Maeve moved closer and examined the symbol. It was hard to tell exactly the kind of bird, but she suspected it was a capercaillie, the large bird with a feathered neck and impressive tail that was known as the horse of the woodland. Something vague stirred in her memory at the sight of the symbol, but it was quickly forgotten as Cailean said, "Will this be enough?"
Arthur's eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at the little pin. It was obvious to Maeve that his shock was not just about the physical worth of the jewelry, but whatever it was that the simple capercaillie represented.
"Is this…?" he asked hoarsely.
"I'll give it tae ye in exchange for the sword," Cailean said without flinching. "So long as ye agree tae melt it down at once."
"But…"
"That's the deal," Cailean insisted firmly. "The gold is yers, but the thing must be destroyed. It should be more than enough tae supply what ye need and leave some over for yerself."
"Aye, it should be." Arthur shook his head. "Well, well."
There was a very different expression on his face now, and his voice had become somewhat subdued. Maeve did not understand what had come over the man, but she had the very strong feeling that it wasn't just the value of the gold that was being offered to him. There was a significance here, a real history that, while Maeve might not understand, obviously meant something very important.
"So ye'll do it?" Cailean asked. "Ye'll make the sword?"
"It's for her?" Arthur asked, glancing at Maeve again. He appraised her with an artist's eye, then nodded. "Come, lass. Let's get some measurements, and I'll make it perfect for ye."
Maeve barely understood what was happening, but she obeyed Arthur's orders. While he measured the length of her arm and her height, she could not help but wonder why she was here and what on earth was going on. Why would Cailean do this for her? What had she done that caused this to happen?
When Arthur was done, they followed him into the back room, and Cailean watched like a hawk while the blacksmith melted the pin down. Only when the jewel was completely destroyed did Cailean look satisfied and nod.
"How long?" he asked as they headed back toward the exit.
"Two days," the blacksmith promised. He turned to Maeve and said, "And it will change yer life, Miss. Ye have me word."
12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Maeve tried very hard to show restraint. Curiosity burned inside her from the moment that the pin showed up in Cailean's hand, and his every action since had only inflamed it more. Why had he been so insistent that the thing be destroyed? What did the capercaillie symbolize? Where had he gotten something of so much worth? And, more than that, more than anything, why in the world had he given up something so evidently precious for her sake?
She managed to stay quiet only until they got to the horses, but just before she mounted, she realized that she couldn't do it. "Cailean?"
He sighed. "I dinnae want tae talk about it, Mary. Let's just go back tae the camp, aye?"
"But why did ye do this for me?" she pressed. "I saw that pin. It wasnae nothin', so dinnae try tae dismiss it as such. There was somethin' very serious that just happened."
"It was nothin' serious at all." Cailean turned fully around to face her, the expression on his face serious. "Ye needed a new sword. The blacksmith is good tae the rebellion and he neededsome way tae make sure that he could feed himself and his family. And I had the means. What more does there have tae be to it than that?"
A lot of difference. It wasn't even about the financial value of the pin and the sword, though Maeve was, of course, uncomfortably aware of how much it would be. However, she'd been the daughter of a rich family and the wife of an even richer man; she was used to having the finest things around her whether she wanted them or not. But nobody had ever done something so deeply personal for her. Nobody had ever gone out of their way to do something that was meant just for her, sensitive to what she might want and indeed need. She couldn't wrap her head around why or even how Cailean could do such a thing, and her heart felt overwhelmed by a complex web of emotions that she didn't even know how to name.
"Stop makin' that face," he told her. "I'd have done the same for any of the others if they were in need. Does that make ye feel better?"
It did, a little, but Maeve wasn't entirely sure that it was true. After all, how many priceless pins could he have in his possession? "Why did ye insist that it was melted down?" she asked.
Cailean said, "The gold will be better for him in its base form, I bet. Up here in the village, there's nae market for such intricately designed jewelry as that. Havin' the gold and bein' able to either reshape it or sell it is how it will be much better for Arthur and his family."
That made sense, but Maeve wasn't convinced that this was the whole truth either. Something about all of this simply wasn't adding up, but she couldn't even begin to understand where the missing clues were hiding.
"Why a capercaillie?" she asked eventually. "Can ye at least answer me that? It's a game bird; that makes it a bit of a strangesymbol, though it is a bonny representation of the Highlands I suppose."
Cailean looked at her thoughtfully for a second. "Ye didnae recognize the symbol, then?"
She shook her head. "No. Should I have?"
"No, of course not," he replied. He smiled with a strange expression in his eyes, then said, "I wasnae the one that had the pin made. I couldnae tell ye."
