Immediately, her mother rushed out through the front door to greet her.
“Dear daughter, I am so happy to see ye,” her mother said, hugging her tightly and ushering her into the house. Once Catriona settled in the kitchen, her mother turned to look out and motioned for a young lad to come near.
“Go to the mill and ask my husband to come at once. Tell him Catriona is here. Then go and fetch Audra. Tell her to come and bring the babe.” Her mother spoke quickly, barely catching her breath. “Tell my husband to bring flour.”
Excited at the prospect of earning a coin, the boy raced off, closely followed by a dirty, hairy dog of questionable breed.
Once again, her mother hugged her close. “If I’d known ye were coming, I would have cooked one of yer favorite meals. All I planned to make today was a simple stew.”
“I adore anything ye cook, Mother,” Catriona assured her. “My visit will not be long today. It is my first time leaving the confines of the keep. I will only be here for a part of the day. I must return with Lady Fraser.”
“Does this mean ye are getting better? It must be or else ye would not dare venture out.” Her mother caressed Catriona’s face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “My dear girl, how I have missed ye.”
Tears welled in her eyes and Catriona blinked them away. How could she tell her mother that she wasn’t the same person? She would never again be the carefree woman who’d gone to visit the Frasers that day so many months ago. Instead, she attempted a smile. “I miss ye as well. I hope to come visit often, now that I see I can without incident.”
“Good. Ye must spend time with yer sister. Now that she has the new bairn, she seems to be constantly at her wits’ end.”
Her sister, Audra, was ten years older than Catriona and had been married for six years. Despite the difference in their ages, they’d been close until Audra left home. Now with five children, it was comical to see her once calm and orderly sister constantly frayed and barely kept together.
“Does she require help?” Catriona asked. “I thought Geoffrey hired a nursemaid,” she said, referring to her sister’s wealthy husband.
Her mother shrugged. “I hate to admit that my grandchildren are quite disorderly. They run nursemaids off rather quickly.”
The door opened and her father barged in with a wide grin directed at Catriona. Although he neared, he did not move close enough to touch her. Catriona hated that he had to be so cautious, but the last few times he’d visited, she’d had a hard time allowing him close.
“It has been several weeks since I’ve seen ye. I am sorry for not coming, but ye know this is the busiest time at the mill.”
Catriona moved to him and leaned against him. Immediately, the familiar woodsy scent of her father filled her senses, making her feel secure and safe.
“May I hug ye?” her father asked in a soft voice.
“Aye.” Upon her response, his arms circled her, and Catriona let out along breath at her lack of an adverse reaction.
Moments later, the sounds of children and a loud shrill wail made Catriona flinch.
“Stay here. Don’t ye dare come inside, ye hear me?” Audra screamed. Then she walked in with a bairn on her hip and another two attached to her skirts.
“Dear sister, I am so happy to see...” Audra stopped talking and looked down to the silent children grasping her clothes. “I’m...sorry, I didn’t mean to bring these two inside.”
“It’s fine,” Catriona said, nearing and taking the babe from her sister. “Finally, a girl.”
Audra sighed and went to the table. She peeled one of the two boys from her clothes and placed him in a chair. The one remaining at her side clutched her leg. She tugged him off, but he managed to reattach himself. Finally, she gave up and blew out a breath. “Ye feel better then?”
“A bit,” Catriona admitted as she swayed with the babe in her arms. “I am striving to move forward as much as I can. Although, at times, I am still very fearful.”
Her parents exchanged worried glances. Her mother began pouring drinks into cups and placed them in front of each of them.
The awkward silence made Catriona realize her family wanted more answers that she wasn’t prepared to give. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she wasn’t sure what the future held.
“I plan to remain at the keep for now. I am helping with mending and such for the additional guards who came from Clan Ross. Also, it helps to be with Lady Fraser.”
“What of yer life outside remaining cloistered?” Audra began, but then stopped. “Forgive me, I have no right to ask.”
“Ye have every right,” Catriona replied, reaching out to clutch her sister’s hand. “I wish I knew the answer. I am not sure it is possible for me to ever have a normal life again. Although I do wish it, I just can’t.”
Her mother sighed. “Ye need time. I believe ye will get through this. Ye are very brave to have come here today.”
The rest of the day went quickly. There was only one time that Catriona became anxious. Someone knocked on the door, a man calling out that children had let his chickens out. The irate man demanded Audra control the boys. Both her mother and Audra rushed out to call the boys, who ran in circles, scaring the birds away instead of helping to collect them.
Catriona watched from the window as her mother and sister managed to find the birds. While
