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C
aitlin discovered that having her clinic at the lodge was much more convenient than in the village. The village folk were beginning to come almost daily now, and she and Millie worked together in the school. Word about the Lady's school had gotten around and presently there were a dozen children coming each morning for instruction. Millie had one group working on arithmetic and another on reading. She wanted to teach them French and maybe a bit of science, but there were only the two of them and Caitlin was often busy tending her patients.
"Caitlin, I know we've talked about it already, but we're going to have to hire help. We've got to convince Jack and Alex that we're making a contribution to this place."
"Aye. By the end of the day I've barely got enough energy to get the children bathed, fed and to bed."
"Then we'll have to get on this right away. I know if we look around, surely we can find a person who's able to teach. Certainly to help with the reading. That's the key to all the rest. If they can't read, then nothing else matters."
~ * ~
DANIEL HAD MADE THE decision to move the gravesite of the child, Alex's twin, Amber. He thought Easter Sunday would be a most appropriate day.
"That seems like a perfect day to do something this important. Alice made me promise, and I don't want to go back on my word."
"Da, let Alex and me dig for ye." Jack thought it would be too much for Da to take on that chore.
"If you must, then, all right. It's just the tiniest little coffin, lads. She was only one day old, so it'll not be difficult. But I'm ready to put her next to her mother. My soul would never rest if I should pass on before I get that task done."
So here it was, Easter morning. Spring in the Highlands was a most welcome sight. And on this day, even the wind on top of the moor was not as brisk and chilly as it was most days. The clan all gathered around and Uncle Andrew had thought it appropriate to have a short scripture reading followed by a prayer. The small little coffin was laid to rest in its new place, right next to Mam's grave. Millie had remembered to bring a wreath, and the daffodils that had just bloomed seemed perfect for a child's grave.
It was a short ceremony, and even though the lads had never known their sister, this Amber, they felt a connection. Da's face was peaceful and he smiled at the group.
"My thanks to ye all. She'll be more at peace here, I believe. I know Alice is pleased, as I am."
Uncle Andrew and Camille strolled about the cemetery, Andrew pointing out gravestones of the various family members. Millie and Jack followed behind as the children ran down the hill. Alex and Caitlin stayed a few moments and walked about the burial plot. They placed a wreath on Mam's grave also. They had recently noticed that the fresh flowers that were always on her grave were not there now.
"Yes, of course—Ian. The lad always thought she was special . . . think it went both ways." Alex nodded.
"I want to go inside the circle while we're here. It'll only take a moment." Caitlin looked at him closely to see his reaction.
Alex stood tall, then walked over to the circle with her.
"Wait here."
He looked on as she went to the center, bowed her head and then lifted her face to the sky. Immediately the golden light made an appearance and Caitlin's face registered her feelings. A few minutes passed in which Alex watched Caitlin, wondering what she experienced in the circle. "Oh, Alex, it's gone. The crying's gone. The child is quiet now. She doesn't call to me anymore."
She smiled and the relief was so great she hardly knew how to react. Just then she experienced a novel happening, and it was pleasing to her. "Come inside, Alex. Come, hurry."
Alex had lost his fear of the circle, but still thought he should be reverent when he entered in. He knew Caitlin's presence would protect him, but he still wasn't too keen on going inside. He walked to her and she smiled up at him and took both his hands.
"Alex, the child is at peace now. It was Amber calling to me. She's where she wants to be now. With her mother."
"But why would she single you out? Because you're one of the called?"
"I'm not sure, but maybe that could be part of it. But at this moment, I know another reason why she called to me. Alex, I've just experienced the quickening."
"Quickening? What does that mean?"
"It's the small fluttering in my stomach that tells me I'm about to be a mother also. I believe Amber sensed that. I've been so busy I didn't pay attention to the signals, but she did. I was drawn to the circle from the first day I came, before I was pregnant, but lately even more so."
"Caitlin? Are ye sure, mo chridhe?"
Caitlin's smile grew even wider. "Yes. I'm sure. All the signs were there. They just didn't register with me. The irrational moods I've been having, the blazing energy, and then the lack of it. Yes. I'm sure."
"Jesus. Whatever are we going to do with another child?" He was thrilled, but at the same time he just couldn't see how they would manage.
"Oh, I think we'll probably make room somewhere, don't you?"
Alex held her close and sent a prayer of thanksgiving to whomever was listening.
"Aye. I'm quite sure we will."
The two of them walked together quietly, each with their own thoughts. Alex was grinning so big his face hurt. Finally, he let out a "WooHoo!" that echoed from one end of the moor to the other. The others, almost home already, heard him. Probably not what he should have done following this ceremony, but he couldn't hold back another second.
"Wonder what's got into Alex. He never shows that much emotion over anything." Jack looked at Millie, who just shrugged.
They waited up a bit to let Alex and Caitlin catch them.
"So are ye gonna tell us, or are we gonna have to pull it out of ye? What's got ye so excited, brother?"
"Well, Jack, it appears we're going to have to add another room onto the lodge."
"What? It's pretty big already Alex. Not sure why we would need to do that."
"Why did Da always add another room, Jack?" Millie asked. She grinned and gave her friend a hug.
"Oh, that's so exciting, Caitlin. There's nothing like your own bairn, I can tell you that much."
"What? Yer gonna have a bairn? Well, why didn't ye just say so?" Jack hadn't given a lot of thought to more children. He loved little Midge and the new children seemed to fit right in. But it looked like he may have to start thinking more about that, children that is. "Then I believe we'd better start making plans, huh?"
