Finally he asked, “Did I hurt ye very much?”
“Aye,” she answered honestly, “but not for long.”
He laughed and said, “I did make ye promise never to hide anything from me.”
“Aye, ye did.”
“It won’t hurt like that again,” he reassured her.
“I hope not, because I liked everything else,” she admitted boldly.
He chuckled and whispered, “I know,” kissing her again.
Seven
Katherine slept soundly that night in Niall’s arms. Niall slept less soundly. He woke up during the night with her enticing round bottom tucked up against his groin and he stiffened in response. He would have happily made love to her again, but he knew the ride to Duncurra in the morning might be uncomfortable for her, so he gritted his teeth while trying to go back to sleep.
Just after dawn they left Brathanead keep and Niall walked with her to where the men prepared their horses. He took Katherine’s hand before saying, “I sent word for Diarmad to bring ye something.” He winked at her. “Tomas, ye can bring your lady her mount now,” he called. Tomas, grinning from ear to ear at being part of the surprise, led a strong brown gelding out of the stable. She seemed thrilled and threw her arms around Niall, hugging him. A little taken aback, he looked down at her and said, “It isn’t that I don’t enjoy having ye ride on my lap, and, if ye get tired ye can ride with me, but he is yours. I know your father gave Stormy to ye and nothing can replace her, but I thought having this brown beast as your own might help.”
“He is beautiful, Niall, thank you. He isn’t the horse my father gave me, but he is the horse my husband gave me,” she said, hugging him again. “Does he have a name?”
“Not that he told me. Tomas, did he tell ye his name?”
“Nay,” said Tomas seriously, “But Diarmad did. Diarmad said his name is Eachan.”
“Hello, Eachan,” she said, stroking his neck in greeting.
Niall helped her mount Eachan and, at last, they headed home. In spite of his worries, they completed the journey without incident. By early afternoon, still several miles away, they could see Duncurra.
“It is in the middle of a loch,” said Tomas in awe.
“It certainly looks that way from here,” Katherine agreed.
“This is Loch Craos. As we ride along the western edge, ye will begin to see the tail of the crag behind Duncurra. There is a wall built across the bottom of the tail that extends around the whole crag. It encircles the castle and most of the village. It makes Duncurra easy to defend.” Niall couldn’t keep the note of pride out of his voice.
“If there is a wall, how do ye get into it?” Tomas asked.
“Tomas, don’t be silly. There will be a gate in the wall, just like at Cotharach.” Katherine laughed.
“But Duncurra isn’t built out of wood like Cotharach,” Tomas observed.
“Nay, it isn’t. It is built from stone, but when we get close enough to see it better, ye will see a low tower built into the wall. That tower is called a ‘barbican’,” Niall explained. “In the middle of the barbican is a heavy iron gate that can be raised and lowered. It is called a portcullis.”
“Port-cull-iss,” Tomas tried the word.
Tomas seemed enthralled, but to his surprise Katherine did, too, so Niall continued to describe the fortress. “The wall is very tall and thick near the bottom, but it becomes lower as the crag rises.”
“If it is low, couldn’t someone just climb over it?” Tomas asked.
“Where the wall is lower, the edge of the crag drops straight into the water. It would be very hard to climb out of the water, up the crag, and over the wall.”
“Why do you need a wall there, then?”
“To keep wee lads and other people from falling off the edge of the crag. Ye are never to climb on that wall, Tomas, it is very dangerous. Do ye understand?”
“Aye, I understand,” Tomas replied seriously.
Niall went on, “Do you see the two tall towers?”
“Aye.”
“Well, the men in those towers can see us, too, even though we are still quite a long way from Duncurra. What do ye think they would do if we were an enemy?”
“Close the port-cull-iss?” Tomas asked, wide-eyed.
“Aye, they would do that, but they would also have plenty of time to prepare for a fight to defend the castle. It is very hard to sneak up on Duncurra without being seen.”
~ * ~
Katherine realized how true those words were as they reached the village. Word of their approach must have spread, because it seemed that the whole clan had turned out to meet them. As Niall’s clan called words of welcome to them, Katherine smiled at them, quietly taking in her surroundings. She realized painfully that Duncurra was impoverished. Everything was well cared for but she saw signs of disrepair. Many of the cottages needed roof or wall repairs and the wall circling the crag was crumbling in places. Most distressing, however, was seeing the villagers themselves. They were thin, their clothes were threadbare, and none of them wore shoes.