“Well hello, Flora,” he replied. “What are you doing here at Tarmon?”
“I’ve been here for nearly a week,” Flora said. “I come visit with Jacqueline and Connor once in a while. Jacqueline and I have been friends since we were young girls in case you forgot.”
“I remember, but I didn’t know you still see each other,” Ham said, looking at her. She was in her usual attire, brays and a tunic with boots that went up to her knees. Her hair was pulled back and tied at the nape with just a piece of leather strapping. Ham thought to himself ‘what a shame, if she would spend just a little time on her appearance, she could actually be quite lovely.’
“Don’t you own a dress or skirt or something?” Ham said to her before thinking, not at all kindly. He didn’t know what came over him when Flora was around. He’d never spoken to another woman the way he was talking to her.
“What does it matter to you what I wear?” she asked. “You’ve made it pretty clear the way you feel about me.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Ham said, feeling bad about what he had said.
“You don’t have to worry, I’m not going to bother you anymore,” Flora said to him. “Jacqueline and I talked about it, and you’re not worth it.”
“I’m not worth it?” he asked.
“It’ll never happen between us, so I’ve just been wasting my time,” she said. “It was a silly little girl crush, but it’s over now. Like Jacqueline said, someday I’ll find a man who will love me for who I am, not for what I wear or say.”
“Well I’m glad to hear that,” Ham said to her as Jacqueline came back into the room with a plate of food and a mug of wine for him. He wasn’t sure he really meant what he said.
“That looks good,” he said to Jacqueline as she placed the plate on the table in front of him.
“I hope you like it,” Jacqueline said. “Cook had some food left from the morning meal. I’m just going to run upstairs and get the twins. They should be up from their nap now. I’ll return in just a few minutes.”
“I’ll come help you,” Flora said, following her out of the room.
As Ham was eating, Connor and his father Caiden Fraser entered the hall, “Ham, welcome back,” Connor yelled out a greeting as he approached the table.
“Thank you, Connor,” Ham said. “Good to see you, Laird Fraser.”
“Caiden please,” said Connor’s father. “We are family.”
“Jacqueline was wondering if you were going to make it here before we left for Gleann,” Connor said to him. “I thought you were bringing Owen with you?”
“My little brother got himself into a bit of trouble and won’t be able to join us for a few days,” Ham said, chuckling.
“What did he do?” Caiden asked.
“He made sure a Stewart knew the truth about what happened with Ross and Lachlan,” Ham said. “There was a small altercation in the tavern in Edinburgh.”
“Good for him,” Connor said. “That Lachlan Stewart was an evil man. The world is a better place without him in it.”
“I have to agree,” said Caiden. “Will there be any more problems from the Stewarts?”
“I don’t think so,” Ham answered. “According to Owen there were other Stewarts there, and they agreed Lachlan got what he deserved.”
“Good to hear,” Caiden said.
“Owen will meet us at Gleann as soon as he’s done with night guard duty,” Ham told them.
“Your sister wants to leave in two days,” Connor said. “Flora needs to be back then too.”
“How did she end up here at Tarmon anyway?” Ham asked.
“She visits from time to time,” Connor answered. “She has an open invitation to visit whenever she likes.”
“She’s such a lovely young woman,” Caiden added. “I’m surprised no man has snatched her up and married her yet.”
“Lovely?” Ham asked. “She wears brays and tunics. She never seems to spend any time on her appearance. I wouldn’t call her lovely.”
“So you’re only looking at the outside then,” Caiden said. “That’s a pity; you miss so much that way.”
“I don’t think I’m missing anything,” Ham said. “I’ve known her most of her life.”
“It’s rare to find a person as kind as her,” Caiden said. “The villagers here at Tarmon love her, they don’t care what she’s wearing when they’re ailing, and she offers them aid.”
“What kind of aid can Flora offer?” Ham asked.
“I thought you knew the girl,” Caiden said. “She’s quite skilled in healing. She told me she’s been studying under your Gleann healer for years.”