"Yes, I suppose we'd better. I'll continue with the clinic and the school until I waddle too much to do so," Caitlin laughed. "But I don't think there's any question but that we'll need help. What do you think, Alex? Jack? Maybe we can find someone to help us out a little? The village needs this school and the clinic is getting busier every day."
"Aye, lass, we'll put our heads together. We'll figure it out when we get back. Jack and I'll be gone a couple of days next week, and we'll need Boder, the new hand, to go with us. We're taking a few sheep to MacDonald. He lost a few this past winter and wants to increase his flock. Our lambing season was good, so we can easily get rid of a handful. With Hector at the estate, that means you and Millie will be here by yerselves. Think ye'll manage?"
"Daniel and Andrew are here. Willie, too. And Da's as good with those children as either of us. We'll be fine."
She had no qualms about the men leaving them now. Deirdre was banished from the village, the school was going well, and her clinic was beginning to serve many folk. The fact that the circle of stones was no longer calling to her also put Caitlin's mind at ease. She'd finally figured out the nightmares and crying of the child.
She stopped for a moment as a particular thought flashed into her head. What had Uncle Wabi said? "The answer to your nightmares lies in the circle of stones."
That's what he meant. She was lying in the circle of stones all this time.
She started to walk again, but then another quick flash of memory registered. "In your condition, putting up a protective barrier was exactly the right thing to do. And when you are thinking of this, ask yourself who is the most protective creature on the earth?"
Of course. A mother is the most protective creature ever. He knew. He knew all along.
But in his usual way, he'd let her figure it out on her own. She missed him still and was glad Ian was with him. That arrangement would be good for both of them.
~ * ~
"DANIEL, DO YOU THINK we could go to the village and look for another woman to help us here? Millie and I are stretched already and Mrs. Murray's getting on in years. She does the scrubbing of the floors and helps with the laundry, and we need her of course, but with more than a dozen children in our school we could use another hand."
"Aye, lass. Surely we can find a body who's needing work. A small bit of coin will help folk for sure. But it'll be better if I come with ye. Together we'll make a better decision about who to choose. Tomorrow we'll head down and try to get this chore done."
Next morning Millie and Caitlin were dishing out breakfast bowls of porridge and toast. Jack and Alex had left early headed to the MacDonald farm, and Daniel was making himself useful, refilling porridge bowls and wiping sticky fingers.
"Guess Alice might could have used a little help in her day, too, but I was so busy trying to make a living with the sheep. So she did it all by herself. Course, she wouldn't have wanted it any other way, she was like that."
The back door opened and Uncle Andrew stuck his head in. "Could a neighbor get a cup of coffee, ye think?"
"I believe there's a fresh pot brewing on the stove. Come in and we'll find a cup for ye. Ah, Camille, come in lass. There's plenty for everyone."
The couple had pretty much kept to themselves these first weeks and the others gave them their privacy. They usually ate the supper meal with the clan, but the rest of the day they were either at the hut or they'd walk about the moor, her staying close to him.
"Good morning, Camille. We're having porridge and toast. Would you care for a taste?"
"No, thanks, Millie. I had toast and current jelly earlier — a jar that I brought with me. But coffee would be just right."
The children were hustled off to the great room where they were to sit by the fire until such time as Millie indicated the school day was to start. Then she'd gather them and take them out to the smaller hut where the classroom was organized. Until then, however, Tess and Willie would put up with their pulling and riding. Willie had taken to staying close to Charlie, but often he could still be seen sitting wherever Caitlin was. He was hers, and that would never change. But at the moment, he sensed Charlie was needy and he allowed the lad a bit of his attention.
Andrew sipped his coffee, and cleared his throat. "Ahem. We've been wondering, the two of us, about a situation and would like to ask your opinion. All of ye."
"What's that, Andrew?" Da asked.
Daniel was pleased Andrew had found Camille. He, himself, had no interest in any other woman in his life. Alice was his only love, and that was that. But this Camille was special to Andrew and he to her.
"From what we've observed for a few weeks now, it looks like ye two ladies have a lot on yer plate. As ye know, Camille has been employed at the Department of Ancestry in Edinburgh. She's recorded and researched clan histories for years now and was the person who got me going on my own work. There's not much the lass doesn't know about tracing a family line to the earliest days. What you don't know is that she was educated at the University in Edinburgh. She's studied history, the sciences, mathematics, and she speaks French as well as Gaelic and English. Oh, and she plays the harpsichord, too. We were wondering if ye'd consider letting her help with the teaching."
Millie looked at Camille. She was never so surprised. This woman was so shy and quiet that this would have never occurred to her.
"Camille? You'd like to help us?"
"Yes. I might could help with teaching the sciences, I believe. It was my best subject at university and it still interests me. And I have had training in music — harpsichord and violin."
"My word, we had no idea we had such a learned person here at the lodge. Why, we would be ever so glad to have you."
Caitlin had great respect for those who had received an education at university. She'd read articles about the medical treatments being developed in Edinburgh, and she had heard Alex speak of a Dr. Lind, who was quite a learned man in the medical field. Perhaps one day she might take a trip to Edinburgh.
"Oh, Camille, that would be grand. Maybe later today we can sit together and make a schedule that will work for the three of us."
Daniel and Andrew exchanged a look they both understood.
Keep the women occupied and they'll make our lives easier.