Twenty-Three
“Is this the catch from this morn?”
They were eating their midday meal, James having caught another rabbit earlier.
His gaze wandered from the tree where he’d notched their days, counting over seventy now.
He knew it would take time for his father to accomplish what he needed to, but James still wondered what was transpiring while he and Katie were here.
“Aye, love.”
“Tastes odd.”
He sighed, worried, and focused his gaze on her.
“Love, everything has tasted odd to ye. I stopped hunting for fowl because ye said it tasted like dirt. I only fish for the silver fish because the orange tasted like dung. Although it remains a mystery to me how ye know what dung tastes of.”
She laughed. “Would ye nay like to know.”
He snickered, continuing. “Now the rabbit tastes like…?”
“Burnt leaves.”
He looked at her with wide, surprised eyes as she sneezed.
“Ye want it?”
She offered her meat as he shook his head. “I’ve nearly eaten it all, Love. Ye’ve barely eaten.”
“Nonsense,” she replied as she popped a berry into her mouth. “I eat plenty of berries.”
They settled into their own thoughts but she kept noticing James looking at her. When she turned her head, he’d veer his gaze. When it happened again, she rose and walked over to him. He was so large even sitting, that his head reached her stomach.
“What is it?”
She sneezed.
“Are ye nay feeling well?”
Her eyebrows furled. “Just fine. Why?”
“Ye look like ye’ve lost a bit of weight. Ye doona eat much anymore. Is something amiss?”
“All is well, James. I am well. ‘Tis the truth the food tastes different to my tongue, and I canna explain why.”
He kissed her and rose. Helping her up, they walked over to the tree where the notches were.
“Are ye worried?”
James snorted. “My father is harder to kill than a bird in the sky with a rock, lass.”
“Ye said only he knew where we are. If something happened, no one would know where to seek us out.”
James shook his head. “He warned me it would take some time. Before he fought Kerr, he wanted to first discover who was aiding the bastard. He knew ‘twould nay be easy.”
“But this long?” Katie let her fingers glide over the notches and began counting. James grew curious as he saw her fingers slow, and her face grow pensive.
“Seventy-five days?”
She counted again as he said, “Aye.”
Her face mirrored her confusion as James looked inquisitively at her. “What is it, lass?”
Her eyes wandered everywhere but looked at nothing in particular, eyebrows curling in thought. She kept mumbling to herself as James looked on. When she stopped, eyes wide, her lips upturned into a smile.
“Lass, ye leave me here suspended in confusion and worry. I’m thinking we must return. Ye are nay well.”
Her smiling face turned towards James and she began laughing.
“Ye’re daft, lass. Ye havena been eating well, and that may be affecting ye.”
“James!”
The face he gave her made her laugh harder. “I’m hale, I assure ye. ‘Tis just that…”
“What?”
She’d toyed with him too much if his face was an indicator. Her poor husband was looking on at her as if she needed a healer, or a priest for an exorcism.
“We’ve been here for nearly three months, James.”
“Aye, lass.”
She blushed, which made him more curious.
“The last occasion I had…my monthly…”
He continued to look on at her, dumbfounded.
She exhaled loudly. “James, are ye nay following me?”
A smile broke through his face. “Lass, I’d follow ye through purgatory and beyond, but ye have me a bit lost here.”
She grabbed his hands in excitement and jumped. A playful smile remained on his face as he caught her in his arms and held her at eye-level. Still, his gaze was reserved. It was a look, she was sure, that when levied against another would cause the other to divulge every secret of his or her life.
“I havena,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “bled,” she cleared her throat, “since prior to us leaving.”
James continued to stare at her stupefied.
“Ye’re…”
She nodded with a smile on her face.
“Truly?”
Breathing heavily, she nodded. “Aye. Aye!” she repeated as he heaved her upwards.
“A bairn! Mo stòr!”
His strong arms had lifted her so high, he kissed her belly and wrapped his arms around her middle. Her smell, so familiar to him, bathed him in warmth.
Slowly he set her down and looked at her. Tears shown in her eyes, and a smile was on her lips.
“I love ye, mo stòr.”
He kneeled before her and placed his face into her soft belly. They stayed like that for a long while, joyful in their discovery and happy in each other’s embrace. After a while, he looked up at her. She looked lovingly down at her husband, her hands running through his hair.
He kissed her belly again.
“I canna wait to meet our bairn, mo stòr. What a gift ye give us, lass. A treasure from my treasure.”