A Hellion for the Highlander

“Dinnae worry, Jamie,” Annys assured him. “The other man, Mr. Cunningham, he stayed for days, but he left just like the rest as well!”

What does that mean? Have they been scarin’ people off? Why?

He took a step forward to hear better and flinched as a crack sounded too-loudly through the air. Alexander looked down, cursing as he saw the large stick that had just snapped under his foot.

When he looked up again, both twins were watching him with identical expressions of surprise. Then they were hurrying towards him before he had a moment to think.

“Are ye spyin’ on us, Mr. Laird?” Annys asked curiously, her wide eyes—so similar to her sister’s that it was a little unnerving—staring up at him.

“What do ye think ye’ll find out?” Jamie added, folding his arms. “We dinnae ken much.”

Alexander almost dismissed them, but then he thought about it a little harder. Yes, they were very young, but…

Who else would ken better what Cicilia is up to than her own wee siblings?

“Well,” he said cautiously. “If ye dinnae ken much, then I guess ye cannae tell me anythin’.”

“Hang on!” Annys protested, elbowing Jamie. “It is nae that we dinnae ken. We’re right smart for bairns o’ eight, ye ken. I can read in English, Gaelic, an’ I ken some Latin an’ Greek.”

“Oh?” Alexander said, pretending to be uninterested. “Is that so? And who would have taught a farmer’s bairns all o’ that?”

“Me daddy taught us, and now Cil teaches us!” Jamie told him excitedly. “She’s right smart. She can do lots o’ things, like numbers an’ languages an’—”

But then he clammed up, and the twins exchanged significant looks.

“—an’ then nay more,” Annys finished.

Aye, ‘cause that’s nae suspicious at all. Why would Cicilia be their teacher?

He knew he had to approach it carefully because if he scared the children off, or made them suspicious, they’d tell him nothing. So instead, he pretended to change the subject entirely. “It’s an awfie big farm, dinnae ye think so?”

“It’s right big!” Jamie agreed. “We’ve got pigs an’ cows an’ sheep!”

“An’ dinnae forget chickens!” Annys added, caught up in the excitement now. “An’ some ducks an’ there are some nasty geese tha’ live in our pond, but they dinnae do anythin’ terrible if we leave their babies alone.”

“That’s a lot o’ animals,” Alexander said with a wise nod. “An’ how does the farmer keep track o’ everythin’? That’s an awfie lot for one person to remember.”

Annys nodded. “Aye, tha’s why there’s the book!”

It was like a bolt of lightning down his spine. A book? What book? Did it contain the secrets and information he was looking for?

Have I made a breakthrough at last?

“Can ye two smart bairns tell me more about this book?” he pressed.

Jamie and Annys looked at each other. Then Jamie said, “Well, we’re nae really supposed to talk about the ledger, but I guess if ye won the information, then we wouldnae be breakin’ any rules.”

“Aye,” Annys said, nodding happily. “That’s smart, Jamie. Daddy always said tha’ a man was only as good as how well he keeps a bet!”

Said? Past tense?

But before he could ask, the twins seemed to come to a decision. “All right,” Jamie said decisively. “If ye can beat us at hide an’ seek, then we’ll tell ye all about the book.”

Alexander groaned internally. He didn’t have time for childish games, especially ones that would take him in and out of dirty farm buildings and, no doubt, leave him exhausted. But outwardly, he just smiled. “Aye, all right, then.”

“We warn ye,” Annys cautioned. “Me an’ Jamie are the best in the world at hide an’ seek!”

“So, if I find you both, you tell me about the book?” Alexander asked her.