Eight
“Come on, Maddie, they’re waiting!”
Katie and Maddie hurried outside. Children were sitting around, waiting to see the puppets.
It had been an eventful week since Connor had gone. Maddie slowly coaxed Katie out of her room. They did little things at first. Maddie asked Katie for help putting flowers around the castle. Then Maddie would ask for Katie’s help in picking more flowers. Maddie slowly eased Katie out of her self-imposed isolation.
When the clan found out that an English woman was living amongst them, they grew upset. Men and women were hounding Hugh and Malcolm with complaints. Maddie knew about it, but she wouldn’t let it get to her.
Only the clan’s men and women had a problem with her, though. The children adored her. That is, the ones whose parents allowed them to be outside when Maddie was. Once Maddie had eventually persuaded Katie out to pick flowers, children who were playing by them ran over and curiously asked what they were doing. As Katie was picking flowers and as Maddie was pulling weeds and talking, they turned around and noticed that the children were sitting down, listening to Maddie’s stories. They giggled and smiled. That’s how all the activities began.
They made games out of the most mundane activities. Maddie would ask them to pick a flower to see who could pick the prettiest one. Maddie would set aside some time to tell stories. She even taught the children how to play a game called “hide-and-go-seek.”
Katie had been the one who thought to make puppets. She and Maddie made two puppets apiece and practiced a story to present it to the children. The children sat all giddy and smiling. As the parents witnessed Maddie in action, more and more allowed their children to go out and talk with the Englishwoman.
“Are ye ready?” Maddie asked and the children cheered excitedly.
Katie and Maddie sat on the grass and began the show. The children’s laughter could be heard all over and slowly, even some adults came out to hear it.
Midway into the play, Katie and Maddie sat up, hearing a commotion coming from near the gates. Katie looked scared.
“Stay here, Katie. I’ll be right back.”
Katie took Maddie’s hand, “No, Maddie, please doona go. It might be dangerous,” Katie pleaded.
“Don’t worry. I promise, I’ll be right back.”
Maddie patted her hand and rushed on, running after Hugh.
“Maddie stay back.”
She didn’t listen.
Connor and the men rode through. Distress was evident on all of their faces. Maddie’s gaze met Connor’s and she saw worry reflected there. She looked down at the body hanging over the horse.
“What happened?” she asked, coming nearer. Hugh was next to Maddie.
“Kiel has been injured. We were ambushed and a blade managed to cut him deeply on his shoulder. The battle was over and one stray man ran towards him. There’s too much blood!” Connor hurriedly said. He dismounted, and he and Iain carried their younger brother. Once they entered the castle, Connor spoke to Aimee.
“Aimee, where’s Esther? Kiel needs attention now!”
Aimee shook her head, “Laird, I’m sorry, she’s visiting her daughter. Her daughter is due to give birth any day now.”
“Is there anyone else, Aimee? There must be someone!”
“Nay, Laird, I know of no other healer available. Sorcha is also away.”
“Aimee, please give me my needle and some thread, and please hurry! ‘Tis in my room on the bed still there from making the puppets,” Maddie said. “Connor, place him in the sitting room. I need plenty of strong ale, and a candle. I need some cloth,” when no one was moving, she yelled and clapped, “Hurry! Now! I need them now!”
Aimee and Bruce jumped to her bidding.
“Do ye know what ye’re doing, lass?” Connor asked Maddie.
Her eyes showed annoyance.
“Aye! Now bring him to the sitting room!”
Connor and Iain placed Kiel on the floor. Malcolm and Miriam rushed into the room after having found out about Kiel.
“Oh dear God! All the blood,” she whispered, bringing her hand to her mouth. “The blood!” Miriam said, crying into Malcolm’s chest. Blood continued to ooze out of his shoulder.
Aimee and Bruce came back with the supplies. Kiel was stirring awake. Maddie kneeled over him.
