Chapter 28

So I did some research and they would most likely have traveled by ship to Edinburgh. I have rewritten and now they are traveling by ship while Bieste and the Frazer warriors return to Kilmorack and act like they know nothing to keep Uncle Malcolm in the dark.

I gazed on the ship we were about to board. Like everything else Mackenzie the galleon was impressive and lavish. It must have been three stories high and that was just what I could see above the water line.

"It reminds me of a duck in profile." I turned to Sam and pointed toward the back of the ship. "See how the back end is higher than the front, and it has that long thin point projecting out in front like a beak."

"Actually, they do call that the beak. The high part in the back of the ship is called the stern and the high part in front is called the forecastle."

"And what is that carved under the beak?"

"That's called a figurehead."

"No, I mean what is the carving supposed to represent?"

"A bare breasted woman, almost as bonnie as the one beside me," Sam whispered in my ear as he squeezed me a little closer to his side.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "I thought so."

Ann and Eoghann had finished saying their goodbyes to Jean and the children, and Sam shepherded me towards her until Jean stood just in front of me with little Barbara perched on one hip.

I put out my hand and Jean took it. "Thank you for everything!"

Jean kissed my cheek. "Hurry back and take care of Kenneth and Ann for me. Don't let them get into trouble."

"I'll do my best."

Jean patted Sam on the arm "And Sam you take care of all of them."

Sam bowed. "Of course, my lady."

Sam helped me up the gang plank to the ship where Conrad, Eoghann and Lady Grant already stood on the deck waiting, and we all watched as the Laird said goodbye to his family.

"Take care of your Mother for me, Colin, " The Laird said patting the shoulder of his ten year old heir who was standing as tall as possible but was still some inches shy of five feet.

"Aye, My Laird."

"And Janet help your mother with the children." The Laird kissed the lithe dark haired girl on the cheek and she smiled up at him.

"I will, father."

The Laird crouched and opened his arms and two dark haired little boys ran into them. At seven and five John and Murdo were hard to tell apart unless they were together. They both had their father's dark hair and their mother's luminous brown eyes. Kenneth stood up hugging them tightly to him and making them both squeal before kissing each one on the head and sitting them back down on the dock. "Be good for mummy and don't hit each other while I'm gone."

He took Barbara from Jean's hip and dangled her above his head making her giggle. Then he hugged her close. "Don't pester your brothers, and do what Mummy and Janet tell you, Babs"

"Will you bring us back presents?"

"Only if your Mother says you were good while I'm gone." He put Barbara on his own hip tugging one of her curls and slipped his arm around Jean's waist.

He kissed Jean's cheek. "I'm sorry to be leaving you with this brood again, my love."

She shook her head. "You're always leaving me here to do the real work."

He smiled ruefully. "Yes, but I miss you when I'm gone."

He gave Jean a long kiss on the mouth. When he finally pulled away Jean placed her hand on his cheek and looked up at him with shining eyes. "Be careful."

"I will and you take care of yourself and the babe." He laid a hand on her swelling belly then kissed her softly again and handed Barbara back before walking up the plank to meet the rest of us.

A man with very erect posture dressed much more elaborately than the rest of the crew members in a dark gray jacket with brass buttons and a three cornered hat walked toward us. His long, sun darkened face was handsome but the lines that bracketed his mouth were deep and his black hair was graying at the temples.

He bowed to the Laird. "Laird Mackenzie."

The Laird greeted him with good cheer, "Ah, Captain Ross. You've met Master Mackenzie and Lady Grant. This is Sam's wife, Mistress Mackenzie and her brother Master Frazer."

"Congratulations on your nuptials," the Captain said bowing to me "Everything is ready for departure, mi Laird."

"Let us depart then, Captain."

The Mackenzie brood stood on the quay calling out cheerful goodbyes as the ship began to pull away. We stood by the rail waving back and I thought how much I wished it was Jean traveling with us instead of Lady Grant. The Laird continued to look back until his family was mere specks on the dock. Then he turned to me. "Would you like to see my ship?" he asked as pleased as any young boy with the opportunity to show off his first pony.

"Oh yes. I've never been on such a large ship before." I said with real enthusiasm for I was curious to see how such a huge vessel operated..

"Then we shall have the complete tour." The Laird took my arm and began walking about the boat's deck. I looked over my shoulder to see Sam smile weakly at me while Eoghann offered his arm to Lady Grant and Conrad wore a put upon expression. I wondered how many times Sam and Conrad had taken the tour. "To begin let me say that this type of ship is called a galleon and I had it built so that it can be used for both hauling merchandise and battle."

