Morna's Legacy: Box Set #1

by Bethany Claire

  Obligingly, Eoin held open his hand as he looked down at the pills questioningly. “What are they, lass? They look too small to do much for me head.”

  Bri slowly raised his hand to motion for him to put them in his mouth. “Trust me. They’ll help. But at least it looks like we made it. Look at how old everything in the room looks.”

  Bri smiled as she watched Eoin wander about the room awestruck. She reached a hand in his direction as she moved to the door leading to the staircase out of the basement. “Did you hear the voices above us just a moment ago? I think they must be conducting a tour. No surprise really, since we were able to stop the castle from being destroyed. I’m sure it’s quite the tourist attraction today. Which means, it’s going to be difficult for us to get out of the castle unseen.”

  Eoin winked, and Bri smiled at the playfulness in his eyes. “Aye. I expect since I have ye with me, it shall be impossible. Ye are talented at falling down. I’m certain I will have to scoop ye off the floor at least twice before we make our escape.”

  Bri whispered as she leaned her ear against the spell room door, listening for any sign of movement on the other side. “What about you? You’re not so light on your feet yourself. Now, let’s go. I don’t hear anybody on the other side.”

  Cautiously, Bri pulled the door open, finding the main basement room empty. As she closed the secret door to the spell room behind them, she could tell that it had remained unfound despite the years of tourism at the castle. The only sign of entrance within the basement was an “employees only” sign that was draped across the floor in front of the staircase leading up out of the basement.

  Hesitantly, Bri climbed the stairs and gently pulled at the door. The ridged nature of the door’s hinges showed her that not even castle employees went down into the basement very often.

  But as luck would have it, just as Eoin had securely shut the spell room door, hiding it away from view, they both heard the door at the top of the basement stairs open. Listening to the sound of footsteps descend the staircase, they soon found themselves staring back at the very official looking castle employee whose eyes widened in shock at the sight of them.

  * * *

  Scotland

  Present Day

  Mitsy soon-to-be Fredrickson angrily slammed the door and stood to straighten out her shirt and pull up her pants before making her way to the front door of the small roadside inn. Her connecting flight out of Chicago had been delayed a whopping six hours, cutting the time that she could spend searching for Bri in Scotland short by almost an entire day.

  Not to mention the time it had taken her to rent a car and find a decent map, none of which seemed to show the location of the inn. Hours later, frustrated, tired, and worried as hell, Mitsy found herself standing in front of the last place Bri had supposedly been seen.

  She hoped Bri was safe, but part of her knew that if she walked into that inn to find Bri lounging around as if on vacation, she was going to kill her AWOL maid of honor on the spot. Determined to find an answer, she rapped her knuckles against the wooden door, knocking with as much authority as she could muster.

  The door swung open quickly and, with her hands still rapidly moving in a knocking motion, she nearly knocked on the old man’s head who now stood before her, smiling. “Come in, lass. Why do ye seem to be in such a hurry? We’ve plenty of rooms if ye are looking for a place to stay.”

  Mitsy stepped inside, her angry resolve slipping slightly at the friendliness in the man’s eyes. Surely he couldn’t be responsible for anything that happened to Bri. Stopping just inside the doorway, she spoke, “I’m not looking for a room. I’m looking for a person that was supposedly staying here. Brielle Montgomery. She’s been missing for some time now, and the police have closed the investigation because they spoke to you and your wife, and you told them that she was fine. She can’t be fine. She wouldn’t just leave without giving me an explanation. Where is she?”

  Mitsy watched as the man’s brows creased together, as if he was unsure of how to answer, and she immediately grew suspicious.

  “Why doona ye follow me into the kitchen, lass, and we can talk about yer friend.”

  Mitsy lightly stomped her foot against the ground in an effort to root herself firmly in place. “I don’t think so, sir. I think you need to tell me whatever it is you know about Bri right this instant.”

