“A few days more,” he replied, “nae much further now, but that is nae the point.”
“Exactly,” Erskine said as he passed Billie a tankard of ale to drink. “The journey will be much better from now on. Scotland’s hills and lochs to see, what is nae to love about that?”
Billie smiled, and Erskine found himself watching that smile for a minute before lowering his gaze back to his tankard. He and the lad had talked much of Scotland and how its magnificent terrain compared to England. So far, Billie had only had the chance to see it at night, as they had reached the coaching inn, tracing the stars over the distant hills. Erskine was rather looking forward to pointing out the beauties of the place to Billie the next day.
“Aye, Billie, ye will never see such a place as Scotland. Surely England couldnae compare,” Camden said as he too sat at the table.
“Surely it can compare a little,” Billie laughed. “I think you are all too cruel. I have heard much of the beauty in England. What of Cornwall? Devon? I heard many a tale of the lakes up in the northwest of England.”
“Ah, ye mean Cumbria?” Aiden joined them, placing food down on the table. Dearg sat on his other side, though Erskine saw how little his brother attempted to join their conversation.
“Yes,” Billie said. “Though Scotland may be beautiful, it does not take anything away from England.”
“Perhaps yer loyalty to yer homeland will waver once ye see ours,” Erskine saw his tease only made Billie shake his head.
“I would not be so disloyal to England.”
“I’d wager good money ye will be,” Erskine leaned forward on the table, watching Billie’s reaction closely as he smiled again.
As their conversation drifted onto different things, there was a point in the conversation where Erskine sat back in his chair and surveyed the scene before him. Camden and Aiden were now both as keen to talk to Billie as he and Tam had been before. Camden had already shown a softening toward accepting Billie into their entourage, but clearly, the boy’s actions that day had impressed the two of them.
Aye, the lad is one of us now.
Aiden had made jokes more than once about how he would not wish to go into a shooting competition with Billie, for the aim of his shot taking down the highwayman had been perfect! Camden had then jested at length about how Erskine’s rescue was really all down to him, as he was the one who had given Billie the pistol. The laughter was hearty as they drank well into the night and feasted on food from the inn’s kitchen.
Soon, they were all drunk, much more so than on previous nights. Erskine rather expected his own need for the ale was down to his relief that he had escaped death that day. For the others, they just seemed happier now in Billie’s company than they had been before, suddenly relaxed.
After all, Billie has proven they can trust him now.
That was for all of them except Dearg. He sat at the far end of the table, barely taking part in the conversations at all. He switched between staring into his tankard and glowering at Billie across the table, with his arms folded. Dearg must have recognized his usual jests about Erskine’s and Billie’s closeness would not have gone down well that evening and chosen to stay silent instead.
Erskine’s ears suddenly perked up at the conversation, drawing him away from his thoughts.
“Aye, come on, Tam, admit it!” Camden was teasing him again about a particular young woman back in the clan.
“Nay, I willnae admit anythin’. We are just friends,” Tam shrugged as he sat back in his seat.
“Is this young Lennox we are talkin’ of?” Erskine leaned forward again, rejoining the conversation.
“Aye,” Tam replied quickly. “Camden cannae accept that it is possible to be friends with a woman without wantin’ somethin’ more.”
“That is because it isnae possible,” Camden shook his head.
“What a ridiculous idea,” Billie laughed, leaning his elbows on the edge of the table. “Of course, you can be friends with a woman without it leading to something else.”
“Nae possible,” Camden said again. “A man will always be thinkin’ at some point of what it would be like to bed her.” These words prompted them all to laugh heartily. Erskine was aware, though, that Billie was not laughing. In his drunken state, he was leaning more on the table. He was shaking his head in complete disbelief. “What do ye think, Erskine?”
“Camden, I think ye are a bampot indeed to think such a thing,” Erskine picked up his tankard. “If ye are imaginin’ every woman ye meet in bed, then that is yer own problem.”
“Thank ye!” Tam declared with a smile.
“That bein’ said,” Erskine turned his gaze back to Tam. “I still think Tam will at some point end up marryin’ young Lennox.”
“Erskine,” Tam warned, so drunk he was tipping sideways in his chair.
“What?” Erskine asked innocently. “Ye two have ken each other since ye were bairns, and ye have been livin’ in and out of each other’s pockets since.”
“Aye, we arefriends,” Tam said again.
