Her heart was crushed. There was nae time to sew a pretty dress for Cailean to see her in before leaving. She knew Mrs. Logan had done all she could.
Elayne vowed to work twice as hard to save the money for fabric when the summer fair and the traveling merchants arrived.
Chapter Six
Learning New Skills
Subdued that morning, Elayne greeted her father but did not talk to him otherwise all morning. Her heart wasn’t in her work, but she did her best anyway. She beat out her heartache and frustrations on the hot metal on the anvil.
When her father ate lunch, Elayne wasted no time going in search of Cailean. She didn’t bring a satchel with herself today, she just wanted to escape. Cailean nodded to her as he walked past her and went to fetch his horse. Elayne left the well and walked past the village. Cailean scooped her up in his arms as he steered his horse close to her. He startled Elayne, but before she knew it, he was settling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her.
She giggled with happiness at his nearness. He seemed to read her troubled mood without her saying a word. Cailean’s own playful mood today suited her fine. He steered them in a new direction, far away from the castle and forge. After more than an hour of riding, he pulled Night up to a wide stream and tethered him so he could drink his fill and nibble the soft green grasses. Cailean lifted Elayne from the saddle and set her on the ground before him.
“Today I will teach ye how to fish, clean the fish, and cook it outside. Help me gather wood for a fire.” He found an ideal location out of the wind and made a ring on the ground with stones. Cailean set the small branches Elayne brought in the center and, using his sword, he cut branches and wood and set it on top of their kindling. He retrieved a flint from inside his bag that hung around his waist and demonstrated how to make a fire. Elayne watched, fascinated. The fire caught and blazed to life.
“We can cook our fish for our lunch today.” Cailean handed a wooden pole he’d fashioned to Elayne. He fastened a hook to the line. After digging and finding fat worms, Cailean put them wriggling on the hooks. He showed her how to throw it into the stream.
“When a fish sees the worm wriggling in the water, if he’s hungry, he will bite yer hook and ye will feel a tug. The bigger the fish, the stronger the tug. After ye pull yer line up, I can remove the hook. Let me ken when ye have a bite on yer line, and I will help ye until ye can do it alone.” No sooner than Cailean helped Elayne throw in her line, she felt a bite.
Cailean showed her how to pull the fish from the water and off the hook. He put the fish in a sac and placed it in the water.
“We will let the fish swim and breathe until we are ready to eat.” He had her place the worm on her hook and, with his arms wrapped around her, they threw in the line. By the time he prepared his line, she had another fish and successfully brought the line out of the water on her own.
Elayne followed his instructions and laughed before she took the hook out of the fish’s mouth. “It is wiggling and slippery.”
“Aye, the fish will try to get away. But we would have nothing to eat for our lunch. I ken yer father will be happy to have fresh fish for a change.”
Elayne placed another squiggling worm on her hook that Cailean had dug up and threw her line back in the water. Cailean caught a large trout and Elayne caught another fish, and they added both to the sack. They fished a short time, in which Cailean retrieved four fish.
He skewered them on a piece of wood, placing them on a spit of wood and stones he’d fashioned. They caught more fish while their lunch sizzled over the fire. After a few minutes, Cailean turned the skewer over to cook on the other side.
“How do ye ken how long to cook it?”
“It depends on how hot yer fire is and how close to the fire yer fish are. Ye can cook them on hot rocks too, but ye need tools or yer dirk to retrieve them from the rocks. I prefer this way. When the fire is hot, it only takes a few minutes to cook. I will show ye with my dirk how ye can tell it is done.” He washed his hands in the river. Minutes later, he told her, “Bring yer line in and wash yer hands. We will eat now.” He placed a blanket on the ground and had a wooden plate alongside cups of wine, a loaf of bread, and fruit.
Deftly, Cailean demonstrated how to remove the fish from the fire. He then tore the bread into pieces and handed some to Elayne. Going back to the fish, he said, “Ye ken ye have to be careful of the bones. If ye cut the fish carefully, like this, ye can get out most all the bones and it is more pleasant to eat.” He showed how he removed the spine of the fish from the flesh. He cut a piece of the fish with his dirk and placed it on the bread for Elayne.
“Take a bite and tell me how it tastes to ye.”
Biting into the succulent fish, she said, “It tastes sweet and good. Thank ye for teaching me. Now I can fish anytime and bring home fish for lunch or dinner. How do ye ken where to catch the best fish?”
“Everyone discovers for themselves the best place to catch fish, or they go to where their family fishes. I will show ye another place closer to home, easier for ye to go without a horse. I look into the water to see if I can observe fish swimming by. If I do, then usually I know they will bite on my hook.
“Ye can find worms in the moist ground around the river, especially after it rains. The fish bite best early in the morning and before sunset. Ye need to be quiet when ye are fishing or ye can scare the fish away, my father told me. I think he wanted peace and quiet from loud and rambunctious boys.”
“Ye are an excellent fisherman to ken this place.”
“It takes patience to fish. Often ye have to sit quiet for a while before ye catch anything. But if ye don’t give up, ye can usually catch one or two. It teaches ye lessons in life while ye sit quietly and think. Ye have to be persistent and nae give up on yer goals. Many times ye need quiet to think about and solve yer problems.” Elayne finished eating her fish.
“Would ye like more fish to eat? We have more we can cook.” He had eaten two whole fish, and when she said she was full, he ate the last one too. Cailean strolled to the river to wash his face and hands.
The sun shimmered through the trees as he bent over. Suddenly, a deeply buried memory struck Elayne while she stared at Cailean. Perhaps his posture or the way his wavy long hair fell into his face triggered the memory.
Cailean glanced over to Elayne and was struck by her expression. “What is it, Elayne?” He came to her side and held her hand.
“I had a vision of my father by the river. My real father. I haven’t been able to remember what he looked like. But now I remembered him and his face. He smiled at me, looking happy. My mother held me, and my papa had been fishing by a stream. It was crystal clear. Thank ye. If ye hadn’t taken me fishing, I never would have remembered what he looked like.”
“Do ye remember yer papa’s or yer mother’s names? Do ye ken the name of yer housekeeper or anyone else where ye lived then?” He pulled her to him and put his arm around her, offering her comfort. Although this was a happy memory for her, sorrowful ones could follow.
