“Verra imaginative.” He snorted. “If all is well for now with yer patient, I would like to continue with our visits.”
“Aye.” Katie stood, her long, delicate fingers working the fur on the kitten, bringing his thoughts back to where he didn’t want them to be. He continued to stare at her hands, imagining them running over his naked skin, until her words broke into his wandering. “I will bring Midnight to Cook and see if she can fix up a blanket or basket for the kitten to sleep in. I will also see if she can find a few girls from the village to clean Mrs. MacDuff’s house. ’Twould be a pity to send her back there newly recovered from an illness.”
His attention returned to her face, and he realized that once again he was in an awkward position with her, so he gave her a curt nod and remained in his seat. Blasted hell! This could not continue. He must get everything here in order and then leave for Argyll, where sanity would prevail.
He had gained control of himself by the time she returned. He stood and they headed toward the door. She turned to say something to him when the front door burst open, and she stepped back, crashing into his chest. Two men stood there, breathing heavily. The likeness in their features and difference in their ages marked them as da and son.
“Aye, great to see ye, Mistress Stirling. We finally made it, but I’m afraid Archie’s wagon broke down a few miles back, and he needs help in getting his family here.”
“Oh, goodness. Yes, we must help him.” She turned to Evan. “I cannot leave them on the road, Evan. We must help them. Archie and his wife, Glenda, have several children, and the wee ones will be needing a warm place since ’tis quite cold today.”
Evan ground his teeth. Another delay. “I thought ye said ye told yer people to wait a sennight before starting out.”
“I did. But it looks like they didn’t listen.” Her back stiffened and she glared at him.
He sighed. “Perhaps we can find Alasdair. I dinnae ken what the mon is doing that he’s never around, but if he can help yer people, we can continue with our tenant visits.”
“Oh, nay.” She shook her head furiously as she wrapped her shawl around her body and followed the two men down the pathway, with Evan trailing behind her again, like a besotted puppy. “That wouldn’t work. The little ones will be scared unless I arrive to help them. There are so many of them, ’twould probably be better to ease their wee minds. ’Tis a strange place for them, remember.”
So many of them? That had him breaking into a sweat. “Exactly how many bairns do Archie and his wife have?”
“Eleven.”
Chapter Nine
Were Evan not a braw man, Katie was certain he would have fainted at her words. He did turn quite pale, and his eyes grew so wide, she thought they would pop from his head.
“Eleven, did ye say, lass? Eleven bairns?”
“Aye. But they’re not all wee ones. A few of them are older.” She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable command to march herself and everyone else back to Stirlingshire. That would not happen.
Instead, Evan ran his hand down his face. “Do what ye need to do, lass; I will be in the library waiting for ye so we can resume our visits.”
She didn’t have the heart—or nerve—to tell him the visits would probably not resume this day. Getting the large family settled, checking on wee Agnes and poor Mrs. MacDuff… She would have her hands full. Better to let him wait for her in the library before he realized she would not be joining him anytime soon.
“What’s this I found along the road?” A grinning Alasdair arrived at the front door with two little lads under his arms. They were laughing and joking and as lively as four-year-old twin boys could be. Katie couldn’t help but smile at the two Stirling sons.
“One of my families has arrived and are needing assistance getting to the castle. Where did ye find these two?”
Alasdair looked down at the wiggling boys. “They were chasing after me when I left the stable. There’s a stream of them following, bairns of all ages.”
“Aye. ’Tis one of the Stirling families. Archie and his wife, Glenda. The poor family is stuck a few miles away in a broken wagon.”
“Are there no means of transport for yer clan that would last the entire journey, then?” Alasdair smirked and set Lester and David down, the boys immediately whooping and hollering as they chased each other in a circle around Katie and Alasdair.
“Nay. I’m afraid not. Too many of our wagons and carts were in poor shape. But now I must assist Glenda and Archie in getting them settled here in the castle.”
“’Tis getting pretty crowded. Perhaps one of the cottages would be better?”
“Aye, but Evan and I just started checking with the tenants to see if any cottages were vacant when I had to tend to one of the MacDuff women who is suffering from an ague.”
“I’ll be happy to help ye, Mistress Stirling. I saw a fairly sturdy cart at the back of the stable. I can drive it to the unfortunate folks and get them settled.”
Katie loved everything about Alasdair: his thoughtfulness, kindness, and willingness to help. But he didn’t give her the shivers the way his brother did. A mere look from Evan’s deep-green eyes caused strange feelings to erupt in her middle and her breath to begin to catch. ’Twas not something she was happy about, but for whatever reason, there it was.
“Who are these two devils?” Evan stood in front of Katie, the Stirling twins dangling from his large hands. He had them both by the collar of their shirts. “I found them chasing the blasted kitten around the library.”
“They are Lester and David Stirling, my laird. Two of Archie and Glenda’s bairns.” Katie did not care for the look on Evan’s face and was concerned he was about to bang the lads’ heads together. The boys were treating the laird’s handling of them as a fine joke and no more than a bit of play.