What he saw made him catch his breath and forget entirely about the rain dripping from his hair.
A woman paced before the cottage's large stone fireplace with restless energy.Her dark hair had escaped from its braid in wild tendrils that caught the firelight.She wore a simple brown dress chosen for practicality, sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms marked with small burns and stains that spoke of serious work.
She moved with the energy of a caged wildcat, her hands gesturing expressively as she spoke to herself, tracing complex patterns in the air.
"The real question," she continued, apparently addressing the fire, "is whether the cooling vessel can maintain steady heat at lower flame levels.If the copper coils were longer, with a more gradual curve...but where could I get more?The expense would be considerable."
Ewan watched, mesmerized, as she paced and muttered.This woman approached thinking like a physical activity, engaging her whole being in wrestling with complex problems.
Suddenly she stopped mid-pace, her entire body going perfectly still.Her eyes widened, and a slow smile spread across her face, transforming her features from intense concentration to pure delight.
"That's it!"she exclaimed."Of course!The answer was there all along!How could I have been so blind?"
As she turned, Ewan truly saw the space she inhabited, and his jaw dropped open in amazement.
The cottage interior was unlike anything he had ever encountered.Glass vessels and clay jars of every shape and size lined wooden shelves, connected by intricate metal tubing that wound through the room like vines.A massive still dominated one corner, its design far more elaborate than anything Ewan had seen, featuring multiple chambers and an extensive cooling section.
Detailed drawings covered the walls, sketches that reminded him of technical drawings their guild craftsmen created back at MacNeil Keep.Sums and figures were scrawled across parchments scattered throughout the room, while Lileas MacDonald moved through this chaos with complete confidence.Charcoal smudges on her cheek and ink stains on her fingers suggested she was the creator behind all these sketches.
In that moment, Ewan thought Lileas MacDonald was quite possibly the most peculiar creature he had ever laid eyes on.
He watched, transfixed, as she hurried to a workbench positioned to catch the best light.She began sketching furiously, her hand moving with swift, sure strokes as an improved version of the still took shape.Occasionally she paused to check something bubbling gently over the fire.
"If I adjust the angle," she said to herself, "and increase the length of the cooling coils by an inch...aye, that should work!"
Ewan found himself leaning closer to the window, trying to absorb everything he was seeing.As he watched, Lileas suddenly looked up from her sketching, her eyes bright with excitement."Perfect," she breathed.
Then she looked directly at the window where Ewan stood, and their eyes met through the rain-streaked glass.
For a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, neither of them moved.He expected surprise, perhaps alarm at being discovered.Instead, her expression showed what could only be described as excitement, as if his arrival was an opportunity she had been waiting for.
Her face lit up with genuine delight, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm that transformed her features from merely pretty to genuinely beautiful.This was what she looked like when she was happy.
Lileas set down her quill and walked toward the door with movements that spoke of eagerness rather than reluctance.
Ewan stepped back from the window and moved to the doorway.The cottage door was already opening, and he was about to come face to face with the most peculiar, most fascinating creature he had ever encountered.Whatever happened next, he braced himself, ready to meet his betrothed.
***