As I looked about at the huge proportions of the ship I thought of the labor that must have been involved in crafting it from such long timbers.

"How long did it take to build?" I asked.

"The better part of two years." The Laird pointed to the mast in the front of the boat, "The ship has three masts, the fore," then he pointed to the mast in the middle of the boat, "the main,"then he pointed to the mast in the back of the boat, "and the mizzen."

"They're so very tall," I said admiringly watching the full sails and feeling the wind strong on my back. Then trying not to let any alarm creep into my voice, "I wonder that they don't snap off in high winds."

"They are quite secure, I assure you. Each mast extends down through the deck to several levels below in the bowels of the ship."

"How comforting, the ship must be able to sail very quickly with all those masts."

"The galleon has a maximum speed of five knots."

"So fast!" I said as if I had any idea of sailing speeds, "How long will it take us then to reach Edinburgh."

"If the winds cooperate we should reach Inverness tomorrow afternoon and Edinburg two or three days after that."

The ship took a sudden roll and I found myself glad of the Mackenzie's arm as I was thrown against him. He put his arm around me to keep me upright. My stomach too had lurched and I found myself feeling sick. I looked up into the Laird's sherry colored eyes and they crinkled at the corners with amusement. "I'm sorry, my Laird, I lost my footing."

He smiled with his eyes still focused on mine. "No need to be sorry. It takes some time to find your sea legs. I wouldn't go moving about the ship without an escort just yet."

Just as I was beginning to feel uncomfortable he set me on my feet and released me.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Lady Grant with Eoghann's arms wrapped about her. No doubt she too had fallen when the ship pitched. Sam had a forbidding look on his face and I wondered why. Was he jealous of Eoghann with Lady Grant?

As my our tour continued I leaned that the ship was powered by a combination of some nine sails on the three masts, and steered by the huge rudder at the back of the boat. The rudder in turn was controlled by a whip staff, a large wooden handle below deck that was moved by the force of a burly man who couldn't even see where the boat was going.

The Mackenzie assured us that we were well protected from privateers while on board. Each mast had a fighting platform from which arrows could be released and razor sharp blades at its outmost corners that could rip another ships silks to ribbons should it come to close. When Eoghann heard that nothing would do but for him to climb up the rigging to see the view from the platform himself while Lady Grant paced below and begged him to be careful swooning against the captain every time the rigging swayed in the wind until I wanted to slap her silly.

More than seventy guns were mounted on either side of the ship with two more mounted on the rear deck. The Mackenzie took an inordinate amount of time explaining how they were primed and fired while Eoghann asked tedious questions about every detail down to where the powder was kept. This necessitated a tour of the ship's magazine and a lecture on keeping your powder dry on a sea faring vessel.

When the talk of guns was finally exhausted we toured the hold. The majority of the hold was below the waterline and given over to stores of various kinds from fresh water and provisions for the crew to barrels of whiskey on board for resale in Edinburgh. We were not allowed in the crews living area as it was not fit for the eyes of ladies, but we did see the galley which was cunningly fitted out with stores and utensils that hung above the cook's head and tables that swung from ropes.

We ended our tour in the main cabin. It was on the first floor below deck at the rear of the ship. It wasn't dark and dreary as I had imagined. A bank of tall arching windows across the back wall let in the sunlight, and it had a beamed ceiling and oak paneling on the walls. There were upholstered couches set into alcoves of carved wood one side and a large desk with several chairs on the other. A long dining table with a dozen intricately carved chairs with red velvet cushions around it stood in the center of the room with a large chandelier swaying above it. It was set for luncheon and several young seamen in uniform stood ready to serve us.

The meal was quite as good as any I'd had at Eilean Donan with roasted chicken, smoked salmon and a delicious jam cake for dessert, but I found my stomach growing queasy so I ate little. Whether it was from the swaying of the ship or listening to Lady Grant flirt with every man at the table I couldn't say. Even Captain Ross didn't escape her attention.

"I can't believe you were accosted by pirates, Captain Ross!" Lady Grant said.

"I assure you that it is not as rare an experience as you might think."

"But what on earth did you do?" she asked in a voice atremble with fear.

"We fired our guns on them Lady Grant. The Bonnie Jean is one of the best armed ships in the British Isles."

I wanted to roll my eyes at Lady Grant's theatrical remarks but I found myself playing the unfamiliar role of the staid, chaperoning matron and dare not.