“Flora? A healer?” Ham asked, he was stunned to hear it.
“An excellent healer,” said Connor. “If she hadn’t already promised to stay at Gleann, I’d offer for her to come live here. Although our healer and midwife Helga is skilled, she’s also aging. I’ve seen her trying to train some of the younger girls here at Tarmon, but I don’t think any of them are as good as Flora.”
“I never knew that about her,” Ham told them, somewhat impressed. It wasn’t long until Jacqueline and Flora both returned to the hall, each carrying one of the twin girls Jacqueline had delivered only seven months earlier.
“There are Da’s princesses,” Connor said as both girls smiled and reached for him. He grabbed one in each arm, bouncing them around and making them squeal and laugh.
“They’re always so happy when I see them,” Ham said as one of the girls looked over at him, giving him a big grin which he returned.
“Of course they are,” Caiden said as he pulled Annabelle out of Connor’s arm. “They’re given loads of love and attention every day.”
Ham turned to Flora saying, “I didn’t know you were training to be a healer.”
“How couldn’t you have known?” Jacqueline said. “She’s been training since we were twelve.”
“There’s probably a lot of things you don’t know about me,” Flora said. “One day you may regret it.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re right,” he answered.
“So when are you planning on leaving for Gleann?” Caiden asked them.
“The day after tomorrow,” Connor answered. “Flora has to be back to take over for Ina, the midwife there.”
“Where’s Ina going?” Ham asked.
“Her daughter is also having a baby. She lives with her husband in a village about two days travel from Gleann. Ina is going there to be with her,” Jacqueline said. “Don’t you pay attention to anything at Gleann?”
“So if Ina is gone, who’s going to deliver Nessa’s baby?” Ham asked.
“Flora will,” Jacqueline said. “She’s delivered many babies.”
“Eadan and Da agree with that?” Ham asked. He couldn’t believe that they would put Nessa’s care in the hands of someone who had so little experience.
“I’ve delivered over one hundred babies,” Flora said to him, sounding very offended. “I do know what I’m doing.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, surprised. “I didn’t know.”
“You can’t find out about things you have no interest in,” Flora said to him. She then turned to Jacqueline and said, “I’m going to go out for a walk around the village.”
“I’ll join you,” Jacqueline told her, “Connor and Caiden will watch the girls for a bit.” She gave Ham a look as she passed that made him cringe as she grabbed onto Flora’s arm and the two women left together.
Ham was surprised with what he had learned about Flora. She had always followed him around Gleann, but instead of finding out anything about her, he had always avoided her due to the way she dressed. He was surprised to find out that she was actually pretty interesting. Maybe he should spend more time trying to get to know her while he was at Tarmon.
Chapter 3 Trapped
“I’ve got bad news,” Jacqueline said to Flora and Ham as they sat breaking their fast on the morning they were supposed to be leaving for Gleann. �
��Connor and I can’t leave today. Alyssa is running a fever, and we don’t want to travel with her until she’s feeling better.”
“I have to get back to Gleann today,” Flora answered. “I promised Ina I’d be there.”
“I know,” Jacqueline said. “Caiden said he’ll try to find a guard to escort you back home. We feel terrible about not being able to leave.”
“Don’t feel bad, of course you can’t travel with a sick babe,” Flora said. “Do you need me to look at Alyssa?”
“Helga did this morning. She says it isn’t anything to worry about, and might just be the teeth she’s cutting, but we don’t want to take any chances,” Jacqueline replied. “Caiden will be in soon to let us know if he found someone.”
“There’s no need to inconvenience anyone,” Flora told her. “I know the way; I can make it by myself.”
“Connor and Caiden are not going to let you travel alone,” Jacqueline told her. “I wouldn’t even suggest it.”
“I’ll escort her,” Ham said. “I need to be getting back to Gleann today myself.”
Ham had been trying to talk with Flora for the last two days. She had barely answered his questions or even acknowledged his presence. Maybe this would be an excellent opportunity to apologize for the way he had acted towards her. The ride back to Gleann with just the two of them could be a good time to smooth things over between them.
