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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
That day, the village was full of life, men, women, and children filling the streets. The sound of laughter echoed around them as Elsie and Halvard made their way through the village square, where some merchants had laid out their wares for people to browse and buy. The scent of freshly baked bread, of braised meat and ale hung in the air, but neither she nor Halvard had time for that.
Instead of lingering, they made their way to the house of the soldier who had sent Halvard the letter. It was a small place, humble, the kind of house Elsie didn’t often see, as back home, it wasn’t customary of her to leave the estate too often. But here, even the Laird of the Clan went to visit the humblest. He had told her once no one was beneath him, they were all family. And now, more than ever, Elsie could truly see that.
The structure seemed strong, even after almost burning down. The roof had already been rebuilt, though a little hastily. Scorch marks marred the wood at some places, but for the most part, the building seemed unharmed, the stone enduring the fire.
A gaggle of children spilled out of the house when their mother opened the door. She was a cheerful woman, with blonde hair and gray eyes that she seemed to have passed down to most of her children. Behind her, the solider approached, bowing low to them as they entered.
“Me laird, me lady,” he said, as his wife curtsied. “This is Eoiffe, me wife. An’ the bairns.”
“Quiet now,” Eoiffe told the children before she curtsied a little awkwardly, as if she wasn’t used to the motion. “Please, come in.”
The house was small, but well-furnished and warm. Food boiled on the stove, suffusing the air with a rich scent, and their clothes, though simple and unadorned, were fairly new, sporting few places where they were mended.
And it was then Elsie realized Clan MacLeod was truly prosperous. Halvard didn’t hoard wealth. Though his castle was grand, though his clothes and meals were refined, the soldiers of his clan did more than well for themselves.
Another thing I havenae seen.
“Forgive us, me lady, fer the mess,” said Eoiffe, but when Elsie looked around, she couldn’t see what she could possibly be referring to.
“Your home is lovely,” Elsie assured her. “And yer children! Three of them must be quite a handful.”
“Aye, that they are,” Eoiffe said, leaning down to ruffle the hair of the youngest boy. “Can I bring ye somethin’? Some tea, some ale?”
“Ale would be good, Eoiffe, thank ye,” said Halvard as he took a seat at the table across from the solider. Elsie couldn’t help but be struck by how informal he was, how relaxed. Visits had never been a relaxing experience for her. “So, Finlay, I see ye’re fairin’ well, everythin’ considered.”
“Aye, me laird,” said the man. “We were lucky ye were here tae help. Much o’ the house survived an’ what didnae, well, we’re fixin’ it. Some o’ our neighbors were kind enough tae loan us some things, too.”
Halvard nodded, running a hand through his golden hair. Here, he seemed to be surrounded by a glowing halo as the morning light streamed in through the low windows, and Elsie had a difficult time looking away from him.
“Good,” he said. “If there is anythin’ ye need?—”
“Thank ye, me laird, but we’ll manage,” said Finlay. “We always dae.”
“There’s nay shame in askin’ fer help, Finlay,” said Halvard. “If there is anythin’ ye need, we’ll provide.”
For a moment, Finlay hesitated. Elsie went to sit next to Halvard as Eoiffe brought them the ale, and she couldn’t help but notice now much the children resembled him, too. They had the same, straight noses, the same wide forehead and freckles on their cheeks, perfect copies of them both.
“Well, there is one thing,” Finlay said. “The stores, me laird… much o’ them was burned down in the fire. We dinnae ken if we’ll last the winter like this.”
“Then we’ll bring ye grain,” Halvard promised. “Dinnae fash. We have enough tae spare.”
Relief seemed to wash over Finlay upon hearing Halvard’s assurance. There had never been a doubt in Elsie’s mind that he would help his people, and she knew this was a promise he would keep.
“I’ll have some men come an’ help rebuild the houses, too,” Halvard promised. “It’s too cold. The people who live in those three houses willnae last the winter like this.”
“Aye,” said Finlay. “We were lucky tae keep our home an’ most o’ our belongings, but the fire took much from others. We’re tryin’ but…”
