"No, not at all," she replied. "I was on me own, and a friend of mine managed tae get me the job. I was there in that tavern when Senan found me."
Her smile faded at that, and Cailean saw a darkness cross her expression. What had happened that had caused her to look like that? He wanted nothing more than to bring light back to her eyes and to make her smile again, but he found himself at a loss for words. What could he say to make her feel better when he didn't even know what the problem was?
They ate the stew in silence for a little time, with Cailean occasionally glancing at Mary. She still looked obviously uncomfortable. He didn't want to press or ask her, but before he could think of something else to talk about, she spoke again.
"Me boss, the owner of the establishment… he was a bad man," she explained. "He thought he owned me body as well as me labor. The night that Senan found me, Bill, the owner… he'd decided that he would take me for himself, whether I wanted it or not."
Rage filled Cailean in an instant. The fact that men who would do such things existed disgusted him beyond belief, and the idea of someone trying to force themselves upon Mary made Cailean feel sick to his stomach. "Did… did he hurt ye? Did he…?" he asked hoarsely.
She shook her head. "He tried. But Senan intervened. He beat the man senseless and offered me the opportunity tae learn tae fight, and tae protect meself"
Cailean wouldn't have minded beating this Bill senseless himself, though he felt a surge of pride for Senan at the news. He surveyed Maeve then asked, "So that ye can take revenge?"
"No," she said simply. "No, I'm nae interested in revenge. I want tae be able tae protect meself, ye ken? Not just that, others as well. Other women. Others who are weak. I wanted tae be part of somethin' bigger, and this rebellion is everythin' I could have wanted or needed."
Cailean could tell by the honesty in her voice that this was fully true. Whatever her history, Mary was fully committed to the cause, and her determination suddenly made much more sense. "Well, we're glad tae have ye," he told her.
She smiled a little teasingly. "Ye wouldnae have said so much two weeks ago. I thought ye were gonnae pick me up and throw me bodily from the place if I insisted upon stayin'."
"I thought about it. But God kens that ye provedmewrong." He shrugged. "I should have kent better when I heard yer wee speech the first day. People who talk the way ye did are never the type tae back down."
"And I never will," Mary replied. "What about ye? What reasons dae ye have for bein' here, for puttin' so much of yer heart and soul intae it?"
What reason indeed? He could tell her the full truth, but he'd hidden it from almost everyone for so long that he didn't even know where to start. He could tell her about how he couldn't bear to live in his country and passively allow the False King to rule over them all, choking the life from the land he loved so much, but that wasn't the whole story either.
Instead, he said, "They're me family. The rebels, I mean. Kier, Senan, Ewan, Hamish… they're like fathers tae me, all four of them. Darren and Fergus are like me brothers, Ferda me sister."
"Ye're a big name in the camp. It seems everyone has somethin' good tae say about ye. The healers and scouts, the stablemaster, that young cook Ben… they all seem tae think ye're the best of us," Mary told him. "Ye're a man who likes tae save people."
Cailean shook his head. "Ye've the wrong impression of me if ye think that. I'm just a man doin' what any other man would do for the people who need him."
Mary tilted her head. "Ye really believe that, eh?" She smiled. "Well, fine, let's change the subject, if it pleases ye. What would ye like tae talk about?"
He laughed. "Dinnae ye ken that that's the worst way tae start a conversation? The moment ye ask people what they want tae talk about, every conversation topic flees their mind."
Grinning, Mary said, "Well, perhaps I should have brought someone else for a meal then. Maybe I need a better conversation partner."
Cailean enjoyed her light teasing more than he wanted to admit, and he was eager to engage in the banter. "Oh aye? Who would ye bring with ye? I see the way that young Dirk looks at ye these days."
"Dirk! No, ye're wrong. He sees me as an older sister if anythin', surely," Mary replied, sounding scandalized. "And what of the way Ferda glances at ye?"
Snorting, Cailean said, "Ye're well off the mark there. Ferda's nae interested in any man, least of all me. I told ye just moments ago, she truly is like a sister tae me."
"Hmph," Mary replied. "Ye're right, I suppose. I was just teasin'. But surely there aresomeentanglements in a huge camp like that."
"Oh, of course," Cailean told her. He leaned forward conspiratorially and said, "Ye wouldnae believe the romantic drama that unfolds on a daily basis. The cooks in love with thescouts. The healers in love with the villagers. The couplin's and the trysts and the dramatic endin's. Occasionally, we see love blossom, but the drama is more common. Like one of the Bard's plays."
Laughing now, Mary asked, "And who's the worst for the drama? There must be someone who causes more of it than anyone else."
"Darren, of course," Cailean said without even stopping to think about it. "He's got a new lass on the go with every full moon. Swears he's in love with each of them, but it always ends in disaster. He treats them well every time, but the lad is a fool with a big heart and a mouth that never stops talkin'."
"I can see that." Mary tapped her lips. "He seems a flirt."
"What about ye? Have ye been taken in by his charms?" Cailean tried to keep his tone light, but part of him suddenly really longed to hear the answer.
"Aha! No, not me."
Cailean didn't want to admit how happy that made him feel. He didn't even really understand why — well, no, he had an inkling, but he wasn't ready to explore that yet.
