The next day made Katerina want to scream with its difficulties.

At breakfast Mungo announced that there were fifteen men waiting for their chance to best their new laird in hand-to-hand combat. Braden simply nodded, agreeing he would fight one man per day for fifteen days. “And when I best them all? Does that end the challenges?”

Mungo nodded. “I am not sure you can best them all, laird. These are the strongest men in our clan.”

“And you think I lack strength? Is that what you are trying to say to me?” Braden looked at his advisor with a scowl.

“I think there is a chance you might not. Then your trick with the crops will mean nothing.”

“What trick with the crops? I did what I said I would do, and I grew them all.”

“Aye, but how did you do it?” Mungo shook his head. “Some of the men are saying that you played a trick on us, though no one can figure out what that trick is.”

“I could do it again, if it would please the men. I would be happy to make them grow twice as high by morning.”

“And is this something you will always be able to do?” Mungo asked. “What if we find ourselves in the same situation at this time next year? Could you do the same?”

“Aye, I could. As often as I needed to.”

“But that is not possible.”

“I am afraid it is,” Braden said, swallowing his drink. “I can do it anytime I wish. I have an affinity with the earth, and I can grow whatever I choose to grow, whenever I choose to grow it. You may test me anytime you see fit.”

“The men will still challenge you, even if you can convince me of your ability to grow things.” Mungo smiled. “For now, I want to take you out to meet the men of the clan. These are the strongest fighters, and mayhap they will recognize you as their leader, but most likely not.”

Braden finished his last bite of his morning meal before following his advisor outside, a last look at Katerina telling her that he would miss her that day.

Katerina helped clear the table of dishes and went to the kitchen for her first lessons in Gaelic with Andrina. The older woman gave her a skeptical look, as if she was surprised Katerina was really willing to help with the kitchen work.

“We will start with the Gaelic words for things we will find in the kitchen,” Andrina said, picking up a cup and handing it to Katerina to wash. “Cupa.”

Katerina washed every dish that had been dirtied, but she did so working on the pronunciation of each word in Gaelic. She was determined that she would be able to speak with the ladies around her. Even if they ended up having to leave to join another clan, the Gaelic words would only help her.

By the time the noon meal was ready, Katerina knew many basic Gaelic words. She had also learned to wash dishes and make brown bread. She had even helped to make the rest of the meal.

After helping serve lunch, she sat down beside Braden, a bit worried about the animosity she felt from Andrina. The woman was helping her learn Gaelic, but she was making it clear that she was teaching her only to get help in the kitchen. If she had asked, Katerina would have helped her anyway. She had learned quickly that there were not the class distinctions she was used to in the Highlands.

Braden looked at her gratefully. “How was your morning?” he asked softly.

“It was busy. I helped with the cooking, so you might want to be careful what you eat,” she said with a grin. “Also, I learned many new words in Gaelic. I will be able to communicate with the women of the clan with no problem very soon.”

“That is good,” he said with a grin. “I met with the army. They are an ill-disciplined bunch, and they have no loyalties to anyone. It is going to be a difficult task to get them all to follow me.”

“Mayhap it is time to stage a demonstration of your fighting with your father watching.”

He grinned. “I see several of those in my future. I hate that we had to leave our well-disciplined army behind to come here and deal with this hodge-podge of hot-tempered men. It will truly take everything inside me to get them to the point I will not be nervous one of them will kill me while I sleep.”

She frowned at him. “Do not make jokes about that with what I have just come through. Mayhap you can find a way to make one of them so loyal, he can be your right hand. Could your mother heal one of their children? Perhaps you could grow something they need to keep from starving. I almost think we came here too early. They knew they were in danger, but it was not immediate danger. They could have raided another clan for what you grew. It would have been better if the starvation was imminent.”

“You think?” He frowned at that. “I could make it happen and then fix it. But I feel like they would feel threatened by me and not want to follow me at that point.”

At that moment, Mungo joined them along with Andrina. They both sat at the table with them as if they were part of the family. Katerina looked over at Mungo. “What will it take for the men of this clan to have loyalty to my husband?”

“Most likely they will need to see that he is loyal to them as well. If he were to save the life of one of his men, or if he was to put their needs above his own, then they would be loyal. Right now, they see him as an Englishman who is trying to force them to change their ways to suit himself.”

Katerina nodded, thinking over what Mungo had said. “And for the women of the clan to come to me as their laird’s wife?”

Andrina just laughed at that. “You will never be considered one of them. You may as well go back to England now.”

