23. Chapter Twenty-Two

Their arrival home was welcomed by Lorena. It had been a very good idea to spend the night before at the inn. With various excuses, she'd managed to delay Craig a bit to give her stomach time to settle. Once they were in their own bed that night, she would place his hand on her stomach and let him know her news. Would he be happy? Angry? Would he ask Robin to send him off as soon as possible so he didn't have to witness the bairn growing in her middle?

She sighed at all these questions as they were greeted by Finn, Robin and Helena. Although she didn't ask, ‘twas apparent from Helena's glance to her middle and gesture toward Craig that she wondered if she had shared the news yet.

"Let us go to my solar for a bit of tea," Helena said as she linked her arm with Lorena's.

Once settled there, Lorena poured out her story about Lady Beattie and the way things had ended with her and Craig as they'd readied themselves to return home.

"I ken that woman," Helena said. "She visited one time before Robin and I married. I remember her pushing herself at all three of the MacKay brothers." She shook her head. "I canno' say for certe if Craig had anything to do with her then, but I ken Finn and Robin stayed clear of the tart."

"Well, I doona ken what to believe." Lorena took a sip of tea. "Aside from her claim the morning we left, I have no reason to believe Craig has broken his vows."

"Nor will he," Helena said with determination. "I've kenned all three of the MacKay men while living here and there is no'hing dishonorable about any of them. Aye, Craig always found a willing lass to take care of his needs and firmly stated his resolve to no' marry, but he kenned that Robin would one day require it, and if he did marry, he would no' wander from his wife's bed."

Lorena breathed a sigh of relief to hear Helena emphatically state what she was beginning to believe herself.

"Have ye told Craig about the bairn yet?"

"Nay. At first I wanted to be sure, and then I decided I would rather tell him here at home than at Castle Varrich."

"So plan a nice evening. Have yer last meal sent up to yer room and after a couple glasses of wine, share yer news."

Lorena studied Helena who had become her friend and confidant. "Do ye think he will be happy? Or mayhap upset to have another reason to feel tied down?"

Helena laughed and shook her head. "My dear, Craig is a man grown. He's kenned for years how bairns come about. Unless he's changed considerably since he married, he willna be surprised to hear yer news."

Her face growing redder by the moment, she had to join in Helena's laughter. "Aye. Ye are correct. He should no' be surprised."

"Fire!"

They looked at each other and raced to the door.

Chaos reigned in the great hall. Helena grabbed one of the servants heading to the back door. "Where is the fire?"

"In the village. With the wind today, several bothies have already gone up in flames."

Lorena looked at Helena. "We must help. There will be injuries, I am sure."

Helena nodded. "I will fetch my medicant basket and meet ye at the back door."

Craig rushed down the stairs and grabbed Lorena by the arm. "Where are ye going, wife?"

"To help, of course."

He took a quick look at her kirtle. "No' like that ye aren't. Go upstairs and grab a pair of my braies. Use one of my belts to hold them up. Skirts are much too dangerous around fire."

Lorena nodded and raced back upstairs. She'd only seen one fire before. That had been in the kitchen at Clyth Castle, She"d been a young lass, and been banned from the area, so all she'd seen was those who'd been injured.

She grabbed two pairs of braies, and the only belt she could find. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Helena was headed in her direction carrying her basket. "Helena, ye canno' go to the fire in yer kirtle."

"Aye. Robin just ordered me to stay here, but when I refused, he told me to get a pair of his braies."

Lorena held up the two pairs she grabbed from her bedchamber. "I have an extra pair here, but we need to find another belt."

Helena dug into her basket. "I have a piece of rope here that will work."

Both women returned to the small room next to the kitchen used as a sickroom and quickly changed clothes. Once finished, they headed to the stables where the head groom was preparing horses as quickly as he could. Lorena and Helena were helped onto the same horse and off they went to the village.

Four bothies were in flames and villagers ran into homes, pulling out belongings into the center of the area, hoping to save as much as they could before their own homes burst into flames.

