Morna's Legacy: Box Set #1

by Bethany Claire

  “Oh, by the Saints, lass! I never believed his stories, but ye do look remarkably similar; except Lady Blaire would never dress in such inappropriate attire. Why, ye look like the worse kind of tavern wench! I can see the shape of yer legs, lass! Not to mention…”

  My head was throbbing too incessantly to concentrate. I scanned the room, while silently willing the woman to stop speaking.

  I knew I wasn’t in a hospital. The space looked old and somehow familiar. Slowly, I turned my head back to the table I was leaning against now and saw the portrait of myself.

  Memories of what I’d been doing only moments before came rushing back, and panic burst forth as I shot out of the woman’s reach.

  “Where’s my mother? What happened? What? What is that?” My voice and fingers were shaking as I pointed to the portrait and stared back at the old woman.

  “Oh, ye poor thing. Ye look quite frightened to death.”

  I watched as the woman moved toward me once more and pulled me toward a stool in the corner of the room.

  The woman was right. I was scared. Attempting to stifle my panic, I followed her urging and collapsed onto the smooth, wooden seat.

  “Are ye all right now, lass? Allow me to explain to ye, Dearie.”

  I simply nodded as numbness replaced the sense of panic, and turned to watch the woman as she spoke.

  “I’ll no be sure about the where and when ye came from, dearie, but I can tell by yer manner of speech and dress, it is nowhere I’ve ever seen or heard about. Not that old Mary’s been or seen very many places.”

  I watched as the woman paused and chuckled slightly. Then, seeing my confusion, she stopped laughing and pulled her face into a look of seriousness once again.

  “But I can tell ye that today is the third day of November in the year sixteen hundred and forty-five. And it is yer wedding day.”

  I started to refute the woman’s claims, only to find that my mouth was dry and my knees were shaking. I sat quietly instead.

  “Ye are in Conall Castle, lass, and while old Mary knows ye won’t be the Lady Blaire, the rest of the castle won’t be able to tell the difference, and unless ye want to be locked up, I suggest ye doona let them find out the truth.”

  As I listened to the woman speak about my upcoming marriage to the castle laird, laughter threatened to bubble up out of my throat.

  I definitely hit my head. The room collapsed, and I am in a coma. I’m in a coma, and I’m dreaming that I went back in time to marry a Scottish laird. That’s what you get for daydreaming nonsense, Bri.

  “And what was yer name before ye arrived here, lass? Ye canna be known by it from now on, but I’d like to know yer true name, all the same.”

  The woman’s question seemed to throw me out of my thoughts, and I found myself answering automatically.

  “I’m Brielle Montgomery. But call me Bri for short.”

  “Well, Briforshort, Old Mary’s never heard of a name like that before. I’m pleased to meet ye, lass, but from now on, ye’ll need to answer to the name Blaire, do ye understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now, I’m Mary, and ye’ll be spending a lot of time with me. I’m the one to know around here, believe me. Now what’s yer name again?”

  I relaxed a little as I noticed that my knees were no longer shaking, and my breathing had returned to normal. I smiled at Mary as I replied, “Blaire.”

  “Verra good, lass! I could tell ye would be a quick learner by the looks of ye. Now, let’s get ye up to yer room before anyone else sees ye dressed in such a manner.”

  Mary stood beside me and dusted off the bottom of her plain gray dress.

  If I’m in a coma, I might as well try and have a little fun. It’s probably a good sign that I’m dreaming, I’m assuming that means I’m not brain dead. Maybe this dream will allow my brain time to heal. In the meantime, I guess I’ll just marry the Scottish laird I’d wished for.

  I giggled inwardly at myself, deciding to enjoy the dream while it lasted. As I stood to follow Mary, I had to stop and steady myself on the wall to keep my head from spinning.

  If only my head weren’t hurting so much. But, I guess it probably should be hurting, since a 400-year-old solid stone ceiling collapsed on my head. Wait! Oh, my God! The ceiling collapsed! What about Mom? Is she injured?

  I tried to calm my breathing once again and sat back down on the wooden stool. No. I saw her when everything started to shake. The ceiling above her wasn’t moving at all, and she was standing close to the entrance. She’s fine. She’s fine. She has to be fine.

