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“They dinnae take tae kindly tae the English around here.”

“Have they not taken kindly to you?” Trevor asked. The moment the question slipped between his lips, Emma looked away and began to play with her shawl, adjusting it nervously, as though it were a shield. “May I ask you something, Emma? Why do you wear that shawl?”

“What dae ye mean?” she asked without looking up at him.

“Well, I hope I am not being too forward, but when I saw you without the shawl this morning, you looked a different woman. Your hair is such a pretty shade, and when it frames your face it makes you look like a work of art. I think it’s a shame that you should hide such beauty from the world.”

Emma blushed at the compliment. “Dae ye really think sae?”

“I do, and I would not lie to you about such an important matter.”

“Well, that is rather kind of ye tae say. Unfortunately, nae everyone thinks sae. When I was wee, people teased me because my hair color was different than theirs. They knew my Ma was different, and they mocked me for being half-English. They hae never respected me or accepted me, sae all this time I hae been ashamed. I’m glad that ye are able tae be proud, but I hae never been able tae hae such a luxury,” she said.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Trevor said. “I have known cruelty in the past, and in my experience, there is always a better way.” Something clicked in his mind then. “Wait, there’s something you said to David last night. Was he one of the ones who teased you?”

Emma nodded. Anger twisted in Trevor’s heart, and he could feel the old thunder beginning to rumble inside.

“Then I’m sorry that I ended the fight so quickly,” he said through gritted teeth. “I cannot believe your parents would allow such a thing to happen.”

“I dinnae think they realized how serious it was. I tried nae tae tell them when I was wee because the adults were all kind. It was just the kids. I thought it would stop once I was older, but even now I still get looks sometimes…”

“From David?”

“Oh no, as far as he’s concerned, it never even happened. It clearly didnae mean as much tae him as it did tae me. He just dismisses me whenever I bring it up. I meant from other girls. I hae tae admit that the thought of enduring these looks for the rest of my life dinnae fill me with much excitement.”

“Then perhaps this place isn’t as much of a home to you as you thought it was. You know, if Lyndsay does decide to come back to England, you are welcome to come as well. It might do you good to see another part of the world, and it might give you a greater connection to your home,” he said.

Emma’s eyes lit up at this. She had been hanging on his every word while he had been talking about England, although her mind had drifted somewhat as she shared her tale of woe. But the prospect of returning to England with him clearly brightened her day.

“I hae always thought about seeing England. Can I really come?” she asked.

“Of course. I would be delighted to have you. It seems about time that you should witness something of the land of your blood.”

“Aye. Can I confess something, Trevor?”

“Of course, you can tell me anything. As you know, I am good at keeping secrets.” He flashed her a winning smile.

“I’m nae sure I’ve ever felt I truly belong here. I mean, it’s my home, and I love my parents dearly, and the village haes always been safe, but there haes been an unease in my soul that I hae nae been able tae shake. I hae always felt as though there’s something wrong about all this, that I’m meant tae be somewhere else. I hate thinking it because I dinnae want my parents tae think I’m ungrateful or that I’m unhappy with them. I just…I just dinnae feel at peace here.”

They were profound words, and Trevor was quite taken by the fact that Emma would share something so personal with him. There were parts of him that remained guarded against her, but he decided to show her a little more of his private thoughts.

“I think we all feel that at times. There have been periods in my life when I have been restless and have wanted to experience something else. I think in part that’s why I am here in Scotland. There’s nothing wrong with it.” He took a moment to gaze around at the world surrounding them. “In fact, a thought occurs to me. I think that some people are born like trees, content to be rooted in the same spot and to watch over the same area all their lives. Others are more like birds, eager to spread their wings and soar to distant parts of the world, wherever their whims take them.”

“Sae ye think we are both birds?”

“It’s not an undesirable thought, is it?” Trevor said.

Emma shook her head and wore a smile. They continued on, a gentle and peaceful silence settling over them. The fragrance of the world was a pleasure, and the flowers seemed to burst in color before them. The grass was soft underfoot, and ripe fruit blossomed on trees. As they walked along, Emma picked a few berries she knew were safe to eat and passed them to Trevor. They smiled at each other as the juice swam along their tongues. When Trevor looked at Emma, he was quite certain that he had never seen anyone more beautiful in all the world, and the prospect of leaving her behind in this village seemed wrong to him. He dearly hoped that when the time came, she would join him in returning to England so that he might spend more time with her. She carried her pain well, almost as well as he carried his, but she did not deserve such treatment. He wanted to castigate all the people who had ever done her harm, and he hoped that another opportunity to fight with David would present itself as he wanted to teach the man a stern lesson.

He could well imagine Emma attending a ball in England, dressed in the finest gown, shining with beauty and putting all the other women to shame. Her presence may well even encourage him to attend a ball, and in his imagination, it was he who stood with Emma, he who stepped onto the dance floor with her, and he who received envious glances from every other man in attendance.

However, he was sure that if she did end up in England, then she would be flooded with marriage proposals and romantic overtures from more handsome men than him and men with better prospects. It seemed to him that she was wasted out here where people couldn’t appreciate her. She was Scotland’s best-kept secret, and at the moment, he was the only one who knew it.