brushed up against. His heart fluttered with hope as he stumbled over something hard. He knocked on it twice, listening for any tell-tale signs and smiled.
“Luck is smilin’on me after all,” he muttered as he snapped and twisted a bit of the branch until he had chunks to burn. Triumphantly he walked back to the opening and dropped his loot before Madison. “What did I tell ye? Ye’ll have a fire to warm yerself in nay time.”
Theodore quickly got to work,building the fire and returning to the inner cave as he needed. It didn’t take long for him to have a decent fire roaring. Madison inched closer to the heat as the rain continued falling in sheets.
“Thank ye,”she said as she stared into the fire.
“Aye,”Theodore answered, proud he was able to come through for her. “Ye’re welcome. I just hope ye daenae catch a cold.”
“Nae for the fire,”she said as she gave a shrug. “Well, nae only for the fire. Ye saved me.”
“Ye daenae have to say anythin’further than that,” Theodore said, stopping her before she could continue. He didn’t want to think about what she had been through. And he certainly didn’t want her to be thinking about such things when she was with him. “What happened for good or bad, there’s nothin’ we can do to change it. We cannae control anythin' but how we react to somethin'.”
She noddedas her chocolate brown eyes remained locked on the fire. Theodore wished he had the ability to read minds because her expression troubled him. It was clear she was sorting through something, he only wished to know what it was.
“If ye’reworried about the sea comin’ I promise ye, it will nae dare.”
“It’s nae that,”she answered in a somber tone. “Why were there so many children in the orphanage? Is there that many people who daenae want them?”
Theodore’s chesttightened as he stirred the fire. Embers rose from the flames and danced on the current of air flowing in to the cave.
“There wasan illness that came through a few years ago,” he answered. “The fever took many people here on the island and left behind many as well. But the sister, she took the wee ones in and gave them a roof and food. She’s doin' good work there, andI feel it’s me duty to help when I can. They are me people, after all.”
Madison crouched closeras she held her hands out to warm them. Steam rose from her wet sleeves as she let out a pleasurable sigh. Theodore couldn’t help but smile knowing he had provided her that warmth.
“I takeit ye grew up here?” she asked, her voice was like a bell to his ear despite the rain pounding outside.
“Aye,”he answered. “I ken every rock and nook. I could ride the shore blindfolded and still make it home.”
“Soundsa bit lonely if ye ask me,” she said as he found her gaze hunting his face. What she was looking for, he didn’t know, but he would gladly give her an answer if she asked for one.
“Supposeit can be if ye let it, but it’s home nonetheless.”
“It’snae a bad place to call home for one so wild,” she added. There was a hint of playfulness in her tone that pricked like a light in darkness.
“Wild, am I?”he jabbed back trying to hide the smirk stretching across his lips.