The only man Lady Grant seemed intent on ignoring was Laird Mackenzie. Since the Laird sat to my right we chatted companionably through the meal. Though I had my doubts about his motives the Laird knew how to charm me. He praised my new husband and spoke of all the social events and treats I had to look forward to in Edinburgh including a ball in which the King should be in attendance. When luncheon was over he made an announcement to us all.

"I'm afraid that the ship is not fitted out with as many private cabins as I might wish so it seems we will need to share bedchambers. Catriona, you will share your room with Lady Grant tonight. Conrad will bunk with Captain Ross, and Sam and Eoghann will share a room."

It was all I could do to keep a pleasant face as the thought of sharing with Lady Grant, but I smiled at her.

She smiled coldly back and said, "I'm sure Mistress Mackenzie and I will be quite comfortable together."

The Laird dropped his voice and whispered to me, "You won't be separated from your husband for long. After we leave Eoghann at Inverness tomorrow you can share his room."

I glanced at Sam whose face was carefully blank and then at Eoghann who didn't look even glance up. I had begun to understand the Eoghann was giving me the cold shoulder. Since his initial delight at finding me he had drawn back and seemed to be avoiding any contact speaking with me as little as possible.

After luncheon Laird Mackenzie took Sam and Conrad away to discuss business, Lady Grant went to lie down in our cabin and Eoghann said he meant to take a stroll on the ship's deck.

"I'll go with you," I said figuring it would be a good time to find out why he was so angry with me, though I thought I could guess.

Eoghann gave me an annoyed look and said, "Suit yourself," leaving me to follow him up the stairs to the deck.

As I emerged on deck I saw that the ship was well into the ocean now. I could no longer see the shore on the right side of the boat. The wind had picked up and it tugged at my hair and skirts. I turned my head looking for Eoghann and found him at the stern of the boat looking down toward the waters. I managed to make it over to where he was standing by holding my skirts with one hand and my hair with the other crab walking carefully with spread legs lest I fall over.

I decided to take the bull by the horns. "So I take it you're angry with me."

"Angry," Eoghann didn't turn to look at me but his voice dripped with sarcasm, "what possible reason could I have for being angry with you?"

My guilt overrode my temper and I said, "I'm sorry Eoghann."

Feigning disinterest he said, "Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry I ran away."

Eoghann turned a face suffused with fury on me. "Oh you didn't just run away. You ran away and left me without one bloody word! Do you have any idea how that felt?"

I shook my head mutely and recoiled from the blaze of anger in his eyes as it washed over me like liquid flame, and my skin began to feel clammy with sweat despite the wind.

"At first I thought you'd run off with that wastrel Finn and ruined yourself. That was bad enough, but when we found Finn drunk at the cathouse I began to fear for your safety. When we saw that brute's body in the graveyard we thought you'd been abducted. For three days we tracked the riders and as we rode I imagined all the horrible things they might have done to you, what you might be suffering. I was overjoyed when that damn dwarf gave me your letter because it was proof you were alive. At the last I'd even begun to think you might have thrown yourself in the loch in despair. I was picturing you broken body washed ashore somewhere while the gulls picked at it."

Eoghann turned away from me as if the sight of me sickened him. His chest heaved with anger and I felt bile rising in my throat. Eoghann's words left me feeling raw and scathed like the lash of a whip. I knew what I'd put him through was unforgivable, knew how I would have felt if he had disappeared without a word.

I took a deep breath and fought the nausea rising in me. "I'm sorry Eoghann. I don't know what else to say. I know it was selfish of me, but I just couldn't marry Angus, not knowing what a monster he was. I couldn't see any way out and I panicked."

Eoghann turned wounded eyes on me. "Why couldn't you have come to me, Cat, why?"

"You didn't listen to me about Finn and you got so angry." I had begun to feel quite dizzy and sweat was popping out on my forehead despite the wind.

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't have listened to you about Angus. If you had come to me and told me about Jamesina I would have at least listened! But no, you run off without even trying to make me understand. You left me to suffer the worst kind of hell, Cat. What have I ever done to deserve being treated like that?"

Suddenly the nausea I'd been fighting overcame me. My gorge rose and I barely managed to get my head over the ship's rail before the contents of my stomach began to heave its way out. I might have pitched headlong over the rail but Eoghann's strong arms came around me holding me. Again and again I retched over the edge until my stomach was empty and my throat was painfully sore.

I wiped my hand across my mouth and stood up. "I think I've been poisoned."

"You're not poisoned, Cat. It's only seasickness."

I wondered what that meant but felt too ill to inquire. Eoghann bent and put an arm behind my knees and picked me up. He held me securely against his chest as he carried me across the deck and back down the stairs to my cabin calling for Jenny as he went. When he kicked open my cabin door she appeared.

