Lost in the Mist of Time

by Karen Michelle Nutt

  “If I must.” He took out his sword and demonstrated how it should be done. “See, like that.”

  After a few moments of watching, she wanted to feel the weapon in her hand. “Let me try it.”

  “With my sword?” He lowered it bringing it close to his chest.

  “Yes. Why not?”

  “Well for one, it’s my sword. No one uses it. It was made just for my own hands and no one else’s.”

  “Is everyone so protective?”

  “Of course. A sword is yer best friend in time of battle. Ye know its weight and every contour better than ye know a woma…ye just know it better than anything.” He turned crimson making Aislinn smile.

  “I need a sword made for me then. Who should I see?” “Padrig of course.”

  “But isn’t he the cobbler?”

  “He is the blacksmith, but he likes to make shoes.” He shrugged. “The cobbler died last spring and we have not found someone to take his place. Ye may have noticed not many desire their feet covered.”

  She nodded.

  “Padrig volunteered until we find someone to take over.”

  “Rhiannon’s father seems to be quite talented. Let’s pay him a visit.”

  “How long will it take?” Aislinn asked Padrig. She was anxious to have the weapon as soon as possible.

  “I do not like to rush such things. It must fit in yer hand…” “…like a glove,” Aislinn finished for him.

  Padrig shook his head. “Nay. It should be as an extension to yer hand as if they are one.” He could tell that this was not a good enough answer for her. He sighed. “Come see me by the end of the week. I will have it done by then.” That won him a dazzling smile.

  “Thank you, Padrig.” She gave the old man a quick hug before she started back to the castle.

  “What was that about?” Fiona had taken hold of Teige’s arm before he could get by.

  “Hello, Fiona.” He removed the woman’s hand from him. “Why does milady’s business concern ye?”

  “Just making conversation.” “Ye best make it elsewhere.”

  “Teige, are ye still angry with me for turning ye away?” She ran her hand down his arm.

  “Have ye been with so many, Fiona, that ye have mistaken me for someone else?” He left her then, her laugh grating on his nerves.

  “Oh, Teige dear, ye are such a lad.” Fiona went back into her one bedroom dwelling that Dougray had furnished for her. He may not come to her now because of that woman they dare call a lady, but at least he did not take his gifts back.

  Cormac was the one who was good to her now, but he was far from what she wanted. She wanted a life in the castle. Her mother had told her she was reaching too high, but she didn’t want to believe it. Dougray had come to her in the past. She had thought it just a passing fancy and had not thought of trying to give him a son. She had taken the precautions of her trade, the potion that rid any possibility of having a child, but now she wished that she had let nature take its course. She would have been married by now, maybe not in his church for she was below Dougray’s station, but he could have married her by Brehon law. Dougray would have seen to all her needs then. She only would have to put up with the brat until it was old enough to be fostered out. She could have stood it that long.

  Then that Hennessy woman shows up and ruins everything. For the life of her, she could not see why Dougray was interested in her, but obviously he was since he had not taken up with any other female. Fiona knew men and they needed certain things, a full belly and the comforts that only a woman could give. She’d known that since she was fourteen years old. Some things just never changed.

  “What thoughts go through yer head?” Fiona looked toward the door to see Cormac’s broad shoulders filling the space.

  “Yer late,” she stated turning away from him, angry that he had interrupted her thoughts.

  “I come with an apology, and a gift.”

  She spun around her gray-blue eyes coming alive. “Gifts?”

  He swaggered forward, a grin on his face. He was dangling a brightly colored, silk scarf. “For ye, my sweet.”

  She grabbed the item from his hands letting the soft fabric slide against her skin. “So beautiful. Where did ye come by this?” She had already tied it around her shoulders with a quick knot in the center.

  “Ye are pleased?”

  She nodded. “Oh, it is so beautiful. I never owned such finery.”

  He pulled her to him and she did not resist. “I think I love ye, Fiona.”