In the melee, forgotten lads and lasses wandered the area, crying, looking for their parents. "I think for now the best thing would be to gather these little ones and keep them all together, away from the area so their parents can find them later," Helena said.

"Aye," Lorena said, scanning the area. "I think we can set up a sort of camp there." She pointed to a section far enough away from the burning structures so the wind wouldn't send the flames in that direction.

"Do that and I will find any injuries and treat what I can." Helena hurried off and Lorena began the task of gathering the little ones into a group that she brought to the area she and Helena had decided on. She attempted to console as many as she could as parents brought others to her.

Craig raced from a bothy that had just caught fire, carrying an elderly woman out. Lorena waved at him and he hurried over. "We are keeping the little ones here, and out of their parents' way. Ye can leave the woman with us. Let the parents ken that their children are safe. If ye see any more wandering around, bring them over."

Her husband nodded and settled the woman down. He turned to leave and swung back. "Doona go near the fires. The wind is blowing sparks all over, so anything could go up in flames."

Just then three wagons arrived, loaded with buckets filled with water from the creek. Men grabbed them and started a line, passing buckets while others made another run to the creek. Helena helped a lad over who was limping. "He jumped from his roof, and I believe he twisted his ankle."

More children were dropped off, some by those who found them wandering around, and others by their parents who were grateful to have a safe place to put them.

Hours passed and while some bothies were saved, others went completely up in flames, much to the anguish of the owners. Wagons continued to arrive with buckets of water, and two more wagons came from the brooch with food. Lorena got the children fed, and the younger ones to take a nap, but ‘twas hard with the bairns so upset with the noise and their parents gone.

Just as Lorena was about to eat some cheese and bread, a lad ran up to her. "My sister. She is in our house and I canno' get her out. She's just a wee one."

"Where are yer parents?" Lorena asked.

"They went to help my grandparents and told me to watch Faye until they returned. But the bothy roof caught fire and Faye was in the back room sleeping and there is fire in front of the door."

Lorena took a quick look at the bairns. "Go fetch Lady Helena and ask her to send someone here to watch the little ones."

The lad raced off and not trusting enough time to rescue little Faye, Lorena turned to a lass about six years. "Do yer best to keep all these little ones here."

The lass nodded, her eyes wide. ‘Twas a big responsibility for her, but Lorena couldn't allow time to pass with a bairn in trouble. She caught up to the lad. "Where is yer bothy?"

He pointed to a cottage standing alone with a garden in the front and the wails of a bairn echoing in the air. No one had reached the bothy yet to try to put out the flames. "Continue yer search for Lady Helena, and if ye can find Mister Craig, send him over too."

Grateful for wearing Craig's braies, she ran to the enflamed structure. The wails had turned to screams, which scared Lorena to death. She quickly moved to one of the wagons, took a bucket from it, and doused herself with the water. She took off her vest, and wrapping it around her mouth, entered the bothy.

She was almost driven back by the heat, but with the little one screaming, she moved forward, ducking her head, keeping the wrap around her hair. Within minutes she reached the bairn, scooped her up and as she turned, the wall in front of her shot up in flames. She turned in a circle, and all four walls surrounding her were burning.

Jesu, I am about to die here without ever telling Craig he was to be a da.

And that I love him.

***

"Mister Craig, Mister Craig." Craig turned as a young lad ran up to him. "Miss Lorena went into my cottage to get my sister. As I ran off to find Lady MacKay to help with the bairns, I heard the wall collapse in the house. I dinna see Miss Lorena come out."

Craig swallowed, fear cramping his belly like none he'd ever felt before. His wife was trapped in a flaming house. He never should have allowed her to come. She was supposed to be watching bairns while their parents worked; why would she end up in a burning house?

"Show me." ‘Twas all the words his dry mouth was able to get out as he raced after the lad. The house they stopped at was engulfed in flames. He could hear a bairn screaming and Lorena shouting for help.

"Lorena!" He walked through the front door and was met by a wall of fire.

"Craig! I canno' get out." The fear and anguish in her voice sent panic racing through his body.

"Doona fash yerself. I will get ye out." He turned and met a few clanfolks who had gathered outside the bothy drawn by the cries of the bairn and shouts from Lorena.

