Page 51 of Promises to Keep

Lizbeth said, “Yer sister has passed from this earth, early last year, Madame Greer.”

“Och nae,” she stared wistfully from the window at the pouring rain, “it feels as if she is right here sometimes, with her nitpicking and her insults.”

Lizbeth nodded. “I ken she was a constant source of trouble tae yer heart, though, as a kind and loving woman, ye miss her desperately. Ye always did take the righteous road.”

Madame Greer dabbed at her eyes.

I said, “I brought you some more candles and matches.” I had a bundle of candles wrapped in string. I placed them in front of her. “And a new lantern.” I showed her how to open the metal door, put a candle inside, and gave her some boxes of wooden, emergency matches.

I lit a match, put the flame to the wick of the candle, and closed the lantern door.

Her sighed. “It does turn away the darkness!” She opened the door and blew the candle out. “I must use it verra sparingly though.” She put the new matches inside of a small box and while the lid was opened I glimpsed matches lined in orderly rows.

I said, “If you run out, Madame Greer, please tell Lizbeth and she will get more for you.”

“Oh? That is wonderful, ye both always think of me.”

Our visit was short, as Madame Greer grew tired — the rain began to come down in a torrent. And then there was a man’s voice outside, “Lizbeth! Kaitlyn!”

We opened the front door to see Magnus and Liam on horses.

Magnus was cloaked and dark. “We came tae give ye a ride back tae the castle as ye arna salmon, ye canna swim upstream.”

Lizbeth and I wrapped up in our tartans and Magnus and Liam pulled us up onto the front of their horses, and we traveled much faster up the path to the castle than we had traveled down, but were still so drenched by the end that we had to go to our bedrooms to change into dry clothes.

CHAPTER 28 - KAITLYN

The night was dark, the rain and gloom of the day drew the night close long before we were ready. We sat in the Great Hall for the meal, but the chill was settled on us from all around, we huddled at one end of the table and talked and drank and complained about the cold.

It was gloomy except for our laughter.

Then a herald entered and came to whisper in Sean’s ear. Sean announced, “Lady Mairead and a large party hae arrived.”

Liam jumped up to inform the Earl, while the rest of us went to stand under the archway to greet her horse-drawn carriage in the driving rain.

A footman held an umbrella over her head as she stepped out. She met us in the covered area and then we walked into the castle down the galleries to the Great Hall as Magnus said, “What are ye thinking, Lady Mairead, traveling in this rain?”

She said, “Ye ought tae blame the rain, this interminable rain, other than yer mother. What am I but someone who must get from one place tae another? If I waited for the rain tae cease I would never go anywhere.”

She swept down the hall and settled in the chair at the right of the head of the table.

I said to Magnus as we followed. “This is good news right, she’s safe?”

He looked thoughtful. “It might be.”

The Earl bustled in, his wig crooked, his clothes disheveled from quickly pulling them on. “Lady Mairead!”

Her brow arched. “Ye are in bed already, John?”

“Nae, there is much tae do, I am just... nae, I was in m’rooms, there has been a ruckus about with the men brawling at all hours, keeping us awake.”

“Who on earth is brawling? Nae Magnus?”

Magnus chuckled. “Why, whenever brawling is suspected, does everyone assume tis Young Magnus? I haena brawled all week!”

We all laughed.

Sean said, “Twas Young Lochie.” He gestured toward Lochinvar.

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