Someday Her Duke Will Come

by Ellie St. Clair

  “You're never going to remember what all of this is for,” she said shaking her head. “I’ll go back with you and help you recover. Then, if you can bring me back to the portal, I’ll return home once again .”

  Dougal nodded his head, understanding that she was trying to help him the best that she could. His mind was reeling at the things he had just seen and he couldn’t have paid much attention to her even if he wanted to .

  They both turned to the shimmering light of the air. She took his hand, looked him in the eyes and nodded her head in an assent that all was alright, and together they jumped back into the portal, spiralling through the darkness until they hit the ground once again. This time he knew what to expect and braced himself for it .

  Dougal sighed in deep relief as he looked around, seeing the battlegrounds as he had left them, the castle on the cliffs bustling with people. Emilia helped Dougal to the horses. He was grateful for the assist, although he tried not to show her how weak his body was .

  After she changed back to her MacGavin dress, they mounted their horses and rode quickly back to his castle, not speaking about what they had just seen. Dougal looked at her, much more grateful now, and empathetic to what she was going through. She must be absolutely bewildered by the world she was now in. Yet she had stayed to see to his wounds and his health, and now had returned to his world without even being asked .

  He couldn’t say much to her on the journey back, as all of his energies were centered on staying upright on his horse and contemplating the future he had experienced .

  Emilia looked at him worriedly, but he was grateful she didn’t press him .

  Once inside, she tended to Dougal’s wounds. He saw her trying not to wince as she looked at the injury after removing the bandage. She cleaned it, then applied different creams, and fresh bandages. The fabric was clean and the creams seemed to lessen the pain of the wounds. She also gave him some strange pellets to swallow .

  Dougal looked up at her as she worked on his arm, feeling a kindness, and a wanting for her. Yes, any man would want her for her beauty on first looking at her, but there was more there. She cared about him, without knowing anything about him. She gave of herself for no reason at all .

  Part of Dougal wanted to reach out and take her in his arms, giving her the comfort and kindness she deserved. The other part of him knew that to do so would be of detriment to them both. She was from another time, and would be returning as soon as she felt it was necessary .

  “Thank you,” Dougal said in a soft tone, catching her hand. “I appreciate what ye’ve done for me .”

  She looked up, startled as his sudden show of affection and gratitude. “You’re welcome,” she replied, softening her gaze .

  For several moments they sat, staring at each other with hands clasped. Dougal longed for her in a way he never had for a woman before, and the vulnerability struck him as a weakness that would be of no use to a clan leader. Even if he decided to take her for himself, she would do no good for him here, no matter what his feelings were for her .

  He needed a woman of this time and this place, someone to bear his children and take care of his family. This woman was from another place, another time, where she had a life, a purpose. She would never agree to stay with him .

  Dougal closed himself off immediately, knowing he had no time for dreaming or wishing. He pulled his hand back and broke the eye contact, pushing himself to stand and walk to the window. He didn’t want her to leave but he knew it would be best she did so .

  “You can leave if you wish,” he said gruffly. “I’ll have my cousin take you back .”

  “Well,” she said. “I suppose I should have known your kindness was too good to be true .”

  “You are from another world. You donna belong here,” he said, turning toward her with irritation. “What do you want of me ?”

  “I want nothing,” she said, answering his anger. “I am only trying to save your life and if I leave now surely you will die from an infection. Is that what you want ?”

  “Of course not, woman,” he rebutted. “But I have many responsibilities here and I canna have my mind on another mouth to feed .”

  “Fine,” she said, standing. “Do you know how to do what I just did to your wound? Will you be able to keep yourself well for the next week or so ?”

  Dougal stood staring out the window, understanding that everything she was saying was the truth. He supposed she could try to explain it all to Morag, but a mistake could cost him his life and Morag was fairly set in her ways. She wouldn’t take the consultation of another healer .

  Like it or not, he needed her, and he hated it. It scared him to have this need for someone, a woman no less, and one that was unavailable to him. It was driving him to anger towards her. The elders wanted him to marry, and now he could not see himself with anyone but this woman, and yet he knew she could stay here with him .

  He had so many responsibilities now that he was Laird, and having this on his mind could bring an end to it all. However, he knew she was right. He had seen many men survive the battle only to die weeks later of a fever. Their limbs swelled up and infection took over. Some were lucky enough to just lose an arm, but most didn’t make it even that far. She had knowledge from the future that could keep him from the same fate .

  He had a family to think about. He had a clan to lead and to protect. Without him, it would be left to the elders until they either named an heir or let the clan fall to the dust. His family had worked too hard to keep the clan alive. His mother and father had lost their lives for it. He wasn’t about to be the MacGavin that ended this legacy .

  “Fine,” he said gruffly in a low voice. “Stay. But now that I no longer need constant care, you will be interacting more with the family and will need to fit in a little better. I canna go around telling people you magically fell from the sky. You will need more clothing. My sister is in the kitchen, ask her for it. I will be back later to have my wounds tended to. In the meantime, I will provide you with shelter and food. Anything you may need, just ask my cousin .”

