Beloved Ruins, Book 1

by Marti Talbott

  “He dinna talk much,” Brenna said switching to Gaelic at last.

  “I see,” said Michael. He was so distracted by the children he almost forgot about Grizel and Osgar.

  Kester had not forgotten and was still looking the woman over as she put another bite of ham in her mouth. It was apparent she didn’t like the looks of Grizel, but when she looked at Elena, she smiled.

  “Who might she be?” Rory asked Michael without taking his eyes off of Grizel.

  Grizel looked Rory in the eye, and then demurely lowered her gaze allowing him a good look at her face. “I come seekin’ sanctuary,” she answered in a small pitiful voice.

  “Granted,” said Rory. It was not until then that he noticed the man with her. “Is he your husband?”

  She softly laughed, “Nay, ‘tis just a friend.”

  “I am delighted,” Rory said.

  “And so shall Lindsey be,” Kester said. She reached out her hand to Michael, waited for him to come around to her side of the table, and used his support to stand up. “I take it Lindsey has come home?”

  “Aye,” Rory answered, “but Kester, you need not tell her all you know.”

  “My door needs afixin’,” said Kester as Michael wrapped her modest cloak around her shoulders.

  “First thing in the mornin’,” Rory was quick to promise.

  “See that you dinna forget.” With that, Kester left the dining room. Behind her, Birdie grabbed the bone and followed.

  LINDSEY WAS EXHAUSTED by the time she got home. Fortune was good to her and she managed to sell all remaining pieces of pottery before she left the market. There was little she could do with the broken pieces, but she supposed someday she would find a use for them. The broken table leg was another matter, but it could wait for morning. First, she had a gift for Kester and could not wait to show it to her. She knocked on Kester’s door twice and when Kester did not answer, a worried Lindsey was about the pull the latch down. Just then Kester and Birdie came up the path.

  “There you be.”

  “There you be, too,” Kester said.

  “I have so much to tell you,”

  “I have so much to tell you, too.” Kester opened the door to her cottage and walked in. She found a match, lit her oil lamp, and waited for it to light the room. “There, that is better.” She walked around Lindsey, closed the door, and then took off her cloak. When she looked, Lindsey had set a strange looking object on her table. It was made of glass with gold rings around the top and the bottom.

  “Tis an hourglass,” Lindsey proudly said.

  “An hourglass? What does it do?”

  “Well, come mornin’, all the sand shall be in the bottom. When you turn it over, the sand shall begin to fall to the bottom again and when it is complete, a full hour has passed.”

  “I see, ‘tis an hour...glass.” Kester watched the sand trickle down for a few moments and then said, “She be trouble, mark my words.”

  “Who be trouble?”

  “Grizel Allardice. She has the reddest hair I have yet to see and she come in the night seekin’ sanctuary. She said Michael sent for her, but ‘twas the first Michael heard of it.”

  “She lied?”

  “Dinna know a better word for it. She is right handsome too, but not nearly as handsome as me.”

  “Well, handsome though she may be, she has naught to do with us.”

  “Rory took a shine to her – I promised not to say.”

  “Now that is good news. Kester, there was a fight at the market and the lads broke my table.”

  “Did they now. Rory is comin’ in the mornin’ to fix my door and I shall tell him to build you a new one.”

  “I would rather you not.”

  Kester turned the hourglass over and watched the sand reverse directions. “I could ask Michael...”

  “Michael is too busy and I need one built before I go to market next. I shall see to it myself.”

  “I like the looks of the master and his sister. Michael already took a likin’ to the little girl.”

  “I like them too. I best get off to bed. Good night my dearest friend. Tomorrow is another day.”

  “Aye, and let it be a quiet one, although I doubt it shall be now that the red be amongst us.”

  “Red?”

  “Did I not say she has bright red hair?”

  “Oh.” Lindsey opened Kester’s door, went out, and softly closed it behind her.

  EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Lindsey discovered that Murran had leaned the broken marketing table against the side of her cottage. That meant he would likely come to fix it, so she hurried back inside her cottage to check her appearance in the small mirror on her wall, and then went out again. Right on schedule, Murran came to light Lindsey’s fire and when he was finished, he took a look at the broken marketing table. It made perfect sense for him to fix it. After all, he originally built it in such a way as to make the legs removable and easy to haul to the market and back.

  All this, he did without uttering a word, so she mustered her courage and asked, “Are you well this morn?”

  “Aye,” was all he said as he shoved one of the remaining legs into the square hole, checked the fit and pulled it out again.

  “Shall you make a new leg?” she tried again.

  “Aye.” He nodded, took the leg with him, and walked away.

  Disappointed once again, Lindsey sighed. It was hopeless. Never had she seen a man who did not have an opinion one way or another on some subject, but not Murran. He was a listener, not a talker, apparently. For a moment, she considered what life would be with a man who rarely spoke to her. But then, perhaps he would change after they were married. In the very least, he would have to say I do, once he finally asked for her – if he ever did. She had just enough time to finish her thought before she spotted Rory coming down the path.

  “Good morn,” he said with a smile. He grabbed her water bucket, checked to see that she had enough clay, and then hurried off to fetch water from the river. As soon as he came back, he set the bucket down, folded his arms and then grinned at Lindsey.

  Annoyed as usual, Lindsey added two dippers full of dry clay to her mixing bowl and then added a dipper full of water. “For what do you wait?”

  “I am come to fix Kester’s door.”

  She set her dipper down. “I shall see if she is awake yet.” Lindsey needn’t have bothered, for Kester abruptly opened her door and let Birdie out.

  “You dinna forget?” Kester asked Rory.

  “I could never forget you, Kester,” Rory purred as he kissed her cheek. He took hold of the edge of her door, wiggled it, and discovered the bottom hinge had come lose. “‘Tis an easy fix.” He closed the door and then turned his attention back to Lindsey. “Master Balric shall teach us English this morning. Will you be there?”

  “I have work to do. Perhaps another day,” she answered.

  Rory was not satisfied with that answer. “If you change your mind, Michael said the master is to ring his bell...”

  “Where might Red be this mornin’?” Kester wanted to know.

  “Red what?” Rory asked. He pulled his knife out of its sheath and began to twist the wooden screws back in place.

  “The lass with red hair. The one you dinna take your eyes off last night...the one I am not to tell Lindsey about.”

  Rory kept his face turned away and rolled his eyes. “Have I no secrets?”

  “Not around me,” Kester said.

  Lindsey decided to join the conversation after all. “I cannae wait to see her. Do you think her bonnie?”

  “I...well, perhaps,” Rory muttered.

  “Perhaps, is it?” Kester huffed. “I wager if Red were to give you a look, you would come a runnin’.”

  “‘Tis all you know,” Rory muttered, as he took off up the path.

  Lindsey waited until he was out of sight before she asked, “What look?” At Kester’s confused expression she continued, “You said if Grizel were to give him a look.”

&n
bsp; “Oh that. You need only know, ‘tis not the sort of look you would ever give a lad.”

  Lindsey still did not understand, and after Kester took her dog back inside, she shrugged and went back to stirring her clay.

  CHAPTER 5

  OVERNIGHT, MICHAEL’S castle went from being nearly empty to practically full. The two housekeepers, who normally cleaned, and took their time doing it, scrambled to make up three of the four bedchambers across the hall from Michael’s – two for the women and one for the two children to share. As well, the bedchamber next to Michael’s was prepared for Master Balric, and the one next to him made ready for Osgar, leaving only two on the second floor empty.

  By the time all the rooms were ready, the children were tired and cranky, and as Michael lay in his bed, he could hear Elena softly singing them to sleep. He could not recall the last time he had heard singing in the castle, and it put a smile on his face.

