Page 44 of Wild Highland Rose
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he hurried away, relieved to have escaped with most of his hide still intact. Yes sir, short of returning to the twenty-first century, fishing was just what he needed right now. He only hoped Scottish fish liked oatcakes.
Men were all goats.Well, most men…some men…one man.
Marjory turned the crank on the quern with a vigorous hand. Each bit of grain ground to meal she pictured as a part of Ewen's body. First she'd grind his hands, then his arms, then his legs, and last…last she'd grind his head. She dumped more barley into the hand-mill. Oh yes, she'd grind him into fine bits.
"Marjory, lass, slow down. Yer grinding enough meal to last us a fortnight, if the weevils dinna get at it first."
Marjory looked up from the mill. Grania sat at a nearby work table, placidly peeling carrots. "How can you possibly know how much I've ground?"
Grania smiled. "Child, I may no' be able to see, but I know the amount of time it takes to grind the wee bit o' meal we need fer the bannocks. Ye've been at it fer a good long while. 'Twould no' take a pair of eyes to know that yer no' concentrating on yer task. What ails ye?"
Marjory gathered the barley flour into a large wooden bowl. "What makes you think there's something wrong?"
"I know ye, Marjory Macpherson. Now talk to me."
Marjory sighed and sat on a bench by the table. "'Tis Ewen. He hasna changed at all."
"I suspect that few men do what we expect o' them."
"'Tis more than that. I truly thought he was different than before, but this morning he proved to me that he is still the old Ewen Cameron through and through." She bit her lip, then in a quiet voice related the morning's humiliation.
"And yer sure ye saw the situation as it really was?"
"I dinna follow."
Grania put the bowl with the peeled carrots on the table and leaned forward, reaching unerringly for Marjory's hand. "I mean, child, that when our pride is involved we often dinna see clearly. From the way ye tell the tale it seems possible that Ewen was as surprised as you to see Aida in his chamber."
"But she was standing there in, well, in nothing."
"Aye, but a woman with no' scruples will use any trick in the book to get a man. And if ever there were a woman like that 'tis Aida Macvail."
"But he was naked, too, save for his trews." Marjory pulled her hand away, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Aye, so he was. But tell me, lass, what was he wearing when ye left him?"
"The same, but I dinna see how…"
Grania motioned Marjory into silence. "And where did ye leave him?"
"In my chamber." She felt hot color wash across her face and was relieved Grania couldn't see it.
"So, let me see if I have this right. Ye leave a sleeping Ewen in yer bed to go and fetch some food fer the two o' you…"
Marjory nodded, and then catching herself, answered verbally. "Aye."
"How long do ye suppose ye were gone?"
"No' long at all. I went down to the kitchen, got some oatcakes and barley bannocks and brought them back to the chamber." She leaned forward, wondering what Grania was getting at.
"So then, yer saying in that short period of time, Ewen woke up, went to his chamber, summoned Aida, got her undressed, and was about to bed her when ye walked in?"
"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound a bit far-fetched. But I saw it myself."
"Nay, lass, ye saw Aida, naked, trying to climb into bed with Ewen, who was dressed as ye'd seen him last. And when ye add to that the fact that he ran to yer side the minute ye saw what was happening, I think ye have quite a different picture."
"He was just helping with the spilled food."
"Ah, he was helping you. Now that's certainly a trait the old Ewen Cameron was known fer."
