“Are you happy now that you’ve forced me to say such horrid things?”
Douglass swallowed, and clasping his hands behind his back looked out at the sea. “I’m sorry if his words scared ye, Jinny.” He met my gaze. “Did they?”
“Yes, but not so much now that I know you. I won’t deny that when he relayed the story to me I sat there shivering as he went on. I asked why anyone would risk mounting such a creature?”
Douglass cocked his head and I saw he was truly curious about this question. “And did he have a reply for that?”
“Yes. It was then that he told me something I certainly hadn’t heard from my father. He said the beast was a changer that took the form of a horse to lure a man, or the form of a man to lure a woman. He supposed it was gluttony that made a man or woman lose all their wits and take chances that should not be taken. He compared it to a man stepping out on his lover, only to wake up and realize he’s traded all he’s loved and worked for over the years for a mere moment of lusty pleasure.”
Douglass looked off with a frown. “That might be a good example,” he said evenly.
My heart lurched and I didn’t want to accept what he’d just admitted with that simple statement. I pushed it out of my mind and said, “You know, Uncle wasn’t right on everything. He said a person would know they were in the presence of the ech-ooshkya while in its human form by the waterweeds, sand, or mud in its hair. He’d even chuckled and told me to steer clear of such a man.”
Douglass’s gaze moved over my face. “And are ye wishing ye would have steered clear of such a man?”
I said softly, “No. Not at all, although I would that we had met under other circumstances.”
He sighed. “Aye. But I’m glad we met, regardless. Had those things been in my hair, would ye have run the other way then?”
I thought about that, and answered true. “Under the same circumstances, no. I still would not have run. You saved me, Douglass. And when you said you’d seen me on the road and that your name was McGrail I knew who and what you were. At least I suspected. The uncommon eye color left no doubt.”
“So it was all these things put together that gave me away to ye so soon then, eh?”
“Yes—though as I said, not so soon. For months I thought about the things my uncle told me about the reclusive and elusive clan, the herd, and the missing people. And I thought about the acumen of the black stallion—how he’d possessed a wisdom horses did not, but men did. All these things have kept me wondering if it was possible a whole herd of ech-ooshkya was living and ruling the land and the surrounding sea right in plain sight and no one knew.”
He smiled. “Ye are quick and sharp, Jinny Fairchild, and because of it, now ye know.”
Chapter nine
Douglass McGrail
’Twas good and dark by the time Lair came with the open buggy. I walked Jinny up to the road, where my sister waited, and introduced the two while helping Jinny up to the passenger side. I stood for a moment studying their differences—Jinny so much smaller in stature, and her hair more golden. Lair had tresses like Muireach, the color of cream.
I stopped gawking and went around the buggy where I had Lair scoot over so she was between Jinny and me.
I took the reins.
The two of them chatted the whole drive, while I spent the journey feeling distressed that I would no’ see Jinny again.
Of course I’d no’ see her again. When I’d asked and she said no, I’d felt so stupid. Why had I believed this proper English lassie might want anything more than to be my friend? While females were always drawn to me, it was no’ for proper reasons. I looked wild, no’ gentlemanly—something that helped me lure my prey, as I was wild, no’ gentlemanly.
I could tell this lass, too, wanted me as the others had—though I could never do to her what I had done to them—but I could also never hope to have a proper relationship with her. When she told me all she knew of my kind, I’d no’ liked the sound of the truth coming out of Jinny’s mouth, regardless that I’d forced her to say it. But her uncle’s knowledge was accurate. That was who and what I was—I just didnae like her knowing it. Why had this human stirred the hunger in my heart more than the hunger in my belly?
I was brought out of my deeper thoughts by our arrival into Balfoureigh. Following Jinny’s directions through town, I turned down a quiet lane with great mansions. Jinny motioned toward her home, and I guided the horse to do a turnabout, pulling us to a standstill in front of the large abode—a Scots Baronial-style house with gardens in front.
