The Ocean's Daughter (Sequel to Sirene)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14.

Oceana sighed with joy as she entered the little cottage she had called home for nearly eight years. “My, it is good to be home!” She exclaimed.

“Aye,” Callum agreed with her, carrying the trunk into the house. “It is good to *hae ye back, lassies. Th' hoose was very quiet without ye, Oceana.”

“You could have come with us,” Oceana pointed out. “Come Beth, we had better go and change from our travel clothes. Oh, it is such a pity you are leaving back to London in only two days. I hate the fact that you live so far away.”

“I’m afraid that can’t be helped,” Beth giggled.

“Ye should hae put her on a train to London right *frae Edinburgh.” Callum couldn’t help from saying.

“No a chance. Call me selfish, but I want to keep Beth for as long as possible and since school only starts into two days I intend to have her all to myself.”

“I troost yer stay at Edinburgh went very well. I *cannae say I got any letters frae ye, which was rather disappointin'.”

“Oh dear, I am so sorry about that, we quite forgot to write you with all that was going on.” Oceana hastily apologized. “You see, Beth sprained her ankle on our very first morning there and this doctor came up…”

“A doctor ye say?” Callum lifted an eyebrow. “Is it just me, Oceana, or do ye hae some sort of magnetic attraction to doctors. Seems to me ye tend to find them all over th' place.”

“That very well may be,” Oceana said in a teasing voice, “but I assure you this doctor was not attracted to me. It was Beth he was after.”

“He was not,” Beth shot back at her.

“Yes he was. It was painfully obvious to everyone how he practically drooled all over you.” Oceana tue to her nature dramatized all the facts out. “He carried her back to the hotel when she sprained her ankle and for the entire week he sought out every opportunity to come over and see her. He brought her a walking cane, got his cousin to drive us around in a car, took her to bookshops and the list goes on. And here is the best part; on the evening we were leaving he brought her daffodils, Beth’s favorite flowers, even though we are in the middle of winter. Didn’t want to tell us where it was he managed to find them, but this made it even more mysterious and romantic.”

“Oceana, I don’t know where you get these ideas from.” Beth had flushed a deep red and was talking in a hurried voice. “He wasn’t any more attentive to me than to you.”

“Elizabeth Warren, I beg of you,” Oceana patronized. “That man worshiped the very ground you walked on. His eyes never left you while the train was pulling out, and he followed for as long as the platform would allow.”

“Oceana, I don’t know what you are talking about,” Beth burst out and ran into the bedroom, shutting the door loudly behind her.

Callum looked over at Oceana with a perplexed look. “I swear ye lassies can be a wee too much at times,” he said.

“I don’t understand her,” Oceana shook her head. “Perhaps I should talk to her in private and try and figure out what the matter.”

“That is a bonnie idea, only let her cool *fur a little,” Callum suggested.

***

It was the evening before Beth was to travel back to London and Oceana was to go back to teaching in the school. Callum had long gone to bed, but the two girls sat by the cackling fire in their nightgowns and shawls. A lone lamp stood on the table, giving a warm glow, blending in with the sparks the fire caused. A slight snow was falling outside and the house was peaceful and still.