  “Gwendolyn, can ye come in here, sweetheart? We have a visitor who is looking for Bri.” The man paused and, while waiting for his wife to arrive extended a hand in Mitsy’s direction, said, “My name is Jerry. And ye might be?”

  Mitsy didn’t accept his hand, only curtly giving her name before his wife rounded the corner from the kitchen and came to stand in front of her. “I’m Mitsy. Now, your wife is here. Tell me where Bri is.”

  Mitsy watched hesitantly as Gwendolyn approached her, smiling.

  “I’m afraid she’s not here. She moved to Edinburgh only a few weeks ago. She’s working as a maid in a hotel, I believe. If ye like, I can give ye directions to the place.”

  Shock coursed through her as she took in the old woman’s words. Hotel maid? Moved? Why would Bri suddenly decide to drastically change her life? It didn’t make sense. Her voice was shaky when she tried to speak. “Y-Yes. Please. I would appreciate directions.”

  Holding the small pad in which Gwendolyn had written direction to where Bri was supposedly located, Mitsy turned and made her way back to the car. She didn’t care that she was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open and so hungry that the sheep in the fields looked appetizing, she was going to find Bri tonight.

  * * *

  “Why did ye tell the lass that Bri was in Edinburgh? Doona ye remember that it is Blaire living there?” Jerry looked at his wife with concern only to be rewarded with a soft smack on his arm.

  “O’course I know ’tis Blaire. Doona ye worry about it, dear. The real Bri is on her way to us as we speak. Once she gets here, we will send her in the same direction as Mitsy.

  Chapter 7

  I glanced out of the corner of my eye, watching Mik as he gathered his coat and made his way to the door. Nearing half past ten, we were supposed to remain open until midnight. I had every intention of closing down the pub as soon Mik left.

  He paused at the door and turned to me. “Are ye sure that ye doona mind closing alone, Blaire? I know that it was yer turn to leave early, only some of my friends are throwing a party and…”

  I held a hand up to stop him. “Aye, ’tis fine. I doona mind.”

  He smiled and opened the front door, sending a blast of frigid air through the room. He paused before walking out and turned his head back in me direction.

  “Ye are welcome to stop by after if ye’d like.”

  He dinna wait for me response and, as the door shut, I reached behind me for a wet rag, hurriedly wiping down the counters. If the owner found out, I’d be sure to take the blame. I dinna want Mik to get in trouble for me decision to close, but it was Thursday evening and the pub’s only customer was the ancient drunkard who had spent every night here since me first evening tending bar.

  Once the counter was wiped clean, I circled the tables gathering glasses to put in the dishwasher. Every time I started the strange machine, I couldna help but smile. ’Twas a miraculous invention and much more pleasant than the vacuum and other cleaning instruments of this time. ’Twas much more quiet, and the swishing of the water was a sound I found soothing.

  Giving the room another glance to ensure that everything was clean and ready for those working the next day’s opening shift, I made me way to the telephone hanging on the side wall. Pulling out the number Isla had given me, I dialed the number to call for a taxi. Telephones were a convenience that were quite useful on evenings like this when I had no one to help me make sure the old man found his way home. But other than a few occasions, the ease at which people could contact one another in this time made me uneasy.

  It seemed to me that people in the twenty-first century
became anxious too quickly after not hearing from someone because they have grown so accustomed to remaining in constant contact. ’Tis much easier to wait for news if you know ’tis going to be a long time before you hear any than it is to constantly be aware that every second could bring change.

  Pushing my musings aside, I walked over to the old man who was now slumped over and snoring. I did me best to rouse him from his slumber as I waited for the taxi that would take the man home.

  * * *

  “What do you mean she doesn’t work here? I was just told that she did.” Well past twenty-four hours without sleep, Mitsy’s exhaustion started to idle her brain. With each word that she spoke, she grew more frustrated and had to blink back tears to keep herself from throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the small hotel lobby. Waiting for the response, she glared back at the nervous looking girl behind the front desk.