Looking past the two women, I saw the front door open. A stream of yellow light flooded out past the dark silhouette of a man beneath the lintel. He came at once, striding toward us, and my heart staggered as I beheld the devil that attacked Jinny.
About to throw myself over the side, the softer line of a beard reflected through the darkness, and I kent this man was no’ Jinny’s attacker. Now that he was upon us, I could see him clearly; no’ only did the man have long whiskers, he was too old. Still, the resemblance was remarkable, and no’ only his build, but I could see that his face beneath the scruff held the same striking features, bright blue eyes and all.
The man took Jinny’s hand. “Jinny, my God, lass, ye had me worried sick for ye.”
“I’m so sorry, Uncle.”
Uncle? But Jinny said she didnae know her attacker. Could such a resemblance be coincidence? I doubted it.
She explained to him that she’d taken a walk to the sea and had come upon Lair and me on the beach. She told him our introduction had turned into a long visit and we had lost track of the time. She then introduced Lair and me to him, adding that our da was Laird of Cainneach-Balfour.
Ewan Brockhouse looked at us, taken aback. “Forgive me for staring. I’ll admit I’m surprised to meet no’ only one but two members o’ Clan McGrail.”
I smiled at his friendliness, but wanted to know about the resemblance between this uncle and Jinny’s attacker. I said, “Aye, we don’t get out much. But it’s good to meet ye; though it does seem to me that we have met before. Have we?”
“Na. Ye’re one I’d no’ forget.”
“Do ye have sons, then?”
Jinny looked at me.
Her uncle said, “Aye, I do … one son, Lachlan.”
My heart beat faster. I held Jinny’s wide-eyed gaze for a long moment and then looked past her at her Uncle.
“I see. Maybe I’ve seen him around and that’s what I’m thinking. Does he live here … in this house?”
“Aye.”
Like a rushing flood, the earlier taste of the man’s blood pooled in my mouth, mixing with my saliva, and I had to swallow against my thirst to take justice for Jinny. I could no’ believe her attacker was her cousin, and the two of them lived under the same roof.
Jinny had lied to me, but I’d examine why later. Right now I’d do him in. Had I kent it was my sea cliff lass he was abusing when I’d come upon them, I’d have done it then.
I twisted the reins in my hands, and it was all I could do to keep my voice calm. “Is he home? I’d like to meet him.”
Through the ringing in my ears, I heard her uncle. “I’m afraid ye’ll no’ be able to meet him just now. He’s no’ in residence and is no’ expected back in town for a good month yet.”
My chest fell with great relief as I blew out the breath I was holding. I secretly thanked the heavens that it was no’ the same man. My thoughts had just run away with me.
My heart began to slow, and I wondered if it had been wise of me to ask such a thing, given that I would lose my bloody mind if I discovered Jinny’s attacker had been living under the same roof with her.
But still, the likeness baffled me. Surely the resemblance didnae escape Jinny’s notice. Then again, she was human. Humans didnae possess the sharper senses of other creatures. I often wondered why this was. Their senses of smell, sight, and hearing were all so weak compared to most other creatures on the earth; in fact humans themselves we
re weak compared to most other creatures, yet they’d somehow managed to conquer and rule the world.
Maybe such a thing as resemblance to others was no’ so evident to their kind. But it was evident to me. Could this uncle have a bastard son he’d no’ claimed or maybe didnae even know he had?
I would damn well find out.
“Ah, well, another time then,” I said with a nod, and then looked at Jinny. She was staring straight ahead now and looking a bit odd. I felt like an idiot when it crossed my mind that she might be embarrassed over my poor etiquette. Surely she was waiting for me to shut my blabbering trap and help her down before her uncle thought me an ill-mannered oaf.
Handing the reins to Lair, I jumped from the buggy and hurried around to lift Jinny out. She felt good in my hold. I set her to her feet and didnae want to remove my hands from her waist.
