Page 102 of Promises to Keep

I tried tae touch the ground between my toes and with strainin’ got my fingertips tae graze the mat.

Kaitlyn had her hands on her hips, her head cocked to the side. “Well, it’s a start.”

I joked, “I hae a great big piece of m’body up front here, at the fold, tis difficult tae get past it.”

Kaitlyn teasingly huffed. “That’s your excuse?”

Lochie tried to bend forward again. “Tis my excuse as well.”

I said, “Ye canna use that excuse in front of m’wife, Lochie, yer excuse is that ye arna good at it.”

We all laughed.

CHAPTER 49 - KAITLYN

We finished our workout and then went in for smoothies and granola bowls then Magnus requested eggs and then bacon and toast, and then joked, “We had a starvation breakfast topped with the usual ordinary breakfast.”

And Zach joked back, “It was a nutritious, light breakfast topped with too much food for second breakfast.”

Lochinvar said, licking his fingers, “I verra much like the idea of second breakfast, if ye daena get up from the table between tis just one verra long meal.”

Fraoch and James came in from fishing then.

Fraoch said, “Ye are having second breakfast without me?”

Chef Zach said, “First breakfast devolved into second breakfast without anyone getting up from the table.”

Fraoch rubbed his hands together happily.

While we were eating, Lady Mairead shuffled into the room, wearing a thick robe. She looked like a hospital patient who shouldn’t be out of bed.

We all went quiet. She raised her chin, and slowly made it to the closest chair, the one that had James in it. He jumped up, “Pardon me, Ma’am.” He pulled the chair out and once she sat down, pushed her chair in, while Sophie busily removed James’s dishes.

Lady Mairead asked for oatmeal with fruit and brown sugar, Zach rushed away to the kitchen yet again. Emma placed a handful of vitamins beside her napkin.

Magnus nodded at Lady Mairead. “Tis good ye are out of bed.”

“I am nae sure how long I will manage it, but I thought ye might want tae see that I am recovering and I will be well soon.”

She unfurled the napkin and pressed it across her lap.

After she quietly ate, she stiffly rose from the table, “I am tired, Sophie, will ye attend me tae my room?” Sophie jumped up from her chair and took her arm and supported her as she left down the hall.

Emma watched them go. “I’m running to the store, I will grab some hair dye for Lady Mairead, anything else?” And we began making a list.

* * *

Later that afternoon, it was up to me to take a cup of tea to Lady Mairead because no one else wanted the job. I took a deep breath and carried it in, placing it on the bedside table, “Emma sent it.”

I turned to go, but she said, “Would you sit, please, Kaitlyn?”

I sat in the chair beside her bed. She was leaning on a bank of pillows that had a towel draped over them to protect them from the auburn-colored hair dye that Beaty and Sophie had applied.

She daintily took the cup to her lips and sipped.

I asked, “How are you?”

“I am recoverin’, Kaitlyn, twas a verra dark time.”

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