  THE NEXT MORNING, MICHAEL took Balric, Elena and the children for a walk, and introduced them to several members of the clan. The strangers received a warm welcome from everyone but Owen, who loudly voiced his opposition to learning even one single word of English. Michael ignored him and moved on. He showed them where Lindsey and Kester lived, and was not surprised to find Rory there. Michael reminded his second in command of his duties and smiled when Rory rolled his eyes and walked away.

  Michael particularly wanted to show the children where Lindsey’s fire pit was. To curb their curiosity, he lifted them one at a time, took them to the pit and let them see the hot, roaring fire inside. It frightened Brenna so, that she tightly clung to his neck.

  Michael set them down, knelt in front of them, and then looked each in the eye. “Children are not allowed to come here. Have I your word you shall never walk this path unless you are with your mother or uncle?” Both of them quickly nodded.

  Next, he took his guests to the river where he invited Balric to fish anytime he liked. Master Balric did not look interested in the sport, but he did enjoy watching Elena’s children toss leaves into the edge of the water and then watch them float downstream. A year older, Brenna attentively made certain the little boy with hair that swirled in the back rather than parted, did not fall in. She didn’t seem to notice that three adults were keeping watch as well.

  By mid-day, the whole clan knew every detail about the strangers who spent the night in the castle. They knew by way of Kester who had a remarkable thing called an hourglass to show everyone. Rory did his share of spreading the word about the bonnie redhead, and most of the men could not wait to get a good look at her, even those that were married. Unfortunately Grizel remained in the bedchamber Michael provided for her all morning long. The women hated her already, and pretended to be much more interested in the Master and his widowed sister, but they wanted to get a good look at her too.

  The noon meal in the dining hall was the most entertaining meal Michael had seen in a long, long time. He assigned no particular place for his guests to sit, it just turned out that he took his place at the head of the table and Balric’s family sat together down on one side of the table. There was nothing special about the food, but the company was something else again. Aside from Master Balric, his sister and her children, his staff had grown considerably larger. Wearing the head coverings of chambermaids, or aprons denoting them cleaning women or cooks, there were several more women attending his meal than actually worked in the castle. Three men pretended to be footmen, just standing around until Michael dismissed them. Other men took turns popping their heads around one of the two open dining hall doors to take a peek inside, and people who had no specific duty at all walked the halls of the castle. Never was there a moment without someone entering and exiting the dining hall. One man came just to bring Michael an extra spoon – a spoon he had no need of whatsoever. Michael couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “What?” Master Balric asked.

  “I believe Laird MacGreagor dinna always keep this many servants,” his sister explained.

  “Not nearly,” Michael conceded. “They hope to...”

  “She is a beauty, is she not?” Elena asked Michael

  “Beauty?” Michael asked.

  “It means bonnie in English,” Master Balric explained. “Sister, speak Gaelic and leave the lessons for later. Besides, I noticed no particular perfection in her face.”

  “But then, you normally would not,” said Elena in Gaelic as her brother requested. “If ‘tis not in a book, you see no beauty in anything.”

  “I see beauty in you,” Master Balric countered. He reached over, patted his sister’s hand, and then returned to eating his meal.

  The little girl put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in the palms of her hands. “They are like this constantly,” she exasperatedly said. “How old are you?”

  Michael finished chewing his bite and swallowed. “I am twenty-two in years and four hundred in responsibilities.”

  “Four hundred,” little Brenna giggled. “You need...”

  “Good day to you,” Grizel said. She waited for the men to stand up and then headed for the empty chair at the right hand of Michael – the chair customarily reserved for the laird’s wife. “The meal looks divine and I am starved.”

  As soon as she was seated, Master Balric and Michael sat back down. “Is Osgar not comin’ down?” Michael asked.

  “Nay, he left early this mornin’,” Grizel answered.

  Michael’s cook entered with another plate of fruit and cheese, although they already had one. She set it on the table, and then stood with her hands on her hips glaring at Grizel. Michael had never before seen her act that way. He cleared his throat and frowned at the cook. “Remind me to ask Kester what she has been tellin’.” The cook glanced at her laird, audibly exhaled, and then left the room. He was about to say something more when two heads popped around the edge of one of the open doors. Both men gasped when they saw Grizel, and then slowly drew back.

