What the devil … it was clear the McDougall was designing some type of machine, though for what, Hardwick wasn’t quite entirely sure. He reached out, flipping the page to look underneath, and there he saw the strangest looking contraption. It was a stand of some sort, and on top what looked to be an odd flower. Hardwick looked around the room, and in the corner he saw scrap wood lying about. He walked over and there, hidden away behind a stack of firewood, was a small wooden contraption, almost like a prototype of whatever was drawn on the paper.
Looking out the window to ensure no one was about, Hardwick picked up the thing. He was surprised when the petals of what he thought to be a flower moved as he did. He looked at it more closely then pushed at the moving arms with his fingers. They turned in a circle, he realized with astonishment. But whatever were they supposed to do?
He went back to the drawings on the table, leafing through the loose sheaves of paper. Reading the notes that accompanied the line sketches, astonishment came over him as he realized what the machine was for. It harnessed the power of the wind, like a horizontal windmill, that the man was trying to use to generate power. It was… well, even Hardwick could admit that it was rather genius. Perhaps the Highlanders were smarter than he had initially given them credit for. Hardwick laughed out loud at the discovery. How had fate brought him here, to this revelation, in the middle of the Scottish Highlands?
This could be of great use to his business. It would certainly put him far ahead of any other competitor, particularly in the countryside. And the wind — well, there was certainly no cost to the wind.
He thought of taking the blueprints and the prototype with him, but looking outside he could see men working in the yard and knew that was not an option. It was far too likely that he would be caught. No, he would have to think of another way to make this idea his own. He wasn’t quite sure how yet, but he knew in time he would figure it out. He always did.
When Rachel woke, she found herself alone in the room for a few minutes before Peggy came in to check on her.
“Oh! You’re awake. How lovely,” said the girl, crossing from the door toward her on the bed. Peggy had beautiful dark waves of hair that pooled around her shoulders.
“Your hair is so lovely,” Rachel murmured.
“It’s the devil to manage, though,” Peggy answered in a rueful tone.
Rachel frowned thoughtfully. “Do you ever wear it up?”
“Ach, I try not to. It’s so heavy when I tie it back, my head pounds fiercely. Anyway, never mind that. How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” she said, smiling at the girl. “Is my father still here?”
“Nay, he is not,” said Peggy, her face becoming guarded. “He left this morning after breaking his fast. You shall see him soon, I’m sure, though, as Mother said you would likely be able to try walking around a bit today.”
Rachel wasn’t sure about that. Her leg felt better, true, but there was still quite a twinge when she moved it, and she could hardly think about actually bearing any of her weight upon it.
“You shall have help,” said Peggy with a gleam in her eye. “When Father fell and hurt his leg some years ago, Adam fashioned these sticks that Father held under his arms to help him walk. I have no idea how he came up with them, but they really helped Father get around the castle and the yard. Anyway, he still has them. All Adam has to do is whittle them down some so that they’ll fit your height.”
“No, no, please do not go to so much trouble,” Rachel said, raising a palm. “I’ll rest a couple of more days, and then I’ll be fine to leave you.”
Peggy’s lips turned into a pout. “Oh, you must try these. Adam will be ever so pleased if they work for you, and it will give us a chance to explore!”
“Explore?”
“Oh aye, I do so want to show you the rest of the castle and the bailey. Have you ever been in a Scottish castle before?”
“No, unless you count Darfield, I can say that is one thing — among many — that I have yet to do,” answered Rachel, feeling the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile at the thought of seeing more of the castle, and also having someone to spend some time with.
“Oh, we will have such fun,” said Peggy with a grin, “I’ll return shortly with your walking sticks!”
She flew out of the room, her long, unbound dark hair flowing behind her, and her spirit was contagious as Rachel looked forward to getting out of bed. When she had decided to journey north to the Highlands, she could never have imagined anything like the situation in which she currently found herself, and yet, despite getting shot — she could still hardly believe it — she was oddly enjoying herself. Here, in this home, she had found people who seemed to genuinely care about her, even though they had no idea who she was and her father had been so very rude to them.
She pushed herself up from the pillow and scooted to sit on the side of the bed, her short legs dangling over the edge. She used her arms to push herself forward, until she was finally standing on her good leg, her toes sinking into the rug covering the floor. She was slowly making her way over to the bowl of water in the corner by using the mattress to
