He touched her intimately and she gave a long moan, but moved his hand away. She could so easily give in to him and allow their love to take its natural course, but not with Father Gordon about.
“He will be furious to find us kissing and lying in bed together,” she told him. “But any more than that and he will drag us off to the confessional box before you can say ‘Our Father!’”
He laughed and kissed her forehead. “Then if I wish to make love to you I must marry you?” he asked mischievously.
She looked up at him, her eyes shining, then he kissed her softly.
“Then I suppose I must marry you,” he murmured, sighing as if it were something odious, while his eyes were twinkling. “If you will have me, that is.”
“I will have you,” she replied, smiling. “After tomorrow is over. Now sleep, for you will need your strength later.”
“I would rather lie in your arms,” he said drowsily.
“I have things to do.” She kissed his forehead and got out of bed, then slipped out of the door, a newly betrothed woman. Adam looked after her, smiling as he drifted off to sleep.
A short while later Adam arose, feeling alert and well-rested. He had to go and see Father Gordon, now, before he had time to talk himself out of it.
Accordingly, he went to see the priest in his study. He was kneeling, mouth moving silently as he threaded his rosary beads through his fingers. He looked up as Adam entered, then kissed his beads, crossed himself, and stood up. The two men faced each other across the room, then Adam spoke.
“Father,” he said heavily. “I have secured the services of sixty French soldiers, but they are mercenaries and need money. I have given them some, but I have no money left, so I cannot pay them in full.”
“Sit down Adam,” Father Gordon said. “This is important.”
Adam did as Father Gordon bade him, looking confused.
The priest began to pace the room. “There is something I have not told you,” he said carefully. “When your uncle was dying, he told me a secret. He also cautioned me not to tell you till I thought you were...ready to hear it. But now you are. There is a fortune in gold buried in a secret place that only I know of. Your uncle left it to you.”
So it was true! Adam was shocked.
“Why did you not tell me about it?” he asked angrily.
“Because your uncle wanted it that way,” Father Gordon replied. “He wanted to know that you would spend it on the village and the people, and not take it for yourself. This morning you proved that you have the interests of the village at heart, and I knew that you were ready, especially when you said that you would give your life for them. I could see that you were sincere, and that is when I knew you meant what you said.”
“I have grown to love the Highlands.” Adam smiled. “The wildness, the people, even the animals! It is all so different from my homeland. I never thought it would happen, but this Sassenach has grown into being a Scot!”
Father Gordon laughed. “I wish your countrymen felt the same!”
“So where is the gold?” Adam asked. This was a miracle.
The priest put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Somewhere no one will ever find it!” he chuckled gleefully. “Under the roots of a tree in a thick forest where there are many other trees. You have to know the very tree to look under. But I know and I will show you and Emilia, but no one else.”
Adam remembered wondering if the priest was evil and McElwee was his friend. Things could not be more clear now.
They rode out of the village just as twilight was beginning to color the sky, and Father Gordon led them to a small forest that was quite near the remains of the McKay farm. It was a very small pine wood, but the trees were dense, and thick undergrowth grew there.
Father Gordon moved confidently into the undergrowth, passing through trees and bushes with the ease of one who had been there many times before. Eventually he paused in front of a fir tree which looked, to Adam’s eyes, exactly the same as every other fir tree in the wood.
“Is this it?” Adam asked doubtfully.
“Yes,” Father Gordon replied, smiling.
“How can you tell?” Adam asked, frowning.
“I think I know,” Emilia answered. “The little bush at the bottom has white blossoms. All the other bushes have none.”
“Clever girl!” Father Gordon smiled at her, then began to dig with his bare hands through a tangle of tree roots. He was almost up to his shoulders in earth before he found what he was looking for. He tugged, slowly and with much effort, but he refused any help from others. Finally, with a last heroic effort, he hauled a copper box out of the hole he had made. It was the same size and shape as a wooden box that held a pair of Emilia’s shoes, but Adam could hardly lift it.
“Why is it so heavy?” he asked, rubbing his back as he dumped the box on the ground again.