Jenny held her hand against her mouth. "Oh my, mistress. Have you taken ill?"

"It's just seasickness," Eoghann said laying me down on the bed and then smiled at Jenny, "bring the chamber pot in case she heaves again."

I glared at him as best I could in my weakened state. "You're enjoying my misery, you monster."

"Just a bit," he admitted with a smile."It only seems fair that you do a little suffering too."

Lying down was making my head spin and I was afraid I was going to be sick again, but I knew I needed to make Eoghann understand. "I didn't think you would believe me if I told you about Angus ravishing Jamesina. You were already making excuses for his bad temper and his cheating."

"You should have tried."

" Even if you had believed me could you have stopped Uncle Malcolm from marrying me off to him?"

That took him aback a little. "I would have tried." He sniffed indignantly.

Racked with nausea I was in no mood to be diplomatic. "And I might have been married to Angus anyway."

"Well now you're married to Sam. I hope you made a good bargain because you're going to have to live with it for the rest of your life."

"He's better than Angus. He's a good, decent man and if it wasn't for him those MacDonnels would have killed me!"

"That's why you were so foolish to run off like that. Don't you realize all the awful thing that might have happened to you."

""Do you forgive me?" I asked wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it. It's Rabbie who's going to be really furious with you. You may have scared me to death but you made him look weak and foolish to his new bride and his clan."

I looked up at him sharply and saw that he was smiling. "I'm truly sorry I've made such a mess of things."

"Well you should be, but in truth I think it's Uncle Malcolm who began this mess, and now that I know the MacDonnels a bit better I think we'd do well to keep our distance. I just wish I thought we could avoid shedding Frazer blood over this."

My stomach heaved again and I hung my head over the chamber pot. "Maybe it won't come to that."

"Maybe, I'll leave Jenny to care for you and tell Sam you're seasick."

"No, I don't want him to see me like this!"

Eoghann chuckled. "But I do little sister."

Despite my worries over what lay ahead I felt lightened by our conversation. At least Eoghann was speaking to me and if he hadn't forgiven me yet I thought he would soon.

Under Jenny's ministrations I was soon clad only in my shift and tucked up into bed with a damp rag on my forehead, but the room still spun when I closed my eyes so I stared out in front of me miserably wishing I someone would shoot me and put me out of my misery.

There was a rap on the cabin door. "Leannan, may I come in?"

"No," I said, "Go away!" I certainly didn't want Sam seeing me like this.

"But I've brought you some things to make you feel better," he wheedled.

I wavered. "What kind of things?"

"Things to eat," Sam said as he opened the door and stepped into the room carrying a tray. He sat the tray down on the table beside the bed and sat on the mattress next to me.

He picked up a mug off the tray and held it out to me. "This is ginger beer. The cook assures me that it will settle your stomach."

Reluctantly I sat up and turned the pillow behind my head vertical, then leaned back and took the cup. I took a cautious sip. I wasn't bad. The mild ale had just a hint of the hot citrus tang of ginger. I took another sip before handing the cup back to Sam.

He handed me a bannock. "Here, they're a bit hard but the cook said stale bannocks were the best thing for a roiling stomach."

My stomach was indeed roiling so I took the proffered bannock and nibbled one corner.

Sam gently swept a tendril of hair back from my face. "I'm sorry you have seasickness, leannan."

"You shouldn't touch me. I don't want you to catch it."

Sam laughed and then fought to stifle it.

"What's so amusing," I asked.

"Seasickness isn't catching. It's caused by the motion of the boat. As soon as we get you back on dry land you'll recover. "

"Oh, good, that's nice to know. I thought I might be dying."

Sam chuckled and patted my cheek. "Would you like more ginger beer or bannock?"

"No, I'm very tired and I'd like to sleep a while."

Sam leaned down and dropped a kiss on my forehead. "Alright leannan, don't hesitate to call for me if you feel worse. I vowed to take care of you in sickness and health after all."

After Sam departed I fell asleep, but I woke later in darkness to the sound of gentle snoring. I looked down toward the sound and saw Jenny asleep on a pallet beside me. I turned my head toward Lady Grant's bunk It was rumpled and empty.

I lay awake for hours while my stomach heaved but Lady Grant didn't return.

At your suggestions I have created a rather unexpected back story for Lady Grant which will be revealed in future chapters. I have also addressed the point that Eoghann seemed too ready to forgive Cat for all she put him through. How are you feeling about Lady Grant and Eoghann now? Please keep the feedback coming it is really helpful.