said. “I told him I’d find you, but as everyone is trying to leave at once, there canbe no hurry. If you want to stand here staring at that rock for another half hour, I am sure he will not mind.”
Hugo grinned. “If that is your belief, you don’t know him at all.”
They strode down to the harbor together, and as Hugo had expected, found Michael impatient to be off. Hugo soon cleared their way, and as their oarsmen rowed out of the harbor into the stiff wind, he looked northward, realizing that like themselves, Lady Sorcha was unlikely to reach her destination before nightfall, although Glenelg lay much closer than Lochbuie.
The pitching and rolling of Macleod’s longboats on the windblown waves had increased so much that when Sorcha threw up nearly all the bread and mutton Sidony had provided her over the polished oak decking of the lead boat, she could be nearly certain that no one had seen her stick a finger down her throat.
Sidony shouted for the helmsman to put in to shore quickly.
That worthy signaled to his counterpart on the second boat, and at speed, both longboats made for the North Morar coast of the mainland.
While some men moved to help the stricken Sorcha, and others to clean up the mess, Sidony said anxiously, “What are we to do? She is very sick!”
Una, quick upon her cue, said, “My mam and da live nearby in Glenancross. Mam will know what to do for her ladyship can we but get her to their croft.”
“Aye, sure, we must go there, Una,” Sidony said,having learned her lines just as efficiently. To the helmsman, she said, “Bess and Ranulf MacIver will know what to do for her ladyship, but they cannot accommodate all your men.”
“But, my lady, your lord father did command that we take ye straight to Glenelg. He’ll be gey wroth that we’ve stopped at all.”
“Nay then, he won’t,” Sidony said. “You ken well that Bess took care of us before she married Ranulf MacIver. Afterward, too, till one of our horses crippled him and she brought him here where her family can help her look after him. My father would trust Bess to know what to do, and you can see for yourself how sick the lady Sorcha is. Do you think my father will be pleased if, by following his instructions and dragging her all the way back to Chalamine, you let her die?”
“Nay, m’lady, I never said that,” the helmsman said.
“Then what do you suggest?” Sidony asked.
“Please,” Sorcha said weakly, “do whatever you must, but do it with haste. I think I am going to be sick again.”
“Nay, then, you won’t, my lady,” Una said. “We’ll have you in a warm bed with Mam looking after you in no time. We will, aye?” She glared at the helmsman.
Defeated, he said, “I’ll ha’ me lads carry her ladyship to yon croft o’ the MacIvers then, but ye’ll ha’ to show ’em the way, Una MacIver.”
“I’m going with her,” Sidony said, her tone firmer than usual.
“Aye, m’lady, it wouldna be right for ye to travel alone wi’ us men. But what’ll I do about me lads? We didna plan to spend the night on the water, ye ken.”
Sorcha felt obliged to take a hand again, sure thatmaking two decisions in a row would confound her sister. “Go on to Glenelg, of course. You cannot expect the folk here to feed and house you, and you can be home in a few hours. I warrant I’ll be quite well again in a day or two. Then you must come back and collect us.”
“Aye, sure, we can do that,” he said. “But I’m thinking I’d best fetch ye tomorrow, since we’ll ha’ to take ye back to Glenelg afore we can collect the laird.”
“You must do as you think best,” Sorcha said, knowing if she insisted on two or three days to recover, he would suspect the worst, because she was never sick. “Do recall, though,” she added, “that he means to stay at Lochbuie until his grace departs for the court at Edinburgh. You’ll be left to kick your heels until then.”
“Aye, ’tis true,” he agreed.
Hugo grinned. “If that is your belief, you don’t know him at all.”
They strode down to the harbor together, and as Hugo had expected, found Michael impatient to be off. Hugo soon cleared their way, and as their oarsmen rowed out of the harbor into the stiff wind, he looked northward, realizing that like themselves, Lady Sorcha was unlikely to reach her destination before nightfall, although Glenelg lay much closer than Lochbuie.
The pitching and rolling of Macleod’s longboats on the windblown waves had increased so much that when Sorcha threw up nearly all the bread and mutton Sidony had provided her over the polished oak decking of the lead boat, she could be nearly certain that no one had seen her stick a finger down her throat.
Sidony shouted for the helmsman to put in to shore quickly.
That worthy signaled to his counterpart on the second boat, and at speed, both longboats made for the North Morar coast of the mainland.
While some men moved to help the stricken Sorcha, and others to clean up the mess, Sidony said anxiously, “What are we to do? She is very sick!”
Una, quick upon her cue, said, “My mam and da live nearby in Glenancross. Mam will know what to do for her ladyship can we but get her to their croft.”
“Aye, sure, we must go there, Una,” Sidony said,having learned her lines just as efficiently. To the helmsman, she said, “Bess and Ranulf MacIver will know what to do for her ladyship, but they cannot accommodate all your men.”
“But, my lady, your lord father did command that we take ye straight to Glenelg. He’ll be gey wroth that we’ve stopped at all.”
“Nay then, he won’t,” Sidony said. “You ken well that Bess took care of us before she married Ranulf MacIver. Afterward, too, till one of our horses crippled him and she brought him here where her family can help her look after him. My father would trust Bess to know what to do, and you can see for yourself how sick the lady Sorcha is. Do you think my father will be pleased if, by following his instructions and dragging her all the way back to Chalamine, you let her die?”
“Nay, m’lady, I never said that,” the helmsman said.
“Then what do you suggest?” Sidony asked.
“Please,” Sorcha said weakly, “do whatever you must, but do it with haste. I think I am going to be sick again.”
“Nay, then, you won’t, my lady,” Una said. “We’ll have you in a warm bed with Mam looking after you in no time. We will, aye?” She glared at the helmsman.
Defeated, he said, “I’ll ha’ me lads carry her ladyship to yon croft o’ the MacIvers then, but ye’ll ha’ to show ’em the way, Una MacIver.”
“I’m going with her,” Sidony said, her tone firmer than usual.
“Aye, m’lady, it wouldna be right for ye to travel alone wi’ us men. But what’ll I do about me lads? We didna plan to spend the night on the water, ye ken.”
Sorcha felt obliged to take a hand again, sure thatmaking two decisions in a row would confound her sister. “Go on to Glenelg, of course. You cannot expect the folk here to feed and house you, and you can be home in a few hours. I warrant I’ll be quite well again in a day or two. Then you must come back and collect us.”
“Aye, sure, we can do that,” he said. “But I’m thinking I’d best fetch ye tomorrow, since we’ll ha’ to take ye back to Glenelg afore we can collect the laird.”
“You must do as you think best,” Sorcha said, knowing if she insisted on two or three days to recover, he would suspect the worst, because she was never sick. “Do recall, though,” she added, “that he means to stay at Lochbuie until his grace departs for the court at Edinburgh. You’ll be left to kick your heels until then.”
“Aye, ’tis true,” he agreed.
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