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Forging the Bond

16 July, 1769

Fraser's Ridge, North Carolina

MAEVIS POV

Already, she had been at the Ridge for a couple of days and she thought it was the most beautiful piece of land that she had ever seen. It was so full of life and the sights themselves were the most beautiful. The Blue Ridge Mountains were a sight that was more ethereal than the Grand Canyon, in her opinion, and this was the place that would be her new home.

Her father remarked that it was lucky they finished the extra addition to the cabin in time, as they were only expecting Brèagha. Apparently, Maevis would be sharing the room with Brèagha, Ginnie (who was the sweetest little thing that Maevis had ever met) and her cousin, Caoimhe. She hadn't met Caoimhe yet, as she evidently was away tending to a family that was ill some distance away, and would hopefully return soon. She did, however, meet Ian, who was incredibly excited to meet her and asked her a ton of questions about herself. He was also intrigued by Elton - as was everyone else who knew that Maevis existed, but not Elton.

Elton seemed to be adapting all right to eighteenth century life, as if he fit in perfectly and belonged there. He was tasked with helping Archie and their father build what was called the Big House, which would eventually become the family home. It would have five bedrooms, a study for their father, a surgery for Mama, a kitchen, a dining room and a parlour. However, despite fitting in, Elton still evidently felt rather uncomfortable around his family, save for Maevis. Whenever he wanted company, he would seek her out, and whether he spoke or not, he seemed the most comfortable around her.

One warm day, he sought her out by the creek while she collected watercress. "Maevis," he said, drawing her attention.

"Hey, Elton," she said with a smile, standing back up. "How's the house coming?"

"Slow," he replied. "They dinnae have a mill, so they have te cut all the wood into beams themselves. I might step away fer a few days and see if I cannae come up wi' a design fer a smaller sawmill that doesnae require a water wheel."

"How would you do that?" Maevis asked him curiously.

"Steam-powered," he replied. "I can do it, I ken I can, I just dinnae ken if I have all the materials. I need metal, and I dinnae have tha' at my disposal."

"There is a blacksmith. Maybe you can ask him," Maevis suggested, and he shrugged in response.

"So," he said after a moment. "Have ye... told them aboot the fire?" Maevis sighed in response.

"No... I don't know how. I know I need to tell them soon, but they just... They seem so happy, and I don't want to ruin that," she replied.

"Ye still have time. It doesnae happen until 1776, aye?" Elton asked her, and she nodded.

"Actually, it... might be 1775. The article was from Wilmington in January of 1776," she told him. "No, wait. It said the Sunday before it was printed, I think."

"Either way, there's still time," Elton replied. "By the way, I have somethin' fer ye. I forgot te give it te ye and only jus' remembered I had it." He pulled a modern white envelope out from the pocket of his jacket and handed it to her, and she raised an eyebrow curiously. "It's... from Tom."

"From Tom?" Maevis asked, and then she scoffed lightly. "I don't want this."

"He really does care aboot ye, Maevis. I understand yer angry... but if anyone needs te be angry, it should be me. It was me who he sent away, and I'm no' mad," Elton told her, and Maevis scoffed.