  “I do apologize, miss. I only started last week, and I’ve never heard of anyone who works here with the name Bri. It’s possible that she does, and we’ve never worked the same shift. Give me just a moment and I’ll go and ask a few of the maids.”

  “Yes. Please.” Mitsy spotted a lounge chair in the corner and collapsed onto the worn seat. She reached up, placing her fingertips on her eyelids as she pried them open, staring blankly at the carpet in an effort to stay awake. A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump, poking herself in the eye. “Damnit!” She stood, flailing exaggeratedly as she straightened and pulled at the bottom of her shirt before looking up at the person in front of her.

  “Sorry, miss. This is Isla. She says that she knows the person ye are looking for, but I was right, she no longer works here, and her name isna Bri.” The front desk clerk stepped back allowing Isla to come into Mitsy’s view.

  “Hello. I’m Isla. Is it perhaps Blaire that ye are looking for, miss? Dark hair, blue eyes, terrible maid. I doona know a Bri who has worked here.”

  Mitsy swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed her hair behind her ears as she repressed the frustration building once again. “No. I’m not looking for someone named Blaire. I’m looking for a Brielle Montgomery. Everybody calls her Bri. She’s American. She does have dark hair and blue eyes, but I’d be very surprised if she was a terrible maid. That woman is the most anal, organized, nasty-nice person I know. Now I just spoke with an elderly couple who told me that they’d helped secure her a job here. It’s very important that I find her.”

  “Hmm. I doona know a Bri, miss. The only person that I can think of is Blaire. She wasna American, but her accent was a little odd, and she never told any of us where she came from or why she was here. Do ye think that she could have been putting it on? Is she running from something?”

  Mitsy stepped back and sat down into the chair once again as the woman’s words sunk in. She didn’t think that Bri would go to the effort of changing her name and using an accent, but then again, she never would have thought she’d be traipsing all over Scotland looking for her either. She stood and gathered her things. “I don’t know. Can you tell me where this Blaire is now? My only option is to at least see if she’s Bri.”

  “Sure. She’s working at my cousin’s pub. It’s no far from here. I can point ye in the direction. I doona know if she’s working now, but ye can at least go and see.”

  After being shown the way by Isla, Mitsy uttered a thank you and took off as quickly as her sleep-deprived body would carry her.

  * * *

  The taxi arrived in just under half an hour, and the old man still sat slumped over across a small table at the back of the room. After agreeing to pay the taxi driver double what it would cost to get the man home, he agreed to come inside and help me get the drunk into the car.

  Twenty minutes later, I gathered up me empty wallet, put on me coat, and flipped the lights off as I made me way to the front doors to lock up for the night. I fumbled to get a grip on the correct key with me bulky gloves. Finally giving up, I bit the end of one of me gloves allowing me to slip it off so that I could get a better grasp on the slippery keys.

  The street around me was dark, and I hurried as best I could, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary. I twisted and pulled on the handle to ensure it locked and was just slipping me glove back on when a loud voice to the left caused me to drop the glove and keys.

  “Oh my God, Bri! It is you. I am going to freaking kill you! Open that door back up, right now because we are about to have quite the conversation, and I’d rather not freeze to death while doing so.”

  I dinna move to pick up me belongings and stared back at the strange, red-haired woman. The only word I’d been able to understand from her was Bri, and I wasna sure of how to deal with the woman’s sudden appearance. Obviously, she was someone who had known Adelle’s daughter and, from her manner of speaking, I could only assume she’d known her quite well.

  “Oh. Surprised to see me, are you? What? Did you really think you could just skip out on your entire life and not expect anyone to come looking for you? You weren’t that much of a loner, Bri. There are people who care about you. I care about you! Now, quit staring at me like I’m the one who’s lost my mind. Open that damn door, or I will open it myself.”

