“Are you alright, lassie?” he asked.
“Nay,” Lorna answered truthfully.
“Want to tell me your troubles?” he asked. “Then I’ll tell you mine.”
Lorna couldn’t help but grin sadly. The baby he held was one of the cutest she’d ever seen. “I can’t burden you with my problems, I don’t even know your name,” she finally answered.
“That’s easy enough to correct,” he said to her. “I’m Patrick Walsh, and this is Katie, my daughter.”
“What are you doing in Scotland, Patrick? If I’m not mistaken, you’re Irish,” Lorna commented.
“That I am,” Patrick answered. “I’m trying to get to America. Me and my girl Katie need a fresh start.”
“America?” Lorna asked. “That’s so far away.”
“That it is,” he answered, “but sickness came through our village a few months ago. I barely survived, but my wife died. Luckily Katie here never got sick. We caught a ship out of Dublin which brought us here.”
“Are you waiting for your next ship?” Lorna asked. “The one that will take you to America?”
“I’m trying to find my next ship,” Patrick answered. Seeing the confused look on Lorna’s face, he went on and explained, “none of the ship’s Captains seems to want to take a single man and his baby daughter as passengers. They’re afraid that I won’t be able to pull my weight.”
“How old is Katie?” Lorna asked, playfully grabbing one of the little girl’s toes, and being rewarded with a grin.
“She’ll be a year old soon after we land in America,” Patrick answered. “She’s a good lassie though.” Patrick sat back and sighed. After a few minutes, he spoke again. “You’ve heard my problems, so why don’t you tell me yours?”
“Why do you think I have problems?” Lorna asked.
“You’re sitting here, alone, with tears in your eyes and a frown on your mouth. Tell me why,” he coaxed. “Maybe I can help you, or it’ll help me get my mind off my problems by focusing on someone else’s.”
Lorna thought about it. Patrick seemed nice, and he was very handsome. She did need to talk to someone, and a stranger seemed better than her mither, who would be mortified, or her da, who would want to skewer Thomas with his sword, or worse, shoot him with the pistol he’d purchased a few years ago.
Lorna decided she’d never see Patrick Walsh again once he left for America, so what could it hurt. Maybe talking about it with someone would help her make some decisions on what to do next.
She started at the beginning, telling him about the betrothal the two da’s had agreed to when Lorna and Thomas were both young. She left nothing out, even telling him what happened in the field. At the end of her story, she had tears rolling down her cheeks as she told him about Lorraine, and the babe she carried.
“That is a sad tale, lassie,” Patrick told her once she finished. “So what do you want to do now? Go back home to your family?”
“Nay,” Lorna answered quickly. “I’d like to just disappear; maybe I can join an abbey.” They both sat quietly for a few minutes, each thinking about their problems, and each others .
“If you really want to leave here and start over, then marry me, and come to America with me,” Patrick said suddenly, and when he saw she was about to argue he spoke again. “I’m a good man, and I promise to treat you kindly. I’ve got enough coin to buy a small farm, and I’ll raise sheep. We’d have to start small, but I’ve heard there’s good land for raising a flock in a place called New York.”
“You can’t be serious,” Lorna said, actually considering it. Thomas was never going to be hers now, and she didn’t think she could stand seeing him with another woman.
“Very serious,” Patrick told her. “We can marry right now. I found a ship that leaves in just a few hours. The Captain said if I’d have been a married man he’d take me on. It seems that they’ve transported many families to America on his ship, but the men are required to help move supplies, and the women help prepare the meals. Come with me, lass, it solves both of our problems.”
Lorna thought hard about it for a moment. He was right; it would solve both of their problems. Could she do it? Could she hop on a ship and sail away? She thought about Thomas and how it would feel seeing him with that awful woman, Lorraine Anderson. She made a decision.
“Alright,” she said, “I’ll go.”
“There is something I must tell you,” Patrick said, and Lorna could tell he was blushing. “It’s something I want to be very honest about.”
“What is it, Patrick?” She asked.