  The next to appear was the metalsmith, Owen, and this time there was no frown on his face. In fact, he managed a friendly smile for the sake of their elegant guest. He walked to Michael, laid a fork next to his plate, smiled at Grizel, and then left the room. Michael stared at the fork he had in his hand, looked at the new one, then at Master Balric, and rolled his eyes.

  If Grizel noticed any of the strange behavior, she did not let on, although she returned Owen’s smile. Instead, she directed her comments to Michael. “I do so admire your castle, Laird MacGreagor. ‘Tis the best I have yet to see,” She helped herself to fish, apple slices, and a wedge of cheese.

  “How many castles have you seen,” Master Balric asked.

  Grizel sweetly smiled at him. “Well, there is the Allardice castle, naturally, and of course the king...”

  “You know the king?” little Brenna asked.

  Elena touched her daughter’s arm. “Daughter, ‘tis unseemly to interrupt.”

  “‘Tis quite all right,” Grizel said. “I have only seen the king from afar. Have you met him?” she asked the child.

  “Aye, we saw him yesterday, but he dinna stop. He is very tall, but not as tall as him.” She let her hand flop open toward Michael.

  Everyone smiled except Master Balric who wasn’t watching. “Laird MacGreagor, when should the lessons for the lads begin?”

  “Right away, unless you need time to prepare,” Michael answered.

  “I have my words and ‘tis all I need. I brought a hand bell and I shall stand beside the door and ring it when ‘tis time to begin.”

  “Very good. I shall send Rory to notify all the lads.” Michael excused himself and left the room.

  Grizel looked at Elena. “I could hardly rest for all the lads walkin’ the halls. Do you imagine it to always be that noisy?”

  Elena tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help but grin. “I do not imagine so. Perhaps after we eat, you and I shall take a walk. The weather is quite pleasant and ‘twill do us both good.”

  “I would like
that. ‘Twas too dark to see much of anythin’ last night. Yet I saw no particular fortifications and worry for my safety,” said Grizel. “I was to marry but a few days ago and I have no doubt the lad is seekin’ to discover me. If he finds me I shall surely die.”

  “Well, we shan’t let that happen,” said Master Balric. “No indeed, we shan’t let that happen at all.”

  “You shall be safe here,” said Michael as he came back in, closed both of the dining hall doors and returned to his meal. “The MacGreagors are made well aware before strangers approach the castle.”

  “How?” Master Balric asked.

  “The lad who first sees them, loudly whistles and his alert is spread from man to man up the Glen. If there is danger, the lasses and children are brought into the castle, and the lads gather in front of the castle to protect them.”

  “How very clever of the MacGreagors,” said the Master. “I shall keep an ear out for it myself.”

  “As should you all,” Michael agreed.

  “I look forward to seein’ how Lindsey makes her pottery,” said Elena. “We talked all the way back from town and she is delightful.”

  Michael nodded. “I favor her very much too and her skills as a potter cannae be outdone.”

  “You favor her?” Grizel asked.

  “Why would he not?” Master Balric asked. “Never have I met a more pleasing lass.”

  Grizel said, “If that be the case, then I am eager to meet her. Is she handsome?”

  “Do you consider her handsome?” Elena asked her brother. She caught her daughter’s cup just as the child was about to knock it over.

  “I would certainly say so, in a pleasing sort of way. Do you not agree, Laird MacGreagor?”

  “I most assuredly do. Even in winter, there is spring in the air when Lindsey smiles.”

  “A smile that puts spring in the air,” Grizel muttered. “This I must truly see.”

  MICHAEL WAS NOT PLEASED having been forced to give Grizel sanctuary and after she and Elena set out to take a walk, he went to the empty Great Hall to consider what he should do. Not long after, Master Balric knocked and then opened the door. “May I be so bold as to join you?”