Page 21 of A Merry MacNaughton
Calum led thespare horse behind him, loaded with buns, salt, and silver coins. He hummed a little ditty as his gelding plowed through the snow. He would arrive late tomorrow afternoon. The plan hinged on locating Malachi without Peigi’s knowledge.
He passed through the village of Dunderave, greeting the tenants and assuring them that the MacNaughton and Madam would be visiting on the first day of the new year. He checked on Enid’s sister and niece. The pup was doing fine, though some socks and a pair of boots had not fared as well. His actual destination, Reverend Robertson’s home, was his last stop before leaving the glen. He motioned for the deerhound to remain by the horses.
The minister opened the door and smiled a welcome. “Why Calum, it is grand to see ye. Come in, come in.” He stepped aside and ushered his guest inside. They sat before the hearth, a peat fire glowing in the grate. The walls were made of stacked stone, and flagstone had been dug into the packed earthen floor. Wealth was not a priority in this household.
“Is Rob back?” A round woman, dark brown eyes and hair piled on her head beneath a kertch, bustled into the main room of the small cottage. “Why, Calum, I thought ye were our son. Let me get some tea to warm yer bones.”
“Nay, Mrs. Robertson, I canna stay. I’m on my way to Castle Craigg and need to ask a favor.”
The shock in the couple’s eyes induced Calum to give a brief summary of the past week. Then he explained his reason for the visit. “I’m en route to fetch my bride. I plan on being back before the clock strikes twelve tomorrow night. Would ye be willing to marry us the first day of the new year at that late hour?”
The reverend removed the spectacles from his nose and cleaned them with the corner of his blue wool waistcoat, his gray eyes concerned. He put them back on slowly and smoothed thin gray strands over his bald pate. “She’ll be a willing bride?”
Calum laughed. “I willna make it on time if she’s no’. I’ll need her cooperation.” He paused. “I want to begin this year and this union with the blessing of both clans. The ceremony should be on somewhat neutral ground, so I thought yer cottage would be ideal. There will be Craiggs joining this village soon enough.”
The reverend beamed. “I would be honored to assist with a truce between the Craiggs and MacNaughtons. I look forward to meeting my new clansmen.” He stood and held out his hand. “She must be quite a lass.”
“She is indeed, Reverend. She is indeed.” He shook the offered hand. “My family will meet us here. I’m obliged to ye both.”
Before he left, Mrs. Robertson stuffed some cheese and bread into the folds of his plaid. “Ye’ll need some sustenance before ye make the inn.”
Calum MacNaughton slammedhis tankard on the table and let out a rumbling laugh. Black Angus lifted his head, ears perked, and lowered it again when his master didn’t move from the chair.
The old seeress moved among the patrons of The Thistle Inn, bartering a glimpse of their future for food or wool. She stopped next to the hearth, leaned against the oak, and stared up at the blackened beams. The fortuneteller was clever with her predictions and delivery, giving just enough fact to make her words seem possible yet remaining vague enough for multiple interpretations.
“Ye will receive a great treasure in the near future,” the old woman said in a raspy voice, tucking a frazzled gray strand of hair under her scarf. “This bounty will bring ye many more treasures over the years.” Her brown wool shawl hung limply over her thin shoulders as she pocketed a lump of sugar with a gleam in her eye.
“Didna yer cousin in the Lowlands want ye to invest in his ship? May be worth a thought or two, Alec,” said one man at the table.
The man took a long, thoughtful pull of his ale. “I think she’s referring to the McDonagh lass I’m after. Her da’s got enough cattle to feed my entire clan until the devil comes for us. And her dowry makes her bonnie even if her face doesna.”
“Och, mon, the girl has the charms of an outraged sow. Dinna marry for money when ye can borrow it so much cheaper!”
Laughter erupted around the room.
Alec grinned. “But I willna have any candles in my bed, and they’re all the same in the dark, eh?”
The old woman shuffled over to Calum. “And do ye wonder what the future holds? I see interesting things around ye.”
“Ah, my sweet, I like surprises. I’m happy to wait and see what’s around the next bend.” He stood and gave his thigh a soft slap. Black Angus rose, stretched, then padded behind him. He was bone tired. “Right now, the only future that concerns me is finding my bed and getting across those frozen hills tomorrow.”
“Yer future is no surprise, MacNaughton. Fate is smiling on ye.”
He said his farewells and ducked beneath the threshold. The wooden planks creaked under his weight as he made his way up the dark, narrow stairway. The woman called after him, “Ye’ll have sweet dreams about yer bairns this night.”
He fell into a restless sleep, images sharp then fading then sharp again.
A parlor, a child of two or three on his lap, pulling at Calum’s nose. She had bright chestnut curls and green eyes.
Peigi sat beside him, pulling his hand over her swollen belly. She smiled at him, her green eyes full of love. “I dinna ken why, but I’m certain this is a girl, too.”
A baby cried in another room, and he heard Peigi’s husky voice. “Our daughter has a temper like her grandfather.”
He woke tired but cheerful and hungry. After a hearty breakfast, he paid the innkeeper and went to collect the horses. In the courtyard, his dog growled softly. The fortune teller, Claire, waited by the stable.
“Did ye have sweet dreams?” she asked, keeping a suspicious eye on the dog.
“Aye, woman. But it doesna take magic to predict a man will dream.” He ordered Black Angus to wait by a hitching post and walked past the old woman.