  With those words, Dougal turned and walked out of the room, avoiding eye contact with her. He pushed out the front door and made his way to the stables, where he stopped to catch his breath. He had agreed to keep her here with him, but he knew he needed to keep as much distance as possible. There was something about Emilia that drew him in, made him want to be close to her. He couldn’t allow himself to develop these feelings for her, knowing she was going to leave .

  This was a strange world for her, just as hers was to him, and he couldn’t expect a woman of her talents to give that all up for a life in the clan. He would make sure she stayed busy, give her thanks for her care, and then send her back home, pushing her from his mind and moving forward .

  Dougal looked up at the sky as the sun beat down, knowing it was late in the afternoon. This is what came of wandering after this strange woman. Half the day was gone and he needed to ensure the farming was done and food set out for supper. There was no one else to provide for this family, and whether the elders liked it or not, he had to think of his day-to-day responsibilities before he could think about finding a wife .

  He agreed that it would help to have someone to guide Arabel, and to look after his needs as well, but it would have to wait. He had to make the right choice, or he could be in for a lifetime of regret .

  In the meantime, he hoped that Emilia would help with the household chores, though he couldn’t expect her to. Dougal stared back at the house, watching Arabel and his little cousins, sisters of Diarmid, take clothing off the lines and pile it into Emilia’s arms. Her tousled hair blew wildly in the wind and she looked up at him across the field before turning her gaze away and smiling at something his sister said. His heart stirred. This was going to be trouble .

  13

  Emilia

  E milia stood behind the house, staring out in the distance to where Dougal was helping to plow the fields. She leaned down and grabbed an
other tapestry, hanging it from the line before wiping her hands on her apron. She had been in this time for a couple of weeks now and had just started to get used to her daily routine. Without television, internet, or a library of books to occupy her time, she dove right into helping with the daily chores .

  They washed and hung clothes, fed the horses, cooked the meals, and cleaned the house every day. The first couple of days were difficult, learning how to do everything without the help of machines or technological advances, but in the end, Emilia found the simplicity of it all very refreshing .

  The girls seemed very happy to have a woman in the household with them. Dougal’s youngest cousin, Mattie, was six but laughed as she was the one teaching Emilia certain tasks. Six wasn’t the same here as it was in the future, Emilia realized. She was saddened by the idea that these girls would never experience the carefree youth that she did at their age. Arabel was already blossoming into a woman at 15. She was strong and confident, and Emilia could tell she had taken right over when her mother passed away .

  When the chores were done and dinner was over, Emilia and Arabel would sit down in the chairs on the porch and talk about Arabel’s future. She knew that she only had a couple of years until she was married off by her brother to another clansman, but she kept a high spirit about it, content in knowing her brother would do everything in his power to make sure she was well taken care of. Dougal’s uncle and cousins also lived in the house. Emilia’s heart ached for Arabel, who had essentially become a mother to her cousins at such a young age, taking over responsibility for the household as her aunt had died in childbirth .

  As far as Dougal went, Emilia only saw him for his treatment over the first couple of days, but as he grew more comfortable with her presence in the house, he began joining them for dinner and had even taken Emilia on a walk of the farm one late evening. She saw the gentle side of him again, and realized that he could be charming and sweet when he wasn’t trying to be the tough warrior that he was. Part of her knew that when she left here, she would miss him gravely. That in itself made it hard to face the fact that his shoulder was healing well and he would soon no longer need her to help him .

  It was late in the evening at the end of their second week together and Dougal had joined them at the kitchen table for supper. They sat together, listening to Dougal and Diarmid discuss how the farming was going, how one of the horses was expecting soon, and what he would be doing now that he was named Laird of the MacGavin clan. He was dedicated and honor-bound to the role. Emilia could see that he took this responsibility to heart .

  As the girls walked around them after supper, cleaning up the dishes, Dougal leaned back and stared over at Emilia. She smiled back at him, but diverted her attention to the laundry flapping in the wind outside of the house. She could feel his eyes fixated on her but she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze and instead rose from her place at the table to help with the cleaning .

  Dougal reached up and gently tugged on her wrist, pulling her back down into her chair next to him .

  “I have to go into Aberdeen tomorrow for provisions,” he said quietly. “I wanted to know if you would join me ?”

  Arabel took Emilia’s plate, looking down with a hidden smile. His uncle and Diarmid looked up with astonishment. Emilia realized it was a big deal for her to accompany him into town, though she wasn’t sure why. Likely he needed supplies he wanted her help with, but she still blushed as she fiddled with the cloth napkin in her lap, wondering whether she should throw caution to the wind and go with him, or protect herself and stay behind .

  Emilia had wanted to see Aberdeen in this time period before she returned, but her desire for Dougal was growing, as was the love for his family. She still didn’t know quite how she felt about him besides her initial lust. There were moments when she saw beneath his bluster and cared deeply for him, but then he would do or say something to her that reminded her he was a hard man, one who was not prone to show affection or vulnerability .

  She took a deep breath, still unsure of how she was going to respond .

  “I would love to,” she said, surprised at her own words .

