He and Simon could leave today. The longer they waited the more dangerous it became of possibly bringing the disease home. Were these people worth possibly dying over?
Was she?
Chapter Seven
Lily drew her fingers to her mouth to conceal her smile and control her laughter. She was in her kitchen with Bother Simon peeling lemons when her cat, Pip, entered and poor Brother Simon hit the floor.
“Oh, my!” he lamented and then leaped up and over a chair to escape little Pip. “I do not like cats.”
“Why? What has one done to you?” she asked, trying not to giggle at his antics. “Are you truly this frightened of my cat, or are you pretending?” She hoped he was pretending because, any moment now, she was going to burst into laughter.
“I—” He stopped speaking and his large eyes grew larger as Pip pounced closer to him as if the brother were prey.
He scrambled out of the way, around the kitchen table and went pale when Pip sprang up to the table and continued toward him.
Poor Brother Simon. He looked about to fall faint. Lily guessed this was what mice felt when Pip saw them.
“What is this?” Elias asked, stepping into the shop and reaching for the cat on the table. “How do ye do…” He peeked between Pip’s chubby thighs. “…lass?”
Pip purred and rubbed her gray-striped head under Elias’ chin.
Lily had held her laughter back too long and hiccupped. The force of it lifted her off her heels and startled Pip out of Elias’ arm and Brother Simon out of the kitchen.
Elias laughed softly, drawing Lily’s gaze to him. Her heart raced in her chest.
“He fears cats,” he told her.
“I gathered that,” she said, covering her smile with her hand.
Had Elias stepped closer? He smelled like lemons.
“Lily.” He grew serious “Where is Richard? There is a matter of importance I need to discuss with ye and him.”
“He is on the other side of the house. What is it?” she asked, her smile fading with his and putting down her lemon.
“There is talk aboot some people in London,” he told her. “That they died with symptoms of the Black Death.”
“No!” she almost blurted out. “’Tis here then. Oh, Elias!”
“I know ‘tis frightenin’, lass. Osbert has called a meetin’ of the officials. He wants Richard there but I would like to speak to Richard first.”
“What about?”
“Aboot leavin’ Sevenoaks. The four of us. Me, Simon, ye, and Richard. We will go to Invergarry.”
“What? What are you saying?”
“It is time to leave here, Lily.”
“Leave everyone here?” she asked, her eyes wide.
He knew it was going to be difficult to get her to go, but they had to, and they had to hurry before it was too late. There were too many people coming and going. If one person showed up sick here, his home would have to be forgotten.
“Lily, I know ye dinna want to leave them. I dinna want to go either, but goin’ to Invergarry as soon as we can is the only way to secure our safety.”
She shook her head. “No. They have been the only family I have known since I was taken from mine. I will not leave them.”
“Lily, hear me, I beg ye—”