“Kiel,” she touched his face, “Can ye hear me? You need to drink these spirits, Kiel. What I will do will be painful. Here, drink some,” she said, holding up his head and letting liquid drop into his throat. He swallowed a large amount of it.
Maddie stood over him waiting for a few moments as the spirits did what they needed to. Her hand was still on the side of his face. She rubbed his cheek soothingly.
“Kiel, are you getting sleepy?”
Kiel’s face lit up and smiled. “Ye’re an angel. An angel. So lovely…” his voice was slurring and growing faint.
“Good! Aimee, hand me the needle and thread. Sir Bruce, hold the candle and give me the spirits,” she looked at Connor and Iain. “Hold him down. This will wake him again.”
Once Iain and Connor secured him at both ends, Maddie grabbed the spirits. She looked up at Connor and Iain, looked at Kiel again, and poured a large amount over the wound.
Kiel soared upwards, screaming. The scream reverberated through the castle. The veins at his neck were outlined and bulging. Iain’s hold was too lax, however. Kiel was so caught up in his torment when he sat up, that he smacked Maddie on the face knowing she was the one that inflicted his pain. This sent her flying backwards. Miriam’s sobs were louder.
“Hold him still!” Maddie said as she got up, dazed. She waved Connor off when he went to help her. Her lip split and was now bleeding.
“I have to pour more to cleanse the wound. Hold him!”
Maddie poured more liquid fire on the wound and Kiel struggled to get out from the grasps of Connor and Iain. He screamed, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Help him, Maddie, please!” Miriam whispered by Malcolm’s side.
Maddie checked to make sure the wound was unsoiled. She threaded the needle and held the needle above the candle flame. Once satisfied that it was clean, she began to sew the wound. Kiel didn’t move; the pain of the spirits on his wound placed him into a slumber.
As Maddie concentrated on her task, Connor studied her. He admired her. She knew exactly what to do and even after being hit as hard as she had been, she still helped Kiel. Not that he doubted that she would stop. Once done and satisfied with her work, she asked Aimee if Esther had any healing salves.
“Aye, she does, Maddie, but I’m not sure which would do.”
“The one ye’ll be looking for smells minty and is green. It smells good.”
Aimee nodded and ran off.
“Will he be ok, Maddie?” Miriam asked. She was squeezing her hands tightly together.
She nodded. “Aye. He arrived in time. A bit longer and too much blood may have been lost. The wound wasn’t too bad, ‘twas the cut that that hit a bad spot. The well of blood that is stored there spilled out,” Maddie explained.
“I didna notice, Maddie! Yer lip. ‘Tis bleeding,” Miriam said, coming over to her.
Maddie tried to smile but it faltered. Pain lit her eyes.
“‘Tis nothing, Lady Miriam, really,” Maddie said looking into Miriam’s concerned eyes.
Aimee came in with the salve.
“Is this it, Maddie?”
Maddie smelled it and nodded. She tried to smile, but failed again.
“Good job, Aimee. Excellent!”
Maddie grabbed a piece of cloth and applied the salve slowly to the wound. Once done, she wrapped cloth around it. She stood back and looked at Iain and Connor.
“Take him upstairs. He needs plenty of rest. He’ll be fine, but the bandages will need changing and the wound will need to be monitored to make certain it doesn’t open again. And we must be certain he doesn’t catch fever.”
Miriam ran forth and hugged Maddie.
“Thank ye, Maddie. Since ye’ve come here, ye’ve made all of our lives richer,” Miriam said and Maddie hugged her back.
Miriam pulled back and tears fell down her face.
“Thank ye,” Miriam said placing her palm on Maddie’s cheek, her voice deep with emotion. She gave her one last hug and started to leave with Malcolm.
Maddie’s cheeks were flushed, and it wasn’t just from Kiel’s backhand. She couldn’t recall anyone ever having told her such pretty words.
Connor looked up surprised to see Katie there. Not only was Katie out of her room, but she was smiling, too.
“Katie?” He looked concernedly from Maddie to Katie.
“Hello, Connor.”
