Chapter Four
Darach made his way through the snow-frosted tangle of weeds and debris, to the back of the house. He was surprised to find the remnants of a tumble-down shed, and a fairly intact set of stairs leading to a root-cellar.
At the bottom of the stairs, the cellar door hung drunkenly on one hinge, with a loose, rusted chain-lock securing the handle. It took seconds for Darach to lift the door off the other hinge and make his way inside.
The place was dark, dank, and smelled of rot. ’Twas impossible to see more than a few feet beyond the doorway, and though he had no idea what might be above his head, he felt a strong instinct to stoop.
He needed a candle or something dry to light. Cautiously, he poked the toe of his boot a little deeper into the shadows, then took a small step and tried again, hoping to stumble across a shovel, or rod, or anything strong enough to pry with.
Finally, his toe hit something firm, so he drew his foot back and tapped it again, a wee bit harder this time. A good, solid thud. The object dinnae budge. This time he circled his foot around it, to gauge its size. No’ very large, a’tall. A bucket, or small barrel, mayhap. He dragged his toe up the side. No’ tall, either, and it seemed something was inside.
He leaned over slightly and sniffed, cautious in case the decaying odor of the place originated from this vessel. Something rustled to his right, then scurried past him. Hopefully, ’twas naught but a red squirrel, seeking respite from the snow. At least the thing scurried rather than slithered.
Bending lower, he nearly laughed out loud when he recognized the distinct odor of the bucket’s contents.
He plucked a chunk off the top and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. Och! What a delicious pleasure to be able to smell again after so many years. Even something as unpleasant as a piece of coal.
His cousin had brought a rare piece o’ the stuff to his mither’s house, to boast of his prosperity after marrying a wealthy tradesman’s daughter. Darach had thought it an ugly, smelly way to heat a home when naught was wrong with a lovely peat fire.
But today, he would happily burn coal like a rich man, smelly or no’. Reaching down, he felt for the bucket-handle and lifted his prize. He’d found treasure, indeed. Enough that Tessa and wee Emily wouldnae remain cold.
He climbed out of the root-cellar, unable to get the picture of the child’s face out of his mind. The pain in her eyes as she spoke of her mither and da, near broke his heart.
He’d known the bairn less than an hour and somehow, she’d already burrowed through his carefully constructed armor and broken down barriers he’d spent nearly three centuries constructing. All those years stuck on the moor, with all those seasoned warriors, whom he admired and respected, hadna accomplished what this wee lass had done in a handful of minutes.
Slivers of panic danced on his nerves. By the saints, he dinnae want to care about her! Or, her lovely aunt with the fern-green eyes that seemed to see right through to his soul. Even more, he dinnae wantthemto care about him. He’d be gone in two days and couldnae leave any attachments behind. ’Twould lead to naught but more heartache for everyone.
A sudden thought stole his breath and stopped him in his tracks. He’d asked for Hell. Planned on it. Had Soni given it to him, after all?
What if Hell is no’ a place, but a condition?
Darach’s chest hurt. What if he couldnaestopcaring? Mayhap, he couldnae change what was already there, but he could certainly prevent his fondness for the bairn from growing any stronger.
And what of Tessa? ’Twas impossible to have developed special feelings for her in so short a time. Aye, he’d admired her from the moment she’d brandished that ridiculous key at him. She’d been protecting Emily, o’course, but she’d shown a good deal of courage facing a total stranger with naught but her wits.
’Twould be easy to allow his admiration to grow, if he wasnae careful. To say the lass was winsome, did her an injustice. He couldnae seem to stop stealing glances at her. But ’twas her manner as much as her looks, he found captivating.
Aye. ’Twas indeed something unique about her and despite the imprudence of the thought, he wished to peel the protective layers from her, slowly and surely, until he learned the source of the light she seemed to keep carefully buried behind all that bluster. He’d glimpsed it in the way she looked at Emily. In her soft sigh as she’d gazed hungrily at the library. And mayhap, just once in her eyes when he’d caught her, unguarded, looking at him.
Och! Had he gone daft? He shook his head, sending snow crystals flying from his hair and drew a deep cleansing breath, then released it into the frigid air. Somehow the strain of the journey from the moor to this place, had shifted things in his skull. His judgement was most certainly askew.
He needed to stay focused, put in his two days of mortality to fulfill Soni’s request and move on to his reckoning. He still owed penance for the two lives he’d sacrificed for his own gain, and he was ready—even eager, to pay.
“Darach!” Emily called from somewhere at the front of the house. “Can you hear me? Come see what we found.”
He took another moment to reassure himself he’d sealed his heart away for good and called back. “On my way, lass.”
When he rounded the corner of the house, Emily waited with a sturdy looking bar leaning against her leg. “I see ye’ve had a successful treasure hunt, as well,” he grinned. “What have ye there?”
“Aunt Tess said it’s called a tire iron. See?” She held the end away from her leg. “It has this kinda flat, skinny end she said you could use for prying stuff off. Will it work?” She scrunched her face. “It’s pretty heavy, though.”
He sat his bucket down and took the weighty bar from her. “Och. ’Tis perfect, lass. Ye reallyaregood at treasure hunting. After I take this coal inside, I’ll come back out and put it tae use.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “Looks like we’re going tae save that pretty nose of yers, after all.”
* * *
At the soundof Emily’s incessant chatter, Tessa looked up from scraping bits of debris from the floor into a small pile against the wall. Seconds later Darach entered with Em bouncing around him like an adoring puppy.
Tess had never known Emily to make such an instant connection. She loved seeing her happy and engaged but feared what would happen to all that delight and animation when Darach left. If Tess was smart, she’d send him away before Emily became any more attached. Or, she did.
