Page 31 of The Lady of Her Highland Clan

Self consciously, Fiona picked her way through the throng. Everywhere she looked, a withered eye or scored brow seemed to be staring at her.

"Gentlemen," she said, coming to the fore of the room. The top of the room acted as a makeshift stage, the place where the chief elders sat, watching her morosely.

Pushing her way to the table, Fiona wondered if any of them ever smiled. In the year she had been coming here, she was yet to see it.

"Miss Duncan, we are pleased tae have ye, but we were in the middle o' something."

Fiona ruffled her brow. This was not the first time the elders had implied she was surplus to requirements. Trying her hardest to remain calm, she nodded gravely.

"Aye, an' I beg yer pardon," she said earnestly, "but this is vera important."

Finally, the eyes around the table looked at her more seriously.

"Go on," said the eldest, his foggy-colored eyes following her intently.

"Well, me' an the laird o' Greenock..." she began. Instantly, she had all their attention. A little breathless, Fiona continued, "We've been thinking, an'..."

Despite the plummeting temperatures in the early evening air, Fiona was suddenly hot. Distracted. She fanned herself with the letter from her father.

Everyone in the room stared at her. Seeing no sensible way to dress it up, Fiona just spit it out.

"We are going tae try our fortunes an' look for the clan’s missing gold."

A sharp intake of breath in the room told her this was not expected. And that was putting it mildly. All around her, a ripple of disbelief rushed about.

For a minute, Fiona regretted telling them anything. It looked as if at least five of them were having cardiac failure. Finally, the chief elder found his feet.

"Miss Duncan," he mouthed, his lips moving flabbily. "There is no gold...that is, it is quite lost..."

Fiona was ready for him. "Perhaps we just found some," said Fiona, smiling sweetly. Then, seeing the horrified looks, she corrected herself. "I mean, perhaps we will," she added.

"The thing is, we will nae ken if we dinnae look," she added practically. The elders were still not on board. Fiona did not care. Intently, she pressed on.

"We will split the gold two ways if we find it," she said, getting to the heart of the matter. One of the counselors closest to her almost choked. Fiona waited awhile as the man got his breath back and was helped to take a dram of whiskey.

Then, her head spinning, the chief elder fixed her with his firmest gaze.

"Miss Duncan! Ye cannae go giving away the clan gold!" he protested. "An' besides, we ken this tae be a wild goose chase. Ye wilnae find any gold!"

A general hubbub confirmed the consensus of the room. Fiona had never felt more isolated.

Or stubborn. Pushing back her hair—how she wished it would simply stay in place—Fiona's eyes glimmered with hope.

"On the contrary. We have fresh evidence pointing tae where the yield may be discovered," said Fiona resolutely. That shut them up. Finally, the elders were beginning to come around to her way of thinking.

Now the chief clan elder looked at her with fresh eyes.

"Go on," he said seriously. Fiona thought he would never ask.

"We found this letter amongst my father's things," said Fiona, pressing forth the parchment. The chief clan elder took it, unfurling it fully.

"Read down, ye will see there is a map, an' instructions for finding the clan gold," she said with a twinkly smile.

"An' I dinnae ken, but it is worth a try." Her eyes reached theirs, hopeful. There was a long pause. “If I find the treasure, maybe ye will be conceived of my abilities as the lady of the clan. I ask ye tae trust me.” Finally, after what seemed like forever, the dusty old clan counselor nodded.

"Och, alright," he said, a toothy smile forming. Fiona wondered if his face would actually split in two. "Ye can have permission tae hunt for the gold. But if ye fail, the position of the lady of the clan wilnae be guaranteed, Miss Duncan, on' the basis that ye dinnae give more than a small share from the treasure."

Way ahead o' ye there, thought Fiona, but she merely grinned.

Finally, she had the permission she needed. Instantly excited, Fiona felt a rush of trepidation.

She was going in search of lost treasure!

Just like that.