Horace had broken every promise and vow. It didn’t make sense to Nora that she should remain steadfast and cheerful while Horace lied, stole, cheated, and beat her. Certainly that wasn’t God’s plan for her.
“Are you done?” Nora asked impatiently.
Elise nodded and stood. Nora straightened out their skirts and cloaks before taking Elise’s hand. “These men you’re so frightened of, they’ve risked much in order to help me get you away from Castle Firth.”
“Why did they do that?” Elise asked as her brow twisted into a tiny knot. “And how do you know them?”
Nora sighed, unsure exactly how to answer that question. She pondered it for a moment before smiling. “God sent them to us, Elise. He knew how sad you and John and I were, so He sent these men to help us.”
Elise’s eyes widened with surprise and excitement. “You mean they’re angels?”
“Aye, something like that.” Nora knew they were the furthest things from angels as one could get, for they were, after all, Scots. And Highlanders to boot! But thus far, they had shown nothing but kindness toward her and her siblings.
“I thought angels were small and had wings,” Elise said, uncertainty claiming her face.
“Angels come in all forms, Elise.” Nora gave her tiny hand a slight squeeze.
“Then I shouldn’t be afraid of them because they’re angels?”
“Aye, you needn’t be afraid.” Nora smiled down at her sister hoping that she’d be less afraid and now less inclined to need to relieve her bladder every three miles.
They had stopped at the edge of the clearing while Nora re-tied Elise’s cloak.
“Do angels kill people, Nora?” Elise asked.
“Nay, they do not,” Nora answered, amazed with how a child’s mind sometimes worked.
“Then why does that big man have his hands around John’s neck?”
Nora’s head nearly spun from her shoulders when she turned to see what Elise was referring to. Wee William was holding John by the scruff of his neck!
She raced across the small clearing. Daniel and David were standing on either side of Wee William, who definitely had a firm hold on John’s neck while he growled at him.
“William! John!” Nora shouted as she pushed her way through the wall of men. “William! Put him down this instant!” she demanded as she pulled on Wee William’s arm.
Wee William loosened his grip slightly but kept his hold on the boy. “Yer brother here needs a lesson in manners, Nora!” he barked at her.
Nora didn’t care what the reasons were behind Wee William’s attempt at strangling John, she only wished that he would stop. Anger bubbled up as she shouted back. “You put my brother down this instant!” She continued to pull on Wee William’s arm but to no avail. “You’ll kill him!”
Wee William rolled his eyes and looked down at her. “Lass, if I wanted the little brat dead, he’d already be dead! I mean only to teach him to have some respect!”
“I’ll show you no respect, you damned heathen!” John spat out. His face was as red as a beet, not from lack of air but from anger.
Wee William growled back at him. “Listen, ye little shite! Ye better get that temper in check and rethink yer attitude, or I’ll no’ give a second thought to leavin’ ye out here to fend fer yerself!”
“I’d rather fend for myself than be anywhere near a filthy Scot!”
Nora had reached her breaking point. “William, put him down!”
“Why?” he shot back.
“So that I may beat the fool senseless!”
Wee William’s expression changed from anger to surprise in the blink of an eye. “What did ye say?” he asked as he loosened his grip.
Nora let out a harsh breath. “I said put him down so that I can beat him senseless!” She would brook no disrespect on her brother’s part toward these men who were trying to help them. “Then I shall beat you senseless when I’m done!”
Wee William startled and let go of John’s shirt. John fell to the ground and landed on his rear end with a thud. “Me?” Wee William asked, more than a tad bewildered by her threat.
“Aye, the both of you!” Nora shouted as she stomped her foot and thrust her fists to her hips. “John!” she said as she looked down at her brother. “I know your opinion of Scots and where it came from.”
She thrust her hand toward her brother and glared angrily down at him, stopping him before he could utter one word of protest. “’Tis foolish notions and preconceived opinions such as that, that keep our countries constantly at war with one another! These men have risked a great deal to help us and I will not have you behaving in such a disrespectful and ill-mannered fashion!”
Nora then turned her wrath toward Wee William who stood with his arms crossed over his chest and smiling as if he approved of the scolding she was giving John.
“And you!” she pierced him in place with a furious glare. His smile left instantly.
“A full grown man! Strangling a defenseless boy who simply doesn’t know any better! But you should!” She stomped her foot again and shook her head in disgust.
“You do nothing but help inflame those preconceived notions of his by using violence! I’ll not have that, sir, no I won’t! I’m sure you’re used to solving all your problems and disagreements with physical violence, but I will have none of it!”
She began pacing back and forth as exhaustion began to overtake her. She knew she was beginning to ramble, but she didn’t care. She was beyond angry with the two of them and put all the blame where it belonged: with Horace. Had he been at all kind and considerate, had he not broken his promises and vows to her, then she’d not be in this situation. May he at this very moment, be burning in hell for all his sins!
Nora hadn’t realized she was speaking her inner thoughts about Horace aloud until she saw the perplexed faces on all those around her. She stopped abruptly as tears filled her eyes. Choking them back she first looked at Wee William then to John. “I expect more out of each of you than this!”
