Katie sniffed and raised her chin. “He sounds like a dreadful man. A brute and a bully.”
Evan shook his head. “Nay. He was a mon, a real mon.”
Oh, how she hated his superior attitude! He had no idea how hard things had been for Gavin with Da ignoring him all the time. Perchance she did mother him a bit, but trying to be both mum and da to the lad had been a challenge.
Evan glanced in her direction. “If ye dinnae change some of the things the lad does, I guarantee he will be bullied by the other lads. In fact, I’m sure he is already.”
Katie shook her head. “Nay. He dinnae like playing with the other lads. He prefers to stay in his room and read his books.”
Evan smacked himself on his forehead. “Lass, dinnae ye see what yer doing to the lad? He prefers to stay in his room because the other lads make fun of him.”
That took all the wind out of her. Not just his words but the niggling thought at the back of her mind that he might be right about her beloved brother. She hated how this gruff man made those fears rush back at her. “Ye dinnae ken what yer talking about.”
He shrugged as they made their way up a lengthy path to another tenant cottage. This one was set back from the main road. Herbs of every type grew in the entire front area of the house. Katie recognized many of them as being medicinal herbs, along with plants used in cooking
. The woman who lived here must be a healer.
Calling an unspoken truce while they made their visit, she and Evan stepped up to the front door and knocked. Within moments the door opened to an older woman with a bright smile on her aged face. Long white hair streamed over her shoulders and down her back. But the blue eyes were youthful, sharp. “I saw ye coming from my window. I heard ye are the new laird and are making visits to all the tenants.” She stepped back. “Please come in. I have tea and fresh-made scones for ye.”
The house was small, probably smaller than any other they’d visited. It was clean and uncluttered. Wonderful smells came from the table set in the center of the room. Since she and Evan had not notified the tenants of their schedule, Katie was certain this woman had set her table when Evan had first arrived, just waiting for him to visit.
“I am Mary MacCabe.” She turned and offered a smile to Katie. Crooked teeth, several missing, but a pleasant smile nonetheless. “Not a MacDuff. I fled from my clan many years ago, and the MacDuff took me in because of my healing skills.”
Since it was not their place to question Mistress MacCabe as to why she’d fled her clan, and Katie was especially uneasy with the subject, they both just smiled and nodded. “’Tis a pleasure to meet ye, Mistress MacCabe. I am Mistress Katie Stirling, and this is Laird Evan MacNeil.”
“Aye, I ken yer were making yer visits.” She waved to the table. “I will be honored if ye will take a bit of tea with me.”
“’Tis a pleasure to meet you, as well, Mistress MacCabe.” Evan followed her the few steps to the table, where they both sat. Mistress MacCabe took a pot of boiling water from the fireplace and poured it into a very pretty blue-and-white flowered teapot. The aroma that immediately wafted from the teapot filled the entire space. Lovely. Katie sniffed. Most likely tea combined with lavender and a touch of chamomile.
Once Mistress MacCabe sat, she waved at the plate of luscious-looking scones. “Please, have some of my special scones. I sell them every Saturday at the marketplace.”
Katie had to keep from moaning as the burst of sugar, cinnamon, and another flavor she couldn’t identify filled her mouth. “This is indeed delicious, mistress.”
The woman dipped her head in acknowledgment, as if she expected nothing less. Evan also finished one scone in only a few bites and then reached for another one. “Mistress Stirling is correct; these are truly wonderful.”
“Thank ye. I will send some up to the castle.” She leaned in close to Katie. “Yer cook is a fine one, but her scones do not hold up against mine.” She winked. Katie truly liked Mistress MacCabe.
…
Evan licked his lips and eyed the remaining scones on the plate. He’d already had three and could certainly find room for another one, but he didn’t want to eat the poor woman out of her house.
Mistress MacCabe was a cheerful sort. Lively blue eyes belied the wrinkles on her face. Her home was small but tidy. Various smells from drying herbs hanging from the ceiling gave it a cozy warmth, reminding him of the MacNeil kitchen where Cook always had rows and rows of herbs. She also had fruit or meat pies and other treats for a lad who used to sneak into the kitchen to swipe some treats. Those memories also brought back a longing to return home.
Before he could think twice, his traitorous hand reached out and grabbed another scone. Katie grinned at him, and he grinned back as he took a large bite.
’Twas good to see the lass smile at him. They’d gotten into quite a heated exchange over her brother. As he watched her compare notes with Mistress MacCabe on various herbs used for medicinal purposes, his mind returned to their conversation. ’Twas a sad day when a mon did not take an interest in his own bairns. ’Twas one thing to suffer when yer wife passes, but to ignore the child because of yer grief was no excuse for a mon at all.
At least while he was still at Fife, he could take the lad under his wing. Get him started training with a broadsword. Even though there was no need to prepare for battle, since the Sassenachs had taken over everything in Scotland, ’twas still a handy thing to know. A mon never knew when the need would arise to protect himself.
He glanced at the small wooden clock on the fireplace mantle and pushed his chair back. “I’m afraid we must take our leave. We have other calls to make.”
So deep in conversation were the two women that they looked up in surprise to see him sitting there. Katie and Mrs. MacCabe slowly stood, still chatting away. They linked arms as they strolled to the doorway, heads down. Instant friends, it appeared.
“I will call for ye in a couple of days to make the visit to Freya. The poor thing is quite nervous, this being her first bairn. ’Twill make her feel better to ken that there will be two of us when the time comes, which as I said before, will be soon.”
The two women hugged like old friends, and Evan and Katie mounted their horses to ride away from the house. “What was that all about?” he asked as he directed his horse to the left to visit the next cottage.
“Were ye not listening?”