“But…”
Miriam chirped in.
“Maddie and Katie have been playing with the clan children,” Miriam responded, letting Connor know to halt any questions he may have.
“Connor, ye failed to tell me that ye had a sister. I was surprised and delighted!” Maddie said.
Kiel moaned.
“Please, take him upstairs. He must rest,” Maddie told Iain and Connor.
Everyone slowly departed and Maddie was left alone in the sitting room. She was absolutely exhausted. She would just sit down for a minute. Her nerves had been on end,hoping that she could help Kiel.
She fell asleep on the settee.
Miriam and Malcolm left Kiel’s room. Iain and Connor stood outside waiting.
“What’s going on mother? Katie?” Connor asked.
His mother smiled. He hadn’t seen his mother smile in over a month. She asked them to follow her and Malcolm into their chamber. Once in the room, she told her sons to sit, and she and Malcolm began explaining from the beginning.
“And once I realized I had overslept, I panicked and went to Katie’s room. Maddie had already been there. Everything was so bright!” Miriam said with an expansion of her arms. “Flowers were there, the room was tidy, and the window coverings were opened!”
“But how did Maddie manage to convince Katie, when Katie wouldn’t let anyone do that before?” Iain said.
Malcolm shrugged.
“I doona know, Iain. But I doona question it. I am just grateful,” Malcolm said smiling.
“I know why,” Miriam said smiling. “Maddie’s special. No, doona roll yer eyes and call me fanciful. She is. She’s an angel. Even the clan is warming up to her. And the children! They all adore her. Well, those children whose parents allow them to spend time with her.”
“Who wouldn’t allow their children to spend time with her?” Connor snapped, and stood up.
Miriam, Malcolm, and Iain exchanged looks.
“Easy, Connor. They’ll warm up to her soon enough,” Miriam said. She paused a moment and continued. “She slowly coaxed Katie out. First saying she needed help with placing flowers around the castle and next she needed help picking them. I saw it in her eyes. She was slowly calculating how she would get Katie out of her room. She’s smart, that one. And a handful,” Miriam said laughing.
“How did she start playing with the children?”
It took many minutes before Malcolm and Miriam stopped laughing enough to tell the story. Connor and Iain looked at each other.
“Clearly, Maddie’s daft personality is contagious,” Connor said.
Malcolm and Miriam laughed harder.
“Well, Connor. As it turns out, Katie was picking flowers and Maddie was picking weeds. The-”
“Picking weeds?”
Malcolm held up a hand and continued, “The children were playing in the field, saw them, and went over. Well, as Katie put it, Maddie was lost again in one of her hair-raising stories. The children were enthralled and giggling, and that’s when Maddie turned around and realized she had an audience. Katie said they were hanging on every word she said. From then on, she’s taken time out of her cleaning,” Malcolm stopped as they all shared a laugh, “to play with the children.”
“What do they do?” Iain asked.
“She tells them stories. They play games. When ye came just now, she and Katie were playing with their puppets,” Miriam said.
“Puppets?” Connor asked.
Miriam smiled, “Aye, puppets. She and Katie made them.” Miriam grew serious and stared at her oldest son intently.
“I’m grateful to her Connor. She has truly saved Katie for us. I dread the day her father comes and takes her back,” Miriam smiled sadly. She looked down and looked up again. “She told me her mother died birthing her and when I told her mine did as well, she was surprised and asked if I thought I’d be saved.”
“Be saved?” Malcolm and Iain repeated afterwards.
Connor nodded his head.
“After our evening meal, the day before I left, she ran from the room upset, saying that we would never be saved.”
“Why was she upset, Connor?” Miriam’s voice rose a little.
“Never mind, Mother,” Connor said, avoiding a confession about the kiss they’d shared.
“What do ye think all this ‘saved’ talk is about?” Miriam asked.
“She wants to join a convent,” Connor explained.
“A convent!”
“Aye. She feels her life should be dedicated to serving our Lord as well as others.”
