Page 112 of The Dawn

Then she turned to our end of the table and looked directly at Lochinvar. “I am Lady Mairead, ye look familiar. How do I know ye?”

“Nae, I daena believe we hae met.”

“Ye hae a verra familiar look about yer eyes, ye remind me of someone, dost ye ken a man named Donnan?”

He shook his head. “Nae, Lady Mairead.” He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

She sipped from her wine. “Ye are a Campbell?”

“Aye, Lady Mairead.”

Then she set her sights on me. “And yer lands are...?”

I stammered. “Um…Florida…?”

“The New World? Are ye a Spaniard?”

“No, um...” I said, “My last name is MacNeil.”

From the corner of my eye I saw Lochinvar bite his lip.

The Earl said, “Dost ye ken Neil Og MacNeil? I met him in Edinburgh last summer.”

“Neil… no, I don’t know... not certain.” Everyone was staring, I should have been more careful, but I decided that the best way to get the attention off was to dig the hole deeper. “My father’s name is Tom MacNeil, maybe you met him at... um... he likes to golf...?”

“Golf! Och aye, I love tae golf. I play whenever I am at Stirling.”

Lady Mairead leaned forward. “Ye hae a verra interesting accent, does everyone speak like that from the New World?”

I nodded, but was uncertain what to say so I mumbled, “Yes.”

“And how much land does yer family hae and what is their primary source of income?”

I said, “A great deal of... um... land, they now spend most of their time in a place called, um, North Carolina...”

She said, “I hae just heard of the naming of Carolina, fascinating — I heard twas a wilderness though, and ye seem tae hae fine manners, how does such a fine lady hail from Carolina?”

“I... um....”

“Yer father must hae a great deal of wealth tae live in the New World with his young daughter.”

The Earl asked, “Why would ye think so, Mairead?”

“Because ye must hae wealth tae hae safety.” She all but rolled her eyes. “Ye hold yer wealth, brother, and are safe because of the strength of yer walls, and the men who are loyal tae ye. Everyone kens it.”

She turned to me, blinking, waiting for an answer.

I said, “He was... I mean,isa doctor.”

She blinked some more, then her mouth drew down. “A physician? A physician who went tae the New World — whatever on earth for?”

I smiled. “The beaches?”

She continued blinking.

Lochie said, “I hae seen the beaches of the New World, they are verra beautiful, Lady Mairead. Ye can stand on the sand and look across the ocean and ye ken there is Scotland on the other end of the water. Tis thrilling. The sky is always blue, and there are riches beyond yer imagination.”

She said, “Really? Och, it does sound lovely, is the sea voyage verra grueling?”

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