Page 37 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

As the smell of old dust and the musty, earthy scent of the birds reached his nose, the hawk that he planned on using swiveled its head toward Hendry. He stretched his wings, adjusting his talons on his perch.

“There ye are, ye great beast,” he said affectionately to the animal. He held his arm out, the sleeve of his doublet protecting his forearm. “I have a request of ye. Daenae let yerself be injured, aye? We need ye here.”

The hawk made a dignified sound, standing up taller as Hendry attached the leather harness and pouch to the bird’s deceptively small body. He stayed still as Hendry tucked the letter away. Then, he stepped out into the sunlight.

The day did not feel as welcoming as it had when he had woken. Instead, humidity seemed to swelter and become unbearable. A sickly, sticky wind swirled around him as he raised his arm in the air, sending the hawk on its way.

He stood there, feeling as if he were in a standoff with the atmosphere. His eyes stayed on the bird as it climbed higher into the air. It was not until the animal had disappeared far beyond the treeline, swallowed by the ancient, rolling hills, that he turned to reenter the castle.

There was far too much work to be done.

* * *

“Saints, Lady Aurora,” Mrs. Duncan said, bring her hand to her chest as if she were trying to calm her pounding heart. “I’m beginnin’ to think ye are hauntin’ these halls.”

“Me apologies,” Aurora said bashfully, ducking her head slightly. “I dinnae mean to scare ye. I was just lookin’ to see if there was anythin’ that may need me attention.”

It had been a few days since they had found the tracks on the eastern side of the land. In that time, Aurora had stayed inside dutifully. Until today, she had kept herself occupied within her chambers or Adair’s for fear of the possible intruder within the secret passageways. The only reason she had finally ventured out today was that Hilda seemed concerned about her well-being.

Mrs. Duncan let out a soft laugh, shaking her head and dropping her hand back to her side. “Well, ye could have just come lookin’ for me instead of scarin’ me.”

“I promise I dinnae mean it,” Aurora said, smiling at the teasing. “I would like it very much if ye had somethin’ that I can keep meself entertained with.”

“Well, it is only a week until ye will be Lady Anderson,” Mrs. Duncan explained, motioning for Aurora to walk along with her. “I daenae care what Laird Anderson told ye about nae doin’ any of the castle’s chores until ye are officially Lady Anderson. I think it would be good for ye to learn what ye are doin’, daenae ye think?”

“I suppose ye may have a point,” Aurora admitted, though she had no desire to disobey Hendry. It felt as though it was not a wise decision when things had become so tense, when the watches had increased in the lead up to the handfasting. “What do ye think is most important for me to ken?”

Mrs. Duncan smiled, the expression warm and matronly. “I will take ye on a tour of the places ye will be needed the most. We will help who we can along the way.”

The promise bolstered Aurora, making her spirit feel lighter. She did not say anything else as they traversed to the weaving room. The servants inside looked up from their work, giving the two of them quiet greetings before they went back to their work, whispering amongst each other.

“I thought ye may like to ken this existed,” Mrs. Duncan said as she walked to the large loom in the center of the room. “Have ye ever worked on somethin’ like this?”

“Nay,” Aurora admitted, walking toward the machine and running her fingers over the fabric that had already been woven. It was pure white, the threads woven together expertly, tightly. “But I remember the loom in me family’s home. I used to watch the women workin’ on it, but I never got to do it meself. There was always somethin’ else that needed me attention.”

“Well, I will teach ye then,” Mrs. Duncan said, picking up the weft and waving Aurora closer.

“I daenae ken if I should work on somethin’ so nice,” Aurora admitted, watching as Mrs. Duncan began weaving the weft through the warps. “Ye would be able to see that someone just learnin’ took over.”

“Everyone must start somewhere,” Mrs. Duncan told her, reaching up to pull the reed her way, tucking the new thread that had been added into the others. “And I think that ye will like this.” She held the weft out to Aurora. “I will talk ye through a few rows, then we will continue on our way.”

Aurora nodded, positioning herself at the end of the loom. She pushed the reed back to the top of the machine before she began the process of threading the wooden device through the exact same way that Mrs. Duncan had. She went much slower, but knew that this was a task that she would come to love.

“I daenae ken if me rows are even,” Aurora said worried after she had added a centimeter of length to the linen. “It may unravel.”

“It willnae unravel,” Mrs. Duncan assured her as her fingertips ran over the fabric. “The worst it will do is stretch a bit, but it is only a wee bit. I will build it up more before I let ye do more.” She met Aurora’s eye. “I think that ye will be an expert in nay time, me Lady.”

“If ye think that I will be, then I have nae choice but to believe ye,” Aurora said, beginning to follow Mrs. Duncan out of the room. She stopped at the threshold, looking back at the servants in their small circle. “Thank ye for allowin’ me to share yer space.”

They looked up, seeming a bit surprised to be addressed by her. The youngest of the group recovered the fastest, replying, “Aye, me Lady. It was wonderful havin’ ye here.”

“Ye are welcome to join us whenever ye please,” another servant added, inclining her head toward an empty chair in their circle.

“I would like that very much,” Aurora said, wondering if she was finally becoming a real member of the clan, a Lady that they could be proud of.

When she left the room, following Mrs. Duncan toward the kitchens, Aurora was already making plans to come and spend time with the women there. It felt impolite to decline the invitation. And, more importantly, she felt as if she were being welcomed into the fold.

“I believe they will need our assistance makin’ bread,” Mrs. Duncan said, smiling in a way that told Aurora that she was pleased with her interactions in the weaving room. “I ken ye willnae need any instructions to do that.”