The Bard (Highland Heroes #5) - Maeve Greyson Page 0,34
of all his scolding.”
“If he didna love ye, he wouldna scold ye when ye do things ye know good and well ye shouldna do.”
Sorcha rushed to the tall wardrobe just inside the bedchamber and threw the doors open wide. Reaching into its depths, she pulled out the work clothes she and Mama had designed and sewn without the help of the seamstresses from the village. Sorcha smiled as she pulled on the simple lèine cut with a closer fit and narrow sleeves, then donned the loose overdress that was actually sewn to be trews rather than a skirt. Comfortable boots came next, and a belt fitted with several leather pouches and loops perfect for holding tools. Da had nearly fainted dead away when he had caught sight of the strange outfit, but he loved Mama and Sorcha, so he never refused them anything. His only edict was that the work clothes could only be worn while Sorcha helped with the cattle inside the stables. She was not allowed to wear the ungodly things, as Da called them, anywhere else.
“Let me help with yer hair.” Jenny pulled free the combs and twisted her hair into a bun, securing it snug with pins and ribbons. “Now the kertch. I’ll pin it good and tight, so the wind canna snatch it away.”
Wrapping the white linen around her head, Sorcha struggled to hold still. She so needed to be on her way. Jenny secured it, seeming to take forever. As soon as her hands fell away, Sorcha turned. “I’m off now. I’ll be back as soon as I can, aye?”
“Be careful.” Jenny gave her a fierce hug, then stepped aside.
Sorcha made it down the stairs and through the keep in record time. As soon as she went outside, the acrid smell of smoke and heartbreaking sound of frightened animals charged her with renewed fury to do whatever she could to help.
Crackling flames danced across the thick thatched roof of the calving house. Sparks shot up into the night and sizzled as the embers mixed with the snow. Thank heavens for the large, wet snowflakes and blanket of white covering the ground and coating the other buildings. The frozen moisture would help keep the fire at bay.
Men shouted as they hauled buckets of water from the troughs and wells. Several had taken up shovels, scooping up snow and flinging it on the blaze.
Melting snow and mud made walking treacherous. Sorcha stumbled and slid across the area to the side paddock adjacent to the burning structure. Several cows, their sides swollen with their unborn calves, jostled and bawled at the far end of the wooden fence, attempting to flee the fire. Sorcha prayed the frightening chaos wouldn’t cause the poor expectant mothers to drop their calves before their time and lose them. Climbing atop the fence, she scanned the milling animals, searching for Peigi and her little one. Neither the cow nor her calf appeared to be among the herd.
Sorcha hopped down and slipped between the rails of the fence, giving the jostling animals a wide berth as she made her way into the blazing stable. Heavy smoke burned her eyes and throat, threatening to choke her. Flames crackled with greedy abandon through the winter stores of hay. Timbers groaned overhead with the deadly promise that the roof would soon collapse. Blistering heat licked at her flesh, promising to claim her, too, if she didn’t take care.
One hand shielding her mouth and nose, she batted away the thick air, struggling to see. She yanked off the kertch and tied it over her mouth and nose, wishing she had dampened it before entering the stable. The air closer to the ground seemed a little clearer. She dropped to all fours and crawled to her cow’s stall. With all the chaos created by the fiery hell, she couldn’t tell if any of the distressed animals she heard bawling were inside the building or outside in the paddock. That thought struck fear into her heart. What if Peigi and her baby had been overcome by the smoke and lay inside the stable?
She crawled faster, made it to the stall, then came to a halt and sat back on her heels. The space was empty. But if Sutherland had already led the cow and calf outside with the others, why hadn’t she seen them in the paddock? Somewhere in the distance, the building groaned and shifted. A deadly pop threatened her with an ominous crackling. Time to get out before