“Doesn’t she want to marry and have children?” Miriam asked.
“She says she’s too old and never had any suitors call upon her,” Connor responded.
“No suitors! That’s absurd. Maddie is beautiful. I would call on her,” Iain said, smirking.
Connor flashed him a warning glance and said, “Over my dead body.” He paused, then continued. “Aye, she is beautiful. ‘Tis not for ye to notice, however.” Iain grinned at Connor. Connor continued after the pause. “She doesna think she is. She was told that she wasna attractive.”
“What in the world are ye talking about, Connor? Who told her that lie?” Miriam asked.
“She was told when she was ten.”
“By whom? She was just a girl!”
“I know, Mother. It was her father and her brothers. They-”
“Father and brothers?” She repeated.
Connor nodded his head. Miriam’s face mirrored sympathy and anger.
“When are they coming for her? When will we lose Maddie?” she asked.
Connor was taken aback. He hadn’t realized how fond his mother had grown of Maddie. In the beginning of this charade, he hadn’t wanted anyone in his family to grow attached to Maddie. Now, though, he found that he didn’t mind it so much.
“Perhaps in a fortnight. I’m nay sure.”
Katie popped her head in.
“Mother, ye’re needed downstairs. Bess has questions about something or another. I suppose it’s about the food this evening,” Katie said.
Curious gazes stayed on Miriam.
Miriam smiled at Katie and said, “Yes, Katie. Tell her I’ll be right down.”
Once Katie shut the door, Miriam explained.
“Maddie has arranged for a special meal. She wanted to wait until ye were back,” Miriam said, signaling Iain and Connor. “She knew we hadna sat down as a family in a long while because of Katie, and she wanted us to have a special surprise meal. Katie doesna know about it.”
“Does she know about Katie?” Connor asked.
“Nay, she doesna. She knew Katie wasna well and hasna asked why. Katie, I’m sure, will tell her if and when she wants to, and Maddie will respect Katie’s desire to keep things private until then.”
“Ye sound like ye know her well, Mother,” Iain said.
She paused before opening the door.
“She’s not difficult to understand. Ye just have to know what questions to ask. More importantly, ye need to ask,” Miriam said quietly and left the room. Although Iain had posed the question, she’d looked at Connor.
“What went on at Wynton’s?” Malcolm asked after Miriam left.
Connor and Iain both informed their father about the guard and her family.
“Ye should have been there to see the castle, Father. Ye wouldna believe that someone as vibrant as Maddie lived there,” Iain said.
“No guards? Is he mad? He has a daughter to care for,” Malcolm said heatedly.
Mother wasn’t the only person growing fond of Maddie, Connor thought.
“He didna care about her abduction. He only wanted her back pure or not at all, and that’s because he sold her,” Connor elaborated.
“Sold her?” Malcolm’s temper was flaring.
Connor nodded his head. “He accepted coins for her. The younger brother kept saying odd things I havena been able to figure out. He said that we might as well keep her because she was our responsibility and said that Maddie wasna pure.”
“Not pure? Has she been with this man she’s promised to?”
“Nay. She is pure, Father,” Connor said and Malcolm studied his son carefully. Connor didn’t meet his father’s inquisitive gaze.
“He said not to lay hands on her because she would have a Scots bastard touched by the devil’s hands,” Iain chimed in.
“He is a vile man.”
“So many things about her are confusing, Father. She called herself a mistake. She also said that no one ever defended her the way I did when she was first kidnapped. Verra odd, indeed,” Connor said, puzzled. “I suppose after seeing her brothers and father, I can understand why she said she’s never been defended.”
“Connor, leave her alone. Do not seduce her. She’s an innocent,” Malcolm said, looking sternly at Connor. “It seems to me that she hasna had it as easy as ye thought she had.”
Connor ignored his father’s comment. “A fortnight. I gave him a fortnight.”
A thought just struck Malcolm. “Why do ye think the Kerrs were trying to take her?”