  She looked up, startled that he would confess this to her. She didn’t know what to say. She enjoyed Cormac’s company among other things, but she did not love him. She did not have time for such foolish matters of the heart. She had to keep a level head and pick only someone who could care for her in a fashion that she wished to achieve. Cormac would never be able to do that, but…. She looked at the beautiful scarf. If only he could give her gifts like this all the time. Nay, she silently scolded herself. The fool probably wasted his entire wages for this. She looked up into his loving eyes and smiled, hiding any of her true feelings.

  The sound of someone weeping made Cormac move away. “What is that?”

  “Only the wee brat that milord asked me to tend to.” “Whom do ye speak of?”

  “Declan MacKenna of course.” She encircled her arms around him. “Do not worry of the lad. He whimpers like that all day.”

  “And well it is to be expected. The lad saw his family slaughtered.” He removed her hands from around his neck and went over to where the child was huddled within the folds of the shadows. He knelt down, so not to frighten the boy further. “Come here, Declan. Ye have nothing to fear from me.”

  The child hid his face to the wall. Cormac had a hard time swallowing the despair that threatened to choke him. It had been less than a week since they had come upon the murders of Declan’s entire family. The child had hidden away and it was the only reason he was still alive. It had been a mere accident that they had even found the boy, for he had not called out for them to help him.

  “Oh, leave him be.” Fiona was getting impatient. “He is not all there.” “How can ye be so cold?” He stood to face her. “He is but a small babe.” She saw her mistake immediately and quickly tried to remedy it. “Ye do me a disservice. I simply do not know what I can do to help the boy. I have no children of my own, and yet I took him in. I didn’t have to.”

  She really did look chastised over the way she had behaved, and of course he wanted to only think the best of her. “I am sorry, Fiona. It was a sad day that we found the MacKenna’s.” He looked to the child again and wondered if he would ever come back from where his fears held him immobilized.

  “Maybe ye know of someone that could help tend to the wee one?” How she prayed that he did, for she realized all too late what a fool she had been to volunteer in the first place. It was just that she had hoped that in doing this small favor, she would make Dougray want to seek her company once more. The ploy had not worked.

  “I might have a place for him. Will ye keep him until I make the arrangements?”

  “Aye.”

  Moira watched Aislinn as she wrote in her journal with the odd-looking ink quill of hers. She had taken Aislinn’s dress from the press and had already aired it out. “But I do not understand. Did ye not say that milord wanted ye to wear something blue?”

  She looked up from her writing to answer her. “Oh yes, that is what he said. I intend to wear my blue sweatshirt.” She pulled it out of her backpack.

  It was a little wrinkled so she shook it out. “Why do ye wish to anger him?”

  “That is not my wish, Moira, but I cannot let him dominate me like he owns me. I have a mind of my own.”

  “Does this have to do with milord taking the ropes?”

  “Among other things. Like ordering me around and insisting that I have a puppy dog at my heels.”

  “Puppy dog?” “A bodyguard.”

  “Oh, ye mean Teige.”
<
br />   “Yes. Nothing against the kid, but really he’s just a child. I would probably end up protecting him.”

  “Teige is a fine warrior,” Moira defended him.

  Aislinn realized she was insulting someone that Moira thought very highly of. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that he is. It’s just the point.”

  Moira was thoroughly confused. “What is the point?”

  Aislinn shut her book finished with her writing, which consisted mostly of complaints of how unfair Dougray had been to her. She stood and slipped on the sweatshirt. She saw the stricken look that Moira was giving her and couldn’t help but laugh at the poor girl. “What? Don’t I look beautiful?” She twirled around as if she were wearing a beautiful gown.

  “I wish that ye would reconsider.”

  “Nothing doing.” She walked over to the door and threw it open. “Teige!” she called then realized that he was standing only inches away. “Oh, there you are. Are you ready to go?”