Katerina straightened a little more. She would not let that stop her. She was going to be the wife of the leader of this clan, no matter what Andrina thought.

After the meal, Katerina informed Andrina that she would come back in an hour or two to help with supper and learn more about Gaelic. She wanted to take some time to get to know the women of the clan, and perhaps even to meet some of the children. Hopefully some of them would speak English or Latin, and she would be able to communicate.

After informing Braden what task she meant to fulfill, she walked out into the village and knocked on the first door she saw. She would get to know the people who were now hers. Whatever it took.

At the first cottage, the door was opened tentatively. The young woman who came to the door, had to be younger than Katerina was, and she was surprised. She heard a child crying, its voice weak, but she did not know why. First, she tried English. “Is your babe all right?”

When the woman stared at her blankly, she frowned, immediately asking the same question in Latin. Still no response. Sighing, Katerina acted as if she was holding a baby, and the door was opened and she was allowed inside. Katerina knew little of healing, but she knew Lady Lina would help if it was within her power. She had learned the healing arts at her mother’s knee many years before.

Walking to the baby, she put her hand on it, and noticed it was burning up with fever. The cry had sounded weak to her, so she had wondered if that was the problem. She picked the baby up, holding it close. She was not certain if it was a boy or a girl, but it did not matter to her.

Carrying the baby to the door, she stopped as the mother grabbed her arm to keep her from leaving. Katerina smiled. “I am Katerina. We will help your baby.”

The woman frowned for a moment, and then pointed to herself. “Arlene.” And then she pointed to the baby. “Elspeth.”

Katerina smiled, holding the babe in one arm, and taking the woman’s hand with the other. She wanted to let her know she was welcome to come with her to get help for her baby.

Once Katerina was outside, she realized she had no idea where Lady Lina and Lord Alex’s cottage was. She began walking through the small village calling Lady Lina’s name over and over. Finally, Alex came out of one of the cottages. “What do you need, Katerina?”

“This baby is very sick. We need Lina to look at her.”

Alex smiled at her. “I think we have done this before.” He opened the door to the cottage, calling in to his wife. “Katerina has a babe that is ill.”

Katerina hurried into the cottage, still holding Arlene’s hand. She handed the baby to Lina, frowning down at the small child whose cry sounded so weak to her. Lina looked at the baby and walked to the bed, lying her on her back. “Katerina, if you would be willing to help me, I would appreciate it.”

Katerina nodded. “The babe’s name is Elspeth, and her mother is Arlene.”

Alex smiled at the young woman and immediately started asking questions for Lina, while Katerina got a cold cloth for the baby’s head.

It was well over an hour before Lina was satisfied enough to let the baby out of her sight. The child had a poultice on her chest, and Arlene had instructions to bring the babe back after the noon meal the following day.

Before they left, Katerina had Alex ask one question of the young, frightened mother. “Ask her who their healer is?”

After a moment in which his rapid speech sounded like gibberish to Katerina, he said, “They have no healer.”

Katerina looked at Lina. “How much can you teach me about herbs and potions?”

Lina smiled. “I was hoping you would have an interest. Come to me in the afternoons, and we will work together.”

“I will.” Katerina left then with Arlene and the baby at her side. She was thrilled that Lina was sure the baby would live. Her cries even sounded stronger than they had an hour before.

After leaving her new friend at her home, Katerina hurried back to the keep, ready to learn more Gaelic from Andrina. Her short time with Arlene had told her that learning the language needed to be the first step but learning the language half the day and learning healing the other half of the day sounded very smart to Katerina.

Andrina made it clear she was not impressed with Katerina’s work ethic. Of course, all the dishes had been left for Katerina to do, and she immediately began the work. She said the name of each dish as she held it up, so Andrina would know that she had been listening and doing her best to learn that morning.

By the end of the long day in the kitchen, Katerina knew that she could not continue working with Andrina for long. The woman hated her, whether it was because she was a Sassenach, as Andrina kept hissing under her breath at Katerina, or whether it was because she was an outsider, it was hard to know. The answer was the woman only did her duty because she had been instructed to. She did not want to be there working with Katerina.

Both Braden’s parents and grandparents were there to eat the evening meal with them, which pleased Katerina, but she wished she could speak freely without Andrina sitting there. The woman took it as her right to eat at the table, though, and no one was about to stop her.

Lina mentioned the lessons she would be giving Katerina the following day, and Andrina scowled. “So, I will only be teaching you in the mornings? How do you expect to learn the language if you are not committed to lessons?”

