“I seriously doubt that, lad. With yer charms, ye will have all kinds of women trying to feed ye. I have nae doubt. But if ye find a food ye love, bring me back the recipe from their cook.”
“I will be certain to do that. I have a favor to ask of ye though.”
“A favor?”
“Aye, I wondered if ye would teach me and a friend of mine how to make yer tarts? They love yer tarts and would like to learn how to make them.”
“Sure, I’d be happy to. When do they wish to learn?”
“How about Friday, after lunch? Will that work for ye?”
“Aye, that would be fine.”
“Bessie, please keep this between us.”
“Of course, Cailean. No one else need to ken.” Cailean gave her a hug and walked away smiling.
The next day, Cailean took Elayne hunting and showed her how to differentiate animal tracks. He taught her the finer points of holding and using a bow and arrow. Showing her the best places to look for animals, he reminded her to keep her bearings and listen to the sounds in the forest. Cailean shot a brace of pheasants, then prepared them to take them home. He and Elayne walked hand in hand, returning to his horse.
Before she left him, Cailean took her in his arms and kissed her deeply and more passionately than before.
Elayne walked to Mrs. Logan’s house and gave her the brace of pheasants to prepare for dinner and to smoke for later. Shedidn’t want her father to ask questions about how she acquired the pheasants.
“Ye ken how to shoot with a bow?”
“I’m still learning, but these were on the ground, pecking in the grasses. If they were flying, I couldn’t aim accurately and hit one. I need to practice. If Papa didn’t need to work so much, he could take me hunting, and we could have more meat for winter, when food is scarce. Anyway, if we smoke this meat, it will improve our winter stores. And ye ken how much my father likes to eat meat.”
“That is true, but I dinna ken how he will become less busy unless he agrees to an apprentice. I’m still trying to talk him into it. Thank ye for bringing the meat to me. I will pluck the feathers so we can sell the longest feathers for arrows. The rest I will clean and keep to stuff pillows with. Ye and I can sell them at the summer fair and hopefully earn enough money for beautiful fabrics.”
“Thank ye. I will try to go hunting again. How many pheasants are needed to give us enough feathers to make one pillow?”
“Between five and six for a soft pillow, most likely. More for a firm pillow. I have saved up chicken feathers—we can use those too.”
“Thank ye. I will return to the forge to make more nails and horseshoes. Ye will surprise Papa with yer pheasant stew for dinner. And dinna forget the ale—it will put him in a good mood.” Elayne’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Aye, ye are right. I will speak to him after dinner when his belly is full to convince him to take on another apprentice.”
The next day, Elayne could hardly wait to complete her work before meeting with Cailean. After she completed her morning’s work, she washed and changed into a dress with the least number of patches. The dress was tight in the bodice, but she hoped it would do for whatever Cailean had in mind for today.
Cailean met her at the well and whispered to her to follow him into the castle. Elayne’s heart pounded as if stampeding horses tore through her chest. She kept her distance behind Cailean so it would not appear that she followed him. Inside the castle, he took her hand and led her to the vast kitchens of the castle, releasing her hand before they stepped into the kitchen. An older woman with a bright smile and a spotless white apron greeted them.
“Good afternoon, Cailean. Are ye after more of my tarts?”
“Aye,” he admitted as he smiled brightly at her.
“And who might this lovely lass be?”
“This is my friend, Elayne, who loves yer tarts as much as I do. She wishes to learn how to make them.”
Elayne curtsied to the lady with bright dancing eyes and a kind smile. “It is an honor to meet ye. Cailean shared his tarts with me and I have experienced nothing like it. I love yer tarts and I hope ye will be so kind as to teach me how to make them.”
“Lass, I am most pleased to meet ye. My name is Bessie, and I am the cook for the laird. Cailean, if ye wish to eat my tarts, ye will learn how to make them as well. I have assembled the ingredients. Mind, it takes longer if ye have to gather the berries.”
They washed their hands and put on aprons. Bessie gave them each a bowl and a spoon to mix the dough. All thumbs atfirst, Cailean had more flour on his clothes and on the floor than in the bowl. Elayne giggled, watching him.
It was clear to Bessie how much Cailean wanted to impress the lass, so she gave extra him step-by-step instructions. Bessie could tell Elayne knew her way around the kitchen, as she expected the next steps and asked questions, whereas Cailean waited to be told what to do. Elayne and Cailean completed making the dough and put them in tins. In a clean bowl, they measured the berries, sugar, and lemon juice.
Soon, they had the tarts filled with several types of berries and they placed them inside a clay oven that was Bessie’s pride and joy.