  The young man’s eyes widened as he took in Aislinn’s appearance. She hadn’t changed. He looked at Moira, who was wringing her hands. She just shook her head at Teige that there was nothing that she could do. The man kept his expression bland when he looked back to Aislinn. “Whenever ye are ready, milady.”

  “A.J., Teige, remember?” Aislinn said as she went on ahead nearly skipping down the winding stairs. When she entered the hall she received the same reception as she had the night before, only this time it was for obviously different reasons.

  She walked over to Dougray first. “Well, my lord, what do you think?” She turned around so that he could see her entire outfit. When she was facing him again, she smiled. “I wore blue, just for you.” She could tell that he was absolutely fuming and she was grateful that the long table separated them. “I will just sit down over there.” She pointed to where Cormac and Dermot were already eating. “Come on, Teige. I don’t want you to lose me.” She took hold of Teige’s arm and nearly dragged him away.

  Robert Burke was simply appalled of the lack of grace the woman possessed. “What happen to her hair?”

  Dubhdara just let out a bellow and hit Dougray on the back. “My man, what a strong will that lass of yers has. If I were ye, I’d see if the father of hers would grant ye permission to marry her off, and soon I would wager would be for the best.” He watched her laughing with the men and taking a seat right with them. “She is still a handsome woman, but she is not as young as most would wish.”

  “Aye, but she is spirited to a fault,” Dougray mumbled. “That is most likely why she is still without a husband.”

  Both O’Malley and Burke laughed agreeing that this could be the reason. “Still,” Dubhdara continued, “there could be an advantage, if ye could convince her father to let ye find a husband for her, one perhaps who would secure support for all of us concerned.”

  Dougray had not thought of having her marry. He frowned not at all sure that he liked the idea of her belonging to another. O’Malley saw the expression and couldn’t help but comment. “Or do ye have designs on the spitfire? The Hennessys beyond Dublin could be an asset in knowing what is going on in the Pale. We want to avoid conflict with these foreigners, but I have no wish to relinquish my holdings to them. If ye were to marry the lass,

  I would not object to the union.”

  “What?” He looked at the older man who was looking quite amused at his suggestion. He was quick to set him straight. “Nay. She is more than a handful that I wish not to have thrust at me for a lifetime of commitment.”

  “But what of my other suggestion? May it be of interest to the Hennessy?” “Maybe. I will have to see.”

  “He named ye guardian, did he not?”

  “Aye, of course.”

  “Then think of what I suggest.”

  Dougray nodded. As the night wore on, he found that he had trouble whole-heartedly listening to the conversation. Every so often he was drawn to where Aislinn was seated. Her laughter would reach him, irritating him that she seemed to fit in so well with his men. They actually looked to be enjoying her company.

  “Dougray,” Murrough leaned near enough so that he could only hear him, “ye might want to consider what the O’Malley suggested. Aislinn married to another clan could be good for us. Especially for ye.”

  Dougray threw him a heated look. “What do ye mean by that?”

  “Only that ye have been preoccupied ever since that woman has been in yer care. What of this Hennessy? Are ye able to send word?”

  “What?”

  Again Dougray was not paying attention. Murrough decided that he would inquire about the woman’s family by sending word directly to the Hennessy sept that was situated here in Ireland. Surely if they were related, the clan would see fit to lend a hand with one of their own.

  For the last half-hour, Aislinn had been listening to the men share stories of their battles of great feats. She marveled that they could laugh at themselves even when they talked about how they faced death.

  “And here was Cormac,” Teige chuckled, “waltzing in after the battle had commenced, with not a stick of clothing on wondering what was going on. I never saw someone look so dumbfounded.”

  “Well if ye hadn’t given me the rest of the strong grain whiskey, I would have been just fine.”

  “If ye just slept through all the yelling and clamoring ye would have been fine also.”

  “And what happened next?” Aislinn wished she had her notebook with her. The story was worth writing down.

  “Well, the clan we were fighting saw him standing there in all his natural glory, and they stopped their assault staring at him as if he was an apparition. We took the advantage and were able to turn the tide. Murrough threw Cormac a sword and he fought like I have never seen him fight before.”