“Arlene told me today that there is no healer in the village. I thought it was best if I learned to heal from Lady Lina now while there is time.”

“While there is time?” Andrina asked. “What does that mean?”

Lina looked at the servant. “I am more than ninety summers old. She needs to learn from me now if she is going to learn at all. I have written most of my remedies down, so you should be able to follow them if you can make sure of what you are working on healing.”

Andrina stared at Lady Lina for a moment. “You do not look ninety summers. Nay, you act and look more like you are sixty.”

“I have always been very healthy,” Lina said, turning her attention back to Katerina. “We will start going through all of my notes first thing. I can see that you have the healing ability. It is there within you.”

“I hope you are right. I would love to be able to help people as easily as you do.” Katerina finished her meal. “I will learn everything I can from you.”

“I know you will, child.” Lina got to her feet then. “We have the challenge at sunrise. Is that correct?”

Braden nodded. “We do.”

“I will go home and be right back. I want to fetch you an herb that will help you heal faster.” As Lina hurried off, Matilda frowned.

“I wish Lina’s mother was still alive.” Matilda said nothing more about the woman who had taught Lina everything she knew because Mungo and Andrina were at the table with them. The family all understood though, and Mary smiled at her long-time friend.

“It will all be fine. Lady Marina taught so much to her daughter. It will be as if she was there.”

Katerina knew what Mary was saying, but she wished it was so. Lady Marina had the ability to heal with a touch. That would be extremely helpful for Braden during the fights to come. She rested her hand on Braden’s thigh, letting him know that she was supporting him through this all.

Andrina frowned at Katerina. “How did you meet Arlene today? That babe has been sick for a long time, and no one thinks she will survive.”

Lina walked back into the keep then and straight to the table. “I think she will survive. She has problems with her lungs, but there are herbs that will help with that. Her mother is taking them, so they will get into the baby’s milk, and there is now a poultice on the baby’s chest. She will be fine.”

“I suppose we shall see,” Andrina said, standing up to clear the table. She looked at Katerina. “I do believe you are supposed to help me with dishes.”

Mary stood in her place. “Katerina will help you in the mornings as arranged, but I will help at other times. I am a servant, and Katerina is the lady of the keep.” She began clearing the table then, and Katerina nodded at her, pleased that Mary was willing to immediately stand up for her as she had.

The others left Mary with Andrina and Mungo and went upstairs to talk about their strategies for the next morning. “According to Mungo, they plan to start me with the weakest opponent and gradually have me work through to the strongest. The clan thinks that by the time I get to the strongest, I will be too tired from previous fights to handle him well.”

“That sounds like a good strategy,” Robert said with a frown. “I would think they would want a man who could ensure they did not starve to be their laird. There is something wrong with those people.”

Braden shook his head. “Think about it. If you were told that Scots were coming down to take over England, would you immediately trust them? Even if they did something good? We are going to have to work hard to prove ourselves.”

“You would think the crops would have started us along the path to proving ourselves.” Alex got to his feet and began to pace. “Robert, you need to be watching the hand-to-hand combat every morning. You need to be ready to make the men fly through the air from a punch if necessary.”

Robert nodded emphatically. “And Mother will need to be there, because her wind can help if nothing else.”

Lina nodded. “I hate the idea of watching my grandson fighting, but there really is not a choice.” She took the bag of herbs she had brought and carefully put a pinch into a glass of water, handing Braden the glass. “This will help your stamina, strength, and healing. I will not risk you for leadership of this clan.”

Alex looked at Braden. “Did you find out if we will be required to leave if you lose one of the fights?”

“Mungo said it would be up to the winner of the fight whether we would have to leave. I think we could convince whomever it was of our usefulness if it came to that, but this clan may not be the one we want to be a part of. It might be better for us to go off and start our own clan.”

“That seems to be what we are doing here. Starting our own,” Robert said softly. “We will see how it goes, and you will receive help on the morrow whether you think you need it or not. The stronger you start out, the less will be willing to fight you. That is the hope anyway.”

Braden nodded. “All right. We will make it through this.”

“Aye, we will.” Katerina moved over to Braden and linked her fingers with his. “We are all together on this.”

Braden brought her fingers to his lips, kissing them softly. “I know I can do anything with you at my side,” he said softly.

The others made their excuses and left, and Katerina told Braden how very frightened she was by the situation they faced. “This is a clan made up of misfits and men who have no rules. I worry that one will do something when you are not looking.”

