Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The cool air blowing against Blair's cheeks, coupled with the difficult night of sleep, caused Blair to struggle to stay awake. Each step of the horse was a lulling movement, a succession of vibrating tones that softly comforted her against the seemingly never-ending silence between her and James. For some reason, in the back of her mind, Blair had pictured the trip completely different. The plans were made, the journey resumed, and that was that. They had ended their conversation, both feeling a tinge of guilt for the kiss, but not enough to mention a word about it.

In some ways, Blair didn't even want to talk about it. She knew nothing good could come of it. She knew that there was no future beyond the husband chosen for her. Words would only make it awkward and uncomfortable, if it were even possible to be more so than it already was. Blair let out a small sigh, one James could feel against his chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Blair shrugged, reaching out and stroking the horse's mane. "Nothing. I'm just thinking this might have been a fool's errand. Maybe I just hoped too much. The woman I remember must have been a hundred years old, and I was just a little girl. There's no way she'd still be alive, and definitely not all the way out 'ere."

The horse slowed beneath Blair. James lifted his arm around her. "Then I 'spose the cottage in front of us is nothin' more than a dream?"

Blair's eyes shot up and she bent forward, squinting in the direction James was pointing. Sure enough, in the distance, almost too small to spot, there was a small cottage, smoke coming out of its chimney. Blair sat up straight and for the first time on that journey, nerves rattled her to the core. James set his hand on her shoulder.

"Are ye sure ye want tae go? We can turn back," James said.

Blair shook her head. "I want to go. I have to go. I have to know the truth."

James squeezed her shoulder and pulled it back, clicking his tongue to the horse. They traveled through the white trees, slowly approaching the cottage. The closer they got, the more real everything was becoming to Blair. The cottage was small, slightly tilted, and the roof was covered in moss. The house alone looked a hundred years old. It sat to the left side of a large clearing with hand-tied fences on the right and left of the front of the house, holding lush gardens. There were beautiful flowering plants, even in the encroaching cold Highland air. There was no mud or frost, almost as if the clearing sat in its own little bubble.

As James and Blair rode the horse up to the fences, an old woman stood behind the tall vines of the garden. She wore a simple skirt and tunic, with an apron tied around her waist. She held the bottom up, cradling what looked to be tomatoes in the cloth. Her silver hair was pulled loosely back, pinned at the nape of her neck. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight shining down into the clearing.

James brought the horse to a stop and jumped off first. Before Blair could jump down on her own, James' hands were around her waist, and he was lifting her down from the horse. As her feet touched down, they immediately parted. Blair turned toward the wise woman just as she looked up, staring over at them. Her head tilted to the side, and she smiled. Blair ran her hands nervously down the front of her, and began to walk forward.

"I'm sorry fer the intrusion," Blair said, walking down the stone path that led to the house. "I know you probably don't know who…"

The old woman laughed, tying her apron up. "Blair, why, ye still have that wild look in yer eye."

Blair couldn't help but to let her mouth drop aghast. After all that time, after all the sleepless nights and fears, the old woman she had met one time, for just a moment, remembered her. Blair glanced back at James, who looked surprised and weary at the same time. When she turned back, the old woman was standing right in front of her.

She chuckled. "Didn't think I'd remember ye, little rose? I've been wonderin' when you'd come by. Took ye long enough. Come on, the two of ye look like ye've been ridin' fer days. I have some tea on the stove."

The old woman made her way toward the house, and Blair turned to James as he stepped up next to her. She looked to him for guidance, and he breathed deeply, placing his hand on her back. "We came all this way, ye might as well go in. Don't worry. If there's danger, I think I can handle her."

James smirked, calming Blair's wildly beating heart. She nodded, walking forward toward the door. With the light outside, she couldn't see inside until she had stepped through the door and let her eyes adjust for a moment. James walked in behind her, and closed the creaking wooden door. Looking around, Blair was surprised at how nice the inside of the cabin was. It looked as if it wasn't part of the old, run-down cottage she had stepped into. There were handmade chairs, a table, even draperies on the windows.

"Come, sit," the woman said, putting the tomatoes on the counter. "I've got more tomatoes than I know what to do with."

Blair nodded, walking over to the table. James pulled out her seat and pushed it in as she sat, before taking a seat next to her. The old woman set a kettle on the fire and glanced over at them. "How long have ye been a couple? ye both look to be about the age most begin to consider marriage."

Blair looked at James confused and then shook her head, her cheeks blushing. "No…uh…we're not…"

James awkwardly cleared his throat. "Uh, no ma'am. We're not a couple. Just friends."

The old woman walked over to the table, carrying the cast iron kettle. She chuckled as she poured water into their cups. "Now, I may be old and losing my sight, but I'm not blind. I could sense it before ye even rode up on that horse of yers."

Blair opened her mouth and shut it again, feeling sheepish as if the old woman had spoken Blair's thoughts out loud. Instead, she shook her head, watching as the woman sat down across from them and fixed her own cup of tea.

"How is it that you remember me?" Blair asked.

The woman stirred her tea, looking down at it. "Tell me Blair, why did ye come lookin' fer me? After all this time, I'd figure you'd have gone another path."

Blair looked down at her tea. "Not much of another path tae go I 'spose."

The woman looked up at Blair with her blue eyes. "Of course, dear. I knew ye would."

Blair swallowed hard, letting out a deep breath. "We don't have a lot of time. I've heard a lot of things about my father's death but I don't know what really happened. I was told my uncle killed him, but I don't know why. I've heard whispers of some prophecy. I've heard it was for the lairdship. My uncle has hated me and my sisters fer a long time, but he's usually not the one to look out fer. I just need answers, and maybe that will help me save my sisters."

The old woman nodded, folding her hands in her lap. "Yer cousin is the evil one, and I shoulda seen it comin', but…"

Blair watched a sadness wash over the old woman as she stared down at her lap. Whatever was coming next, it was not going to be easy to hear, Blair could tell. She just hoped that whatever it was, it would lead her sisters, and herself to freedom. She had had far too much darkness in her life, and she could only hope the old woman would be a light.