“There’s no need,” Flora insisted.
“There’s no need for what?” Connor asked as he walked up to the table where everyone was gathered to break their fast.
“I don’t need an escort back to Gleann,” Flora said. “It’s only a six or seven-hour ride. I’ll make it just fine by myself.”
“You either have an escort, or you don’t go,” Caiden Fraser said, joining the group. “You are under my protection here at Tarmon, and I wouldn’t let any woman from my keep travel that far alone.”
“I said I’d escort her,” Ham said again. “I need to be getting back to Gleann myself anyways.”
“Maybe I don’t want to go with you,” Flora said to him.
“Why wouldn’t you want to travel with me?” Ham said. “We’ve known each other for years.”
“Right,” Flora said sarcastically, “and we’ve always been so close.”
“You know what you need for that attitude?” Ham responded, not waiting for an answer, “a good spanking!”
“No one has ever spanked me,” Flora replied. “If one ever tries he better be prepared, because I would get even.”
“Ham, apologize,” Jacqueline said, seeing her brother and oldest friend both getting angry.
“Stay out of it, Jacqueline,” Connor said to her softly.
“I won’t,” she said. “Ham is being an arse.”
“Stay out of it, or you and I will be making a trip upstairs for a private conversation. And if you don’t stop using language like that, it will be with you over my knee and your hairbrush applied to your backside,” Connor leaned in and said softly, so only she could hear.
“Aye, then you handle this,” Jacqueline said, “I’m going upstairs to check on Alyssa.”
“Good idea,” Connor said to her. He then turned back to Flora and Ham. “I think Ham escorting you is the best option for everyone.”
“I don’t want to travel with him,” Flora said.
“Then you can stay at Tarmon until either Ross arrives, or Jacqueline and I are ready to go ourselves,” Connor said.
“When will Ross be here?” Ham asked.
“He was supposed to be here yesterday but sent a messenger saying they were delayed,” Connor told him. “He said they’d stop on their way to Gleann but not to wait for them. If they miss us, they’ll just meet us there.”
“That could be days then,” Flora protested.
“Or it could be today,” Connor said. “He didn’t say what the delay was.”
“Aye, I’ll go with him,” she sighed and said, pointing at Ham.
“We leave in an hour,” Ham said. “I’ll get the horses ready if you need some time to get yourself ready to go.”
“I’m ready,” Flora said, looking down at herself. She had on her normal attire, trews, a tunic and her boots.
“Then I’ll meet you out front as soon as you gather your things,” Ham said. He wasn’t even sure why he had wanted to do this so badly. For years he had dodged Flora as she followed him around, now he was pouncing on every opportunity to get to know her better.
**********
“Are you going to ignore me the whole way home?” Ham asked Flora a few miles into their journey.
“Aye,” Flora answered. “I don’t understand why all of a sudden you want to talk with me. You’ve run the other way from me for years.”
“Maybe I was wrong to do that,” he said. “Can’t we try to be friends now?”
“Nay,” Flora answered. Ham sighed, not knowing how to fix the situation. Flora was right, he had avoided her for years, and wasn’t always very nice in the way he’d done it.
As they rode, Ham kept looking up at the sky. When they had left Tarmon, the sun had been shining, and the temperatures had been perfect. He’d noticed dark clouds in the distance, as they traveled the dark clouds followed and were quickly catching up to them.
“We may have to find some shelter,” he finally said to Flora. “That looks like it could be a big storm heading this way. I’d rather not get caught in it. Diabhal doesn’t do well with storms.”
“Do you think we can outrun it?” Flora asked.
“I don’t think so; it’s been gaining on us the last hour or so. There’s a cave about a half hour or more ride from here. If it gets any worse we’ll head there and take shelter until it passes,” Ham told her.
“Let’s hope we don’t have to do that,” Flora said, giving her mount a gentle kick, taking it from a walk to a trot.
