Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg Page B

Tha fios an fhithich’ aige! ’ and his friends laughed loudly but not unkindly.
    â€˜What did he say to make them laugh so?’ Atkinson asked curiously. ‘Oh,’ MacKenzie replied with a smile, ‘they say that you have got the Raven’s intuition.’
    â€˜Whatever could they mean by that?’ Atkinson looked greatly alarmed.
    Now it was MacKenzie’s turn to laugh. ‘They use that expression for somebody who turns up unexpectedly, and I would dare say uninvited, to dinner. Which reminds me, you and your brother must be hungry – would you care to join me and my wife for luncheon. Mrs MacKenzie has put the kettle on and I believe she is preparing some roast fowl. Bird is all the food you will get while you are here, I am afraid, but the puffin is quite acceptable when roasted!’
    The Atkinson brothers looked greatly relieved at this prospect. They had been sailing in an open boat with a few wisps of straw and a peat fire in an iron pot as their only comfort. In spite of this, the young men seemed to be in remarkably good spirits and MacKenzie suspected that the five or six bottles of whisky that they had brought along for the journey had helped to keep them warm.
    As the three men entered the manse, Lizzie, still humiliated and rejected, busied herself at the fireplace. Her back was stiff with disapproval. ‘Come, Mrs MacKenzie, and welcome these two gentlemen from Newcastle,’ said her husband, taking no notice of her mood. Thank God, they are English! she thought almost triumphantly as she turned to smile at the guests. ‘Welcome to St Kilda. I trust the crossing was not too hard?’ she said enquiringly. Ah, she could not take her eyes off them; they were her people, they spoke her language! The two young men seemed a bit embarrassed under her intense gaze. They bowed their heads and greeted her awkwardly. George’s boots suddenly felt too big and he wished that he had gone easy on the drink which had been served with the oatcakes that morning. He raised his eyes to hers for a moment and held her gaze. She was pregnant, he noticed, but her figure was still light and pleasing and her face open and pleasant. But it was her eyes that really caught his attention; they were of a dark steely blue that reminded him of gathering thunder – but without any of the malice. She looked remarkably fashionable for somebody living in this place, he thought, and her hair, which was softly gathered around her face, was arranged in the fashion of a lady.
    â€˜Thank you, madam,’ he managed to answer at last, ‘our journey was quite pleasant. We sailed through a white night from Rodel, and the evening was so fair! It was marvellous – even without a moon it was so bright that I could still consult my watch at midnight!’
    At this point Dick, who was not convinced that his older brother had the situation under control, remembered his manners and said, ‘It is indeed a great pleasure to meet such a fashionable lady in these barren parts of the Empire. We are much obliged to you for accepting us into your lovely home.’ He looked quickly around the small drawing room and couldn’t help noticing a damp patch on the wall.
    â€˜You are very kind, sir, I am sure,’ said Lizzie, ‘but let us leave such formalities; please make yourselves at home. Luncheon will be served shortly. I am sure my husband would like to show you to your room.’ She was in charge for a moment and enjoyed being the mistress of the house, however insignificant.
    The meal, when they finally sat down to enjoy it, was a cheerful event. The tension between the MacKenzies eased as they both drew pleasure from the presence of their guests.
    The Atkinson brothers, who had been travelling around the Hebrides for some time, were quite threadbare of recent intelligence but they managed to convey some of the latest news from the mainland along with reports of the most