Morna's Legacy: Box Set #1

by Bethany Claire

  * * *

  “Do ye think that she will still be here? If she wanted a different life for herself, this hardly seems the place.”

  Bri knocked on the door of the inn before answering Eoin’s question. “No, I doubt that she is, but perhaps they will know where to find her. But it might be a bit of a tricky situation. They thought that Blaire was me, so I’m not sure how we are going to explain my sudden appearance, not to mention yours.”

  The door opened, startling both of them. Before Bri could utter a hello, she was pulled into Jerry’s rail-thin arms.

  “Bri, it’s good to see ye again, lass. And Eoin, ye sure are quite the big lad, are ye no? My wife will be quite pleased to see ye. Now come inside.” Jerry waved them into the living room and shouted in the direction of the kitchen. “They’re here, dear.”

  Bri was certain her mouth hung open as she glanced back at Eoin whose pinched brows and wide eyes matched her own. Once seated, Jerry excused himself, and Bri leaned over to whisper to Eoin, “Did he just call you by your name? How could he possibly know that?”

  Eoin answered absent-mindedly as he glanced around the room. “I doona know. Bri, how is the room lit? I doona think the flames above our heads would be easily lit or put out.”

  Bri smiled and pointed to the light switch on the wall. “They aren’t flames. It’s electricity. All you have to do to turn them on is flip that tiny switch over there. Flipping it in the other direction will turn the lights off.”

  “Ye canna mean it? What a change from our dark, candle lit rooms. Tell me, will we be alive to see lights such as this?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. You’ll see lots of amazing things while we are here, and I can’t wait to watch you discover them, but first…” Bri paused as Jerry re-entered the room, Gwendolyn trailing him. Bri stood to give the old woman a hug and, once she returned to her seat back on the couch, Gwendolyn spoke up.

  “Bri, you don’t need to worry about how you are going to explain your situation to us. We know that while you were here with your mother at the beginning, it was Blaire for most of the time. In fact, I believe I have some things I must explain to both of you. But first, I’d like to kiss my nephew.”

  She moved across the room, grabbing Eoin by both cheeks as she brought him near to her and kissed him on the forehead.

  Bri’s mind reeled at the spectacle when Jerry’s voice to her right drew her attention.

  “Ach, lassie. That’s no even half of it. Ye best settle in and prepare yerself for some interesting news.”

  * * *

  Nearing eleven, Bri and Eoin pulled up in the car they’d borrowed from Jerry as Bri parked it in front of the pub where Blaire supposedly now worked. The lights were on inside, and while she couldn’t see Blaire through the windows, she hoped that their search for her would end, and their evening of overwhelming surprises would be over.

  “Are you ready? Blaire already knows you, so I think it might be best if you speak to her first.” Bri reached for the door handle but paused at the touch of Eoin’s hand on her forearm.

  “Did ye believe her story, Bri? Do ye think ’tis possible that she really is my Aunt Morna?”

  “Yes, I do. After all that we’ve been through, I find it very difficult to be surprised anymore. Are you all right? Does it upset you to know that she’s been here?”

  Bri rubbed Eoin’s arm to comfort him as he shook his head. “No. I only wish me father was here to see her. He missed her dearly after she was gone. He’d be so pleased to know that she is loved and happy. He was the only one around her that dinna fear her witchcraft.”

  “Well, it seems your father was right. I don’t think there is any reason to fear Morna. I for one will be forever grateful for all she has done. I wouldn’t have you otherwise.” Bri leaned in briefly to lightly kiss Eoin on the cheek. “Now, let’s get in there and see to Blaire.”

  “Aye, I doona like ‘cars.’ Nothing should be able to move so quickly. ’Tisna natural.”

  Bri laughed as they exited the car and walked to the door of the pub. “You go first. I’m nervous to see my look-a-like.” She gently nudged Eoin’s back, urging him to try the lock.

  “Aye, fine. But I doona believe ye should be nervous. I should, however. I doona expect the lass will be too pleased to see me.”

