* * *
It had not taken me long to find the source of the noise. If not for the weak bark that the creature let out as I approached him, I would have probably stepped right on top of him, the white of his fur matching the snow.
The puppy lay hidden, only his black nose and mouth sticking up out of the drift, quite close to the Conalls’ small cottage. I gasped when I saw him, quickly reaching down to snatch him out of his icy home as I brushed the snow off of him with my bare hands. “Oh you poor thing!”
The creature responded with another small bark. Once he was free of the snow, I lifted him, examining his coloring. His hair was straight but full. Beautiful, but the kind of dog I was sure would shed easily. White fur covered most of his body, but his backside was black. With the exception of his white mouth and snout, each side of his face and both ears were black, too.
I’d expected the creature to squirm in my grasp but, once he became warm, he collapsed relaxing completely, his small legs dangling on each side of my arm. I grinned as I pulled him in close. I hoped very much that Eoin would not object to having a dog in the castle because the pup would come with me regardless.
A voice behind me caused me to jump, jerking my arm so that the puppy came awake, groaning in displeasure.
“Ah, I thought I heard another one making noise. Seems our two little friends must be brothers, aye?”
I turned around to face the most handsome man I had ever seen.
Chapter 7
“Oh my, you scared me. Hello there.” I lifted my knees high as I moved closer to him. I didn’t miss the strange expression that crossed his face when he heard the way I spoke. Everyone in this time did that.
“’Ello to ye too, lass. I apologize for frightening ye. ’Twas no my intention. I heard this wee lad, no far from the one ye hold in yer hands. I still heard whining so I knew there must be another close.” He pointed to the black squirmy ball in his hands. The pup he held was far less content to be held than the one lying like broccoli in my arms.
I stood close to the man now and extended my hand to touch the wiggly pup he held. The dog’s fur felt soft like baby hair. As I rubbed him, the man reached his hand to rub the pup I held.
“They are both fine looking pups, are they no?”
I nodded as we both pulled our hands away. “Yes, beautiful dogs. Look at the markings above their eyes. They look quite different, but they must be out of the same litter.”
“Aye, lass, I believe ye are right. They are the same size and age. Forgive me, miss. Me manners are no what they should be. Me name is Hew. To whom do I find meself speaking to?”
I reached out to shake his hand. My stomach fluttered as he grabbed my fingertips, briefly touching them to his lips. I was far too old to have such a reaction to a man, but God he was a beautiful being. “Um…” I faltered and blushed, totally out of character from my normally over-confident, over-flirty self. “Um…Adelle. My name is Adelle.”
I guessed he was only a few years older than me, if not the same age. Thick, dark, wavy curls, only lightly sprinkled with salt, covered his head. He kept it cropped short unlike many men in this time who wore theirs longer. I preferred that. I didn’t see the appeal in being with a man who had more hair on his head than I do.
Tall, with broad shoulders, every inch of him was covered, I had a feeling he would not be soft like many men our age. He worked hard. It was evident in the tone of his skin and the light crease of wrinkles across his brow. A light shadow of a beard only added to the manliness he exuded.
The way he stood awkwardly after I told him my name hinted at shyness. Now that we’d introduced ourselves to one another, he seemed uncertain of how to continue the conversation.
I had to shake my head to recover, yanking my stare away from the deep green abysses of his eyes. “Um…are you from around here? Do you live in the village?”
He bent his head to glance at his puppy, finally no longer squirming as it slept in his arms. “Nay, lass. I doona live anywhere near here. I’m on me way elsewhere but had to stop here due to the storm. I am staying in this cottage here,” he pointed behind him. “The Conalls were kind enough to grant me refuge from the snow. Me sister lives with them and works in the castle.”
Only one woman worked for the Conalls and actually lived in the castle beside myself, but there was no possible way the god that stood before me could be the brother Mary had been talking about. “You wouldn’t be speaking of Mary, would you? Your sister is someone else, yes?”
