Mystic Mountains

Put one of those flea brained new men in charge of them it seems and he let them wander. He certainly will appreciate a man who knows his sheep. Come, girl, we'll get you some decent clothes too, and I expect you can't wait to bathe.pushing her gently towards the front door of the cottage.
    Isabella returned Dougal 's smile with a shaky one of her own as he drove the wagon away.
    Inside, the house wasn 't what Isabella had expected. The floor of the large kitchen, which ran the width of the house, was of unpolished boards, with mats of woven rushes scattered about. A rectangular table on sturdy carved legs, covered by an embroidered linen cloth set cornerwise, sat beneath two of the four windows overlooking the garden, with six rung-backed chairs tucked round its sides. Pretty curtains flapped in the hot breeze blowing through the windows. Two high-backed chairs with carved armrests flanked the fireplace, where a stove the likes of which Isabella had never seen sat alongside the grate. Commonplace and unmatched crockery lined the dresser filling the wall space between two doors at the back of the room.
    "I thought Mr. Carstairs was a nob," Isabella blurted, then bit her bottom lip.
    Thelma put a hand over her mouth, chuckling. "Bless me girl, what gave you that idea?"
    "I thought only the nobs were allowed to pick and choose their slaves. He said he had permission from the Governor's office to take who he liked."
    "Slaves? Goodness me, you 're not a slave." Crossing her arms over her flat chest Thelma said in a kindly tone, "You're a kitchen help now, that's what you are."
    "You don 't have to try and be nice to me. I'm a slave, no matter what you may call me. That English pig picked me out, and I had no say in the matter."
    "Now you listen here, girl!" Thelma wagged a finger, turning such a look of disdain on her that Isabella cringed away as if struck. "Tiger 's a gent in every sense of the word. He isn't a nob by birth, but he's the finest man who ever walked this earth. So get that into your head. I don't know what an English gent did to you that made you hate them so, but never—d'you hear me?—never, ever, call him a pig while you're working alongside me, or I'll send you off back with the whores you shared the ship with. An' how would you like to be packed off to the factory at Parramatta, eh?"
    Isabella bent her head, more to hide the stubbornness she knew was clear in her eyes than anything else. She 'd heard talk about the female factory on the ship; the crew loved to tell tales of the awful fate that awaited the women who went there. English this Tiger Carstairs might be, but Isabella was no fool. If this woman expected her to lick his boots so she could remain here, then that's what she would do. Her pride had been sorely tested in the past months, and she was prepared to grovel if that's what it took to have a clean bed to sleep in and food in her belly.
    "Now, Bella my girl, you can sleep in here." Thelma's voice was kindly again as she ushered Isabella across the kitchen. "Dougal will most likely sleep in the stable. Is he really your lover? He don 't look like he's even found out what to do with his men's parts yet." Her lips twitched with the makings of a smile.
    Suddenly Isabella knew she had no wish to lie to this woman. "No." She pulled a face, a laugh bursting forth. "But Mr. Carstairs, he got that idea in his head, and I wasn't about to argue with him. Dougal and me became good friends on the ship. Him and Gracie are the only real friends I ever had. She's a real tough one, is Gracie. I don't know what I'd have done without them two. I was lucky to get Gracie as a messmate. She was in charge of our group of six. It was her idea to cut my hair." Isabella fingered her rat's tails wistfully. Once her hair had fallen to her waist, had been her ma's pride and joy. "Gracie reckoned it'd be better all round if I looked ugly and like a boy. Those men on the ship look on all the con women as whores, whether they are or not."
    "Wise woman, this Gracie. I 'll find out where she's gone so's you can see her. Your hair will grow, don't fret. You'll never have to cut it again. As long as Tiger is your master, you'll have nothing or no one to fear. Now, here's your room." Thelma opened a door in the corner and gestured for Isabella to enter.
    The room held a low narrow bed with a small square cupboard beside it. Another embroidered cloth dangled over the edges of the cupboard and a china water jug and bowl