  The door was unlocked, and they stepped inside to the chaotic scene of overturned chairs and tables with Blaire lying in the corner straddled by some woman whose face they could not see as the two women screamed incoherently at one another.

  “Eoin! Go get that woman off of her. What is she doing?”

  Bri approached cautiously, standing back to watch as Eoin dragged the two women apart, pulling the redhead away from Blaire.

  Blaire stood quickly and looked down at herself to brush off the bottom of her pants, and Bri knew that she’d yet to see her or to recognize the man holding her assailant. “Thank ye. The woman is mad.”

  The woman in question screamed in protest and threw her head back sending the red curls that covered her face backward, revealing her face.

  Bri gasped aloud in recognition as she rushed toward her old friend. “Mitsy?”

  “Bri?” Mitsy lunged in an effort to escape Eoin’s arms as Blaire looked up for the first time.

  “Eoin?”

  As shock and recognition flickered among the strange foursome, more chaos ensued.

  Chapter 9

  I looked up to see, by far, the most surprising thing since I’d arrived in this century. Not only was my ex-fiance staring back at me, but so was the woman who looked so much like meself that I knew she must be Bri.

  When I decided to stay here, I’d been certain I would never see anyone I’d previously known ever again, but to witness Eoin standing before me meant that obviously Morna’s spells were not as close-ended as we originally thought.

  After I recognized Eoin and shouted his name in question, my attacker noticed the woman standing next to me. More screaming followed as shock reverberated through everyone in the room, save Eoin. He eventually quieted us all by slamming his fist down so roughly against the table that it seemed to shake the room.

  “Quiet, all three of ye! It’s been a long day, and I doona think I can take such noise any longer.”

  Recognizing the seriousness in his tone, the three of us quieted instantly, but only a moment passed before the redheaded mad woman spoke again.

  “Somebody better tell me just what the hell is going on here, or I’m about to lose it on every single one of you.” The redhead paused and pointed a shaky finger in Bri’s direction. “Now, you are Bri, right? If you tell me you’re not, I swear I will jump on top of you as well. How did I not know you had a twin?”

  I leaned back against the wall behind me, confused as to Eoin and Bri’s arrival here as well, but quite entertained with the exchange taking place between the two women.

  “She’s not my twin. I’m not related to her at all as far as I know. Mitsy, what are you doing here?” Bri asked.

  Anger flashed in the redhead’s face who now had the name of Mitsy and, for a moment, I was certain she was going to try and leap out of Eoin’s restraining arms once more.

  “What am I doing here? You have got to be kidding me! What are you doing here? God, Bri, I thought you were dead! You’ve been gone for months with no word or explanation. Your trip to Scotland with your mother was only supposed to last a few weeks. I’ve been trying to locate you ever since the police stopped their investigation. You’re supposed to be in my wedding, Bri! I can’t believe you just left everything. Were you really just not going to show?”Mitsy relaxed in Eoin’s hold as she collapsed into a fit of sobs. She seemed genuinely distraught. As Bri moved in to comfort her friend, Eoin released his grip as Bri gathered Mitsy into her arms. “I’m so angry at you! I want to kill you myself.” Mitsy choked on her tears.

  Bri ushered her away from Eoin and meself.

  “I know. Let’s move over here and talk so that I can explain what’s
happened to you. It will give Eoin and Blaire a chance to get reacquainted.”

  As the two women moved toward the bar, I dinna miss the apologetic look Bri shot in Eoin’s direction, presumably for leaving him alone with me. Without doubt, me relationship with Eoin had always been slightly contentious but only because I dinna want to marry him. If I’d known him under any under circumstance, I suspected we would’ve gotten along just fine. I found meself a little embarrassed to know that Bri had heard of my terrible behavior toward him.

  “Eoin.” I nodded once and stood quietly, determined to let him initiate conversation. Always the gentlemen, he moved to pick up me hand and kiss it lightly before stepping away once more.