“If we wed, there can never be relations between us. The sickness I had, it left me unable to…,” Patrick stopped, not knowing what words to use.
“You mean in the marriage bed?” Lorna asked. “You can’t…?” this time she was stumped, but Patrick knew she understood.
“That’s right, I’m so glad you understand,” Patrick said, not looking at her. “I ran a high fever, had a rash, I couldn’t eat and only drank the liquids they forced into me for more than a week. The healer in our village didn’t think I’d survive. It did something, and I just can’t. But I can promise you, after what you’ve told me, if there’s a babe coming in a few month's time, I’d welcome it as my own.”
“Would you really?” Lynsey asked. Her menses should have started two days ago, and hadn’t.
“Son or daughter,” he said and grinned a bit at her. “What do you say…?” Again he stopped, grinning sadly at her, he said, “do you realize you haven’t told me your name. I’ve asked you to marry me, and I don’t even know your name.”
“Lorna,” she answered, half-heartedly grinning back at him. He was nice, and he did have a solution to all of her problems. “Lorna MacNee.”
“Nice to meet you, Lorna MacNee. As I already said, I am Patrick Walsh, and I’d love it if you would agree to be my wife, and Katie’s new mum ,” he said, standing up and giving a small bow with Katie still in his arms. The movement made the little girl giggle.
Lorna couldn’t help it, and she giggled too. “Aye, Patrick Walsh, why not, I’ll marry you,” she said.
An hour later, they were married. They’d gone to some of the shops in the area first, buying Lorna some clothing to wear and other things she’d need on the ship. After the short wedding, Patrick insisted she write a missive to her parents, explaining exactly what happened. He then found and paid a traveling merchant that would be riding near Castle Sween the next day to deliver it. A couple of hours after that, they’d secured passage on a ship and were tucked safely away in a cabin as it pulled up its anchor and headed out to sea.
During the second week at sea, Lorna decided that she’d been correct, and a bairn would be born half a year after their arrival in America. She told Patrick, and as promised, he was thrilled.
A week after that, Lorna knew her marriage to Patrick would never be more than a friendship, but she’d have to settle for that. She finally told him about her dowry, which she still had with her. Patrick was speechless for a moment; he couldn’t believe the amount she’d carried and traveled with, alone. Six weeks later, they docked in New York, and her new life began.
Chapter 3. A Boon
Back at Castle Sween, Two Months Before Patrick Died:
Thomas ran up the steps to the door of Castle Sween, still wondering why Elliot MacNee summoned him. It’d been years since the man wrote him directly, and he didn’t blame him or Sorcha for their coldness towards him. Thomas knew Elliot and Sorcha blamed him for Lorna leaving; they’d told him so that day in the hall two and a half years ago. Hell, they should blame him, he blamed himself.
He hoped Lorna’s parents were both well after the tragedy the family had just suffered. He’d seen the pair at Calvin’s funeral just a sennight before, and although they were sad, they seemed healthy. He and Dylan didn’t stay at Castle Sween long, after what happened with Lorna, the families weren’t as close as they used to be.
Calvin had taken a serious fall off his
horse while galloping across a field. No one knew for sure what happened, but with winter just ending, the ground was still covered in frost most mornings. Calvin’s horse had either slipped on the wet ground or stepped in a hole, either way, it didn’t matter, the horse broke its leg. As it stumbled, Calvin flew over its neck and head, landing hard on the ground, headfirst. Calvin was already dead when the men out on patrol from Castle Sween came across him. The screams of the injured horse led them to the scene, and the animal had been put down to end its suffering.
Thomas entered the hall to find both Elliot and Sorcha finishing breaking their fast. The pair still looked sad, but when Sorcha turned her eyes to him, Thomas saw something else, hope.
“You got here quicker than I thought you would,” Elliot said, standing to address him. “I just sent the missive off to you last night. I thank you for honoring my request to see you so quickly.”
“Your missive sounded urgent, so I left as soon as the sun began to rise,” Thomas told him. “You mentioned needing my help with an important matter, and I’ll gladly offer you any assistance I can.”
