| |
––––––––
T
he spring morning air still had a nip to it, but thanks to the gardeners and Reggie's green thumb, Cameron Castle was teeming with colorful flowers and plants and the vegetable gardens had to be picked every day. The sight was pleasing to Hector as he made his early morning walkabout around the estate. He entered the kitchen through the back door and casually strolled into the kitchen hoping to snitch a scone from Ethel's pastry basket.
"Morning, Ethel. Have ye seen Reggie? I've looked all over but she seems to have disappeared," he said as he lifted the tea towel and pinched a buttered scone.
"Oh, aye, Mr. MacKinnon. She was here earlier, but I'm not real sure where ye might find her now. There was a wee problem, but she's quite a capable young woman so I expect she'll manage to deal with it."
"What kind of problem? Is it something I need to know about?"
"One of our kitchen helpers, Aileen, a young woman from our village, has difficulty some days, as most of the women do. And there's naught to be done I'm afraid. She lost her husband at Culloden ye see, and she's grieving still. I imagine Miss Reggie's trying her best to console her. The girl says she has family around the Lairg Fern area and would like to get back to them, but she has no means to get there and she's pretty poorly most days anyhow. Mind ye, she's good in the kitchen though, sir. She's almost as good a cook as meself." She laughed and turned back to rolling out her piecrusts.
Hector walked away, nibbling on his scone. With just a little thought, he knew where Reggie would have taken someone to console them—the rose garden. He often found Reggie there herself and wondered if she, too, weren't grieving over her own husband, who had died following a hunting accident some time ago.
As he reached the winding path that led through the rose garden he heard voices, and occasionally a sob emerged as well. Thinking perhaps this was not the time to interrupt, he turned and went back toward the stable.
He needed to talk to Clint about hiring one more helper. Apparently Winston was getting on in years, as was Clint, and needed a hand with the sheep. Presently, the flock produced enough wool to keep the estate working, and a younger helper would make things easier for the old ones.
But that problem was one he could fix. But there was another one he couldn't. This latest problem, the British breathing down everyone's throat, was something else. Hector felt sure the soldiers would show up at Cameron Castle eventually. Would they close the Sanctuary? Did they know he was a Jacobite supporter?
That evening, Hector and Reggie had their supper together in the small library next to the great room. It was quiet and they usually spent this time reviewing the day's events at the Sanctuary, and Ethel took special pains to make sure they were not interrupted during these dinners. Of course, she always included some of the fine wine from the Cameron Castle cellar—she knew the mistress would have approved of that.
It was obvious to Ethel these two were on the way to becoming more than just coworkers. Hector's face actually lit up when Reggie came into the room, and Ethel was delighted to see some happiness as there was so much grief and depression in all the women at the castle.
The Sanctuary was proving to be a safe haven for the women and children in this area. Most of the women had lost husbands at Culloden and had no place to go. Millie's grandmother had left her the estate and Millie had asked Hector to turn it into a refuge for the widows and their children. So far the project was working well, and finding Reggie to manage it for him was the key to its success as far as Hector was concerned. He took care of managing the financial end and she kept the staff organized and worked well with the women.
The most difficult situations usually involved the children. The mothers were hardly able to take care of themselves, much less their bairns. To Hector's dismay, there were many small bairns who required someone to feed them, hold them, and care for them fulltime if their own mothers were unable to do so. That was where Dorothea proved to be his savior. Taking care of children was exactly what Dorothea was meant to do, and she loved every minute of it.
Reggie, too, blossomed at the Sanctuary and greatly enjoyed being with Hector every day. He was nothing like her husband, and it surprised her that she found him so appealing.
In her opinion he was very handsome, with his dark hair and eyes, and broad shoulders that always pulled at his coat. At first glance he appeared imposing to her, something about his very large size, and his brogue took her a while to decipher. The Highlanders definitely had their own way of speaking. But once she'd gotten to know him better, she realized he was very intelligent and had the patience of Job.
He spoke about his family in the Highlands often and Reggie dreaded the day he would leave her and return to them. They'd had a number of conversations regarding how long he would stay at the Sanctuary, but he still hadn't given her any real idea of just what he had in mind.
"Hector, I have a personal understanding of how it feels to lose your loved one, your husband. But as terrible as that was, some of these women have so much more to deal with. Most of them lost their homes when their husbands didn't return from Culloden. They have no way of making a living, and some of them have children they can hardly care for. Some of them have even lost bairns to various illnesses. Life is most difficult for these women, Hector. What you have created here is a wonderful respite for them. Where they go from here is not clear yet, but today they are being cared for."
"Aye, today they're being cared for. Living in the Highlands had its own difficulties, but being cared for was something I never had to worry about. Mam and Da instilled in all of us a desire to care for each other, and we've spent a lifetime doing that. But now there's such uncertainty with the Brits I fear we may be in for some trying times."
"I agree. I know you told me you'd eventually be going back to the Highlands, but I hope it's not any time soon."
"Aye, that's my plan. But don't worry lass, I'll not leave ye by yerself just yet. We've still got more work to do here."
He poured another glass of the deep red claret for each of them. "Come, let's take a moonlight stroll through your rose garden."
As she stood, he placed her arisaid (a plaid wrap) about her shoulders and escorted her out the door.
By the time they returned, Hector had heard Aileen's story, and several others, which made him even more aware of the grief these women were experiencing. Some of the stories had him wishing he hadn't heard them.