“Well…no one really. Look, I love Christmas, but I’ve no desire to put Mary into more of a tizzy than she stays in constantly. If you can get her to agree to it, then I will be the first to jump on the Christmas bandwagon with you.”
“Oh, I’ll get her to agree. As much as she likes to fight it, I’m Mary’s closest friend, and she’s all bark anyhow. Go and get Eoin. While I know she will eventually get on board, we may need him to intervene in the argument she’s sure to put up.”
Bri nodded and laughed as I turned and left her bedchamber. It was no laughing matter. Whether the child was present or not, my first grandbaby would have a Christmas to rival any other. I would make certain of it.
Chapter 2
Three Days Ride North of Conall Castle
Snow built outside his window, and his creaky joints told him a bad storm brewed. Still, he left his home at this time every year. He’d not missed his trip to her gravesite once in the twenty-plus years since his beloved had passed away. He did not intend to let the snow deter his plans.
Hew walked around his small home, tidying up before his journey south. He lived alone, far away from the nearest village. He’d not seen another soul in months and that was just as he would have it. He knew his shyness held him back. It had been a wonder that he ever married at all.
* * *
He’d not expected it, the day his sister’s best friend, Mae, had approached him while he chopped wood for the fire at the back of his home, grabbing his face and kissing him squarely on the mouth. He’d been a young lad then and that kiss had changed his life. Hew grew up with Mae constantly in their family’s home. Mae and his sister were inseparable. While he silently admired her for years, he was far too shy to ever express the way his heart beat for her.
That night so many years ago, he’d been able to feel her watching him but did not turn to greet Mae, his heart pounding uncomfortably just at the nearness of her. He continued to swing his ax down into the blocks, swiftly chopping the wood into two pieces. Her hand on the lower part of his back caused him to jump, nicking the edge of the block of the wood before he threw his ax to the ground and whirled to face her.
“Mae, ye startled me, lass. Ye should be inside. ’Tis far too cold for ye to be out of doors.” He could remember every word spoken between them, a scene held captive forever in his mind.
She’d touched his arm then, smiling as she shook her head, dismissing his worry. “Hew, if ’tis no too cold for ye to be out here, then I doona think I shall freeze to death either. Did ye know that I shall turn ten and eight tomorrow?”
He’d stepped away from her, too many nerves for him to stand there with her hand lying on his arm. “Nay, lass. I dinna know. I shall make ye something. Carve ye a piece of jewelry perhaps?” He didn’t know what to say to her, never did.
“I would like that verra much, but that isna why I mentioned it to ye.”
He’d gathered the freshly chopped logs of wood into his hands, desperate to keep busy in her presence. “Nay? Why did ye then?”
He stilled when she moved to stand in front of him, blocking his path. “Will ye set all that down for only a moment, Hew? I’m trying to talk to ye if ye canna tell.”
He reddened and obeyed. “Aye, lass. Why doona we sit for a moment?”
They’d moved to the pile of wood, stacked just high enough to serve as the perfect seat. He trembled as she unexpectedly grabbed his hands, but he swallowed his nerves and forced himself not to flinch away from her touch. “What is it, lass?”
“As I just told ye, I shall be ten and eight tomorrow, and I doona wish to become an old maid.”
Hew couldn’t still the twitch of his hand as he realized where she headed with her words. “Nay, lass, I doona believe that ye will. There are many lads who would eagerly wed ye.”
“Aye, I doona believe that I shall become an old maid, either. Still, most me age are already married. While yer sister is several years older than me, she was married at ten and seven. And ye are right, many lads would be willing to wed me, but I am no so eager to marry them.”
“Why is that, lass? Is there no one that catches yer fancy?” It was too much for Hew to wish that Mae would answer as he wished, but to his everlasting shock, she had.
“Aye, there is one, and I willna allow him to behave as if he doesna care for me as much as I care for him a moment longer.”
His heart began to beat so quickly he feared she could feel its quick pulse in his fingertips. Though a cold night, sweat beaded freely on his brow. “Is that so, lass? And who is this lad that ye speak of?”
“If ye doona know, ye are as daft as yer sister seems to think ye are.”
She paused and reached in quickly to kiss him. He acted so stunned, she pulled away before he could react and kiss her properly. “Nay, lass. Ye canna mean it. ’Tis some other lad that ye mean and ye are simply using me for practice, aye?”
She laughed before kissing him once more. This time he pulled her close as she melted against him. Breathlessly, she pulled away from him so that she could whisper into his ear. “Nay, Hew, there is none other but ye. There never has been. Ye are going to marry me.”
He smiled against her cheek, her confidence somehow diminishing his shyness. “If ye insist, lass.”
“Aye, I do.”
“And what shall ye do with me once we are married?” His hands found their way to her hair, and he cradled her against his chest, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“We shall move north, find a piece of land for only the two of us, and together we shall build a home where we will spend all of our days together.”
* * *
They married within a fortnight and had done just as Mae wished, moving north and building a home for the two of them, isolated from the rest of humanity. Five years flew by in a haze of love where they spent every moment at each other’s side.