  I continued to reassure myself until Mary’s hands touched my shoulders once again.

  “Come on, lass. We must start preparing ye for the wedding. I’ll try and explain some more while we are getting ye washed up. Follow me.”

  The old woman took off toward a castle corridor, leaving me with little option other than to follow.

  As I walked behind Mary, I rationalized my worries away by concentrating on two pieces of information that stuck out in my mind.

  One, if both my mother and I had been hurt in the collapse, I figured there would have been no one there to get help. If Mom hadn’t been able to get help, I would be dead rather than sitting in a hospital bed in the dreamlike coma I was in now. Mom was most likely fine. I just hadn’t elected to let her into my dream yet, I supposed.

  Two, regardless of what had happened, there was nothing that I could do about it now.

  Unnecessary stress wasn’t good for the healing process, so until I woke up and knew with certainty what had occurred, I was going to enjoy the surreal experience I was having now.

  I looked up as Mary came to a halt in front of me and realized instantly that I had been paying little attention to the route we had taken to the door in front of which I was now standing.

  It was a magnificent door. Strong yet feminine, the door was carved with precise detail that swirled in and around the wood with great craftsmanship. I thought it odd that I would be dreaming in such detail, but Mary interrupted me before I could explore the thought further.

  “This is yer bedchamber, lass. Well, at least for a few hours anyway. After the wedding, ye will move to the laird’s bedchamber for the wedding night.” She paused to push the door open and gestured, nudging me inside. “I think ye’ll find the room quite nice. The laird’s mother used this as her own special sanctuary while she was living. Go on, dearie. Old Mary will be back shortly. I’ll have a hot bath brought up for ye.”

  Before I could utter a reply, Mary was gone.

  Alone, I stepped inside the doorway. My first thought was that it was far too large. My entire living room and kitchen could easily fit within this one room. Why did anyone need so much room to sleep? But as I continued to make my way through the space I realized the excess room made it easy to breathe.

  The room exuded calm, and I allowed myself to fall onto the bed in the center of it. The bed was covered in the same shades of purple that were mirrored throughout the rest of the room. I was just snuggling deep down into the lush fabrics when the chamber door flew open and Mary rushed in.

  “Come on, lass. Up ye go and into the tub.” She grabbed me by the arm, hauling me up out of the bed.

  My head swam once again as I stood, and I gripped the wooden bedpost to hold myself up as I watched several young men carry a large oval-shaped basin past the doorway. Several steaming buckets of water were poured into the tub, and the servants retreated, closing the door behind them.

  As soon as everyone was gone, Mary reached forward, fumbling with my clothes.

  “What are you doing?” I pushed the old woman’s hands away from me.

  “What does it look like I’m doing, lass? We doona have much time. Ye are to be at yer wedding promptly! Get yerself in that tub, dearie.” Mary’s voice was shrill and demanding as she placed her hands on her hips and glared straight at me.

  “Ok. Alright.” I held up a hand to Mary and self-consciously stripped down, hopping in t
he water as fast as I could. The heat of the water certainly felt real and it briefly crossed my mind that I couldn’t remember ever having such a sense-filled dream before.

  Mary’s face seemed to soften as she watched me hiss at the touch of the steaming water. “Lass, I’m sorry everything is happening so fast for ye. I was hoping I would have time to explain, but I’m afraid that will have to wait.”

  I wondered what there was to explain in a dream. Dreams often made no sense. But as was becoming habit, I had no time to respond before Mary continued talking.

  “Here’s what ye will be needing to know today.” Mary sank down onto the edge of the bed and crossed her arms with a look of exasperation. “Yer name is Blaire MacChristy. Yer father’s name is Donal, and it is yer duty to marry the laird, Eoin Conall, to help provide protection for yer father’s territory.”

  I splashed water on my face, scrubbing my body with my hands as I listened to Mary’s instructions. Yes, the water was definitely hot. My skin turned pink as I lifted my arm out of it to scrub myself clean.

  “Ye look just like Blaire, so once we get ye in yer dress and pull yer hair up, there’s not a soul in all of Scotland who would be able to say otherwise. That is, until ye speak, dearie. I’ve never heard anyone talk so plain. Old Mary’s not so sure what to do about that.”