I loosed her and turned to her uncle. He was average height for a human male, but it felt strange standing next to him for the sake of visiting. I was no’ accustomed to being around other grown males that were no’ at least as tall as my nose. It called to mind just how standoffish my clan truly was. I felt out of place, having never stood beside a man who I wanted to like me. If no’ for Jinny, I’d be trying to figure the best way to get this tasty meal onto my back so I could take him into the deep.
I’d never been one to have sympathy for her kind, no more than her kind had sympathy for the creatures they slaughtered and served up each day. They felt no savagery in sawing into a rare cut of meet, putting it in their mouth, chewing while loving the tang of its juices, and swallowing the beast down. In the same right, humans were a delicacy to me.
Regardless that I felt I was no more of a monster than their kind, I’d found earlier when Jinny was telling me what she knew about me that my eating habit was a thing I didnae like her knowing. For the most part, we raised sheep for feeding, but, again, humans were a delicacy, and she was human.
Why did I no’ feel such a craving for Jinny? My hunger for her was very different; and why did I no’ feel out of place beside her as I did her uncle and every other human? She was a wee thing next to me, nowhere near the size of Lair, even—Lair was a good six feet and had slightly bigger bones—but I didnae suppose Jinny would be considered petite to her own kind, and she was no’ skin and bones like some I’d seen. She was slender boned, but still soft with a nice bit of curve to her.
I dropped my gaze to the lower half of Jinny’s body and imagined settling over that softness and between her thighs while I sank in for a long comfortable ride. I decided that even with the size difference, we would fit. I studied the round of her hips, imagining they would be easy enough to hold onto if I took her from behind, and I swallowed against my watering mouth.
It dawned on me I was staring at her like a hungry beast and I lifted my gaze to find her and her uncle watching me.
I felt like a boy caught stealing a pie that had been set out to cool atop the window ledge.
I cleared my throat and knowing I’d no’ be able to stand never seeing Jinny again, I took my chances and looked at her uncle.
“I’d like yer permission to call on Miss Fairchild tomorrow. D’ye mind if she joins my sister and me for a picnic?”
Ewan Brockhouse looked at Jinny, and she gave him a hopeful smile, which surprised me, as she now seemed eager to see me again. His face brightened a bit at the sight of her hopeful look and he returned his attention to me.
“If yer sister will be there, I see no reason why my niece should no’ go, since she looks to be wanting to.”
My spirits brightened. “Thank ye.”
Excited and anxious for the morrow to come, I looked at Jinny. “Well, I suppose this is good night, then. Until tomorrow?”
She nodded with a smile. “Yes, until tomorrow. And you have my gratitude for the ride home.”
“It was my pleasure,” I said, reining in my anticipation. I looked back at her uncle. “Good night, Mr. Brockhouse. And thank ye again.”
The sooner I could get home the sooner I could get to sleep and the sooner I would see Jinny again. I didnae know then that I would no’ sleep at all for thinking of the lass I’d saved twice.
Chapter ten
Douglass McGrail
I looked over at Jinny walking slowly beside me on the beach. “So, tell me about your life here, Jinny. Ye told me yesterday about your time at sea, but what about these four months past since ye’ve been in Balfoureigh?”
She turned her gaze up to mine, the amber color of her eyes gleaming with flecks of gold against the sunlight playing there.
“What is it you want to know?”
“Well, what do you think of the town—what was yer first impression, d’ye remember?”
“Oh yes. When I first arrived—actually right after you’d saved me that first time—my spirits had brightened when we came onto Market Street. The beckoning shops and charming little dwellings on both sides of the street were enchanting.”
I nodded. “And don’t forget all the carts selling their fresh pastries and breads. ’Tis my favorite part of town.”
“Oh, believe me, those delightful aromas had reminded me I’d not eaten since breakfast that day, and as you know, it was nearly suppertime then.”
“Aye, I remember.” I didnae tell her I felt hungry myself after seeing her that day, and that that hunger had no’ been sated since.