Hew’s eyes sparked a brilliant green, lighting flutters in my stomach once more. “Aye, lass, ’tis Mary that I speak of. Do ye know her then?”
Stunned, I had based my mental image of Mary’s brother based on her appearance and envisioned a short, round, aging bald man who talked loudly. This man was none of those things. His voice was deep, but he spoke quietly and said nothing more than required by the conversation. “Yes, I know Mary quite well. She’s just around the corner here, along with everyone else from the castle. We’ve been cutting a tree down for Christmas. Does she know that you’re here? Mary and I were away yesterday, we only just returned this morning.”
He shook his head. “I doona know if she is aware of me presence yet, but I guess ’tis time that she is. Will ye lead the way there for me, lass?”
“Of course.” I turned and waved so that he would follow me. I felt self-conscious with my back exposed to him. With every step, I damned myself for pinning my hair up into a hideous bun before we trecked out into the snow.
The group saw me first, and Mary immediately tore into me for stepping away from their company. “Adelle, what is the matter with ye? Why did ye run off without telling us where ye’d gone? Ye could have frozen to death…”
She paused when she caught sight of her brother and moved her short, stumpy legs faster than I’d have ever thought possible as she charged through the snow to throw herself into his arms.
Hew let out a puff of air as she squeezed him and then pushed her away as gently as he could. “Be careful, Mary. Ye shall squish the wee pup I hold in me arms.”
Mary glanced briefly down at the sleeping dog but was un-phased by the adorable bundle. Bri and Blaire, on the other hand, immediately went to snatch the pups from each of our arms.
“What are ye doing here, Hew? I havena seen ye in years. God, ye look good, brother!” Once Hew was free of the puppy, Mary threw her arms around him again.
“I was on me way to Mae’s grave, but the storm caused me to seek shelter here. I only arrived last evening.”
The sadness I’d seen earlier in Mary briefly crossed her face, and I wondered greatly about the identity of Mae. The pain showed only for a moment before Mary whirled away from her brother to face the crowd of all of us watching curiously.
“I see, and which one of ye knew he was here and dinna tell me the second I arrived with Adelle this morning?”
Bri, Blaire, Eoin, and Kip all looked back and forth at each other, clearly in the dark, while Arran glanced sheepishly at the ground. Eventually, he spoke up. “’Twas I, Mary. I apologize. I’m a fool. I got so caught up in the lasses’ excitement over finding a tree that I forgot to tell ye.”
I thought for a moment she would march through the snow and smack him, but her happiness at seeing her brother seemed to override her annoyance at not learning of his presence until now.
“Shame on ye, Arran, but ’tis no matter now. Why doona the rest of ye go on back to the castle with the tree? I shall join ye shortly after I spend some time speaking with me brother, aye?”
Eoin spoke as he directed us all back to the castle. “Aye, Mary. Spend as much time as ye wish. I suppose we willna starve from only one more night of Bri and Blaire’s cooking. Yer brother is welcome to dine with us, but if ye wish to spend some time alone together, I can bring ye food later this evening.”
I was surprised when Hew responded to Eoin instantly. “I would be much obliged to ye if ye would allow us to dine in the cottage. I shall
repay yer kindness in some way.”
He obviously didn’t want to dine with everyone. Not that I could blame him. We were a bit much to take. Still, his quick rejection seemed a little odd. He walked over to Blaire who was holding his new puppy. After she extended it in his direction, he and Mary turned to make their way back to the cottage.
* * *
As we returned the short distance back to the castle, both Bri and Blaire squeezed in tight on either side of me while I balanced my puppy in between my open palms. The girls leaned in close so that they could hear the other’s whispers.
“Mom, holy cow, would you ever have thought Mary’s brother would look like that?” Bri nudged my side playfully.
I smiled, laughing as I shook my head. I leaned into her, nudging her back. “No, not in a million years would I have expected that.”