  In an effort to allow meself a few moments to think on me best course of action, I bent to retrieve me glove and the keys to the pub and obeyed the woman’s orders by opening the door. Assuming she would follow, I made me way inside and flipped on the lights. I knew I couldna pretend to be Bri. If she knew her well, it would be impossible. “May I ask yer name? I’m no Bri. My name is Blaire.” I paused, guilt at the woman’s pain causing me to shift nervously. The woman’s eyes bulged, and her face reddened.

  “You have got to be joking me. You do realize that coming to find you has cost me several months’ salary, and that’s something I really can’t afford considering I’ve been busy planning a wedding for the last year and a half? Or did you forget about that, too?”

  I squished up my nose, knowing whatever I said was going to upset her. “I’m verra sorry, miss, but I truly doona know who ye are.”

  “Sorry! Well then. I’m sorry for this as well, but I bet that when I’m finished, you’ll remember who I am and who you are just fine.”

  I wasn’t sure what the women meant, but as she lunged toward me, I knew she meant to cause me some sort of physical pain, and I moved quickly out of her path beginning our odd dance of lunge and dash around the empty room.

  Chapter 8

  Present Day

  Conall Castle

  Bri glanced uncomfortably at her half-dressed husband before turning back to face the shocked custodian. “Hello,” Bri smiled as sweetly as she could and reached behind her until she found Eoin’s hand, pulling him up the stairs behind her as she continued out of the stairwell. “We were just leaving.”

  Looking down, Bri did her best to scoot by the man, hoping they would be able to exit without further explanation. Her mother had told her once that if you walked with authority and pretended like you were somewhere you were supposed to be, people were less likely to question your behavior. It had worked well for her mother, allowing Adelle to ransack through more museum displays than Bri could count. She sensed she would not have the same success rate and knew she was right as the man moved to stand in front of her, blocking their exit from the basement.

  “Now, I know that ye both must have seen the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign on the front of this door. What made ye think that the sign did no apply to the two of ye?”

  Eoin started to speak, and Bri quickly threw an elbow into his ribs to silence him. The feeling of his bare chest against her skin gave her an idea. Before allowing herself to think it through, she threw her right arm over Eoin’s shoulder and snuggled in close to reach over and kiss his cheek. “I’m sorry, sir. You see, we are visiting the area on our honeymoon, and the castle is just so romantic. We are having a hard enough time keeping our hands off each other as it is. When our tour group walked by here, I just decided to take the opport
unity to slip away for a few moments with my new husband.” Not waiting for the man to respond, Bri turned and pressed herself up against Eoin, kissing him hard on the mouth.

  She allowed the kiss to go on for a few moments, intent on making her point to the castle employee. Finally, hearing the man clear his throat uncomfortably, Bri pulled away from an open-mouthed, grinning Eoin to hear the custodian’s response.

  “Ah, well there are certain places for such things, and this isna one of them. I should have ye escorted out immediately, but seeing as ye are newlyweds, I’ll cut the two of ye a break, aye? But I doona want to catch ye somewhere that ye shouldn’t be again. And why the hell are ye no wearing a shirt, man?”

  Bri watched as the man shifted his attention to Eoin, and once again, Bri nudged an elbow of warning into her husband’s ribs. She waved a hand flippantly in the air. “Oh. That. It’s a costume. He wanted to, ya know, get into the spirit of things.”

  The man didn’t respond, only moved out of their way so that they could exit the stairwell. Shutting the door behind them, Bri started to thank him but stopped as the man chuckled once, muttering “Americans” under his breath before shaking his head and turning to leave them alone in the empty hallway.

  “Lass, I know I agreed that ye would be in charge during our journey here, but do ye really think that was the best way to handle it? That man thinks that we are both mad, and the way ye dinna allow me to speak, why he must think I’m a mute.”

  Bri laughed, slightly shocked at her own behavior. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. When I felt your bare chest behind me, it was the only thing that popped in my head. But what does it matter anyway? It worked, didn’t it? Now, let’s get out of here before another tour passes by. I don’t want to have to explain your clothing again.” Dragging her husband along behind her, they made their way out of the castle without seeing another soul.