Chapter 23

Chapter 23
Knock. Knock. Knock.~
"May I come in, Lady Jane?"
"Yeah! It's wide." Jane replied, and in came Claris and another girl she vaguely recalled seeing yesterday.
The girl's eyes shone with innocence, naivety and curiosity. Jane thought she had a bad poker face. But after seeing this girl, she knew there were people far worse than her in the world.
The girl was easy to read, like a book. She looked to be 20 and seemed very hard-working as well. She seemed friendly and easygoing.
Though Jane had earlier told Claris to forgo the whole 'lady' name calling amid the girl and outsiders, Claris still referred to Jane as 'lady Jane.'
"Lady Jane. This is Tavish. She will be yer companion during your stay, aiding ye with any tasks ye need to be fulfilled. If there be something yet want to know, Tavish here is the best person to answer yer questions."
The girl Tavish pounded her chest and bobbed her head vigorously, as though afraid Jane would doubt her authenticity.
"As for the scheduling the Laird spoke of, Tavish will explain it to ye."
Of course, this included what time breakfast, lunch and supper would be served, as well as the list of duties scattered around the vast land. She wasn't required to aid the clanswoman with work.
However, if she wanted to stop by to observe no one would stop her from doing so.
She was also to accompany the laird in 7 days to the Sutherland clan for a meeting between neighboring Scottish lairds.
The Sutherland clan was seen as a neutral meeting point since they were allies with many. This was good since the Mackays would prefer to never host an enemy in their land, especially those annoying Sinclairs.
The meeting was there to squash any issues that could be handled before they escalated to a terrifying rate that might cause the Scottish king to put a word, forcefully resolving the matter.
After all, they were all important vessels with armies that taught for Scotland. A loss of a single army will only factor in their true enemies, the English and many who waged war against them.
Should troubles escalate far beyond the lines of peace, arranged marriages and other tactics might be used to force their hand.
Dogs can fight and play as they abhor but they should reach the point of killing each other or their owner might have to take charge.
For Scotland to be strong as a whole, they must put aside their 'petty' squabbles. Everyone knew this. That's why this meeting between neighboring lairds was a must.
"Breakfast has passed. However, a serving has been set aside to ye down in is your meal in the scullery." Having said that, Claris nodded and exited the room, leaving Tavish and Jane alone.
Helplessly, Jane reached for Tavish.
"You don't have to be so uptight with me. From where I'm from, we prefer people display their true selves."
"Really?" Tavish asked in scrutiny, hesitating whether she should uphold the whole 'my-lady' attitude toward Jane or not.
"Yeah! Trust me. That's what I prefer."
"Okay!" Tavish exclaimed in merry, taking a relaxed stance and swiftly lowering her shoulders as though getting a heavy burden off her chest.
"Tis good that ye like it this way. This is my first time taking care of a guest. So though I've been told what to do, can I say I don't trust myself to do a great job?"
"You're very honest." Jane complimented, liking Tavish's personality more and more.
"Of course, I'm honest. But apart from that, I'm also heaven's gift to the world and the most amazing person anyone can ever find!"
"_"
Jane has never seen someone so narcissistic. It was the first time she knew one can be honest and narcissistic at the same time. Can she say the girl's behavior made her a little speechless?
"So you're heaven's gift to the world?"
"Of course! My partner tells me every time, and he never lies. So it must be true!"
Oh, what pure love. Jane thought, seeing as the silly girl was quick to believe her lover's every word. Suddenly, Jane felt sour after being subjected to Tavish's many talks with her amazing partner.
The girl also seems like a chatterbox too, which she didn't mind.
"From my name, ye can tell it's true. Tavish is a boy's name, yet it was given to me by my papa and mama. Even they knew I must be a unique and amazing child when I grow." Tavish boasted, exposing her naivety.
"Well... you are indeed special, Tavish," Jane spoke helplessly. If she doesn’t end the conversation soon, she felt Tavish would talk from morning till evening on this matter.
"Tavish I wish to tour your beautiful lands to know which areas were prohibited or not. More importantly, though I'm a guest, I can't just sit idly for days. So what about your schedules?"
"Ah!-" Tavish exclaimed, with widened eyes. "Jane, ye're truly a lifesaver. Did ye know that I had already forgotten about my duty? I'm to show you around Mackay Heart, but I forgot. How can I forget something so important?"
Seeing the girl grow anxious by the scene, Jane found it funny. "Tavish. It's good that you remembered, no? Moreover, my food should be getting cold down in the scullery. So let's go."
"Right!"
Tavish's eyes beamed with a strong determination to do her job properly moving forward.
Giving the room one final look, Jane spotted her little purse, taking out her watch and a few necessities in it.
How else would she be able to tell the time?
The purse was the only thing, that allowed her to this backward age. It was the purse she wore in the museum. Too bad she didn't have anything helpful in it, except her ID, bank cards, lip balm, and a single paper bill.
Gathering everything she needed, she and Tavish left the room.