Read Online The Firebrand by May McGoldrick - Free Book Online

one who found Gillie the Fairy-Borne in the first place and brought him to Barra. And just like you, nothing bad ever happens to him.”
    There were more shouts coming from the deck above, and Adrianne bit at her lip as a wave of nausea struck her. She forced down the feeling.
    “They might need help. Are you sure Sir Wyntoun will get him back aboard?”
    “Aye, mistress. The water’s a wee bit cold, but the lad can swim.”
    The matter-of-factness of his answer only eased her fears a little. She let another moment pass before rising and pacing the length of the cabin, occasionally stopping and gazing in the direction of the door.
    “What will he do with the lad?”
    Alan thought a moment. “We pass by a wee island called Muldoanich. The master may just cast him ashore there. The fishermen will be stopping there come spring, so the lad should survive. Someone will take him back to Barra.”
    She shook her head in disagreement, eyeing the door of the cabin uneasily. “I know how the fishermen treat him. And that is even if he could survive out there alone through the winter.”
    The Highlander stared at Adrianne, then spoke more softly. “You don’t have to worry, Mistress Percy. Wyn has even more of an interest in Gillie than you do yourself. He’ll do right by the lad.”
    “And why is that?”
    “I said before that he found him in bank of gillieflowers...all bundled up in a rag and left in the hills for the fairies...or the beasts to take. Now, the way that wee thing looked—with that devil’s...with that mark covering half of his tiny face—and weak enough that he didn’t have any voice left even to whimper.” He shook his head at the memory. “Most men would have walked away and let the poor creature take his last breath and thought no more on it. But not Wyntoun MacLean.”
    Adrianne frowned deeply. She knew the realities of life in the Highlands...and in these wild windswept islands. Life was hard here for those trying to eke out an existence. And superstitions here were no stronger than in Yorkshire, where she grew up. Having a bairn here—just as having a child in her native country—was good only as long as you could count on him or her to help with the work. Woe to the child born ‘different,’ though. Ignorance had a dark and frightening power.
    “They call him ‘fairy-borne,’” she murmured softly, recalling her first view of the lad’s face. Half of his face handsome, dark, and brooding. The other half misshapen—the flesh beneath his eye sagging, the skin red and raw, covered with scaly, encrusted patches. Whatever was wrong, the innocent boy had been plagued with the condition since infancy.
    “Aye! Gillie the Fairy-Borne.” Alan leaned against the wall, eyeing her with his arms crossed over his chest. “Borne by the fairies into Wyntoun’s own hands.”
    The ship heeled over again and shuddered as the wind caught in the sails. The wooden chest slid across the table. Adrianne reached for it and caught it before it fell to the floor. Placing it back where it was, she leaned gingerly against the cabin wall. The movement of the box had set the room spinning around her.
    “I have...I was just hoping that your master would give me leave to see the lad before putting him off on the island.”
    The Highlander cast a knowing look in her direction but said nothing.
    “I’ve grown fond of Gillie these past months.” There was another dipping motion, and Adrianne’s stomach lurched uneasily. “I’m certain he stowed away on this ship to be close to me. He’s grown somewhat attached to me, I believe.”
    “I can see how that could happen.”
    Adrianne, surprised by his statement, glanced quickly at the man. His face had lost its guarded look for an instant, and tenderness was evident in the green eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but a feeling of nausea—caused by the ship’s movement—swept over her, silencing her.
    “Mistress Percy, are you weak-legged when it comes to the