“Of course, lad. I’ll still be here when ye return,” he replied. Rory beamed brightly and went to fetch his things. He stared at Lucy. “This means that it’ll just be ye and me for a while. I hope ye are prepared tae work hard.”
“Oh, I am, and this will give us a chance tae get tae know each other better,” Lucy replied with a wide smile. Ian stared at her for a long time, but was unable to work out if she was being genuine or was just teasing him. He harrumphed, turning away from her. The last thing he wanted to do was share his secrets with her. They were his own, little precious stones in his heart, and he would carry them around with him forever.
Since Rory was getting his things ready for his journey home, Ian took the opportunity to make a delivery by himself. He could stay in the inn for a while and have a wee sip of drink as well, just to help him stop thinking about his own secrets, and Lucy. She had blown into his life like a howling wind and he hoped that she would not leave detritus in her wake. He was going to miss Rory more than he would admit as well. After raising walls around his heart and pushing people away, he had gotten quite used to having others around him again. But Rory had a home to return to, and Lucy had freedom waiting for her. They both had other lives waiting for them, while Ian was destined to stay here in the darkness, his hammer echoing into eternity.
8
Ian nodded to people as he walked through the village. Nobody thought anything odd about him making deliveries at this time in the evening. He even smiled and nodded to the guards, acting as though he had nothing to hide. If he avoided them and darted away from them, they might think him suspicious. Better to be open with them, and none of them bothered him. After all, he was just a simple blacksmith making a delivery of cutlery to an inn.
There was a buzz of excitement in the inn. Ian could see that people were enjoying the whiskey he supplied through the windows. Ian went to the back, as always, knocking on the door. The owner, Boon, flung open the door and dragged Ian inside.
“Dinnae stand there for tae long. The guards might see. I dinnae like them lurking around out there,” he said, licking his lips nervously.
“Hae they given ye much trouble?”
“They come in now and then, asking about some thief who stole Lady Boyd’s jewelry. I keep telling them that naebody of disrepute is welcome in my tavern, but they dinnae believe me. Now, let me see what ye hae got for me,” Boon didn’t even bother to look at the cutlery. He just went straight for the whiskey, pulling out the case. “Ah, liquid gold,” he said, holding it close to his chest. “Ye are a lifesaver, Ian. I dinnae know how I would keep this place afloat if it was nae for ye. I mean, who would want tae come here if they could nae get drunk?” he lowered his voice to a whisper.
Ian started to unload everything else. “I’m sure they come for the friendliness of the host.”
The two men shared a look, and then laughed. “Ye are a brave man, though, coming out here while those guards are about. I hope they catch this thief soon. Better for all of us that they stop nosing around our business. I wish the Laird would stop meddling in our lives. He dinnae see us gaeing up tae the keep and telling him how tae wipe his arse, does he?” Boon pressed his lips together, grimacing. “I hae been keeping my ear tae the ground. I think if I can help the guards, then they might look the other way. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it, but it’s the only way. Hae ye seen anything of the thief?”
“Nae,” Ian said, his tongue feeling as though it swelled to twice its size. “Between working in the forge and working on this,” he gestured towards the whiskey, “I dinnae hae much time tae think about anything else.”
“Aye, ye are a man of dedication, Ian, and we thank ye for it. Why dinnae ye gae inside? Ask Lara for a drink, on me. It’s only fair that ye should get tae enjoy the fruits of yer labor,” Boon said. Ian inclined his head and then took his leave, making a note in his mind to not confide to anyone about Lucy, not even his customers.
When he entered the bar, his name was called by some old friends and he walked over to them. They patted him on the back and he smiled, sharing a few old jokes and asking about their families. He, of course, had no family to share news of. There were dismayed noises about the thief, and a few people said they had seen the thief skulking around. There were even rumors that it wasn’t a thief at all, but rather someone with whom Lady Boyd was having an affair. Ian excused himself from the table, glad that none of them had the slightest idea about Lucy.
He went to the bar and placed his glass on the counter. Lara, Boon’s daughter, was washing out a glass. Her curled dark hair was tied back, while her eyes lit up when she saw him.
