“Thank ye. That was very thoughtful,” he replied, inhaling the fragrant steam from the mug. “Smells like boiled hay,” he observed, eyeing the greenish liquid with suspicion. He shot her a serious look. “But ye shouldnae have left without tellin’ me, Annie. Never dae that again. ’Tis very dangerous tae go wanderin’ about around here on yer own like that. Ye could have been mistaken fer a spy and gotten hurt by one of the guards.”
He did not mention that he knew full well he should have been the one to be up early, to take care of her. “Ye were attacked by a drunkard just last night, remember? Ye should be the one restin’.”
“I didnae go on me own. Colin escorted me. He said somethin’ about nae trustin’ me tae leave the camp alone,” she explained.
“Oh? Well, that’s somethin’, I suppose,” he replied, feeling a flash of jealousy towards his old friend.
“Anyway, I dinnae feel like restin’. I’m fine. Me bump’s gone down a lot, and I dinnae have a headache anymore. And the healer checked it tae make sure I was fine.”
“That’s good but dae as I say… dinnae go anywhere without me like that again. All right?”
“Aye, all right. Now, drink yer tea.”
He drank it quickly and then rose from the table. “Right, ye stay here and put yer feet up fer a while. I’ll go and get some food, as we both skipped breakfast. I can have a word with the men at the same time. Stay here!” he commanded her.
“I’m nae plannin’ on goin’ anywhere,” she assured him. “Are ye sure ye’ll be all right, getting’ breakfast?” she asked, a teasing note in her voice.
He squared his shoulders and lifted his chin as he strode over to the exit, mentally preparing himself to face the day. “I think I can manage,” he said and stepped outside. He blinked and shaded his eyes with his hand as the bright light lanced painfully through his brain. Last night’s whisky was still beating a tattoo in his head, and as he walked away towards the kitchen wagon, he thought he heard a giggle coming from inside the tent.
A short while later, he and Annie were sitting at the table sharing their meal quietly. The herbal tea Annie had given him—he was now on his second mugful—was slowly banishing his headache. The food was helping too, soaking up the excess alcohol from last night that was still lurking in his system. He was feelingalmost back to normal. The fog that had earlier filled his head had mostly cleared, and his mind slowly began working again.
“Ye’re very quiet, Ewan. Is the tea workin’? Are ye feelin’ any better?” Annie asked, scrutinizing him solicitously in between mouthfuls of porridge.
“Aye, I’m feelin’ almost human again. I’m just disappointed that the men I sent out last night didnae find this secret entrance tae the castle that I’m now almost certain exists. It was a shame ye were taken ill last night and we had tae leave the inn early. I was sure Joyce was on the verge of confirmin’ me suspicions about it, what with her havin’ worked there before.”
He noticed she went a little pale before she replied, “Aye, I’m sorry about that. I wasnae really ill, it was so stuffy in there and I just had tae get a breath of fresh air. And then, that man collided with me like that…” She shook her head and gave him a contrite look.
“Ach, it wasnae yer fault. ’Tis frustratin’ though. None of the others found out anything useful either. Folks around here are close-mouthed when it comes tae the Galbraiths,” he said a little morosely.
“’Tis hardly surprisin’, seein’ as this is Laird Galbraith’s land. Of course, they’re gonnae be loyal tae him,” she pointed out, secretly thankful for the villagers’ loyalty to Gregory.
“Aye, but there’s usually a few people who dinnae care as much fer loyalty as fer a few crowns in their pockets. Then there’s thematter of Galbraith’s sister, the one he claims is missin’. I dinnae ken what that’s all about. Apparently, he does have a sister, but if ’tis some sort of ruse or strategy on his part, then I cannae make out the purpose of it.”
“Me neither,” she said, paying close attention to scraping the last bit of soup from the bottom of her bowl. When she looked up, she said, “And as tae this supposed secret entrance tae the castle, I think that’s a load of nonsense cooked up by fanciful folks who love a mystery. I reckon that Joyce is one of them. I could tell she fancied ye, and she was gonnae tell ye what she thought ye wanted tae ken, that is all. I told ye before ye were wastin’ yer time on a fool’s errand.”
“She didnae fancy me!” he retorted, ignoring her skepticism.
“Aye, she did.”
He suddenly grinned, seeing an opportunity to turn the tables on her attempt to provoke him. “Were ye jealous, is that it? Is that why ye wanted tae leave all of a sudden?”
She shot him a sarcastic smile. “If it pleases ye tae think so, then go on foolin’ yersel’.”
He could not help laughing. “Well, even if she did fancy me, she was out of luck. She’s nae me type.”
“Oh? And what is yer type then?” Annie asked teasingly as she pushed away her empty bowl and picked up her mug of tea.
“The unmarried type,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Very funny,” she said, clearly trying not to smile. “Well, I feel better fer havin’ eaten. I didnae realize how hungry I was.” She leaned her elbows on the table, cradling her mug in her hands.
“Is yer head feelin’ all right?” he asked, still concerned for her.
“Aye, nay more than a wee bit of soreness there now,” she told him. “The healer cleaned it again, so I’m nae worried about it gettin’ infected now. She did a good job.” She sent up a silent prayer for Ella’s skill. “Thank ye fer takin’ me tae see her, Ewan.”
“It was necessary,” he told her bluntly. He too dispatched the last of the oatmeal and took up his cup of herbal tea. They sat in companiable silence for a while. Ewan realized he was enjoying the cozy little domestic scene. He had gotten used to Annie always being there.
’Tis as if we’ve been together for ages.Like old friends, or an old married couple.
