Adam’s horse was waiting outside the church and Emilia surmised that he was inside, waiting for her and taking advantage of the safety the church provided. The villagers were usually peaceable people, but they had been too damaged now and were ready to retaliate with anything they could.
Sure enough, Adam was there, seated at the back alone. Emilia tapped his shoulder and he stood up. He was not dressed in his usual smart attire, but in wool breeches and a linen shirt with sturdy practical leather shoes.
“You look like a working man today,” she observed, smiling at him.
“I have been showing off too much lately,” he responded. “I’ve realized that people around here do not care for my attitude, and I will try to mend it, so here I am. I have never worn these clothes to do any actual work in, but I need to begin to get my hands dirty like everyone else, no matter what I decide. It will be good for me to learn new skills.”
“Like milking cows and mucking out stables?” she asked, smiling mischievously.
“Perhaps not at first!” he replied, laughing.
They rode out of the little village, leaving the road to the castle and going towards Loch Inverinch. Everyone greeted Emilia; it seemed that she was well loved wherever she went.
Even the dogs seemed happy to see her. However, when they looked at Adam, it was always with a sullen scowl that made him deeply uneasy. Several times they spoke to Emilia, pointing to Adam and enquiring about him. Of course he was unable to understand them, but their faces and tones of voice told him exactly what they meant. Emilia always reassured them with a smile and a few friendly words that always left them laughing, though, and after a while he felt more relaxed.
Riding with Emilia by his side made him feel happier than he had for an age, and the beautiful countryside around him soothed his spirit with its sighing grasses and velvet hillsides dotted with giant moss-covered stones.
This part of the countryside had no heather, which disappointed him a little since he loved its happy pink color, but the hills sloped down to a loch whose water was a deep dark brown and acted like a mirror, reflecting the stark splendor of the Highlands. In the distance Adam could see the blue-gray shapes of towering mountains, but their summits were lost in the sullen clouds.
“The hills around here are not as steep as many in the Highlands,” Emilia remarked. “Many people say it is because God ran out of stone, and that is why there are only little pieces sticking through the ground!”
He laughed. “You are fortunate to live in such a lovely place,” he remarked, looking around him.
“I am,” she agreed happily, and the smile that she gave him warmed his heart.
They stopped for a brief midday meal and then rode on again, reaching a part of the road that was lined with spruce trees. The weather was gloomy and it was very dark in their shadows, so it was difficult to see clearly. The path became rocky and uneven, forcing them to slow their horses to a walk.
Suddenly Adam’s horse stumbled and went down on its knees with a squeal of pain, and then it rolled over on its side, trapping Adam underneath for a few moments. Emilia dismounted as fast as she could, and then rushed to his side. He was trapped underneath from the thighs downwards, and she stood helplessly, looking down at him and wondering if she should go for help. She could not possibly pull the big horse to its feet; it weighed ten times more than she did.
Fortunately, Adam was still conscious, although he was winded, and there was a huge graze on his cheek where the gravel of the path had scraped his skin.
She knelt down beside him. “Are you hurt?” she asked desperately.
He shook his head. “Just a bit winded,” he gasped, with a valiant attempt at a smile.
“I will go for help.” Emilia stood up, ready to mount and ride away. Fortunately the horse decided to stumble to his feet at that moment, and Adam was able to sit up, but it took a few more moments before he recovered his breath. Emilia put her arm around his shoulders and fetched him a drink of water from the flask she always carried with her. She held it up to his lips and he drank, sputtered a little, and drank again.
“How are you feeling?” Emilia asked anxiously, looking into his deep blue eyes. She was so close to him that she could have kissed him, but she did not have the courage and for the tenth time she had to remind herself of the purpose of her mission.
Adam would have welcomed a kiss from Emilia at any time, especially now that he was in pain and distress, but he tried to put on a brave face for her. “I am fine,” he replied, trying to smile. “How is Trojan?”
Emilia went over to the big horse that was trembling all over and holding his right foreleg off the ground. She stroked his neck and talked to him in soothing tones while she gently examined his knee. The skin was grazed and there was a deep cut running down his shin almost to the ankle. It was clear that no one would be able to ride him for a while. It would be a slow journey back, since Trojan would have to limp all the way.
“I’m afraid he will not bear anyone’s weight for a while,” Emilia said grimly. “We will have to walk very slowly with him and you and I will have to share Nannie. But she is strong, and will bear us both.”
Before they left Emilia poured the last of her water over Trojan’s wound to wash out the grains of dirt, then Adam mounted Nannie and Emilia went in front of him. He was sorely tempted to bury his face in Emilia’s fragrant hair, but had to content himself with wrapping his arms around her waist to stay firmly on the horse.
Emilia could feel his strong, warm chest pressing against her back, and it made her feel safe, even though Adam was hurt. It was also making her experience pleasant tingles and other sensations, which she could not describe, in her most intimate parts. They were completely new, but she knew that Adam was causing them, and she wanted more.
Adam pointed to a cottage by the roadside. It was a poor little place, but at the rate they were going they would still be riding in the dark, and anything was better than that, so they made their way towards it. The door was opened before they got there by a comfortably plump, homely woman with merry blue eyes and graying dark hair. A little girl of about six years old stood by her side clutching her skirts. She had fiery red hair and blue eyes like her mother, which she fixed on Adam with astonishment.
“Good day, mistress, and whit can I dae for ye?” she asked. “I am Ina.” She spoke in Gaelic and Emilia answered in the same tongue.
“I am Emmy and this is Adam.” Emilia smiled at the woman. “Adam’s horse has had an accident and we wondered if we could sleep here tonight. Anywhere will do—the floor, the barn—anywhere.”
“Come in,” Ina stood aside to let them pass, and the little red-haired girl caught Adam’s hand and tugged on it. He smiled down at her and she returned it with a gap-toothed one of her own, then she asked him a question that set both the women off in gales of laughter.
“What did she say?” Adam asked with a smiling frown.