  Mary stood and paced back and forth around the room. The water seemed to help my aching head, and as I reached over the edge of the tub to grab a cloth and dry myself, I noticed my head didn’t spin with the effort.

  “Perhaps, I can try to mimic your accent.” I began to dry myself, feeling refreshed and much more like myself.

  “Accent? What do ye mean, lass?” Mary stopped pacing and pivoted to face me.

  “I mean, that ye doona have to worry so much. I can try to mimic the way ye speak.” I smiled as I tried to tilt my words into the best Scottish accent I could muster. Thank goodness for all the books I’d read aloud to my kindergarteners. They always loved it when I used voices, so over the years I’d developed quite the repertoire of accents.

  “Ah! That’s not bad, lass! Perhaps, ye can do it after all. That’s always what the late Laird Alasdair said: that ye’d be a blessing to us all. But I never believed his stories until this day.”

  “What stories?” With my head no longer hurting, I found myself quite interested in what Mary was saying.

  “Oh, I doona have time to talk to ye about that today, dear. Excuse me. I should have said, I doona have time to talk to ye about that today, miss. Old Mary has to start calling ye miss, if yer going to be lady of the castle.” Mary paused and chuckled. “I never woulda believed that today would turn out as it has, lass. Oh my, it’s been one turnip of a day for Mary. Not to mention yerself, dear. Ugh. I mean, miss. It’s been a trying day for ye as well.”

  I laughed and listened to Mary ramble as I shrugged into the pale blue gown that she was holding up in my direction.

  “Oh, Mary, it’s stunning!” I looked down at the bodice, quite taken with the image below me. It was the most elegant piece of clothing I had ever worn, and I wondered why women didn’t wear dresses more often. I couldn’t even see myself yet, with the way Mary had me turned away from the mirror, but I felt beautiful inside the flowing fabric.

  “Yes it is, lass. But ye canna look yet. Ye may only look when I’ve finished yer hair, and ye are all ready for yer wedding.”

  I smiled, deciding to enjoy my coma. “What does the laird look like, Mary?”

  Mary chuckled, “Well, that’s a fine question, miss. Look, I said it! I called ye ‘miss,’ miss!” She paused to laugh. “I doona believe ye could be more fortunate in a husband, miss. I love those two boys as if they are my own bairns, ornery as they are.”

  “Two?” I interrupted on reflex, and glanced backward at Mary, who was pinning pieces of my hair into place.

  “Oh, yes. There are two Conall brothers. But ye are marrying the elder brother, Eoin. The younger brother is Arran. Most lasses would agree that there aren’t two more handsome lads anywhere in Scotland. Even I would have to agree, and I’m far too old to unlace my corset over such things.”

  I let out a small yelp as Mary tugged especially hard on a tendril of my hair.

  “Oh sorry, dearie. I mean, miss. Oh! Old Mary will fix her mind on it eventually. Doona be worried.” She continued to arrange my hair as she spoke. “Both lads are handsome, but in my humble opinion, I believe ye will be finding yerself sharing a bed with the finer brother.”

  I should hope so. It is my coma, after all. Why would I decide to dream up a marriage with some ugly old fart?

  “Wonderful!” I replied and was rewarded with a smack on the head.

  “Ye keep slipping into yer strange way of speaking, lass. It’s mighty important that ye doona do that anymore. If Old Mary can remember to call ye ‘miss,’ a young lass like yerself can remember to speak proper.” Mary turned me around so that I was facing the mirror. “There. All done, miss.”

  I stared back at my reflection, unable to recall a time when I felt more radiant. The blue in the dress made my blue eyes sparkle, and the cut of the dress fit perfectly. “Thank you, Mary. I love it.”

  “I’m pleased to hear it, miss. Ye seem to be a smidge more accepting of the wedding than Blaire, so I’m glad ye’re here. I can only hope Blaire is fairing well in…wherever ye came from.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh. I need to stop speaking of it. I already told ye, I canna explain it to ye today. I’ll be speaking to ye in a few days, after the laird and ye have had some time alone together.”

  “I see.” I didn’t see at all, but I decided to let it go. Whatever it was couldn’t be that important. This was all just a dream.

