Cael, inclined his head. “My lady.”
“I am pleased to meet ye, Cael.” Mairead hated the hint of hesitation in her voice. As always, Tadhg picked up on her fear. “Cael will go with ye on your visits, or if ye prefer, I can. I should pay a visit soon anyway.”
Mairead smiled warmly at him. Obviously he was giving her an escape. It would be so much easier if Tadhg went with her, but just knowing he would accompany her if she really wanted him to gave her the confidence to go without him. “Perhaps we’ll go together on another day.”
Tadhg beamed at her. “Cael, I think I am being dismissed.” He handed the basket to Cael. “Give them my warmest regards, sweetling. I will see ye this evening.” Then he gave her a quick kiss before leaving.
Cael grinned at her. “Are ye ready to meet the auld ones, my lady?”
“Aye, I suppose I am as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Well, don’t worry, the laird has given me strict orders not to let them eat ye.”
Mairead chuckled. “I suspect we should see Dolan first. Shall we go?” Cael walked toward the village with her, chatting the whole way. Mairead had to smile. He reminded her of her brother Rowan, good natured and outgoing.
Cael knocked on the door of Dolan’s cottage. A very elderly man opened the door.
“Dolan, this is Lady Mairead. She’s come to pay ye a visit.”
Dolan grunted and turned back into the room, leaving the door open for them to follow. When they entered Dolan’s cottage, they were met with disorder. The floor was dirty, unwashed dishes covered the table, and the water bucket was empty. Dolan grunted at them again as he sat in a chair by the hearth.
Mairead experienced an odd sense of relief at this. Here was something she could do. “Cael, would ye mind fetching some water?”
“Not at all, my lady. I won’t be long.”
When Cael left, Mairead found an old broom tucked in the corner. “I’ll just give the floor a quick sweep while we wait for him, shall I.” Another nod and grunt were Dolan’s response. Well, Ide had warned her that he wouldn’t talk much. Although she tried, she was been unable to draw him into a conversation, so she gave up and hummed a tune while she worked. She stopped when Cael returned from the well with two buckets of water.
Dolan looked up at her with a cross expression. “Don’t stop, lass.”
“But the floor is done.”
“I don’t care about the floor, lass, I like the song ye were humming. Can ye not sing the words?”
“Aye—I—I suppose I can,” she stammered. “I’ll just wash up these dishes while I do.” Cael tried to take over the task, but she waved him away. Truthfully, Mairead was sure she would die of embarrassment if she had to simply stand there and sing. The dishes kept her hands busy and lessened her anxiety.
She sang a ballad, which told the story of a fisherman who caught a selkie, a creature who takes the form of a seal when living in the sea, but is a beautiful woman when she sheds the sealskin. As she sang the last verse, she finished putting the clean dishes away. Glancing at him, she smiled. Dolan had leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. She thought he might have dozed off, but when the song ended he opened his eyes again. “Thank ye, lass. Cael, lad, what did ye say her name was?”
“God’s teeth, Dolan, this is the laird’s wife. She is Lady Matheson.”
“There is no need to get testy with me, Cael. Besides, ye’re an eejit. The laird doesn’t have a wife.”
Now that Dolan was talking, Mairead found the conversation extremely amusing. Cael tried to be very patient. “Aye, he does, Dolan, he married her last week on the Feast of St. Mairead.”
“Oh, aye, I remember now. I thought everyone said he was marrying a mouse. I must have heard it wrong. That lad has managed to catch a little bird with a sweet voice.”
Cael looked horrified, and Lady Matheson blushed, but his words pleased her. “I’m glad ye enjoyed my visit, Dolan.”
“Ye can come back anytime, lass, only ye needn’t sweep the floor.”
When they left Dolan’s cottage, Cael shook his head. “My lady, I am sorry, he is very old.”
“There is nothing to apologize for, Cael.”
“But he called ye ‘lass’ and made the mouse comment.”
“Cael, I am not the least bit bothered by a clan elder calling me lass. In fact, I find it endearing. As to the mouse comment, I have been called a mouse my whole life and he said I wasn’t a mouse. The way I see things, it is an improvement.”
Eilis lived only a few doors down from Dolan, and she was thrilled when they arrived. Unlike Dolan’s, her little cottage was as neat as a pin. Mairead put the package of food on the table and set about to make the tisane.