Ham kicked his mount also, picking up the pace to keep up with Flora. The winds around them seemed to pick up suddenly. Ham had to keep a tight grip on his horse Diabhal. He was a great warhorse, large in the shoulders and he stood taller than almost any man. He was as calm as a foal during a battle, but Ham had seen him in storms before, Diabhal could become quite spooked and jumpy when there was thunder and lightning. A horse his size could be dangerous to anyone around when it was spooked that badly.
“The temperature is really dropping,” Flora said as she shivered. Ham had noticed it too. The warm breeze they had that morning had turned into a cold hard wind, making the trees around them sway back and forth.
“It’s not much further to the cave,” Ham said as the rain began to fall harder. He glanced up at the darkening clouds once more before saying, “I don’t like this. I think it’s going to be a big one.”
“Just get us there,” Flora said, her teeth were beginning to chatter, and her lips were turning blue with cold. Ham once again nudged Diabhal in the side, instead of a trot this time he had him gallop. By the time the two reached the cave, they were wet, cold and hungry.
“Bring your horse inside too,” Ham told her as he dismounted and led Diabhal inside the cave. “I don’t want to leave them tied up outside; it’s getting really bad. I’ll get some wood and a fire going as soon as I have Diabhal settled.”
“I can take care of the horses if you want to get some wood,” Flora told him.
“Thanks but I’ll take care of him,” Ham said. “I’ll warn you now, don’t ever go near Diabhal, he’s a warhorse, so he’s very high strung. He doesn’t know you and may hurt you if you approach him.”
“I know how to handle a horse, Ham,” Flora said back, once again her attitude showing.
“Listen here,” Ham said walking towards her, he was tired of her bad attitude and sarcastic comments. “I’ve been trying to be nice, but I’m wet, cold and hungry. Lose the attitude, or I’ll help you lose it. I’m not telling you to stay away from my horse because I don’t trust you, I’m telling you because I don’t trust him.”
�
�Aye,” she said, walking away to tend to her own mount. “I’ll stay away from both of you then.”
Ham quickly got his horse settled and turned back to Flora who was doing the same with her own. “I’m going to go out and round up some wood if you want to change into some dry clothes while I’m gone.”
“How long will you be gone?” she asked.
“Depends on where I can find some wood that isn’t too wet,” he told her. “It may take me a bit.”
“Alright,” she agreed, reaching for the bag that she’d untied from the back of her horse and laid on the ground next to her. “I hope what’s in here is still dry.”
“If not, they still have to be drier than what you have on now,” Ham said, turning to leave the cave. The storm hadn’t gotten much worse yet, but he could see the darker clouds still coming their way. A bolt of lightning struck in the distance, and it took a few seconds for the rumble of the thunder to reach him. He quickened his pace, looking for a thick grove of trees that would have made a canopy, keeping the wood lying underneath it dry. He lucked out and found one not too far from the cave with a bunch of large branches laying there. He quickly grabbed an armload; he’d get the fire in the cave going first and then come back for more.
Flora figured she had plenty of time before Ham would return, but decided to change quickly just in case. As the worst of the storm drew closer, the light in the cave faded, making it harder to see what she was doing. Flora peeled off her wet clothing. She was glad Ham wasn’t around as the binding she used to hide her large breasts was also wet. Flora unwound it quickly, dropping it on top of the tunic she had just removed, she then peeled off her trews. She felt funny standing in the middle of the cave naked. Taking a dry tunic out of her bag, she began to wipe the rest of the moisture off her skin with it. She didn’t want to complain, but she was cold and couldn’t wait to put on something warm and dry. She pulled out the last tunic she’d traveled with and slipped it over her head. Flora felt better then, the tunic covered her upper body and down to the middle of her thighs.
For the first time, she looked around the cave they were sheltering in. It was larger than she had first thought; it was easily twice the size of her cottage back at Gleann with the ceiling being at least ten feet high.
The Man of Her Dreams Page 2