“My God, son, she’s a beauty,” Kirk McClusky said with a genuine smile that startled Wintra as well as the bear hug he gave her. After the hug he held her at arm’s length. “I am a lucky man. I now have two beautiful daughters to be proud of.”
Wintra could not help but wonder if he knew that she was Cree’s sister and so, of course, she had to say something, and bluntly. “I am Cree’s sister.”
“So I have heard,” he acknowledged, surprising her yet again. “And it is pleased I am to have Cree and you join our family. Yes, I am surely a lucky man.”
Wintra could not help but smile at the man’s sincere joy and the thought flashed through her mind that she now had a father. And once again the thought slipped past her lips. “My father died before I was born. I am pleased to have you as a father.”
Kirk McClusky slipped his arm around Wintra’s shoulders. “I am so sorry that you never got to know your father, but I would be honored for you to call me Da. And I will do my best to live up to that honor.”
A tear tickled the corner of Wintra’s eye and she was quick to dab at it with her finger before it could fall and embarrass her. “And I will do my best to be a good daughter.”
“I think that will come natural to you,” Kirk said and looked to Torr. “You are a lucky man, son.”
“That I am, Da, that I am,” Torr agreed and reached out to steal his wife away from his father and tuck her in the crook of his arm.
“Join us,” Cree said. “We will raise our tankards in celebration to Torr and Wintra.”
Before they could, Sloan came barreling into the Great Hall. “A fire at the mill.”
Chapter Nineteen
“You stay right here,” Cree commanded with a finger in Dawn’s face. He then turned to his sister. “And you stay with her.”
Wintra was already on her feet ready to help. She was all too aware of how fast a fire could spread. Two small outer buildings at the abbey had been lost to a fire and a third larger one had been saved to the tireless efforts of all the nuns. She had not sat idle that day and she would not sit idle now.
“You cannot command me,” Wintra said defiantly.
“But I can,” Torr said. “You will stay here with Dawn. And I will not hear another word about it.”
Before either woman could protest, the men were gone.
Wintra shook her head. “I cannot sit here and do nothing.”
Dawn waved for her to follow, and Wintra was quick to join her.
Once outside, they both stood in shock on the keep’s steps when they saw the plume of flame and smoke in the sky. They were about to rush off and help, when Elsa’s words stopped them.
“Stay away from the smoke, Dawn, it could harm the babe. If you must help, go to my healing cottage and make ready to help with the injured.”
“We will see to it,” Wintra assured Elsa, just as concerned for Dawn and the babe as Elsa was.
Dawn and Wintra rushed in the opposite direction of everyone else. And as soon as they entered the healing cottage, a man staggered in cradling his injured arm.
The two women went to work. Healing was not new to Wintra. The nuns had taught her what herbs worked well on various ailments, explaining that it would be her duty to see to her family’s care, especially if the man she wed had no healer for his clan. She had quite enjoyed learning the different properties of the many plants, and she hoped to learn more from Elsa while she was here.
Most of the wounds were minor, though Dawn had gestured what Wintra had thought herself, which was that Elsa was treating those more severely injured at the scene until they could be safely transported to her cottage.
Wintra questioned those who sought their help, eager to know if the fire had been contained yet. The last wounded man assured her that it was almost under control and so far the water wheel was still intact, but the mill building itself had sustained some damage.
While Dawn saw to an older man who looked as if exhaustion had claimed him, Wintra took a bucket outside to dump the dirty water and refill it with clean snow to melt by the hearth. She went around back of the cottage when a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth and a strong arm snaked around her waist and began to drag her away.
The hand was so tight against her mouth that she couldn’t bite at it, her first thought. And since she was being dragged, she couldn’t gain any firm footing, so that left her with only one option. She grabbed one of his fingers at her waist and yanked it back as hard as she could.