Chapter Eight

Sabine smiled as the familiarity, and the memories, of her grandmother’s farm came flooding back to her. The farm house which had once been big enough to house a small family, was now big enough for the entire extended family.

The year after Daniel and Jane had married, he and her Uncle Sebastian had added another level to Catherine’s house so that it had room for everyone.

The Alcott’s’ carriages were already outside Catherine’s house so Sabine and her family were the second, and last to arrive.

The snow that covered her grandmother’s house made everything look so majestic. The sun was setting and the small windows were illuminated by candlelight. Sabine could hardly feel the cold as she stepped down from the carriage.

Daniel sent the drivers into town with the carriages so the horses could be tended to and the drivers could get some rest. As soon as the family began their trek through the snow to the front door it opened and the Alcotts came flooding out, calling their cheerful greetings.  

Jane flew into her mother’s waiting arms as Sabine was greeted by a rounded Kitty eagerly. Her pretty, and once severely eccentric, cousin beamed happily. “It feels as though it has been an age!” she exclaimed. “You must come to London more often,” she encouraged.

Sabine laughed lightly, knowing that that would never be the case, even if she were not to become engaged in the near future. “Perhaps you should venture out to Nottingham?” she suggested comically.

Kitty grinned and subtly touched her stomach. “Perhaps we will,” she said knowingly.

Catherine ushered everyone inside and Daniel and Sebastian carried the trunks upstairs. The living room was very warm and inviting. The settees were covered in beautiful ribbons and ornaments that were yet to be hung. A tree had not been fetched as traditionally the whole family went into the woods together to select the prettiest fir.

Sabine inhaled the beautiful scents that had made their way into the room from the kitchen. It smelled like gingerbread.

Catherine hugged Sabine and her brothers as they settled in the living room. Their grandmother was now in her sixties but she still looked as lovely and kindly as ever. Her hazel eyes were wise, yet loving and her brown hair had a few strands of silver. Sabine admired Catherine so much. She wasn’t a young lady anymore, but she still managed to run a farm with little help. She also loved her because she treated her just like her other grandchildren, even though she wasn’t related to her. Her family had never treated her as if she didn’t belong.

“You’re all just in time to help us decorate,” Catherine said giddily. “We were just about to hang the ribbons and the ornaments,” she said, gesturing to the Christmas collection on the settees.

As Sebastian and Daniel returned from upstairs, they all got to decorating the sitting room. Emilia and Jane disappeared into the kitchen to fetch warm drinks and biscuits, happily chatting away and catching up. Her brothers, along with James and Henry were talking about Eton as they tied festive ribbons around the chairs of the dining table. Annie and Joseph were helping Kitty and Little J arrange the nativity figures by the fireplace.

As Sabine tied a red ribbon around a candlestick, Catherine spoke. “Can anyone tell me why the colours green and red are associated with Christmas?” she asked the room.

As if on cue, Little J responded as she sat on the floor arranging the little nativity ornaments that Catherine had made and collected over the years. “It’s because –” she started but Catherine interrupted her.

“Can anybody but Little J tell me?” Catherine laughed, leaning down to kiss Little J’s forehead.   

It was a question that only Little J would know the answer to. She knew everything and that wasn’t a vice.

Little J looked as if she was in pain. Catherine rolled her eyes and nodded. “Alright, Little J, enlighten us.”

“Green represents the continuance of life and red represents the blood that Jesus shed,” Little J breathed. A satisfied smile crossed her face as she divulged her knowledge.

“Very good,” Catherine commended. “I don’t know where you get your cleverness from, my dear.”

“From me, obviously,” Sebastian said proudly. “I was properly educated.”

“And I wasn’t?” Emilia scoffed as she and Jane entered the room bearing sustenance. Placing the tea and biscuits down on the table she placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows at her husband.

 Sebastian pursed his lips before smiling. “I love you so much,” he said, trying to save himself from trouble.

Emilia rolled her brown eyes and forgave him. Going over to him, she placed a light kiss on his cheek. “You’re forgiven,” she laughed lightly.

Sabine smiled, loving such a relaxed atmosphere. Looking out the window, she saw how night had completely taken over the sky. Snow stuck to the window panes and had almost engulfed them. She hoped her grandmother had enough food as the storm looked quite nasty.

“I’ve an idea,” Catherine announced, clapping her hands a few times. “How about we all gather around the pianoforte and sing some carols?” she suggested. “Little J?” she prompted.

