sat behind the wheel. Karen showed him how to adjust the seat and the steering wheel to suit his much larger frame. She walked to the opposite side of the car, got in and nodded.
"Gently then?" Angus asked.
"Aye," Karen mimicked.
Angus slowly pushed on the gas pedal and the car moved forward. Then he touched the brake and it stopped. "I can do this, Karen!" He felt excitement course through him. He tried again, then several more times to get acquainted with the equipment. He listened intently as Karen explained some of the other devices.
Angus slowly drove the car several hundred yards, successfully mastered a left-hand turn then stopped. "I would never, in all my born days, have imagined doing such a thing."
66
Stone Heart
by Candace Sams
It was hard for Karen not to feel excitement for him.
Angus' face had a wonderful way of illuminating when he was all worked up. "Go further now. Don't worry about going fast yet. And if you see something you want to look at, just pull the car to the side of the road and stop."
Angus took a deep breath and moved the car forward. The roads were bumpy in some places, but it tested his newfound skills. Karen watched his movements, slowly guided him by obstacles and even a farmer with a trailer full of fat pigs. He could see how people might be better off with cars of different kinds. If livestock could be moved more quickly, and in greater numbers, it stood to reason food would be more plentiful.
And Karen was the most patient of teachers. She never seemed to mind if they hit what she called a " pot hole ," or if he had to take a turn very slowly. She praised what he did, and something in his chest hurt a little. No one, except his parents, had ever done such a thing. If he had a chance to undo only one wrong thing, he vowed to never criticize where encouragement would gain so much more. This descendent of Elspeth's was a sweet, feisty woman of quality. What would his previous life have been like if he had known such a generous heart sooner?
* * * *
They stopped several times to check their bearings and once more to get something to eat. Karen wondered if Angus really knew where he was. "Why is it we seem to need to stop 67
Stone Heart
by Candace Sams
so often?" she asked as she cast a look at him from the corner of her eye. "Has the landscape changed that much?"
"Aye, it has in some places. There were many more trees then. And I was a small boy when I left the Order in England.
Still, it should no' take us verra' much more time." He turned to look at her. It seemed she was battling fatigue. Her shoulders slumped, and there were dark circles under her eyes. "We should stop for the night and find rest."
"That might be a good idea. We won't be able to see anything of the countryside after dark," she agreed.
Karen found a hotel nearby and guided Angus' efforts at parking. Surprisingly, he did a very good job although it was a little slow. Then, she booked a single room with two double beds for them. After spending so much time in his presence, she just couldn't feel threatened. And what if there were a fire or some other emergency? How would he know what to do?
At least, that's the excuse she used to rationalize their sharing a room.
While they waited for room confirmation, Angus didn't ask many questions. But he did stare at things like the computer the desk clerk used, the blue carpeting on the floor and the decorations. She tried to hide her amusement as the hotel staff openly stared back. A vivacious young girl tossed her blond curls in such a way that someone who was catatonic could have picked up on the sexual message. Angus beamed at her though Karen hoped it was only friendliness on his part. The staff wore hotel clothing that he mentioned looked like some kind of ' Breatannach uniform' . The word Breatannach, she surmised, was someone from England. They 68
Stone Heart
by Candace Sams
could work on his inappropriate use of dialect later. If she was around long
"Gently then?" Angus asked.
"Aye," Karen mimicked.
Angus slowly pushed on the gas pedal and the car moved forward. Then he touched the brake and it stopped. "I can do this, Karen!" He felt excitement course through him. He tried again, then several more times to get acquainted with the equipment. He listened intently as Karen explained some of the other devices.
Angus slowly drove the car several hundred yards, successfully mastered a left-hand turn then stopped. "I would never, in all my born days, have imagined doing such a thing."
66
Stone Heart
by Candace Sams
It was hard for Karen not to feel excitement for him.
Angus' face had a wonderful way of illuminating when he was all worked up. "Go further now. Don't worry about going fast yet. And if you see something you want to look at, just pull the car to the side of the road and stop."
Angus took a deep breath and moved the car forward. The roads were bumpy in some places, but it tested his newfound skills. Karen watched his movements, slowly guided him by obstacles and even a farmer with a trailer full of fat pigs. He could see how people might be better off with cars of different kinds. If livestock could be moved more quickly, and in greater numbers, it stood to reason food would be more plentiful.
And Karen was the most patient of teachers. She never seemed to mind if they hit what she called a " pot hole ," or if he had to take a turn very slowly. She praised what he did, and something in his chest hurt a little. No one, except his parents, had ever done such a thing. If he had a chance to undo only one wrong thing, he vowed to never criticize where encouragement would gain so much more. This descendent of Elspeth's was a sweet, feisty woman of quality. What would his previous life have been like if he had known such a generous heart sooner?
* * * *
They stopped several times to check their bearings and once more to get something to eat. Karen wondered if Angus really knew where he was. "Why is it we seem to need to stop 67
Stone Heart
by Candace Sams
so often?" she asked as she cast a look at him from the corner of her eye. "Has the landscape changed that much?"
"Aye, it has in some places. There were many more trees then. And I was a small boy when I left the Order in England.
Still, it should no' take us verra' much more time." He turned to look at her. It seemed she was battling fatigue. Her shoulders slumped, and there were dark circles under her eyes. "We should stop for the night and find rest."
"That might be a good idea. We won't be able to see anything of the countryside after dark," she agreed.
Karen found a hotel nearby and guided Angus' efforts at parking. Surprisingly, he did a very good job although it was a little slow. Then, she booked a single room with two double beds for them. After spending so much time in his presence, she just couldn't feel threatened. And what if there were a fire or some other emergency? How would he know what to do?
At least, that's the excuse she used to rationalize their sharing a room.
While they waited for room confirmation, Angus didn't ask many questions. But he did stare at things like the computer the desk clerk used, the blue carpeting on the floor and the decorations. She tried to hide her amusement as the hotel staff openly stared back. A vivacious young girl tossed her blond curls in such a way that someone who was catatonic could have picked up on the sexual message. Angus beamed at her though Karen hoped it was only friendliness on his part. The staff wore hotel clothing that he mentioned looked like some kind of ' Breatannach uniform' . The word Breatannach, she surmised, was someone from England. They 68
Stone Heart
by Candace Sams
could work on his inappropriate use of dialect later. If she was around long
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