  “Now.” Mary gently pushed me toward the door. “It’s time for yer wedding.”

  I smiled excitedly and followed Mary out the door, hoping that I wouldn’t wake up before I got a chance to see my future husband and discover why I needed to change my name to someone else’s to marry the man I’d dreamed up.

  Chapter 10

  Present Day

  Adelle Montgomery screamed and reached behind her, grabbing for any sturdy surface to remind her of reality as the contents of the room swirled around her daughter, one minute picking her up into the chaos, the next minute sweeping her away into nothing. Her legs shook, and her ears ached at the sound of her own terrified screams. She reached up and smacked herself hard across the cheek, trying to wake herself from the twisted nightmare. When nothing changed, she forced her eyes to close and shook her head violently, hoping that the motion would clear the insanity from her head.

  When she gathered the courage to open her eyes, she instantly relaxed against the back wall and breathed in deep, savoring the dusty, wet smell that filled her lungs. Bri was there, safe, and just where she’d been moments ago. It was her own head she was worried about. She’d make an appointment with a doctor as soon as she got home.

  “Bri. Did I pass out? Fall and hit my head coming through the doorway? I was so sure…” She trailed off as she took in the horrified look on her daughter’s face. Pins prickled down her back as her eyes took in the floor-length gown covering her daughter’s body. “What? What’s going on, Bri? I…I’m not feeling very well.”

  Adelle watched as her daughter’s head quickly turned, scanning back and forth across the room.

  “Where am I? And my name is no Bri? Who do ye think ye are?”

  “Bri. What do you think you’re doing? Seriously. Your accent is remarkable, but where did you get that dress? Is this some sort of weird joke I’m not getting? Do you think that lasagna was bad?” Adelle pushed herself off the wall and moved over to her daughter, grabbing the skirt of her dress to examine the gown more closely. “It’s really remarkable actually. It doesn’t look like a costume, but it’s not an antique either. I think it’s time you filled me in, sweetheart.”

  “Sweetheart? Why would ye address a stranger so? And why do ye keep calling me ‘B
ri’? My name is Blaire, and I doona understand why ye seem so fascinated with my dress. Have ye seen what ye are wearing? Do ye work for Mary? Did she send ye down here to get me?”

  Adelle reached up to grab her forehead, her frustration growing at her lack of understanding. “Bri, what the hell are you talking about? It’s really not funny. I seriously think I’ve lost my mind. We need to go back to the inn, maybe drive back to Edinburgh and check me into the hospital. Quit talking like that and let’s go. Grab your real clothes on the way.” She reached out to grab Bri by the arm, but the hold was broken as her daughter quickly jerked out of her grasp.

  “Please, do not lay yer hands on me. I’ll no marry Eoin. Ye’ll have to send me back home.”

  “Bri.” She reached out to grab her daughter once more. “We still have twelve days before we go back home. Surely you’re not ready to go back to Texas?”

  “Texas?” The woman’s brows came together so quickly they almost bumped in between her eyes.

  “Yes, Bri. Texas. Where you live and teach. I think we both need to have our heads examined. Maybe we breathed in some sort of hallucinogenic drug when we opened that doorway.”

  “I’m unfamiliar with this ‘Texas’ that ye speak of, miss. I live in the MacChristy keep, with my father, Donal. It’s a three-day journey from here.”

  Adelle stopped trying to pull at her daughter’s arm and turned to face her straight on. She had to be Bri. There was absolutely no question this was her daughter. But the accent? And the clothes? And she knew she’d tried to teach Bri some about the castle’s history, but she found herself surprised that Bri was able to remember such names. Adelle stood there unmoving, trying to think of some sure way to confirm she was looking at her daughter, and that they were both on the receiving end of some powerful mind-altering drug. Whatever was going on, something was very wrong.

  A sudden itch in her lower back caused her to jerk her arm around and scratch, and instantly she knew what she needed to look for.

  Instinctively she crouched down low and began to lift up the young woman’s dress, digging her way through the layers of fabric until she grabbed the bottom layer. The girl squirmed and protested, but Adelle kept her grip and, giving a hard tug, spun Bri around so that her back was facing her and she could lift the dress above her bottom.