  “Blaire, ye look well. Do ye enjoy being here in this time, lass? It’s verra different from our own. Are ye happy?”

  His question surprised me, and I couldna help but wonder if perhaps I wasn’t doing as good a job at looking happy as I was trying to do. Truth was, I was lonely. And while I loved the independence women enjoyed in this time, I missed me home. But I knew it was most likely impossible for me to return and, even if I could, I dinna think I could stand the heartache that would come with being near Arran and knowing I was unwanted.

  It took me a moment too long to answer Eoin, and I knew he could read the untruth behind me words. “Aye. O’course I’m happy. Why wouldna I be? Why are ye here, Eoin? I’m verra surprised to see ye.”

  Eoin chuckled. “Aye, I suppose that ye are. I’m surprised to find meself here as well. Bri wished to come to take care of some things that were left unfinished from her life here. I wouldna let her go alone. If something happened, I doona think I could go back to a life without her.”

  “I’m glad that ye are happy, Eoin. Is all well with yer family? Have ye heard from me father?” I didn’t mention Arran, but something in Eoin’s eyes made me wonder if he knew it was Arran I was asking about. Was it possible that Eoin knew about what had occurred between his brother and me? If so, perhaps Arran had not closed his heart so completely to me. The thought gave way for a small trickle of hope to rise within me, one which I quickly pushed away while I waited for Eoin’s response.

  He waved me to a table in the corner of the room. “It looks as if they may be a while. Let us sit, and I’ll tell ye all that has happened while ye have been away.”

  I nodded and followed, glancing quickly at the two women visiting at the bar. As I watched them, I remembered the shocked expression on Bri’s face when she realized the woman Eoin was holding back was Mitsy. Bri hadn’t known her friend would be here. Eoin had lied. They had not come to the pub so that Bri could give Mitsy an explanation, they’d come here looking for me.

  * * *

  “Did you tell her why we came here?” Bri led the way to their hotel room as Eoin slowly made his way down the hallway, stopping every so often to stare at something new that fascinated him. Several hours after arriving at the pub, they’d all left together, first dropping Blaire off at her apartment and next securing two hotel rooms for the three of them just across the street from Blaire’s place of residence. With Mitsy shut away in her room for the evening, Bri and Eoin were finally able to discuss what had occurred over the last few hours.

  “I dinna tell her all of why we came here. I told her that ye needed to see to some things ye’d left unfinished, but I dinna tell her that we’d come to see if she would return home.”

  Bri stopped in front of their room and pulled the plastic key card from her pocket. Smiling, she extended it Eoin’s direction. “Here. You see that slot above the handle? Stick this card in there and then slowly pull it out. It will unlock the door.”

  It took him three tries but Bri remained patient, enjoying the look of awe that radiated from her husband’s face. Once inside, she decided to tell him the news she’d dreaded sharing with him since they’d left the pub.

  “Well, I suppose it’s fine that you haven’t told her the other reason we came here, just yet. You’ll have plenty of time to do that.”

  She heard her husband stop playing with the toilet in the bathroom, and she knew she’d caught his attention. “What do ye mean by that, lass? Now, that ye have spoken with yer friend, we should be able to return home in only a few days, aye?”

  Bri shook her head and turned a guilty face on her husband. “No. I’m afraid not. You and Blaire are going to have the next week all to yourselves. I made a promise over a year ago that I would be Mitsy’s maid of honor. I’m leaving with her tomorrow to go back to the States for her wedding.”

  Chapter 10

  Conall Castle

  1646

  Tormod Kinnaird left the clan gathering more determined than ever to find a way to take over as laird. In his mind, it was his by right anyway. He was the eldest son of Ramsay Kinnaird’s younger brother, but a bastard son, and therefore unrecognized by all but his mother and sister as a true Kinnaird.

  The same meeting had been held every night since the death of his uncle, and everyone grew restless as little progress had been made in determining the best way to declare a new laird. Many members of the clan wished to return home and wait to declare a new leader until a way was agreed upon, but the majority of people knew this would leave them without a clear leader for protection and would make them look weak in the eyes of neighboring clans—a sure way to invite further conflict and violence.