"Ye canno' go in there, Mister Craig. I just went around the place. All the walls are on fire," said one of the elderly men watching the burning building with fear clearly written on his face.

He shoved the man away. "I will get her out." He looked at those who had gathered. "Get me an axe, a heavy log, a hammer, anything that can break the wall."

"Ye willna make it," Robin said as he trotted up to him and grabbed his arm to keep him from moving.

He shoved him away. "Aye? Think ye I willna try?"

"The whole thing will collapse in a matter of minutes." With agony written on the laird's face, he tried again to stop him.

In his panic, he grabbed Robin by the throat. "Would ye no' try to get Helena out?" He pointed at the bothy. "‘Tis my wife in there." He pushed Robin away. "I willna stand here and listen to her die."

Robin turned to the crowd. "Ye heard the mon. Get axes, heavy logs, and drag one of those wagons over here."

"Ye better hurry," one of the men in the crowd said. "The roof is about to fall in."

If the roof collapsed onto his wife, she would burn to death. He grabbed the axe that was handed to him. Robin had a heavy log, and the village blacksmith strode up with a handful of irons from his shop.

Craig tore his leine off and dunked it into a bucket of water. "Toss water on this wall!" Craig shouted. "And keep it coming."

After a few slams against the wall, the axe broke a hole, big enough for Craig to crawl through. Smoke billowed out from the opening. He climbed into all blackness and smoke. The heat from the flames made him feel as though he'd reached the bowels of hell. He draped the wet leine over his head. "Lorena!"

Once again panic seized him when he got no answer. "Lorena! Please answer me, wife!"

He heard her coughing and then a raspy reply. "I'm here at the back. I canno' see anything. And ‘tis so hot."

The wall he just crawled through began to collapse. Craig yelled, "Mo Chridhe, listen to me. Back into a corner if ye can. Once this wall falls, the air will add fuel to the fire. I'm coming after ye."

He could hear the whimpering of the bairn and the choking sound coming from Lorena. "Please, Craig."

"Hold on, Lorena."

He shouted through the hole in the wall. "Get water in here. Fast."

Robin passed buckets of water to Craig who tried to at least form a clear path to where Lorena was.

He handed the last empty bucket to Robin outside. "Have someone fetch Helena so she can treat Lorena and the bairn as soon as I get them out."

He turned back to the room, still unable to see anything, choking on the smoke. "Lorena, call to me so I can tell where ye are."

"O'er here, Craig."

"Keep talking." He followed her voice and the wailing of the bairn. Carefully stepping and moving his arm back and forth in the darkness, he eventually touched her hand, just as another wall fell in. "Come, we doona have much time." He wrapped his arm around her waist, moving her forward. "Tuck the little one against yer chest." Then he threw the wet leine over the three of them and more from memory than sight, pushed her and the bairn out of the bothy through the now collapsed wall.

Lorena stumbled and fell to her knees. Wanting to get as far away from the bothy as he could, he scooped her and the bairn up into his arms and moved away just as the entire structure collapsed.

Helena rushed up to them. "Lay her down on the ground."

He placed Lorena gently on the ground as a man and a woman with the young lad who'd told him about Lorena in the burning bothy ran up and took the bairn out of Lorena's arms, the woman weeping and thanking them over and over.

Lorena grabbed his leg, tears creating a path through the soot on her face. "Craig. Doona leave me."

He stared into her eyes, relief flooding his body. "Nay, mo chridhe, I will ne'er leave ye." He sat on the ground alongside her. He brushed the hair back from her forehead. "Ye scared me this time, wife. I ne'er want to go through something like this again."

After checking over the bairn, Helena knelt next to Lorena. She gave her a cursory examination. "She has a few minor burns and ‘twill take a while for her lungs to clear out, but otherwise I think she will be fine."

She studied him for a minute. "Ye have a few burns on yer face as well." After she spoke the words, he began to feel the sting on a few places on his arms also.

Craig blew out a huge breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. He almost lost her.

His wife.

The woman he loved.