  “I had no choice,” Cormac voiced. “I had me family jewels out in the open and I had to protect me future children, aye?” He slammed down his tankard with a thud and burst out with laughter that set everyone rolling.

  “What of yer clan, Aislinn? Ye must have tales that ye can share with us,”

  Dermot encouraged.

  “Oh, there is fighting, but things are really different than here. One, I don’t have to have a bodyguard.” She put her hand on Teige’s for brief moment. “No offense.”

  He nodded. “None taken.”

  She addressed the others that were listening. “My world is different is all I can say. You’d have to see it to believe it.” She thought that she better put

  an end to it there. She couldn’t reveal too much of what they would never understand.

  “Hey, ye want to see me war scar?” A young man that obviously had too much to drink pushed his way through.

  “She don’t want to see yer ugly hide.” Cormac pushed him away.

  “Sure she does.” He pulled up his shirt to reveal a long scar that went from one end of his chest to the other. “Got that fighting an Anglo-Norman. Nearly died, ye know.”

  “You must have been very brave.”

  “I have one, too.” Cormac didn’t want to be outdone.

  Aislinn’s rich laughter filled the room. “Please, Cormac, before you go any further, you aren’t going to show me your family jewels are you?” That caused the others to join in on the laughter.

  “Nay, I wouldn’t do that.” There was that mischievous glint in his eyes. “Unless ye wanted me to.”

  Aislinn held up her hands. “That’s quite all right. I will have to decline. So let me see this impressive scar of yours.”

  “He lifted his shirt and showed her his back. “Take a look there. A chunk of my back was hacked away.”

  There was indeed an indentation. She could only imagine what these men had gone through. Such violence and they talked about it as though it were nothing other than another day’s work.

  “Show her yers, Teige.” Cormac nudged him. “He’s a little shy, if ye haven’t noticed.”

  “Oh come on, Teige,” Aislinn encouraged. “If you show me yours, I�
��ll show you mine.” That caused a few catcalls.

  “Pipe down.” Teige gave them a chilling look before turning his attention to Aislinn. “I’ll show ye.” He pulled up his shirt revealing a nasty scar on his shoulder, then he turned to show her how the sword had cut through to his back.”

  “Physician Cahir gave him up for dead,” Dermot remembered. “Sent for the priest, ye know.”

  “I wasn’t about to give up.” Teige took over. “I had only had ten and six summers behind me.”

  “And still had not had a woman.” Cormac nudged him again.

  “Well that too.” He smiled, his face turning scarlet. “All I knew is that I didn’t want to die.” He met Aislinn’s gaze and she squeezed his hand. “I’m glad that you recovered.”

  “Now, A.J., it is your turn.” Teige was through being the center of attention.

  “Well mine is not as impressive as all of yours.” She took off her right shoe to show them the scar on the side of her foot. “This was from a dare that my brother issued, daring me to jump from the roof of our house. Of course, I was never able to resist a challenge, especially from him. So I jumped and ended up landing on some shears that my mother had been using to trim back the rose bushes. The shears went right through my shoe, slicing the side of my foot. I guess I was lucky that my injury only required twenty-five stitches, but that was the least of my pain. I received a lecture from my parents that you wouldn’t believe.” She noticed that everyone had become unusually quiet, and she turned to see that Dougray was glowering down at her.

  “Are ye through?” His voice sounded like distant thunder. His men immediately dispersed.

  “Jeez, you sure know how to ruin a party.” She donned her sock and shoe once more.

  “A word with ye please.”

  “Are you going to reprimand me, because if you are, I don’t want to speak to you?”

  Cormac snickered, causing him to receive a lethal look that melted the grin right off his face.

  Dougray took hold of her arm. “I was not asking ye, I was commanding it.” “All right, already.” She barely got to her feet before he was dragging her across the crowded hall. When they were a safe distance away from the others, he released her.