  The only decision that they’d all agreed upon was that Edana would not be placed out of her home, which left him to assume that whomever became laird would marry Edana. Only a few men remained unmarried within the clan and, although he didn’t know for sure if Edana would be given any choice in who she married, he intended to make sure her first choice would be him.

  Though improper for him to be in the castle’s main bedchamber hallway at this time of evening, with Eoin Conall away and his drunk of a brother left to manage things, Tormod was almost certain he would be able to sneak into Edana’s room unnoticed.

  He had seen Edana enter the room at the end of the hallway enough times during their stay here to know that was where she roomed. He stood in front of the door unsure whether to knock or to try the handle. Footsteps down the hallway caught his attention. Humming accompanied each step, and he knew it was the castle’s head maid, Mary, he believed her name was. If she saw him, it was unlikely that she would say anything and, even if she did, who was likely to take the word of such a lowly servant?

  Deciding he didn’t want to alarm her, it was best that the maid not see his true character right away. He knocked softly, hoping that Edana hadn’t already retired for the evening.

  She answered quickly, and he found himself unsure of how best to explain his unexpected arrival at her door. “Edana, how are ye this evening? I was passing by yer door and thought I would check in on ye.”

  He watched as her beady green eyes and pale blonde hair peered back at him, questioning without saying a word as to why he was there. She was shy, or at least she did a fine job of feigning shyness. He’d been around her enough, studied her enough to see how she behaved when she believed no one was watching, to know that the girl had far more fire and bite than she let on.

  While many people who possessed the same fiery spirit were fueled by their immense passion for life, he recognized that Edana’s fire came from a different source. Her fire raged out of an underlying malice for everything and everyone around her, something that she’d inherited from her father, no doubt. He knew she did her best to hide it, but he held the same feelings of malice for all those around him, and he could see it in her eyes even now as she looked back at him.

  He smiled and glanced quickly to either side before speaking again. “May I come in? I doona wish to be seen outside your chamber this late in the evening.”

  Edana looked down at her feet and silently stepped away from the door, allowing Tormod entry into the room.

  “What are ye doing here, Tormod? Ye shouldna be in this part of the castle.” She spoke with her back toward him as she walked away leav
ing him to stand just inside the doorway as she took a seat near the hearth.

  Slowly, he moved to the seat across from her. When she didn’t protest, he sat down by her side. “I wanted to see ye. I always want to see ye, but I’ve only just gathered the courage to do so.”

  “What? Why, I’ve never seen ye so much as look at me before.” Her voice came out high and squeaky.

  Tormod recognized that this was not part of her façade. She was genuinely surprised to hear his explanation. His confidence growing, he scooted in closer, reaching over to grasp her hand. “Aye. I’ve looked at ye many times before, lass, and I see ye now as well.” He rubbed his thumb gently back and forth across the top of her hand until she moved away from his reach, standing as she pushed her hair from her face and opened the door so that he would leave.

  “Ye canna mean it. I doona wish to be toyed with. ’Tis no enough that I just lost me father, and now I’ve been forced to live in the home of the very people who took him from me? Do ye wish to tease me as well? I willna allow it. Now, leave.” She pointed toward the opening in the door and, as Tormod stood, he realized he’d just learned all he needed to know about the lass.

  Not only did Edana hate most everyone around her, she also held herself in great contempt. Only someone with a very low sense of self-worth would immediately assume that a suitor at their door this late in the evening was there to belittle them. Edana’s feelings toward herself would serve him well. It was easy to make self-loathing women fall in love. They would heedlessly throw their heart at the first suitor to ask for it, in the hopes of receiving the admiration they denied themselves.

  Passing her on his way out the door, he paused quickly to steal a kiss. The whispery sigh that escaped her lips was not one of protest, and he smiled against her lips as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I will never tease ye, Edana. I intend to make ye mine.”