Leana was shocked that her child, as they thought of Abi, was worth more than a grown woman. She had not even started her monthly flux.The swines!
she thought. Her stomach clenched with revulsion at the very notion of selling a child to satisfy the bodily greed of creatures like these.
Abi was about to burst into tears when Leana squeezed her hand hard as if to say,Have courage,and she took heart from Leana’s bravery. She tried a watery smile.
Leana knew that Fraser would notice Abi’s absence. He would be looking for her, and she was expecting him. There was hope!
The men were milling around again looking at the “goods,” and Leana had begun to despair of help ever coming. Darkness had fallen, their position looked hopeless, and she was in agony.
However, just then, Danny Devine clutched his stomach and groaned, then fell over onto the floor, gasping.
Leana knelt down by Danny, who had curled into a ball, and tried to straighten him out. She was not strong enough, however, and one of the others came to help her. She had been able to pick up a nettle leaf, and wherever she touched him it gave him a sting, and he squealed.
“I telt ye it wis catchin’!” she said sternly. “Is yer stomach sore?”
“Aye,” he groaned. “Hurtin’ like hell.”
“I hae a soup I can make that will cure ye,” Leana told him. “Will I make some for ye?”
“Aye, onythin’at a’!” He was in agony.
“Whit caused it?” Leana asked.
“How the hell should I knaw?” he asked irritably.
“Awright, if ye cannae tell me I will hae tae make the soup an’ hope for the best!”
Some of the bandits looked doubtfully at each other but said nothing. However, they watched Leana carefully as she prepared it. She reached out to give it to Danny, but Calum stopped her.
“You taste it first, mistress,” he ordered. “If ye’re a’ right I will gie it tae Danny.”
Leana shrugged. “As ye wish,” she said nonchalantly, then dipped her spoon in the bowl, blew on it to cool the soup, and put it in her mouth. She took two more spoonfuls before Calum nodded.
“Cannae be too careful!” he said, in a surly tone. He took it from Leana and gave it to Danny, and he watched like a hawk as he drank it from the bowl.
“Drink every drap, noo!” Leana instructed. “Or it willnae work.”
In a short while he gave a great belch and then began to laugh. “I am so much better!” he cried joyfully. “Clever lass, ye’ll fetch a higher price noo!”
Abi was looking at Danny with outright fear in her eyes, and Leana put her arms around her. “Do ye want some as well, hen?” she asked. “It will calm ye doon.”
Before Abi could answer, Danny stood up. “Right lads, if we hang aboot here ony longer they are gaunnae find us,” he announced. “So it’s time we were aff. I heard yon Laird is a hard man tae beat in a sword fight. You, Calum, bring thae herbs so we can hae some mair o’ that stuff tae warm oor stomachs.”
The men marched them out, and Joe stumbled along with them. It was evident that he was never going to be able to walk so they put him on a horse with one of the bandits.
Leana looked back at her home and wondered if she would ever see it again, or even if she would see tomorrow.
“Why did you help them?” Abi whispered angrily. “That scum was in agony. He could not have gone anywhere.”
“But there were five mair, hen,” Leana whispered back. “If I can find the special mushrooms that grow roon here we can put them in their soup an’ they will soon be pukin’ sae much they will forget a’ aboot us—an’ that’s jist the start!”
“How can you pick mushrooms when they are all looking?” Abi asked. Panic was beginning to creep into her, whispering again.
“Watch an’ learn, hen,” Leana said mischievously, and Abi wondered how her friend could still laugh in a situation like this. The longer she knew Leana, the more she was coming to admire her. The nettle stings had been an inspiration!
“What made you think of covering ourselves with nettle stings?” she asked curiously. “We had no reason to then. How did you know?”
Leana’s face twitched into another smile. “I had a feelin’,” she replied. “I wisnae gaunnae pick nettles that day. I didnae hae my basket wi’ me, but somethin’ told me tae pick them. An’ somethin told me how tae use then an’ a’. My granny had the Sight. Maybe I have it an’a’!”