Little J, the most proficient pianist in the family, stood up happily and made her way over to the small, weathered pianoforte in the corner of the room. It was another addition that had been made to the house in the years of family gatherings, and it was a welcome addition.

Little J began to play the tune to ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman’ and everyone began to sing along.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy.

As Sabine looked around at the familial comforts, she hoped that Connor was experiencing it with his family, and that one day, he would be able to experience it with hers.

Knowing that even when he was in Scotland, this his parents were still miles and miles away from him, brought great comfort to Connor.

Living in a tiny cottage, practically on the border of Scotland and England was his sister and her family. The cottage had only a handful of rooms, but it suited the happy family just fine.

Climbing down off of one of the younger, black stallions that he had been training, he tied him to the hitching post out front and proceeded to knock on the door, only having a small sack of belongings with him.

The door was opened a few moments later and before him stood his little sister. Merida beamed as she quickly wrapped her arms around her older brother’s neck. Merida was a tiny woman at nineteen years of age. She was very narrow in the waist and hips. Her smile, on the other hand, was one of the widest he had ever known.

“Ye dinna tell me ye were coming!” she exclaimed happily when he released her. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him inside of her cottage. The first room was a little sitting room that consisted of a small fireplace and a settee. Directly next to it was their kitchen which was even smaller, but it constantly smelled like heaven. Considering Merida had grown up being served food, she was an exemplary cook. Up the stairs were two small bedrooms for her and Grant, and the two bairns.

“I wanted to surprise ye,” Connor laughed as his sister sat him down on the settee. In the corner was a small pine tree that had been decorated with ribbons and berries as well as a few candles.

Merida fluffed her long, curly red locks as she looked around. “Well ye certainly succeeded,” she grinned, her green eyes wide with excitement. “Grant’s in the village working, an’ the bairns are asleep … ye can see them later. Would ye like something to eat?” she offered.

Before Connor could answer his sister, he noticed the gifts that were placed under the tree. They were fine presents … too fine. The first was a dirk in an expensive looking leather pouch, and the second was a china doll. The doll wore a silk dress with a tartan sash, such tartan that he recognised all too well. “Merida, where did you get those from?” Connor demanded angrily. He knew very well that his sister could not afford such, presents, but he knew of two people who could.   

He watched as Merida’s happy smile turned into an uncomfortable grimace. “Don’ be mad, Connor,” she sighed. “I dinna invite her, she came by herself. I dinna even know she knew where we lived!”

“Mama brought these?” he checked, raising his eyebrows.

Merida nodded, coming over to him. Kneeling beside the Christmas tree she pulled the presents out, running her hands over the plaid that both of them had once worn proudly. “She came a few days ago,” she replied softly. “I wrote to her a while ago telling her I’d birthed Lila and tha’ Jamie was two but I never heard a response. She just knocked on the door, arriving out of the blue. I nearly fainted, but Grant was there to support me. She wanted to meet her grandchildren.”

Deirdre McKenzie had sided with their father, Mungo, three years ago, practically expelling Merida from their lives. Their mother had never gone against what their father had said, so coming on her lonesome to visit with Merida must have angered him greatly. Mungo McKenzie was a very powerful man. He wasn’t noble in the way that he had a title, but he was a wealthy and dominant Laird over the McKenzie lands.

Connor had been his eldest son, and his heir. Connor was to inherit Mungo’s realm when he died, but he’d followed Merida out of his dictatorial castle three years prior, allowing the second son, and Connor’s brother, Fergus, to become the heir.

Both Connor and Merida knew firsthand what it was like to be wealthy and want for nothing, and then to suddenly have nothing. Merida had adjusted though, she’d become quite content in being a wife and mother, and she never complained. That gave him hope that Sabine might be able to do the same, but he still questioned.

But then again, Sabine’s father was a good and kind man. He never lay and ill hand on Sabine, not like Mungo had. All seven of the McKenzie children had been lashed at some point or another. He might put his daughter’s happiness over the want for a powerful son – in – law and allow the marriage to take place. He could only pray.

“What did mama say then?” Connor sighed, knowing it was most likely to be ‘annul your marriage and come home’.

Merida smiled slightly. “She said that both Jamie an’ Lila are pretty children,” she started. “An’ she said tha’ she misses us, both of us. I told her that ye were here for a while. She says that she knows I can’ come home, but she wants ye to. Ye are the heir after all, Connor. There’s nothing stopping ye from claiming ye birth right,” she encouraged.