“Been a while since ye hae spent any time here,” she said, her voice low and rolling.
“Well, ye know what it’s like. I’m a busy man.”
“Oh, I know, even tae busy for things that men like tae dae. Ye know that my invitation still stands.”
“I know,” Ian met her gaze evenly. Lara laughed and shook her head.
“Ye are a strange one, Ian. If I were tae make the same offer tae anyone else in this tavern, they would be rushing up the stairs sae quick they’d leave a trail of fire behind. But ye… ye are nae married, ye hae nae ties… I wish I knew what was holding ye back. It cannae be that ye dinnae like me, after all,” she raised her hands, stretching out her shapely body, which attracted some wolf whistles from elsewhere in the bar. Ian tried his best to look away, but he found it difficult. In truth, he did find her beautiful and he hadn’t always been so restrained with her, but it was safer to not get tangled up in emotions.
Upon hearing the whistles, Lara immediately stopped and slapped her cloth against the bar, taming the men as a whip was used to tame lions. “Da told me tae only give ye one of these for free, but since I like ye I will give ye another,” she refilled his glass.
“It’s a pleasure, as always, Lara, and believe me, if I were any other man, then I would take ye up on yer offer, even though yer father would nae be pleased about it.”
Lara leaned over the bar and whispered to him. “Maybe that’s part of the appeal,” she said, and giggled. But unfortunately, Ian was the way he was, and he couldn’t allow himself to indulge in those kinds of things. He had other duties to think about, to focus on, and he wasn’t about to let himself become weak. He took his drink and headed to a quiet bar in the corner. To his surprise, thoughts of Lucy entered his mind. He drank to try and forget about her as well. It wasn’t long before he had a distraction, as two tall men came to him and offered him a drink. He didn’t know them, and they didn’t offer their names.
“I heard ye hae a good blacksmith shop. The best in the clan, they call it,” the first one said. He was a thin man with a trimmed beard covering the lower half of his face. He wore a hat with a wide brim, and he did not take it off even though he was inside. The other man was stockier, with a face that reminded Ian of a pig.
“Best in the Highlands,” Ian said, eagerly taking the free drink. He wasn’t going to deny a gift like this.
“That’s high praise. We were thinking of buying a forge from a blacksmith. He owes us a great debt, but we dinnae know how tae make it profitable. What’s yer secret?”
Ian barked a laugh. “There is nae secret. It’s just hard work. I work there day and night. Ye see this?” Ian held out his arm and rolled up his sleeve. Under the coarse hair were thick muscles, but the skin was also marked with burns and bruises. His fingers were thick, his palms leathery. “It’s nae easy work, but once ye are done ye can see what ye hae made. Ye forge yer body as much as ye forge the metal, but ye hae tae be willing tae put in the work. Day and night, over and over again. The sun rises, and the sun sets, but ye are still at the forge. Naething can take ye away from it. But for all the hard work ye put in, ye need a wee bit of luck as well. That’s the same for everyone though, and I hae been given my share of good and bad.”
“Naething, but what about gaeing home?” the man with porcine features said.
Ian barked a laugh again. “My homeisthe forge. Let me tell ye something, gentlemen. If ye want tae make a successful forge, then ye hae tae live and breathe it. Ye hae tae put every ounce of yer blood and sweat intae it because there are always gaeing tae be people trying tae steal business from ye, sae ye hae tae be the best. Ye hae tae live it, every moment of yer life. Like now, for example, as soon as I return I will be back there, making preparations for taemorrow. I’ll hae myself a few hours of kip and then as soon as the sun rises I’ll be right back at it. If ye walk past my shop, then ye are likely tae hear the hammer crashing down, because that is my life. It’s my heartbeat, and if ye cannae sacrifice the same, then ye hae nae business at all. But if ye are thinking of getting intae the industry for profit, well, ye hae the wrong idea. I cannae say I hae ever known a rich blacksmith.”
“Ye seem tae be daeing well for yerself.”