Connor shrugged. “They said they were going to ransom her. Father, ye said that there was a spy for McLean in Wynton’s castle?”
Malcolm nodded his head. “Aye. He was a distant relative of McLean. He was a relative through marriage. It worked out well because he spoke like an Englishman, but had loyalty as strong as any Scot’s. He was one of Wynton’s trusted men. He’s no longer there.”
“After Wynton gives his response, I would like to speak to this man,” Connor said.
The men left the room. After checking in on Kiel, Connor headed downstairs. He wondered where Maddie was. He looked around but she was no where. He grew a little alarmed, wondering what he would find her up to now.
Connor went in the sitting room and only saw an arm hanging off the side of the settee. He went over and smiled. She was fast asleep- and snoring. It was a soft snore, but nonetheless a snore it was.
He stood in front of the chair.
“Maddie?”
She didn’t stir. He noticed the dark circles underneath her eyes and frowned. He remembered her having them before but not as pronounced as now. Was she not sleeping at night? He remembered what she had told him. She had been afraid of the dark. Ramsay, her hound, had helped her to sleep at night.
“Maddie,” he said again, and she didn’t stir. She gave another little snore.
His touch against the side of her face was as light as a feather. She looked so at peace and innocent. His mother was right. She did look like an angel. Nay, he corrected himself, she was an angel.
Connor continued to stare at her. Just as he was going to say her name again, her head jerked to the side. She mumbled something under her breath. He saw where Kiel slapped her. Her lip was evidence of it. It had angered him but he knew that his brother had not been in possession of his mind. It didn’t help that Maddie was a tiny thing. He needed to remember how delicate she was.
“No!” her head jerked again.
She was panting. There was a grim set to her lips and her brow was wrinkled with stress lines. Her cheeks were damp with fresh tears.
“No, Henry!”
Connor stopped breathing. She said his name.
“Maddie?”
She woke up startled, her hands shielding her face.
“‘Tis ok, Maddie. It’s Connor.”
She visibly relaxed.
“I’m sorry. I must have napped.” She looked around her, disoriented. After a moment, she said, “I have so much to do!”
Connor shook his head.
“Ye have to rest, Maddie! Will I have to tie ye to a chair?”
He tried to provoke her temper. Anything was better than her tears.
Maddie jumped out of the settee and onto her feet.
“You just try, and so help me God, Connor!”
“I could.”
“Oh, Lord! I won’t let you!”
“Doona use the Lord’s name that way, Maddie. ‘Tis not proper,” Connor goaded.
“I would never do such a churlish thing!” She said, pointing a finger.
“Ye just did! Twice.” Now he was beginning to get angry. She doesn’t even pay attention to what she says. “I thought it was bad to show a temper!”
“It is and it’s improper to shout!” She said screaming.
Iain and Kirk come in, staring at the two in a heated battle.
“Then doona shout!” Connor yelled.
“You are infuriating, Connor Ramsay! I’m delighted that my hound bears your name!”
Iain and Kirk began laughing hysterically until Connor turned to them.
“Doona laugh, ye fools. The hound’s name is Ramsay, nay Connor.”
The smiles melted off their faces. Connor gave them a stern look and both men left.
“They’ll be together in no time,” Iain said as they left, and Kirk nodded.
“I’m leaving!” Maddie said, nearing the opening of the sitting room.
“Oh, and Maddie?” he said and she turned around. He saw flashes of green in her golden gaze.
“Ye snore.”
Her mouth hung open, flabbergasted.
“I. Do. Not. Snore. You snore!”
“I do not, I assure ye, but if ye care for me to prove it, I shall make the arrangements for ye to sleep with me this night.”
“You’re insufferable! You arrogant man!”
“I thank ye for the compliment, milady, and it is my hope to return such praises to ye one day,” Connor said laughing.
She turned around and started cursing under her breath.
“‘Tis not right to curse either, Maddie! Yer words, not mine!”
He started laughing when he heard her curses grow louder.