Connor’s eyes flashed to his sister’s angrily. “I’m no’ goin’ back there, Merida. I left when ye did. It’s done. Da’ lost my respect when he refused Grant’s offer. He has plenty more sons to give his title to, I don’ want it.”

Merida climbed onto the settee and hugged her brother tightly. “Thank ye, Connor,” she whispered. “Thank ye for standing up for me.” 

“I’ll always protect ye, Merida, ye can count on me,” he promised, kissing her forehead. His eyes wandered to the familiar tartan sash on what would be Lila’s china doll. He’d once worn such tartan on a daily basis. The McKenzie’s were one of the largest and most powerful clans that still existed after the Jacobite rebellion, and their father prided himself on that. He believed that nothing could ever destroy them. His ignorance had ripped two of his children from him, and Connor truly hoped he felt it.

“Mama also said that Heather’s still pining after ye. She still hopes that ye will return and make good on ye promise to marry her,” Merida said after a long while of comfortable silence.

Connor’s eyes widened. He’d completely forgotten about Miss Heather Murray. There had been an informal arrangement between them. He had thought that he would one day marry her. She was beautiful and wealthy and had many brothers, so in his father’s eyes, was a perfect woman to give him sons. But the incident between his father, Grant and Merida had happened before he’d even had a chance to give her a definite offer.

“Ye could go back for her, an’ no’ for da’,” she suggested. “Heather was always the bonniest of us all. Ye knew how to pick them.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Ye were the bonniest, and ye know it, Merida,” he chuckled. “Besides, I’m spoken for,” he shrugged. After three years and no words from him, he was sure Heather would get the message to move on.

“Spoken for?” Merida repeated, sitting up and smiling excitedly. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Sabine,” Connor grinned, thinking of his golden haired beauty. “She’s beautiful, but she does no’ know it. She loves horses like me an’ she’s as stubborn as ye,” he laughed, remembering all their arguments they’d had at the beginning.

Merida’s eyes widened with intrigue. “That’s wonderful!” she said happily. “How did ye meet her?”

Just as Connor was about to tell his sister where Sabine came from, and who she was, he paused. He didn’t know if his sister would approve of the similar situation or whether she would condemn it. Merida never saw her family, her mother coming to her house was the first time in three years – perhaps she really would advise against it so that another young lady would not be without her family.

He didn’t know whether that made him a coward or not, but it was just another things he did not want to face.

“She’s a stable hand for the family tha’ I work for,” he lied.

“When can I meet her?” Merida asked.

“I don’ know. As soon as we can,” he promised. He did mean that.

“Do ye love her?” she pressed, holding onto his hand tightly.

Connor didn’t have to lie to Merida for that question. “I do,” he nodded. “Very much.”

Merida beamed with delight. “I’m so happy for ye, Connor! Oh, I can’ wait for a wedding!” she said giddily before pausing. “Wait – does she know where ye come from?”

Connor shook his head. “No, an' I don’ plan on telling her,” he replied firmly. He didn’t want Sabine knowing that she could have been Lady McKenzie and now all he had to offer her was a few pounds to his name. It could lead to future resentment on her part.

Merida frowned. “You’re being a fool, Connor. Why wouldn’t ye tell her? She’d probably understand half your mannerisms if ye did tell her,” she pointed out logically.

“Merida, I’m no’ telling her, alright?” he snapped. “She does no’ need to know something tha’ she’ll never have.”

“Is tha’ what you’re afraid of? That she’ll want ye for the title ye could have?” Merida asked, raising her eyebrows.

Connor reluctantly nodded.

“Well, if that’s the case, then she’s no’ the lass for ye, an’ if she loves ye regardless, then ye better find a minister right away!” Merida grinned. “I hope ye have the luck tha’ Grant an’ I had. Ye really deserve it. I could no’ have asked for a better brother. Ye were the only one that stood up for me, out of all six of my brothers.”

Connor wrapped an arm around his little sister and squeezed her tight. “Ye are a special lass, Merida,” he said sincerely. “Now, let’s go upstairs and see these bairns. Even if they are asleep, I want to see if they’re good looking like Grant or inherited your unfortunate face,” he teased, leaping off the settee before Merida had a chance to strike him.   

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