I leaned back in my chair, patting my full stomach. “Och, I am full, can we go now?”
Fraoch was puttin’ a bite of custard in his mouth. “Let a man finish his dessert, Og Lochie, we will go as soon as the meal is over, tis still light outside, we hae plenty of time.”
Magnus said, “We hae all the time in the world.”
I was impatient. I patted my stomach once more, and decided tae drink from the beer bottle that I had kept beside me at m’place. The lid was one of the ceramic stoppers, held on by a metal wire. I popped it open and swung the stopper off.
Fraoch said, “Ye are goin’ tae drink it — how auld dost ye think tis?”
I sniffed it. “Smells good.” The scent in my memory, the dream, flashed in my mind. The boiling of hops...It had smelt similar tae this.I took a swig. I grimaced. “It turned.”
They all laughed.
John called down, “What did ye say?”
Lady Mairead said, “We are speaking on a family matter.”
“Good, good.” He asked, “Hae ye been tae Edinburgh lately, Lady Mairead?”
“Nae, but I hae been tae London. I met with Anne, she is embroiled in war, as ye ken. I was asked my advice.”
The Earl leaned forward, “Ye met with the Queen?”
“Aye, she was keen tae ken m’opinion on the colonies.”
The Earl whispered tae John, “Ye ought tae go hae an audience with the queen, give her my thoughts on the matter.”
“Aye, father.”
Lady Mairead straightened her back haughtily, having won the conversation. She whispered tae Magnus, “That ought tae hold their attention, so they will leave us alone.”
She turned tae me, “Ye ought not pick up odd things and drink it, ye never ken what might hae been placed inside.”
My eyes wide I said, “Like what, like poison?”
Magnus said, “There inna poison in it, tis just auld.”
Fraoch said, “Aye, I told ye the beer was auld, but ye drank it anyway, and there inna a good hospital for centuries.”
Lady Mairead said, “He daena need a hospital, he has a fine constitution. Twill give him the belches, possibly a case of parasites. He will likely survive it.”
I said, “Worms?”
Magnus said, “I remember once when Auld Ian-Morgy had the wee-writhing beasties, dost ye remember Sean?”
“Och aye, his stench-emittin’ flatulence filled the castle. Lizbeth said if we smelled it the worms might get in our nose.”
She shrugged. “Tis true enough, ye ought tae run, nae harm comes from caution.”
I was looking from one tae the other then down at the beer.
“I daena want worms.”
Fraoch said, “Nae, Og Lochie, use yer brain, the worms would die in the beer, ye daena need tae be concerned. Ye drink it down, yer stomach might pain ye, but ye will grow from the experience.”
Kaitlyn said, “My grandmother used to say, you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.”
I looked down intae the neck of the bottle. “Nae dirt.” I took another big swig. Stuck my tongue out and smacked my lips. “Och, tis growin’ on me.”
