Page 6 of Highlander’s Devious Ally

“Thank you, Mistress Ailith!" she cried, her voice rapturous.

Ailith laughed as she returned Fenella’s embrace, then she thought of something. “With all the arguing, I forgot to ask her name.”

“We can give her a new one!” Fenella said excitedly. “But she will have to bear it for a long, long time I hope, so I will need to think about it carefully.”

Lyall laughed and gave the horse an apple as a treat for her new mount. The little horse grabbed it and ate it greedily, then began searching Fenella for another one. She giggled, then led the mare away in search of carrots.

“Thank you,” Lyall said warmly, as soon as they were alone. “You have no idea how much it means to her.”

Ailith watched them as they walked away. “She needs someone else to love—apart from her brother, of course.”

“One day she will be married,” Lyall pointed out.

“Yes," she replied, “but marriage and love do not always go hand in hand, as we discussed before.”

Lyall could think of nothing to say to this, so he changed the subject. “Are you hungry?" he asked. “I could eat a horse, if you had not just given it away!”

Ailith giggled. “You are wicked, but food sounds like a very good idea. You just reminded me that my stomach is rumbling.”

“I know a good tavern," he told her. “We can pick up Fenella on the way.”

Ailith nodded, then, after a moment’s thought, she began to look around her as if seeking something or someone.

She looks frightened, Lyall thought. He took her by the shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “Are you looking for someone, Mistress?" he asked, concerned. Ailith looked and felt anxious, he thought. She looked quite unlike the warrior woman he had seen a few moments before, and it worried him.“What is amiss?" he asked, frowning. “You look scared.”

Ailith shook her head impatiently, feeling foolish all of a sudden. “I thought I saw someone I knew, that’s all." She smiled, a little too brightly, he thought, but he let it go.

They walked down the street until they came to a little tavern called John Barleycorn, which was an affectionate name for whisky. Ailith was surprised that so many people greeted Lyall, and even more astonished when he picked up and played with the local children. He laughed, teased, and indulged in bouts of play-fighting with the boys and flirted with the girls, who seemed to adore him—probably, Ailith thought, because he was so tall and strong and they all dreamed of marrying him.

“Those bairns love you!” Ailith said, her eyes wide with amazement.

Lyall smiled at her and shrugged. “My mother used to say that children are made by love and for love. She knew the name of every child in the village and always had time for them, and whenever a new baby was born she would give him or her a shawl that she had made herself. She was always sewing.”

His voice sounded so sad that she put her hand on his arm to comfort him. “We cannot bring her back," she said soothingly, “but we can still make shawls and bake pies.”

He smiled. “Yes," he agreed. “We can do that.”

Fenella joined them as they sat down. She could not seem to stop smiling, and announced that she had found a name for her horse. “I will call her Lucy," she said proudly.

“Why Lucy?” Lyall asked, frowning in puzzlement.

Fenella shrugged. “Because I like it, that’s all.”

“As good a reason as any!” Ailith agreed, laughing.

Lyall got up to bring out the ale and order food, leaving the two women to chat for a while. They made a pretty picture, and drew several admiring glances from passing strangers, but it was not a stranger who was watching them now.

From across the market square, partially hidden behind a tree, was Jock McCauley.

4

Learning to Barter

It was a long time since Ailith had enjoyed a meal so much. The food was simple and plain, but delicious nonetheless. The company was the best part, however. No one had ever told Ailith that she was funny before, but she kept both Fenella and Lyall in stitches with stories about her family, goods she had bought, bargains she had struck, and the subterfuge she often used to get the best price for anything she wanted.

“What method do you use most to get what you want?” Lyall asked curiously. “Surely there is a certain type of man who thinks women are half-wits?”

Ailith’s eyes twinkled. “Ah, but those are the best kind!" she said wickedly, “because they think we are dull and treat us as such, and by the time they have learned their mistake it is too late.”