Both Wee William and John looked thoroughly remorseful, though still quite angry. Drained from riding nearly nonstop all these many hours, from lack of sleep and food, and freezing to the bone, Nora could no longer hold back her tears. She left the group of them and walked to stand beside Wee William’s horse. She held onto the bridle as she let the tears fall.
Elise, ever the dutiful little sister, stuck her tongue out, first at her brother and then at Wee William. With her head held high, she went to console her sister.
Once her tears were shed Nora straightened her shoulders and pulled Elise in close to her hip.
“Are you better now, Nora?” Elise asked.
“Aye, I am. I’m just very tired. ’Tis been a long night and an even longer day. Do not worry overmuch, Elise. I will be fine.”
Elise nodded her head and hugged Nora around her legs, strained her head back to look up at her teary eyed sister. “I love you, Nora.”
“And I love you, Elise.” Nora wiped her face with her fingertips and winced slightly when she rubbed too hard along her blackened eye. She could see the fear and uncertainty in her little sister’s eyes. She could only hope that someday soon, once they’d settle in somewhere, Elise wouldn’t be so afraid.
“Lass,” Wee William was now standing behind them. His voice was soft and low and sounded sorrowful. “I am sorry fer makin’ ye to cry. I canna promise I will no’ be tempted to strangle him again, but I do promise to keep me temper in check.”
He would however, have a very long talk with John once they got back to Castle Gregor. He could well understand the lad’s low opinion of Scots, for he had, after all, been raised by Englishmen. ’Twas through no fault of his own that the lad behaved in such a poor manner. Most Englishmen did.
Nora took a settling breath before turning around to face him. “I thank you for that, William. And I shall have a very long talk with John regarding his poor manners. If you feel compelled to beat him for his insufferable behavior, I do
ask that you allow me to stand in his stead. He’s just a boy and he’s been through enough these past few years.”
Wee William rolled his eyes in disgust. “Lass, I’ve never laid a hand on a woman in anger in me life. And I’ve never beat a child, even one as old as yer brother and deservin’ of it! There be other ways of correctin’ such behavior as young John has shown.”
Nora was confused. “Then why did you try to strangle him?”
Wee William laughed. “Lass, I told ye, if I’d wanted him dead, he’d be dead. I meant only to scare him a bit, to show him what could happen if he continued on with his current attitude. Others might no’ be as nice about it as I.”
“So your intent was only to scare him?” Nora asked for confirmations sake. Her head was beginning to feel foggy and a slight pounding was forming behind her right eye.
“Aye, ye see the way of it, lass.” Wee William cast a glance over his shoulder to make certain John was far enough away that he could not hear the conversation.
“I’d never beat him, but he does no’ need to ken that just yet. A little bit of fear won’t hurt the lad. It might help him control that tongue of his.”
She was too tired to argue the point any further. While she felt he could have gotten the same results by simply talking to John, man to man, she knew her point would probably be lost on Wee William. And more likely than not on John as well. Men and women tended to handle these types of things in completely different ways.
“Now, what say we have a bit of bread and cheese before we set to ride again?” Wee William looked down at the sweet little girl who was studying him intently, as if he were some foreign object. Her bright blue eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun. “I might even have some dried figs in me bag, little one.” He offered a smile and was glad to see her return it. “Do ye like dried figs, lassie?”
“Aye, I do! And I’m very hungry.”
Wee William nodded his head as he removed the bag from the back of his saddle. “Then ’tis a feast we shall have, little one.”
Nora stood next to the horse as she watched the giant of a man walk away with her little sister. He had managed, somehow, to bring a smile to Elise’s face, where only moments ago, Nora had seen fear and distrust. What was it about this man, this huge, hairy creature, that made her feel so safe and at peace? Moments ago she was questioning her decision to go to Scotland with them. Her heart had been filled with doubt over her decision and fear of the future. How on earth had he disarmed her senses so easily?
Five
John seemed in slightly better humor once he had eaten. But to say he was at ease or happy would have been an outright lie. Nora, for now, would settle for a silent and contrite younger brother. Elise, ever bright and cheerful, was now rattling on about her their time at Firth, a place she hoped she’d never ever have to return to.
“They were very mean to us, Nora,” Elise explained as she took another dried fig. “That mean man, Mr. Oliver would box John’s ears when he didn’t move fast enough! And once, he whipped him with a cane until he cried! I tried to stop him, but Mrs. Ellison tossed me in the larder! I didn’t like her at all!”
Nora’s jaw fell open as she looked at her brother. His eyes were cast to the ground at his feet.
“John, I am so sorry,” she told him as she choked back tears of guilt. “I tried to get to you sooner, I did...” her words trailed off with the realization that there was nothing she could do to erase from his memory the past year at Firth, nor anything she could do to alleviate her own guilt.
“What in God’s name was the reason behind canin’ ye, lad?” Wee William asked, visibly angry.
“I took food from the larder, not for me, but for Elise and the other little ones,” John said, as he looked Wee William directly in the eye. “I’d do it again, and take another beating for it too.” His voice was firm and unyielding. “So you may label me a thief if you wish, but I’ve no regrets for what I did.”