Eventually, they planned a trip to visit their families in Conall territory, but they left in winter and on their journey, Mae fell ill. She fought hard, but the sickness was too much. She died only two days after they arrived. He’d chosen to bury her close to there, in the land in which she’d grown up. With a broken heart, he returned to their home alone.
Hew saddled his horse, pushing away the memories of his past as he headed out into the storm. It had been many years since Mae passed and, while he would feel her absence always, his heart had now healed as much as it ever could from such a wrenching loss.
He continued to make the trip to her grave on the anniversary of her death to pay his respects, to speak to her, to remind himself that once in his life he had not been so completely alone.
Chapter 3
Conall Castle
I tried to make as much noise as I could as I made my way downstairs into the castle’s kitchen where I was certain Mary would be busily working away on the evening meal. She knew it was me coming instantly.
“Adelle, ye doona always have to make such noise when ye move about. Come in here and help me plate the food.”
I knew I didn’t move more loudly than anyone else in the castle, but Mary was constantly looking for something to nag me about so I obliged her by being purposely obnoxious in her presence.
In many ways, Mary was the castle’s most important resident. She’d worked in the castle for nearly forty years and everyone, especially Eoin and his brother Arran, accepted the cook and head maid as the castle’s true boss. She ran the castle like the captain of a ship. Nothing happened within the walls without her notice or approval.
I stuck my head into the kitchen, smiling as I reached up into the shelf just out of her reach to grab the plates. I thought it best to test her mood before immediately jumping into what I wanted to discuss with her. “How are you today, Mary?”
Mary motioned at me to lay out the plates before she responded. “Ach, I’m fine. ’Tis a bonny day, I enjoy the snowfall, but I feel a bit of guilt for loving it so. ’Tis sure to mean more work for Kip in the stables to keep the hor
ses warm.”
“Oh, don’t feel guilty about enjoying anything, Mary. You know that Eoin and Arran will both do whatever they need to so that Kip’s load in the stables is not more than he can handle. I have a wonderful idea that I think we should all do together before the snow outside gathers too much.”
“What might that be?”
“I think we should all go out and find a tree to cut down for Christmas!” I looked down at the plates, busying my hands as I awaited her reaction. Perhaps if I played it off as if I didn’t know her thoughts on the matter, she would be more willing to discuss it.
I glanced up as Mary turned away to grab the bread so that she could break it into pieces. “Nay, I’m afraid ’tis not possible. Lovely thought though.”
Mary had never in the year that I’d known her referred to anything I’d ever said as ‘lovely.’ I was unsure of how to respond. “Umm…why ’tis not possible?”
She didn’t appreciate my attempt at an accent. “Well, Christmas is no longer openly celebrated in Scotland and, after Elspeth passed away, Alasdair dinna find the joy in the season he once did. The two lads dinna grow up with it being a grand celebration.”
“Do you not enjoy Christmas yourself, Mary?” Eoin and Arran’s history with Christmas seemed irrelevant. Alasdair had been dead for over a year, and I couldn’t see either of the men having a problem with the festivities. Their mother had died when they were very young. While Christmas might have brought up painful memories for their father, it would not have the same effect on either of them.
Mary shook her head and returned to help me with the plating of our meal. “Nay, lass. I enjoyed Christmas verra much when I was a young girl. Me brother always made me the most beautiful presents. He was quite the craftsman.”
“Mary,” her words surprised me. “I didn’t know you had a brother. Is he…is he still living?”
“Aye lass, verra much so, but I doona see him often. He lives far away from here and is a bit shy. Always had a difficult time interacting with others. Only certain people had the ability to draw him out.”
She looked down as if saddened by a past memory. I interrupted her thoughts to try and lift the mood. “Are you certain he’s related to you? How could one sibling end up so shy while the other does nothing but talk?”
Mary rewarded me with a quick whack on the arm as she chuckled and resumed her work in the kitchen. “Aye, I’m certain. I suppose he was shy because I never gave him much of a chance to speak. As he grew, he simply grew accustomed to his own silence.”
I couldn’t help but wonder about Mary’s brother, about her family, and what she would have been like as a child. I felt close to my dear friend now, but I honestly knew very little about her. She was always too busy caring for everyone else that I was afraid we all often forgot about the woman within her. I shook my head, remembering my reason for speaking with her. “You have very cleverly changed the subject, Mary. If you enjoy Christmas, then why are you against us celebrating it? I’m sure you have some wonderful traditions you could share with us, and Bri and I could share ours as well.”
Mary tried to hide the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth, but I could sense her resolve dropping.
“I’ll no say that it wouldna be a pleasant time. I just doona wish to upset the laddies if ’tis something that should bring up memories of their parents.”
A deep voice in the doorway caused us to both turn our heads. I smiled as Eoin poked his head into the kitchen, Bri following shortly behind him, his strong hands resting gently on her shoulders as she lay the back of her head lovingly into his chest. “It will do no such thing, Mary. Ma made Yuletide a spectacle and, while Da did try, it wasna the same after she passed. I think ’tis far past time for us to restore the celebrations to their formal glory.”
Mary let her smile pull free now, and I could see that the idea excited her as well.
“If that is what ye want, me dear lad, then I shall be as pleased as anyone. I only dinna want to upset ye or Arran.”
