A Highlander's Promise

Rabbits and Pilgrims

"We can't trust her yet. We can welcome her into our home and treat her like a guest, but her story doesn't make sense. We are hospitable people and we will force no one out. She has her reasons, and if she is too ashamed to share them, then we can't pry but we can't just brush it under the rug either. We can't be naïve. We won't let her under our guard. We don't know her. We don't know that she might have hidden intentions. If anything about her is suspicious then by all means you must tell us. I will not see to the fall of our clan because of an English infiltrator or worse because we were vulnerable."

MacAlister was standing next to the window as he was informing his family on where they should stand with Leora.

Fionn was right. They didn't believe her.

She was a complete stranger and they had nothing to go on to believe her story or believe her for a matter of fact, yet they could not just abandon her either.

"Fionn had his fair share of suspicions, too," Ian added.

Fionn remembered on all that they had spoken earlier that day in the shed. But it was different now. He had spoken to Leora and he thought her different. Yet, he wasn't going to be swayed.

He relayed what he and Ian had discussed and the company of his family listened intently.

"'Tis a difficult situation," Aodh reasoned, "If it were any other Scottish lass, we'd fix her up and let her reside in the town and find work and continue to make a life for herself here in the safety of our land. But there are too many unanswered questions. She only speaks English, but even then so it is not a typical accent, very outlandish, could be from another colony. Her last name is Scottish but her first name is not. She says her family is from Scotland, yet, she has never been here before, nor does she comprehend simple Gaelic phrases."

Family members began to turn to one another hoping to find any hypothetical solutions to the strange situation that has presented itself. But each look was greeted with another confusing one.

"How come she doesn't remember traveling here?" Maon questioned, "Maybe she was being sold? Or what if her story is all made up? And none of 'tis true. What if she thinks 'tis true and has some sort of head malady? Forgotten many things after a terrible incident perhaps? Or Fionn is right and she's an English spy?"

"Then she certainly isn't a very good spy if we already find her suspicious, it would be too easy right?" Ian pondered out loud. "And who would want to spy on us from England? The last time we were there was to make peace, we already settled any scores we had."

Caitir was seated next to the oh-so-impatient Ceana who was hungry and wanted this discussion over with so they could have continued to dinner.

"Well, if we can't get rid of her and we can't really trust her. What do we do with her?" the teenage girl asked with a tone of complaint.

Looks were exchanged and after a pause.

"You did say her family name was MacDuff, right? So what if we find out if they're related. She said no, because if Fionn's hunch is true and she might've bashed her head or something, then she would not remember if she was related to him or not," Caitir began to link suspicions and what they knew together.

"Aye, but then how would she know her name to be MacDuff and not know if she is one?" Fionn asked.

"Well, maybe she doesn't recognize Macduff himself and her name is the only thing she does know. Maybe she was brought up in England and is distant family so she cannot associate herself with him," Maon inferred.

"Aye, maybe. The only way to figure that out is if we ask MacDuff himself," Aodh stated.

"So we should ask him, no? If he has distant family there he could get her back home for sure. And he would recognize her if she was one of his own." MacAlister said.