“When we turned onto High Street I was taken aback.”
“Why so? What was surprising about it?”
“Balfoureigh was far bigger than I had expected.”
“So ye thought ye were coming to a small village then?”
“Yes. With the town being so close to Dalmahearn, I’d assumed it would rely on that city for its major exchanges, but I saw it was clearly a self-contained borough.”
“And was that a sight ye welcomed?”
“Absolutely. I’d been afraid I might not like living secluded in the Highlands and was quite pleased to know I would have all I needed right here. I like the town very much.”
“D’ye like yer home life, too, then? I mean, d’ye plan to stay?”
“I have no one, and nowhere else to go. My aunt, uncle, and cousin are my only family. Unfortunately, I can’t very well go back to my father’s ship to live with Olli and Huck, or even my teacher, Mr. Fitch. They love me, yes, but they are not my father and would not be able to protect me the way I need protecting—from the tongues of society.”
I drew a slow breath. “Aye. Having two ears and one tongue, we should listen more than we speak, but many people love to thrash their tongues like a double-edged sword every time they have the opportunity to cut someone to pieces.”
“So true. And oh, the damage it would do to my reputation for all of England to know I was an unprotected woman living without chaperone on a ship with a crew of sailors. No man in the world would want me if that were my life.”
I swallowed. “I don’t think that’s true. I’m certain someone would want ye, Jinny.”
“Thank you, Douglass. You’re too kind. But I can’t afford to risk finding out.”
“Why did ye say it’s unfortunate ye can’t leave? Are ye no’ really happy at your uncle’s home?”
“Oh … I … I meant that I missed my life at sea. However, my uncle’s home here in Balfoureigh is very comfortable.”
“Are ye sure? Ye don’t seem very comfortable right now.”
She looked out at the water. “I sometimes feel as if I’m an inconvenience to my aunt Fia. You see, I’d never met my mother’s only living relatives, or, to be more accurate, I don’t remember meeting them, though I was told I met my uncle Ewan and my cousin Lachlan once when I was four. But I didn’t meet my aunt until coming here. They’re the only family I have left from either parent. In truth they are not my blood relatives, and I wasn’t sure how they would feel about me coming to live with them.”
“So ye have no blood kin anywhere then?”
“None that I know of. My mot
her was orphaned, and my uncle’s parents took her in.”
“Where is yer maw now?”
“She died during my birth.”
I frowned at the sadness I saw on Jinny’s face. “I’m sorry to hear that. My kind honor our dead by remembering their names. D’ye mind if I ask hers?”
“Not at all. It was Rose.”
I smiled. “I’ve always liked that name.”
“Thank you. It is an honor to be named after her—Jinny Rose.”
My insides warmed at the sound. “’Tis a beautiful name. From now on, though I may not speak it, ye’ll be Jinny Rose in my heart.”
Her gaze met mine for a long moment, and she smiled. “I would like that.”
“Was yer maw like ye and yer da? Ye know—did she love the water, too? Were ye born at sea?”
“No, in London. Papa didn’t have the ship when my mother died. It was afterward that, in his grief, he sold everything and purchased it—a large trade ship he named the Jinny Rose. He rejected his position in society and returned to his previous life at sea as a captain—the life he’d chosen before inheriting the viscountcy.”
“So yer da was a viscount? I assumed ye were of the upper classes by yer speech. Didnae realize yer da held a title, though.”
“Well, it wasn’t something to which we gave any value in our lives. I grew up traveling the world on the Jinny Rose with him, which is why I’d never met my mother’s relatives. With Papa’s passing last year and me now being eighteen and expected to enter society, my uncle agreed to take me in.”
“Aye, that was good of him. I can see by yer home he has done well for his family and is wealthy. What does he do?”
“He’s a merchant, and owns the only bank and trade mercantile in town. Unlike English merchants, who don’t have such freedom to set up as bankers, the Scottish have no such restriction.”
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