Eoin moved across the room, each step accentuating the strength of his body, his hair even darker than Bri’s and his eyes the color of obsidian glass. My grandchild was going to be beautiful.
He wrapped his arm around Mary, tucking her into the nook of his arm before bending to kiss her on the cheek. “Aye, I know. Ye are always watching out for us, and I love ye for it, Mary.”
He released her and stepped away to regard the both of us. “Do ye think that the two of ye can work together to make the preparations?”
I smiled, bobbing my head up and down enthusiastically. “Of course we can.” I could sense that Mary was about to intercede with some jab as to how difficult it would be for her to put up with me so I quickly spoke again, not allowing her the opportunity. “Do we have permission to do whatever we wish?” I already had a grand idea, but I didn’t wish to mention it to anyone before I’d convinced Mary.
Eoin grinned and glanced cautiously at Bri. “I feel that I may come to regret this but aye, I shall no tell either of ye lassies what to do. It would be wrong of me to do so, and it would be a fruitless effort anyway.”
“Absolutely right.” I scooted over and draped an arm around Mary’s shoulder. She glared up at me in response. “Don’t you two worry. Mary and I are going to make certain this Christmas is the most magnificent Conall Castle has ever seen.”
Chapter 4
“Ye have lost yer mind if ye believe for one moment that I would do such a foolish thing and follow ye into that God-forsaken time that ye came from!”
I crossed my arms and sat down on the steps leading down into the castle’s basement and spell room while I listened to Mary rant. It was impossible for her first reaction to anything that came out of my mouth to be a positive one.
“What is so important that ye would feel the need to do such a thing, Adelle? I knew ye were daft but gracious, lass, ’tis a horrible idea. What if ye were unable to return home? I doona think I could stand to spend one day there.”
Eventually, I interceded to stop the top of her head from exploding. “Calm down, Mary. Morna’s spells are reliable. Now that we know she lives in the inn near the castle, we will go straight there to stay with her. You don’t even have to go into Edinburgh with me if you don’t wish. Wouldn’t you like to see Morna again?”
Mary’s face changed from red to white much too quickly. I was afraid I was about to have to pick her up off the ground. She extended a shaky hand in my direction, letting it hang in front of my face at eye level. “Do ye see what ye do to me? Ye have me so restless, I shall no stop shaking for days. Nay, I doona wish to see Morna again. The lass was a dear friend, but I spent the last twenty-five years believing her dead. ’Tis where the dead should stay. Good and buried.”
Breathless, she plopped down next to me. I reached out to pat her on the back but quickly retracted my hand in response to the daggers she shot toward me with her gray eyes. “She was never dead, Mary. She just moved on to a different time is all. I’m sure she would love to see you.”
“Nay, I doona expect that she wishes to see me that much. If she did, could she no just come here herself to visit?”
I shook my head regretting the path I’d led our conversation. I didn’t know enough about Morna or her abilities to speak of her so freely. “Never mind Morna. Don’t go for her. Go for me. Surely you wouldn’t want me to travel there alone?”
I was none too worried about going alone. I’d lived my entire life for the most part alone. It would be no problem for me to make the journey to my own time without her, but the temptation of watching rigid, uptight Mary in present day was a joy I very much wanted to gift to myself. It would be the best Christmas present I could ask for.
“I doona give two twiddles whether ye go alone. I hope that ye go and get stuck there. Can ye no tell by now that I’m no that fond of ye?”
I rolled my eyes at her jab. I spent most of every day at her side. If she truly didn’t enjoy my company, I knew her well
enough to know that she wouldn’t put up with my presence. “Oh hush, Mary. If you’re really so afraid to go along, that’s all you had to say. I wouldn’t have pressed you further. It’s not good for someone your age to upset yourself with the stress of fear.” I winked at her. Mary was really only a few years older than me.
Mary stood abruptly and stomped her foot like a small child. “’Tis no that I’m frightened, only that ye are foolish to do so.”
“I’ll make you a deal, Mary. If you go, I’ll help you with whatever chore you wish for the next month.”
Mary hated, more than anything, beating the bed linens. I could already see her wrestling with such a temptation in the way her eyes darted back and forth, calculating whatever prevented her from saying yes. Eventually her eyes stopped moving, and I could tell she intended to speak. “Aye, fine, but I willna wear breeches that go up in between me legs. I shall stay in me dress the whole time, or I willna agree to go with ye.”
I smiled. “Deal. You will look ridiculous, but it doesn’t matter to me one bit as long as you will come. Let’s go tell Bri and then be one our way.”
* * *
Present Day
Bri had warned me that with the castle no longer being the ruins I had once known it as in present time that it had become a popular attraction with visiting tourists. Still, I had underestimated the number of people who would be in attendance once we arrived in the twenty-first century.
Mary and I had been able to make it out of the roped-off basement undetected, but the stares Mary’s clothing garnered as we made our way out were enough to rival an eight-legged horse at a zoo. Luckily, Mary remained so bug-eyed at everything she saw that she remained completely oblivious to the pointing fingers and stares.
Morna's Legacy: Box Set #1 Page 42