Wee William, Daniel, and David looked at him with visible admiration, their opinion of the lad increasing a thousand fold at his admission.
“’Tis a good man who does what he can fer his family. An even better man to see an injustice and do what he can to right it,” Wee William told him.
He looked at Daniel and David before turning back to John. “We’d have done the same thing, lad, were we in your position. Tell me, have ye scars from the canin’ ye took?”
John’s expression changed from pride to confusion and embarrassment. “Aye, a few.”
The men nodded their heads approvingly. “’Tis good!” Daniel said. “They’ll serve ye well as a reminder of the injustices served on someone weaker than ye, and how ye became a man and stood up fer what was right.” He leaned over and squeezed John’s shoulder. “Ye did well, lad.”
“Aye,” David said. “I couldna be more proud of ye if ye were me own brother by blood!”
Nora felt like crying again, for a myriad of reasons. These men were holding no grudge against the boy who not more than half an hour ago had been calling them filthy Scots. Instead, they looked at him with approval and what could only be described as pride. While she felt guilty at not being there to protect her younger brother, she couldn’t help but feel proud of him. He had certainly matured and grown in this past year.
“Now, lad,” Wee William said as he drew himself to his feet. “How well do ye ride?”
John looked confused. “Ride? Ride what?”
“Why a horse, lad!”
John shook his head. “I’ve never been on a horse until this day.”
The three men looked aghast. “Ye haven’t?” David asked.
John stood taller. “Nay, I haven’t. If I’ve anywhere to go, I use my feet to take me.”
The men laughed before informing him he’d be riding one of the spare horses. Nora could tell by the look on John’s face that he was quite taken aback by how the men were treating him. She knew it wasn’t at all what he had expected.
John had yet to ask why the Highlanders were helping and where they were heading. Nora decided to wait until he asked. Mayhap he would grow to trust these men more fully in the days ahead and thereby lessening the shock that was sure to come.
While Daniel and David took over giving John quick instructions on riding, Wee William turned his attention on Nora. She was using the hem of her dress to clean Elise’s face. She had scooped up a small amount of snow and let it melt in her hands before using it to scrub the little girl’s face.
“That’s cold, Nora!” Elise complained as she shivered.
“Aye, I know it is. But we cannot allow you to have a sticky face. It’s very un-lady like.”
When Nora was satisfied that Elise’s face was clean, she took another section of her hem to rub the little cheeks vigorously in order to warm them.
That tingling sensation that William had first felt back at the cottage had returned. As he watched the beautiful woman care for her little sister, he couldn’t help but think what a wonderful mother she would someday make. That thought brought forth a warm sensation in his chest, and he found himself wanting to know her better.
Aye, it had been sheer physical attraction that had helped him make the hasty decision to take her back to Scotland in the first place. He couldn’t deny it. What with those intense blue eyes, those full lips, and her long, dark hair, what man wouldn’t be drawn to such beauty?
But as the hours had passed by, and with her absolute devotion to her family, and the way she handled herself back at Firth, he began to realize it was much more than just her beauty that was drawing him toward her. It was her resolve, her steadfast dedication to her brother and sister, and her quiet inner strength. And that round little bottom as it sat on his lap…his mind began to wander again.
Nora had the sense that someone was watching her. Looking up, she saw Wee William standing near their horse and assumed he meant for her to hurry. She smiled at him as she gave Elise a kiss on the top of her head.
“We’re hurry
ing, William,” she told him. “I thought it best to take Elise to a tree before we set off again.”
Wee William nodded his head and turned away, embarrassed that he’d been caught watching her. He decided it best to double check the straps on his saddle and to insure the bags were securely fastened. It also afforded him more time to get his heart to stop pounding and his mind to quit racing around the lustful thoughts of Nora and her plump derrière.
“What is heaven like, Sir Daniel?” Elise asked. Daniel had her wrapped so tightly in warm fur that only her tiny face could be seen from under it.
Daniel had no idea what to make of her question as he’d only half heard it. The child had been chattering on about one thing or another since they’d begun riding again some three hours ago. Her chatter was much preferable than having to stop every other mile in order for her to relieve her bladder. But still, it was beginning to grow tiresome.
David chuckled at the title the little girl had bestowed upon them. No matter how many times they informed her that none of them were knighted and therefor undeserving of such a title, she still insisted on putting the sir in front of each of their names.
“Heaven?” Daniel asked. “I imagine ’tis quite a beautiful place, lass.”
Elise turned her face as best she could to look up at him. “But you’re an angel, Sir Daniel, of course you know what Heaven is like. Or are you not s’posed to tell? Is it a secret?”
David and Wee William let loose with a fit of laughter at hearing Daniel being referred to as an angel. Their laughter woke Nora who had dosed off several miles back.
“An angel? Me?” Daniel asked incredulously.
“Nora says you’re angels, all of you. Nora says God sent you down to help us. Nora never tells a lie.”
Wee William's Woman, Book Three of the Clan MacDougall Series Page 6