A Scotsman's Promise

Chapter 22

Micara would not have guessed before she went into the Donelly cabin that two women could extract so much information in such a short amount of time while getting so many other things acomplished. Immediately upon entering the house she had been shown its two bedrooms, loft, and kitchen and living area. In the ten minutes she had been inside, the Donelly women had not stood still. Tea had been brewed, the linens on Maggie's bed had been changed, the dishes remaining from their midday meal had been washed, and Shannon had begun preparations for the evening meal that they would share with Will's family. All the while, Micara had been peppered with questions about every aspect of her life, scarcely given a moment to breathe.

By the time Teig showed up with her trunk, Maggie and Shannon had already heard more about her life than either Will or Calen had during their trip.

Teig set the trunk down and joined them at the table. Shannon poured him a cup of tea without even a pause between sentences, going on about the plans for the night. Teig sipped his tea, letting his wife prattle on, adding a sound of approval whenever was necessary. It was obvious he had had much experience with her talkative manner.

The door opened and Katrina and Calen stepped in, a welcome arrival, for their presence drew Shannon's attention away from Micara.

"Ah good, the boat is taken care of?" Shannon asked without giving Calen time to answer, "Sit dow, Micara was about to tell us all about her home, and then I wish ta know of yer trip."

Calen remained standing, taking control  of the conversation. No doubt he had seen the overwhelmed look on Micara's face. "Aye, Mum, we'll get to that, but perhaps Micara would like a moment to freshen up. We've been on the river a fair spell."

Understanding dawned on Shannon's face. "Och, aye," she agreed, "We best let the lass catch her breath afore we get into that."

Micara shot him a grateful look and he gave her a subtle wink before hoisting her trunk from where Teig had deposited it.

"In Maggie's room then?" he asked Shannon.

At Shannon's nod he carried the trunk into the second of the two bedrooms. Micara excused herself and followed him, away from the curious eyes of his family.

"Thank you," she told him as he set the luggage down.

He smiled, recognizing that she was not only referring to her trunk, but the rescue as well. "They're a bit to handle at first, but ye will get used to them."

Cara wasn't too sure about that, but she was not about to tell Calen that.

He backed towards the door, offering one last piece of advice before he left. "Don't worry about tonight, Will's family be less overwhelming than me own. Don't be nervous. You'll be well liked."

He closed the door and she was left alone in Maggie's room. She went to the bed and sat down. It was a relief to have a moment to herself. As much as she would have liked to relax and reflect on her current circumstance, she knew that if she allowed herself to ponder, she would only succeed in making herself more nervous than she already was. So instead, she got down to business. There was water in the pitcher on the washstand, and the basin was just large enough for her to wash her hair in. As much as she would have loved a real bath, a wet cloth was better than nothing. She stripped to her under-dress and began to wash.

She had scrubbed her exposed skin and was just finishing her hair when there was a knock on the door. She wrung out her drenched curls into the basin before tip-toeing across the floor. She hid her under-dressed figure behind the door as she opened it and peeked out.

Maggie stood outside the doorway holding an off white coloured cloth of some kind.

"I thought you might need a towel," she said, holding it up.