“Dinnae ken how. ’Tis just a foolish craving I cannae shake.”
“Are ye sure we cannae help ye get what ye want?”
Geordie laughed briefly. “Nay, Iain. It is a craving to see the ocean. It is nay something that ye can just drag up to the door for me.” He smiled at his family when many of them laughed. “I dinnae ken why, but it has become a yearning that keeps on growing.”
“Cannae fully understand that.” Iain shook his head. “Once we all got off the boat from Scotland, I had no urge to ever see that huge body of water again.”
“Surprises me, too. Maybe I was just too young to be scared by it all. I remember Mum always complaining about how she couldnae see any land at all. Ye could see that sore troubled her when we journeyed up the coast later. Looking out and seeing nothing but water for miles bothered her.”
“My sister was always troubled by that, too,” said Emily. “She would rarely stand on deck with me.”
“It is because you can see nothing to swim to if the boat flounders and you end up in the water.” Mrs. O’Neal shook her head. “The realization is quick to rise up whenever you see that huge stretch of water and no land.”
As Mrs. O’Neal began to clear away the meal with Emily’s help, Iain pulled a letter out of his pocket. “Heard from James today. Bit of a surprise as I wasnae his brother-in-arms, Matthew was.”
“And he is well?” asked Geordie.
“Aye, he just wanted me to ken that he would be stopping by as he headed toward home. Was asking if he could stop here for a bit.”
“Ah, you’re the head of the family. Best one to ask. But, why here? It is a fair long trip from his home in Maine.”
“He wasnae in Maine. He came south to see our major and Maude, one of the women who cared for the orphans, then decided to come by here on his way back home. It seems they collected the orphaned boys from Mrs. Beaton’s home, so he took something for them too.”
“That is good news. Abbie will be pleased, as will Emily. Abbie was troubled by the orphans left behind and it hurt Emily’s soft heart”—Geordie smiled and winked at her—“to think of the boys stuck with a woman who didnae sound verra motherly. Matthew kept waiting for Abbie to come up with a plan to get them here.”
Iain frowned. “Ye would have objected?”
“Nay, of course not. We have plenty of room and can make more. Just understood his concern. She already has three children and this land hasnae completely shaken off the harshness and hate the hostilities stirred up. Dangerous. Especially if the trip ye plan would be encumbered with a wife and children.” Geordie grimaced. “And I suspect that the boys there might have picked up a few irritating ideas and habits after staying with Mrs. Beaton for a few years. They willnae be like Noah, I am thinking. After all, we also have Ned.”
“I am nay sure this family has a need of another Noah,” Iain said with a grin.
Geordie laughed. “Nay. I shall have to ask James how the major and Maude are doing with their new family. Lads couldnae find a better man, judging from how Matthew speaks of him. If Mrs. Beaton gave the children some odd ideas, he will sort them out.”
“It will be good to see James. Thank ye, Mrs. O’Neal,” Iain said when the woman handed him a large slice of pie and nudged the pitcher of fresh cream closer to him.
Emily and Mrs. O’Neal served everyone some pie, then sat down to enjoy their own. Geordie looked at everyone around the table as well as the young ones seated at their own table. This ever-expanding family was why he had difficulty making any decision. He did not want to leave them, did not want to miss these gatherings at the end of each day. The table filled with family, laden with Mrs. O’Neal’s cooking, and all the talk they shared were as much a part of him as a limb. When the wish to see the ocean pulled at him, this was what pulled him back.
A sharp elbow was jabbed into his side so he turned to look at Iain. “What?”
“Ye were staring. Rather blankly as weel. Something else troubling ye?”
“As I told ye, I cannae shake the craving to see the ocean again. Couldnae think why I waver so much. Then I realized it was all this.” Geordie swept his hand around to include the whole kitchen and everyone in it.
“Are ye planning to go to the ocean to live?”
“Nay, I just want to go, to visit for a wee while.” Geordie could tell by the look of relief that spread over Iain’s face that his brother had worried about that.
“Then why do ye worry o’er this? We arenae going anywhere.”
Geordie shook his head. It was just like Iain to see things so clearly. He had allowed himself to get too tangled up in his emotions. There was no need to fret over it all; he was just going on a brief journey.
“I got too focused on the leaving,” he muttered.
“Aye. It isnae like ye plan to go away for good, but even if ye find a reason to stay there, like a woman or some good land, we arenae going anywhere. So, ye would ken where to find us when the mood strikes.”
“Although why I would, I cannae say.” He laughed and rubbed his face after Iain gave him a light rap on the back of his head.
“Just wait until James comes by. He is only stopping here for a night or two and then traveling home.”
