here." She smiled at her great-grandmother. "And this is supposed to be my holiday!"
"Hah. Listen to me. The each-uisge is real. You do not believe, even though you met him yourself and felt his magic!"
"There was no magic," she said as she turned the sizzling bacon. But her knees felt weak as she remembered his kisses. Magic—to be resisted with every bit of will in her.
The door opened and Thora breezed back inside, brown skirts swishing over her plush hips. "He is still out there on the machair, watching the sea." Thora went to the hearth, took a steaming kettle from over the fire, and poured hot water into a teapot to steep. "He is waiting for you."
"He longs to go back to his home under the waves," Elga said. "A kelpie cannot wear his human guise for very long." She looked hard at Meg. "He must return to the water, and he has come to take you with him."
"Ridiculous," Meg said. "He is just a man. A stubborn, infuriating man who came to our island to put up a lighthouse on our rock without our permission. He is not a kelpie." Meg transferred the bacon to three plates and spread the hot bannocks with butter after scraping off their charred surfaces.
"Then why were you kissing him up on the hill, if you are in dispute with him—and if he is not casting his spell on you?" Thora asked. Meg did not answer.
"He may look human," Elga countered, "but we know better. The kelpie and his ilk have long ruled that reef, and they accept the gift of a bride to fulfill the old bargain to protect our isle. That is you. Where's my tea?" Elga demanded.
"Here, Mother," Thora said, handing the cup to her.
Meg placed the breakfast plates on the table and sat down while Thora poured tea into mugs and added sugar and cream for herself and Elga, leaving Meg's plain as she preferred.
Anna took the spoon and tried to feed herself, while the older women talked. Meg glanced over her shoulder to the small room beyond the main area, where Iain still lay asleep in his box bed. Norrie and Fergus had already gone down to the beach to start the day's fishing, and Fergus had mentioned that he might join Stewart's work crew to earn some extra money.
None of them needed the money; Norrie and Fergus need not work at all. Meg had offered repeatedly to take care of all of their needs. While they accepted some things from her for the sake of the little ones and the old women, the men would not allow her to provide for all of them.
They had even refused to move into the great house, with its roomy comfort. Their little croft house had ample room, they insisted, and Norrie and Fergus had pointed out that it was closer to the harbor. The croft house, which had grown over generations, consisted of three spacious buildings attached under one roof, used separately for living, cooking, and sleeping quarters, with a byre for cows, goats, and chickens. They said it was more than enough for them.
Meg had at least insisted that the smaller house be refurbished and she had sent them new furnishings and had purchased Norrie a new boat and fishing nets. She wanted her kin, and all her tenants, to have whatever they needed. But the islanders rarely asked anything from her.
"Did you tell Mr. Stewart that you wanted him to leave Caransay?" Thora asked.
"I did. But he will stay nonetheless, and his crew with him," Meg answered.
"Ach," Elga said. "Water horses, the lot of them." She nibbled on bacon. "Especially that Stewart. A prince of the sea. He prances about in the waves by night."
"I saw him outside just now. He was not prancing," Meg said.
"Why do you think he wants to build his tower on the great rock? It has belonged to the water horses since the time of the mists, when the first each-uisge came out of the sea and took the form of a beautiful man and then fought Fhionn MacCumhaill. He made a bargain with Fhionn that he would keep the rock and let the people have the island, but he must have a bride from Caransay every one hundred years."
"Stories," Meg
"Hah. Listen to me. The each-uisge is real. You do not believe, even though you met him yourself and felt his magic!"
"There was no magic," she said as she turned the sizzling bacon. But her knees felt weak as she remembered his kisses. Magic—to be resisted with every bit of will in her.
The door opened and Thora breezed back inside, brown skirts swishing over her plush hips. "He is still out there on the machair, watching the sea." Thora went to the hearth, took a steaming kettle from over the fire, and poured hot water into a teapot to steep. "He is waiting for you."
"He longs to go back to his home under the waves," Elga said. "A kelpie cannot wear his human guise for very long." She looked hard at Meg. "He must return to the water, and he has come to take you with him."
"Ridiculous," Meg said. "He is just a man. A stubborn, infuriating man who came to our island to put up a lighthouse on our rock without our permission. He is not a kelpie." Meg transferred the bacon to three plates and spread the hot bannocks with butter after scraping off their charred surfaces.
"Then why were you kissing him up on the hill, if you are in dispute with him—and if he is not casting his spell on you?" Thora asked. Meg did not answer.
"He may look human," Elga countered, "but we know better. The kelpie and his ilk have long ruled that reef, and they accept the gift of a bride to fulfill the old bargain to protect our isle. That is you. Where's my tea?" Elga demanded.
"Here, Mother," Thora said, handing the cup to her.
Meg placed the breakfast plates on the table and sat down while Thora poured tea into mugs and added sugar and cream for herself and Elga, leaving Meg's plain as she preferred.
Anna took the spoon and tried to feed herself, while the older women talked. Meg glanced over her shoulder to the small room beyond the main area, where Iain still lay asleep in his box bed. Norrie and Fergus had already gone down to the beach to start the day's fishing, and Fergus had mentioned that he might join Stewart's work crew to earn some extra money.
None of them needed the money; Norrie and Fergus need not work at all. Meg had offered repeatedly to take care of all of their needs. While they accepted some things from her for the sake of the little ones and the old women, the men would not allow her to provide for all of them.
They had even refused to move into the great house, with its roomy comfort. Their little croft house had ample room, they insisted, and Norrie and Fergus had pointed out that it was closer to the harbor. The croft house, which had grown over generations, consisted of three spacious buildings attached under one roof, used separately for living, cooking, and sleeping quarters, with a byre for cows, goats, and chickens. They said it was more than enough for them.
Meg had at least insisted that the smaller house be refurbished and she had sent them new furnishings and had purchased Norrie a new boat and fishing nets. She wanted her kin, and all her tenants, to have whatever they needed. But the islanders rarely asked anything from her.
"Did you tell Mr. Stewart that you wanted him to leave Caransay?" Thora asked.
"I did. But he will stay nonetheless, and his crew with him," Meg answered.
"Ach," Elga said. "Water horses, the lot of them." She nibbled on bacon. "Especially that Stewart. A prince of the sea. He prances about in the waves by night."
"I saw him outside just now. He was not prancing," Meg said.
"Why do you think he wants to build his tower on the great rock? It has belonged to the water horses since the time of the mists, when the first each-uisge came out of the sea and took the form of a beautiful man and then fought Fhionn MacCumhaill. He made a bargain with Fhionn that he would keep the rock and let the people have the island, but he must have a bride from Caransay every one hundred years."
"Stories," Meg
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