“You may change your mind when you hear my request,” Elliot said. “I have a boon to ask, but I won’t think badly of you if you refuse.”
“I’ll do anything you ask,” Thomas assured him, hoping for a chance to make amends with the family, “all you need to do is tell me, and I’ll get it done right away.”
“This boon will take you a long while to accomplish,” Elliot said, and when Thomas went to interrupt he held up his hand to silence him. “Let me finish. With Calvin gone, I have no heir in Scotland to leave Castle Sween to.” Thomas looked away, not wanting Elliot to see his true feelings about Calvin. Elliot knew though, and added, “I know Calvin would have been a terrible laird, I wasn’t blind to his faults.”
“He may have settled into the role with time,” Thomas said, and Elliot knew the words were spoken out of kindness, not truth.
“Aye, possibly,” Elliot said, “but that doesn’t matter anymore. Sorcha and I have talked this matter over for a sennight, and there’s only one solution.”
“Which is?” Thomas prompted.
“My heir, the only one that I have left, now lives in America. Lorna has a son, named William,” Elliot explained, then winced a bit at the pained look on Thomas’ face.
‘Lorna had a baby?’ Thomas asked himself, hating the idea of Lorna having a baby with someone else. He looked over at Elliot and Sorcha, hoping he didn’t say the words out loud.
He already knew Lorna lived in America with her husband; she had for the last two and a half years. Of course the couple would have a bairn by now, and probably a second on the way. No man would be able to keep his hands off of Lorna in his bed; she was a beautiful young woman. The thought of Lorna with another man made him feel sick, so he blocked the image out as quickly as he could.
Although the news of her having a babe came as a surprise, it was only because Elliot and Sorcha never told him anything about Lorna, or her life in America. On the occasions that the two families crossed paths, the conversations had been cordial, but not personal like they used to be.
The last information Thomas had gotten on his once betrothed was over two years ago when Elliot showed him the missive she’d written, and then had delivered to Castle Sween the day after she left. Thomas was still hurt, and a bit angry, that Lorna left without even allowing him to explain. Although, he knew his explanation might not have helped him much.
The day Lorraine arrived at Duone had been hectic, and at that time, Thomas didn’t know Lorna had found out about Lorraine and the bairn. He barely had time to even think about Lorna for the first few hours. Instead, he had to deal with Lorraine, and his brother Dylan.
The woman had been all over him, confessing her love for him, and insisting he marry her. It took him two days to be able to get away from Doune, since Dylan and Ava refused to let him leave them alone with Lorraine. He didn’t know what to do; he couldn’t take Lorraine with him to talk to Lorna. Finally, on the morning two days after Lorraine’s arrival, and Lorna’s failure to show up at Doune, he’d left before sunrise, long before anyone else got up.
“Are you paying attention, lad?” Elliot asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Aye,” Thomas said, “Lorna’s son is your heir, but he’s in America.” Elliot nodded.
“Pay attention, Thomas, this is important. I need the boy to come back to Scotland, so I have time to teach him what his duties will be,” Elliot explained.
“I understand that,” Thomas said, “but why did you ask to see me?”
“Didn’t you hear me the first time? I need you to go fetch the lad,” Elliot told him, “and tell Lorna what happened to her brother. I don’t want to write to her about the accident. Even though they were never close, a letter is not the way she should learn about Calvin’s death.”
“You want me to go to America and tell her about Calvin?” Thomas asked, still not sure he understood what Elliot wanted from him.
“Aye,” Elliot answered. He was beginning to think he lad was going soft in the head; he’d already explained this.
“And talk her into giving me her son so I can bring him back to Scotland?” Elliot asked.
“Nay!” Elliot quickly said, “I want you to persuade her whole family into coming back to Scotland! There’s plenty of room here at Castle Sween for all of them.”
“Even her husband?” Thomas asked.