“Ye did find him a handsome lad, aye Adelle?” Blaire spoke next, her voice as quiet and excited as Bri’s.
“Oh yes, very much so. He’s quite striking. Why do you ask?” He was married, of course. All the good ones were.
“He’s a bit of a hermit from what Eoin and Arran told us. His wife died decades ago, and he lives all alone far away from anyone else. Seems a bit crazy to me, but Eoin seems to think he’s just shy. Regardless, does it matter if he’s crazy when he looks that good?”
I laughed loudly, garnering questioning glances from the three men walking in front of us. Bri liked to think she was my polar opposite, but she was more like her Mama than she wanted to admit. “Well, it does matter a bit, yes, but I don’t think he’s crazy.” We were approaching the castle. “Let’s not gossip anymore now, the boys will give me a hard time. I’m going to find some food for this little one to eat.”
Once inside, the girls dispersed, and I carried the sleeping pup down into the kitchen while I thought on what I’d just learned about our new visitor. He was unmarried then.
And I was not displeased to hear it.
Chapter 8
All was abuzz within the confines of Conall Castle the next day. It was decorating day and, with the visitation of her brother, Mary’s spirits rose as high as I’d ever seen them. As a result, everyone else in the castle couldn’t help but be merry as well.
I’d not expected us to put the tree in the castle’s main entrance. I worried that with the modern ornaments we planned to put on the tree, it might raise suspicions of other castle workers. I could not have been more surprised when I made my way down in the morning to find that Eoin, Arran, and Kip had placed the tree there.
“Do you not think it would be best if we set up the tree in the basement? I won’t be able to hang the ornaments on it otherwise, right?”
“Aye, ye will. Feel free to hang anything that we wish from the tree. I willna have us hiding our celebrations. All who work within the castle know of Morna’s legacy and her spells.” Eoin walked up to me and bent to briefly kiss me on the cheek. “Good morning, Adelle.”
I smiled, so very pleased that my daughter had found such a wonderful man. “Oh great, that’s wonderful. It will look beautiful in the corner there, next to the grand fireplace.”
“Aye, it will. Look.” Eoin pointed to the staircase behind me. “Here come the other lassies. Let us eat and then we will begin the festivity of decorating.”
* * *
Over breakfast, I couldn’t help but notice Hew’s absence from the table once again. I was fairly sure he hadn’t left already. The snow still had not melted enough for travel, and there was little way for him to get food in the cottage without someone bringing it to him. I didn’t understand why he seemed so set against joining us in the castle. I leaned over to Mary to ask her about it. “Why won’t your brother join us here to eat? He knows that he’s welcome, doesn’t he?”
Mary pulled one corner of her mouth to the side uncomfortably before casting sad eyes in my direction. “Aye, he knows it, but he insists on being alone.”
“Why is that?” I looked down at my food so that my interest wouldn’t seem too eager.
“He’s painfully shy. He’s spent so much time alone, I’m afraid he doesna know how to be around other people any more.”
That seemed a hard concept for me to grasp. I loved spending every second in the company of others. It was unhealthy for someone to live in such a way. It might be one thing for a person to spend time alone by their own choice, but another to feel that they were prevented from joining others due to shyness. “Well, the only way to get less shy is to practice. Will you see him this morning?”
Mary nodded. “Aye, I shall bring him something to eat as soon as we finish here before we begin decorating.”
“Ask him to join us and help in the decorations. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Insist on it, Mary. You can be very persuasive.”
Mary chuckled but shook her head. “That may be true with many people, Adelle, but nay with me brother. I can insist until the stars have risen, and it will no persuade him to do something he doesna wish to do.”
I frowned. I didn’t like the thought of Hew being all alone in the cottage while the rest of us spent a joyous day decorating. “Well, will you ask him at least?”
Mary stood, covering a plate to take to her brother. “Aye, lass. I’ll ask him.”
