Page 51 of Highland Spirit

“Dinna worry, ye willna starve. Trapper, go with Caleb,” he told his dog.

The dog barked and took off at a run, following them.

Ethan strolled over to Alana and Kirstine who suddenly stopped talking when he got there. There were secrets going on again, he was sure of it. And, of course, he was not privy to them once again.

“Ladies, can I escort ye to the castle?” he asked with one arm outstretched for each of them although he was holding the basket.

“Congratulations on yer weddin’,” said Kirstine. “I suppose ye two are plannin’ on livin’ back at the MacKeefe camp?”

“Well, I dinna ken,” he answered as they walked. “That all depends.”

“Depends?” asked Kirstine. “On what?”

“On whether or no’ my wife is goin’ to continue to lie to me, or tell me exactly what is goin’ on at Blackbriar Castle.”

“I’m sure I dinna ken what ye mean,” answered Alana, exchanging a look with her sister.

“Well, then, I suppose that means we’ll be livin’ here,” said Ethan. “Or at least until I can ask yer faither about what secrets are within the walls of Blackbriar Castle.”

There was silence from both of the girls, telling Ethan exactly what he wanted to know. It seemed to him that Gil Chisholm was somehow involved in whatever deception was going on, and that made Ethan even more suspicious of everyone who resided at Blackbriar. Including the ghost!

* * *

Two hours later, Alana was still acting like a nervous wreck since Ethan was at the castle. They sat in the great hall having finished off the basket of food that Lady Wren sent.

“Lady Wren makes some of the best haggis I’ve ever tasted,” said Caleb, leaning back against the table, sitting with his legs outstretched in front of the fire. The great hall was nearly empty again and Ethan felt ill at ease. Was there really a laird named Diarmad and his men who lived here? He was starting to think not since he hadn’t seen them yet.

“Ye like anythin’ as long as it’s food,” said Ethan, pacing back and forth.

“Slink enjoyed it as well.” Caleb looked over to his pine marten crawling around the top of the trestle table, eating any leftovers it could find. Trapper walked around sniffing the floor.

“Dinna ye think it’s odd?” asked Ethan, glancing over at the girls across the great hall, still speaking in low voices to each other like a bunch of gossiping alewives.

“Nay, I didn’t think it tasted odd at all.” Caleb smacked his lips together and picked up a tankard of ale and took a swig.

“No’ that, ye fool,” said Ethan with a grunt. “I’m talkin’ about the fact we’ve been here for hours and we’ve only seen a few guards and a handful of servants and still her faither has no’ come to join us.”

“That’s fine with me,” remarked Caleb with a yawn. “That means there will be more for me to eat. Besides, we dinna even like her faither.”

“Somethin’ is goin’ on here and I intend on findin’ out what it is.”

“All right.” Caleb yawned and stretched. “Let me ken what ye find out. I think I’ll take a little snooze by the fire.”

“I brought ye along to help me figure this out. Ye are turnin’ out to be more of a hindrance than a help.”

“I thought the reason ye brought me here was to do all the heavy work and rowin’.”

“I’m goin’ to take a walk around the courtyard and make my way up to the battlements. Now keep yer eyes open for anythin’ suspicious.”

“Will do,” said Caleb, his eyes closing as he spoke. He leaned back against the table, resting his outstretched legs on a stool.

Ethan walked over and kicked the stool, causing Caleb’s legs to fall.

“Blethers! What did ye do that for?”

“Why dinna ye take a walk to the other side of the isle and see what ye can find instead. I almost thought I saw the sail of a ship the last time we were here, but I could be mistaken.”

“Walk to the other side of the isle? In the snow? Ethan, ye ken as well as I do that no ships even come near the other side of the Isle of Kerrera. The rocks are too jagged and there is nowhere to dock. Ye must have been imaginin’ it.”