Page 118 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
Davie lent her a cloak to wear, since the nights were beginning to cool down, then he looked at the little woman who was about to try to support the big man all by herself. Had Norah known it, all the men admired her greatly for her fighting spirit, determination, and most of all her refusal to give up in the face of enormous odds.
Now she was about to prove herself once more. Her shoulders still ached from half-carrying Tearlach for miles, but she told herself that if she had done it once she could do it again. One thing that no one could fault her for was her stubbornness.
“Let us help ye,” Tommy told her. “A wee thing like you is too weak for this, Norah, an’ I can see your shoulders are still hurtin’ fae the last time. Ye can walk beside us an’ talk to him. That will keep his spirits up.”
Norah sighed and nodded slowly. This made sense.
Shortly before they left, Tearlach called Norah to his side. She could see that he was still in pain, since he winced every time he moved his arm or his shoulder came into contact with a hard surface. They had nothing left to kill the pain with, since Tommy had used the last of the poppy syrup and the rest of the whisky.
Norah lamented that the season for wild poppies was over. These were not the strong kind that put a person to sleep, but the field poppies that grew in spring with the corn, barley and wheat. Caitrin had taught her how to make a soothing syrup from them, the kind that Tommy had just used. If only it was still summer!
“The men will help me along, if they have to,” Tearlach said gently, “but I still think ye should leave me behind, Norah. I am nae use to ye if I cannae run away.”
“No.” She shook her head and glared at him. “If I have to drag you along by myself I will do it, Tearlach. You know I have done it before.”
Tearlach grinned at her, unable to help himself. “You are a mad woman, Norah,” he said fondly, “but I am glad I found ye again.” Then he kissed her.
If anything could have lifted Norah’s spirits more, it was that kiss. Tearlach might have been injured and weakened, but ironically he still had the capacity to make her feel safe. Now, however, she knew that he needed her too. She rubbed her palms over the rough hair of his beard, thinking that it was growing too long, then she chastised herself for her frivolous notion at a time like this.
His tongue was tangling with hers, his lips soft and caressing, and Norah was slowly being lulled to a gentle state of calm, which ended abruptly when Tommy came up behind them.
“Come on, ye two!” he bellowed. “There’s nae time for this! We need to get goin’.”
They sprang apart, and a moment later they were on their way. Fortunately, with two men supporting Tearlach, they would be able to make the journey to the horses more quickly. The marshes were a nuisance, but they deterred the redcoats from coming near their shelter. Now, however, their advantage had been turned against them, since the enemy was on the same side of them as the horses.
“I wish Rory was there,” Tearlach groaned as he stumbled along. “He could have outrun any of them.”
“You will see him again.” Norah’s voice was soothing.
Tearlach said nothing, but screwed up his face in pain once more. They stumbled forward a few more yards before he fell forward on his knees, almost taking Davie and Norah with him.
“This is nae good,” Tearlach said hoarsely. “Ye will have to go without me, Norah. I am holdin’ ye back, an’ it is better that they should take only one of us than all of us. I am bein’ selfish, allowin’ ye to dae this. It is better for all of ye that ye should leave me behind.”
“No!” Norah hissed. “Not in a thousand years, Tearlach. You are staying with me!”
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“We will take ye to the edge o’ the marshes,” Davie said firmly. “Ye can sit down there for a while, Tearlach.”
Tearlach nodded, then grimaced as the two men pulled him to his feet again. When they reached the soggy grass they set him down gently and moved away so that he and Norah could speak quietly on their own for a moment or two.
“I have been so thoughtless, Norah,” he said again. He fell back onto the grass and grimaced again, gritting his teeth in anguish. “Not only about this, but about somethin’ that concerns you too. These past weeks I have been thinkin’ about nobody but myself, an’ I am so ashamed.”
Norah looked at him fearfully. “Tearlach, what are you talking about?” she asked, mystified. “If you mean you are ashamed for involving me in this situation, remember that I wanted to be involved, and Caitrin would not have thanked me for throwing you out of her house. She is very, very proudly Scottish, as you know.” Then her face fell. “The one thing I regret is not beingable to see her and tell her where we were going. I hope she doesn’t think we went away on some selfish mission of our own.”
“Caitrin is safer without me,” Tearlach said grimly. “Ye both are. Let me leave then ye can go back an’ live in peace wi’ that kind old lady, Norah. She loves you so much. She is like a grandmother to you, an’ ye have said it yourself.”
Norah thought for a moment. “Yes, and I have grown to love her too, Tearlach,” she agreed. She took one of his big hands in her small one and rubbed her thumb along his palm, thinking. “But I don’t understand why you are being so hard on yourself. Why do you think so badly of yourself?”
Tearlach turned his hand around and looked at Norah’s, which he was now cradling tenderly in both of his. It was so small. He kissed her palm before looking up at her, and the intensity of his green eyes mesmerized her for a moment. His gaze roamed all over her face as if he was trying to commit every feature and every line of it to memory, which in fact he was. He wanted to be able to remember every detail of her in the lonely years ahead.
He knew that after his confession Norah would likely never want to see him again, which made matters easier in a way. Once he told her who she was waiting for, she would despise him and let him go. That might break his heart, but it would be easier for everyone in the long run, and a broken heart would mend in time - or at least he hoped so.
He took a deep breath and looked down at their joined hands as he began to speak.
“Norah,” he said hesitantly, “I have been lyin’ to ye. The reason ye found me in Rosblane was not because we just happened to be there at the same time.” His gaze moved up to meet hers againand he felt his heart skip a beat as he softly said , “I had heard fae a woman in a village nearby that was a lassie who looked like you had been seen in Rosblane. She said she had heard that ye talked posh, like, an’ there was a story goin’ about that ye had run away fae your own weddin’. She didnae know your name, but she had heard ye had beautiful eyes, an’ as soon as I heard that I knew it had to be you.”
He sighed and looked down at their joined hands again. “But I had to find out. I had to make sure for myself. When I saw ye again I-I couldnae believe it. When I left Dunnaird ye were just a wee thing - well, not like ye are now, anyway. Now ye are a woman, an’ ye are lovelier than ever. I thought I could see ye again an’ still be able to walk away fae you, but I am findin’ that it is much harder than I thought it would be. Forgive me, Norah. This is all my fault. The best thing ye can dae is leave me behind, because that is what I deserve, an’ I will be at peace knowing that there is somethin’ I have done right.”