* * *
Perhaps he’d been too short with his sister. It wasn’t unreasonable for her to wish that he would spend some time with her by joining in the festivities. He would make time to see her later, when she was alone, but his shyness would have done nothing but dampen the spirits of everyone else.
Hew no longer knew how to behave comfortably in front of anyone, let alone an entire family of people who evidently were quite close to one another. He’d managed well enough when he’d bumped into Adelle the day he’d found the pup now sleeping at his feet, but that was an unusual occurrence. He would be certain to make an effort to spend a little more time with his sister before he left.
He reached down to rub on the sleeping pup, thinking back on the strangest thing his sister had told him. She’d said more than once that Adelle had insisted that he come to the castle and help them with the decorations. Why would the lass desire such a thing?
She must feel sorry for him. Any other possibility seemed too unrealistic for him to think of. There’d only been one woman fancy him in his whole life. It wouldn’t make sense for another lass to decide to do so now.
Would it?
Chapter 9
I waited until all of the men started trimming the tree, working it into the perfect shape, before I snuck away to grab the surprise I had in store for all of them.
Mary’s trip to see her brother had been quick. When she arrived back at the castle without Hew, I knew he had rejected her invitation to join us. I couldn’t help the small pang of sadness that lodged itself in my chest, but I did my best to dismiss it. I hardly knew the man after all. What did I care if he chose to be such a fuddy duddy?
Blaire had already helped Bri carry the large box of ornaments upstairs, so while the men shaved away at the tree and the girls marveled at each ornament as they pulled them out of the box, I went down to the basement once more.
Opening the box, I pulled out the large boombox, flipping it over so that I could install a fresh set of batteries. Placing the cd player under one arm and a stack of CDs under the other, I made my way upstairs.
Once I got into the great room, I walked with my back toward them to shield the contents in my arms and sat the player discreetly next to the fire, hidden away behind a large seat. I thought best to select a classical Christmas mix first. I was afraid anything too modern would frighten the bejeezus out of Arran and Kip, both of whom had never made a trip through time.
I started it with the volume low so that it played just loud enough to cause everyone in the room to glance around as if they were imagining the sounds in their heads. Slowly, I increased the intensity of the sound until Kip threw both his hands to his ears and looked up to the ceiling in horror.
“Wh
at in the name o’ God is that? I’ve told all of ye, I doona like the magic that seems to go on in this place. Make it stop.”
Mary laughed and walked over to grab her husband’s wrists as she pried his hands away from his head. “Doona be such a fool, Kip. ’Tis no magic, only a music maker we brought back from our journey. Do ye no think it sounds lovely?”
Kip didn’t answer right away. Instead, Arran spoke up, “I’ve never heard such beautiful noise in me life. Leave it be, ’tis magical.”
Eventually, Kip surrendered and joined in with the humming and singing as we spent the day turning Conall Castle into a Christmas wonderland. The tree didn’t take all that long. Then Mary took us girls downstairs to make garland and wreaths to hang up around the castle.
Though hard work, twisting the leaves and branches into some semblance of something that would please the eye, Mary, Blaire, and Bri took to it quite well. All of my projects were an undisputable disaster.
I’d not been a crafty woman in the twenty-first century, where craft stores within a three-block radius sold glues and tools to help you. Without such conveniences, it was pure misery for me to even try.
After three failed wreaths and a string of garland only the Grinch would appreciate, I was taken off craft duty and given the measly task of hanging the mistletoe that Bri had created above the entryway into the dining hall.
Mary thought the tradition of mistletoe to be a brilliant idea. “Ye mean that if I can somehow trick Kip into standing beneath the doorway with me, he will be forced to kiss me? Why, I shall stand there all day and wait for him to pass through! I doona believe the old bugger will even remember what part of yer body that ye use to kiss, ’tis been so long since he’s done so.”
Morna's Legacy: Box Set #1 Page 44
