“If I must.”
“Aye, ye must.”
Emily bit back a smile as she turned her attention back to her meal. As ever, the men talked of work done and work they thought needed doing. When they all got up to leave she turned in her chair and watched them walk down the hall. Each one of them paused to look over the dining room. Satisfied, she turned her attention to clearing up after the meal.
Chapter Seven
Determined to see what the town had to offer, Emily went to the stables thinking she would ride into town. All she would need was some directions. Looking around the dimly lit stables she only found a pair of plow horses and no saddle she could use. Frustration was a hard knot in her belly for she needed to get away from Iain and his home for a while but it appeared she was stuck.
As she stood outside the stables considering how she could get away from Iain and his ever-changing moods for a while, Robbie strolled up. He was eating an apple and walking as if he had nowhere pressing to be. Emily wondered if she should try to use one brother to hide from another for a little while. It seemed wrong in some inexplicable way but she had no choice.
“How can I get to your town?” she asked. “There is neither horse nor saddle for me to use.”
“Weel, we never had need for one of those silly woman’s saddles,” Robbie answered, and tossed his apple core into the pig pen that was right beside the stable. “I can take you in the buggy.”
“I would not wish to take you away from your work.”
“No work today. My day off.”
“You have a day off too?” she asked as she followed him back into the stables.
“We all do. Iain decided that since we cannae all stop working on any day we choose that each one of us will have a day to do as we please. There are still times when we are all needed but it works out well.” He started to hitch one of the plow horses to the front of a small buggy. “Slept late. Did some weaving and was just thinking of having a ride, an ambling kind of ride, one with no purpose.”
“You do weaving?” she asked, startled, and then smiled at his blush.
“Aye. Some.”
She smiled as he helped her up into the buggy seat and realized he was not going to tell her much about his skill. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“More interesting than riding aimlessly.” He hopped into the seat and carefully steered them out of the stable. “Need a few things myself so this will suit me.” He reined in right in front of the house. “I will just tell Mrs. O’Neal so everyone knows where we are.”
“Oh, of course. Please ask her if she will watch over Neddy if it is needed.”
As she waited Emily realized Robbie had a lot less accent than Iain, actually spoke more like an American. She suspected the occasional slips came from growing up surrounded by people who spoke like Iain did. When he returned and got in the seat, he handed her a scrap of paper upon which was a list of what looked to be badly spelled words.
“Mrs. O’Neal wants a few things. She told me but thought it might be best to make a list. Took her a while. Said she didnae know the spelling. Can you read it?”
“Tell me some of the things she said so I can puzzle it out. There is usually some logic to the way people who really do not understand how to spell will write their words.”
“Huh. First thing is flour. Second thing is sugar.”
“Ah, that will do. I can see it now. You cannot read?”
“Nay. First, the tenants were usually doing work if it was ever offered. No time. Then we were always moving on. Even here. Then you just reach an age where you simply give up on the idea. You have found no need for it so why bother. Other things that need doing.”
“I could teach you if you want.”
“Really? There was a teacher on the wagon train and our mither had us go to her but it was only for a few days before the attack. Teacher died as did our folks.”
“I am sorry. When was that?”
“Near to fifteen years ago. Me, Donald, and Lachlan were born here. Tale is that Lachlan barely waited for our mither to get off the boat.”
“Oh, my, your poor mother. She left Scotland when she knew she was carrying a child?”
“Had no choice. Laird decided that stock was cheaper than tenants. We were tossed out of our cottage. They came in the night. Dragged my parents out, shoved a paper in front of my father’s face but he could not read it, could he. Slapped him around a bit before they understood that.”
“Surely you had some right to live there.”