  “Good. We will leave at sun’s first light,” he said with a terse smile towards her as he pushed back his chair and stood. “I’ll have one of Mother’s cloaks brought down so you can stay warm. Fall is here and the winds can get rough on the trip over .”

  “Thank you,” Emilia responded, her eyes downcast .

  The next morning they left before the sun rose, riding next to each other along the muddy trail. Dougal asked Emilia all kinds of questions about her world and even laughed when she told him about the history of America, a land he knew nothing about. He was fascinated about all that was to be discovered .

  The technological advances blew his mind, and the idea of an electric toothbrush was more exciting to him than the telephone, a concept he could not grasp — not that she expected him to .

  She assumed it would be hard to understand what the telephone really was when you didn’t even have electricity or running water yet. Upon her arrival, she had kept her knowledge of the future to herself, unsure of how sharing it would change anything. When they had returned to her time, however, she had been astonished to find everything was unchanged, that her return to the past caused no ripple to the recorded history of this time period or anything beyond it. It was as if her return had been pre-destined and already written into history .

  They conversed the entire distance to Aberdeen and when they arrived there was a warmth about her heart, and she smiled at him and their newfound knowledge of one another .

  Once they dismounted in town, Emilia walked quietly beside him, nodding and smiling at the people walking in the street. She waited patiently as he went into the stores he needed, traded for the goods required, and loaded it onto their horses. As they approached the edge of town he stopped, looking up at a small building .

  “Wait here for me.” He looked excited but Emilia didn’t ask questions as he left her and ran inside .

  Emilia stood in the street watching as the other people milled through the town, talking to each other, shopping, and going to their respective jobs. In reality, things weren’t that much different in her own time. Equipment and technology changed, but the general human nature of people stayed the same. She smiled as she took in the people in the small town, not running from one activity to the next like the people she knew, but enjoying each moment for what it was .

  “You look like you belong here,” a voice said from behind her. Emilia whirled around and blinked, shocked at the sight of Fiona standing behind her, smiling .

  “Fiona!” Emilia said with excitement and awe. “What are you doing here? Did you find the portal too ?”

  “You’re an interesting girl,” Fiona said, looking Emilia up and down as if she hadn’t heard her. “You know, the portal, it is a natural thing. It’s nature’s way of working out the kinks in history. Every person given that portal is written in the cosmic pages of time .”

  “I don’t understand,” Emilia replied. “How does it work? Do you control it ?”

  “In a way,” she smiled. “Just remember that your decisions here will affect only your future. Follow your heart. It will never lead you astray .”

  Emilia looked over as Dougal walked out of the shop carrying a small box that he placed in the satchel on the side of the horse. She looked back for Fiona but she was gone, no trace of her anywhere. Emilia sighed, realizing that being here was no accident, and that clearly Fiona was part of this entire mystery. She turned back to Dougal. He actually smiled at her and helped her up onto the horse .

  Their return ride to the house was a quieter one and Emilia contemplated her next course of action. Had she been sent here to ensure Dougal’s survival, and therefore that of the MacGavin clan? Was that why the history books were murky — because her existence was one that couldn’t be explained through history as she knew it? A historian, she knew that one action led to anothe
r better than anyone, and yet when she had seen Dougal lying in that field she couldn’t help but do all she could to save him. Yet nothing had changed in the future. How strange .

  When they were back home and had unpacked, the castle was quiet, the children and Arabel having gone to bed. Dougal and Emilia sat quietly in the living room, watching the fire flicker in front of them. The flames were bright and vibrant, casting shadows across the room. Emilia knew her time here was over. They both knew it — she could feel the unspoken words between them. Actually saying them to him, out loud, was the hard part .

  “Dougal,” she finally said, looking over at him. “I am planning to leave tomorrow. You are well now and have no need of my knowledge any longer .”

  “I figured that was coming,” he said with a remorseful smile, moving over next to her on the bear skin rug. “I have something for you. Something for you to take with you on your return, to remember us by .”

  Dougal handed her the small box she had seen him purchase from the store in Aberdeen. She slowly pulled off the bow and carefully opened the hinged golden box. Inside was a silver locket, etched with the date. She gasped and pulled it from the box, opening it to find rose petals clasped inside. Dougal took it from her hands and instead of turning her around, he wrapped his arms around her neck, fastening it under her hair .

  “I hope this brings you luck. Roses will always remind me of you,” he whispered, his face now very close to hers .

  Emilia didn’t think, but just acted. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, her resolve burned down with the heat of the fire .

  Dougal instantly responded, pressing back against her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close. The heat from his skin radiated onto her and she could feel her breasts heave overtop her racing heart. Kissing him set off an explosion in her chest, and as his hands ran down the back of her dress, that heat expanded between her legs. Without a word, Dougal slowly untied the ribbons on the back of her gown, pulling the shoulders down and kissing her neck. Passion erupted as he pushed her back, pulling the dress down her body and tossing it to the side. She hadn’t gotten the hang of her undergarments yet so she lay on the bear skin rug, waiting, as his eyes roamed her completely naked body .