Page 29 of Highlander’s Ancient Vengeance

Kenneth thought for a second.

“We will be pleased to,” Kenneth replied. “I will be honored to sit with the man who saved my daughter’s life.”

Suddenly Kenneth realised he was feeling very stupid. And blind. It was as if the answer was in front of him all this time and he ignored it. These two men he hated… they did not actually seem like bad people.

All these years of fighting were based on lies.

18

Their Blessing

Margaret found Malle asleep when she went in to see her, with the wise woman sitting with her. She was sewing what looked like a little baby garment.

“How is she?” Margaret whispered.

“Sleepin’ like a babby, Milady,” Jessie answered. “She will be fine in a wee while.”

Margaret sat down and took out her rosary beads, then began to pray silently for Malle’s recovery. She finished telling the beads then looked at Jessie’s sewing. “Who is the dress for?” she asked, as she fingered the little white garment.

“My newest grandchild,” Jessie replied, smiling. “My fifth.”

“You are so fortunate!” Margaret laughed enviously. “I hope to be a grandmother one day, but I doubt it will be soon.”

Maybe sooner than ye think, Milady! Jessie thought.

Just then, Malle’s eyelids fluttered open and she looked at Margaret. She smiled drowsily as her mother hugged her.

“I had better get up if we are going home,” she said groggily.

“I think you are staying here tonight,” Margaret said, kissing her forehead. “And so am I.”

“I want to get up and eat dinner,” Malle said suddenly as she threw back her blankets. “I am starving!”

“Eat it in bed, Mistress,” Jessie pleaded.

“I am fine, Jessie,” Malle said stubbornly.

Against Jessie’s dire warnings, Margaret pinned up her hair, then Malle put on a plain gray dress and shawl. She had no one to impress anymore; Craig was hers. She smiled as she looked into her polished bronze hand mirror and decided that she looked acceptable.

Her mother was more enthusiastic. Margaret smiled and hugged her. “Darling, you would look good in a sack!” She laughed.

“Mind,” Jessie warned, “if ye dinnae feel well, back up here wi’ ye. Between you an’ thon Craig, ye’ve got my heart roastit!”

Malle laughed. Jessie came out with the most expressive sayings: “A bag of cats” when a person was grumpy, “My heart roasted” when she was very worried. However, she was still the wisest wise woman Malle had ever met, and the sweetest.

When they walked into the parlor Kenneth rushed up to hug her again.

“Paw, don’t squeeze me!” she moaned, pushing her father away.

“Sorry, darling, I forgot.” He looked into Malle’s eyes, noting the bruise that was turning a painful shade of purple. “You have been through the wars, have you not? Craig has been telling us the whole story. You are lucky to be alive!”

“Indeed I am.” Malle took a glass of wine from Malcolm and sipped it, but when she raised her eyes again she was looking, not at her father, but at Craig.

Margaret followed the direction of her eyes and understood at once, and Craig was gazing at Malle with such love that it was impossible not to see it.

“Mammy, Paw,” she said softly, not taking her eyes off Craig, “this is why I was coming here. To see the man I love.”

“Do you feel the same, Craig?” Kenneth asked in amazement.