“We will do our best. It is all we can do.”

She wrapped her arms around him and held him, hoping it would not be the last time. She was almost as worried for their safety in Scotland as she had been in England.

* * *

The following morning came too quickly for Katerina. She woke in Braden’s arms, as he was starting to stir. “Is it time already?” she asked softly.

“It is. I need to get ready for this first fight. I do not look forward to it.”

“You will not wear your armor?”

“Armor would do no good. It would slow me down. With hand-to-hand combat, much of the battle is made up of speed. I will do better without.”

She knelt on the bed watching him dress, wearing nothing but a nervous look. “How can I help you?”

“Sit with my mother and grandmother and keep them from worrying too much. That is all I can ask or expect of you.”

Katerina nodded, getting out of bed to dress. “We need to get me a dress that does not look so English.”

“Aye, we do. The people will not accept us until we look, talk, and act like them. I pray that we can take care of all of that very soon.”

She walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Stay safe. I need you in one piece.”

“I will come back to you. We need to have our seven sons, after all.”

His words reminded her that she could already be expecting a child. “Aye, we do. Your parents would never forgive me if we stopped short of the goal.” She grinned at him, stepping back to pull on her shift. She worried, but she could not let it show too much. She did not want him thinking about her when he should be concentrating on his opponent.

After a quick meal, they joined his parents and grandparents in front of the keep. The clansmen were slowly starting to gather as well, and one of the men stepped forward. He looked very strong to Katerina, and she worried if he was the weakest what their strongest would look like.

As she looked around at the other men gathered, she realized he was the strongest-looking. Mayhap Mungo had told Braden that he would start by fighting the weakest to make him worry about what was to come.

The two men stepped forward and Mungo counted down for them to start their fight. Braden and the other man circled each other, and the other man went for Braden’s middle. With a flick of Robert’s finger, the man missed and went sprawling on the ground, surprising everyone watching. He got back to his feet, and with one punch from Braden, the man went flying, falling onto his back with the wind knocked out of him. He did not get back up.

Mungo stared at Braden in shock. “The first round goes to our laird!” He said the words first in English and then in Gaelic. “We will meet here on the morrow for the second challenger.”

Braden looked at his father and frowned. That had been too easy, and he did not want anyone to suspect that there was magic at play. He prayed that no one would notice the champion had barely been touched.

He went back into the keep with Katerina, watching as his parents and grandparents went off in their own directions. He would talk to them that evening about letting him at least do a little fighting. He had not even done enough to scrape his knuckles.

After praying with his wife to thank God for his help in combat, he went to see Mungo and find out what else was on the agenda for the day.

Katerina joined Andrina in the kitchen and immediately started washing the dishes and giving the Gaelic word for each thing she touched. Then she went through and gave the Gaelic word for all the foods she could see. Andrina began to teach her more difficult words then. The woman still watched her oddly, but Katerina did not care. She was going to be as sweet as honey, while the woman acted like a viper.

* * *

When Katerina left the keep after lunch to report to Lady Lina, she felt the whispers following her. She waved as she walked, being friendly with everyone she saw. She knew why people whispered, and she hoped that people would know her family was powerful and not be willing to cross them.

When she reached Lina’s cottage, she knocked, hearing voices coming from inside. Alex let her in with a smile. “Your friend is here, and her baby is already much improved. I think we are carving out a place for ourselves here.”

“That is good because it does not seem as if the people want us even now.”

Arlene picked up her baby and hurried over to Katerina. She spoke in fast Gaelic, smiling at Katerina. Alex translated for her. “Thank you for taking the time to help my baby. I will be your friend always.”

Katerina smiled and hugged the other girl. “I am glad Elspeth is getting better.”

Arlene hurried away after the words were translated, and Katerina sighed. “I need to learn Gaelic more quickly. Andrina is teaching me words, but no phrases.”

“We will work on some new phrases during supper tonight. We all need to be able to speak Gaelic fluently as soon as possible.”

Lina started her lessons then, showing Katerina how to mix potions, and explaining how to diagnose and heal common ailments. Katerina was glad there were notes that would one day be hers, because all of the information was complicated. At least Lina had drawn a picture of each different plant, so Katerina would know what she was looking for when she hunted for ingredients.

She had never imagined herself as a healer, but after a day of learning, she knew that it was her future. She could feel it inside her. Becoming a healer was no longer just something she would do for her clan. It was something she would do because she knew it was the best way for her to feel fulfilled and happy.