“Even her husband, if he’ll come,” Elliot answered. “I know what I’m asking you to do is more than you expected, Thomas. I also know this won’t be easy for you. But Sorcha and I believe you’re the only one who might be able to get Lorna to listen and come home.”
“You think she’ll sell her land, pack up her home, board a ship, and return to Scotland because I’ve asked her too?” Thomas asked.
“That’s exactly what we think. We miss our daughter, and although she tries to make her life in America sound wonderful, I know by her words she’s not truly happy,” Sorcha answered this time.
“She isn’t?” Thomas asked skeptically. “What did she write to make you believe that?”
“I’m her Mither, I can tell,” Sorcha explained. “It isn’t what she writes, it’s what she doesn’t write.”
“Is her husband unkind to her?” Thomas asked.
“I don’t believe so,” Sorcha answered, “but I don’t think there’s a great love between them either. There might be a friendship, but not much more.
“But they have a bairn,” Thomas said.
“Aye,” Sorcha answered, “and when she writes of the children, I feel the love for them in her words. I don’t when she writes of her husband. There’s no love in her words, but she didn’t marry for love.”
No one said anything for a few seconds after that. They all knew why Lorna married. Thomas had broken her heart, and she’d run as fast and far away as she could.
“I don’t know if I’m the right person to send,” Thomas answered truthfully. “I’m sure Lorna hates me now.”
“Sorcha and I have discussed it, and we’re convinced you’re the perfect person to send. She needs to deal with her past here in Scotland, or she’ll never feel she can come home.”
Thomas sighed, thinking over what he wanted to do. There was nothing holding him here in Scotland. Dylan wouldn’t like it, but he’d understand. The trip to America and back would take six months, or maybe even a year if he couldn’t talk Lorna into leaving before winter.
“Aye,” Thomas finally said, “I’ll go. Maybe it’ll be good for both of us to deal with the past.”
“When will you be able to leave?” Elliot asked him.
“Within the next fortnight. I’ll have to go home and speak with Dylan, and then pack. I should be able to find a ship in Glasgow fairly quickly.”
“Bring our daughter and her family home,” Sorcha said, “I do so want to meet my grandchildren.”
“Grandchildren?” Thomas asked.
/> “Aye,” Sorcha answered, “there’s William, Lorna and Patrick’s son, and Katie, a daughter Patrick had with his first wife. Lorna loves the lass like her own, and so will we.” Again Thomas nodded.
“Then I’ll leave you now and be on my way. Hopefully, in half a year's time, I’ll return with the rest of your family,” Thomas told them, giving a small bow.
“Safe travels, Thomas,” Elliot said, stepping forward and clasping his hand. He pushed a small bag of coins into Thomas’s palm, “this should cover your expenses, and Lorna’s families. I know after the way we’ve treated you the last few years, I had no right to expect you to say aye, but I’m glad you did. I want to thank you.”
Thomas nodded, then turned and walked out of the hall. He hurried down the steps and mounted his horse. He quickly turned the animal toward Doune and rode off.
“Are you sure about sending him?” Elliot asked Sorcha as they stood in the doorway and watched Thomas ride away.
“Aye,” Sorcha answered. “I feel it’s the right time for the two of them to come together again.”
“And if you’re wrong?” Elliot asked.
“When have I ever been wrong?” Sorcha asked.
“True. Let’s hope this isn’t the first time, my love,” Elliot said, picking up her hand and kissing the back of it. He sighed and added, “but I don’t see how things will work out between them with her already being married.”
“Have a little faith, Elliot,” Sorcha answered, knowing she was right.
**********
“You’re going where?” Dylan Grant asked, leaning forward in his chair to make sure he heard correctly.
“To America,” Thomas told him again. “I’ll be back within a year. Half that time if things go well. You don’t need me here at Doune.”
“First of all, you’ll always be needed and welcome here at Doune. Secondly, why?” Dylan asked. “Lorna is married now. I know you loved the lass, but it’s time for you to let her go, move on, and marry someone else.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Thomas told Dylan, “you’ve married the woman you love.”
Reclaiming His Bride Page 3