Courage of a Highlander

by Katy Baker

  His family listened attentively, interrupting only to clarify certain points or to ask Aidan to repeat something so that all was clear. All the while Lucy and Andrew watched their son with a kind of wary intensity, as the details of his story played out.

  When Aidan finally fell silent Lucy glanced at her husband and then back to her son. “And there was no sign of Irene when you and Kara returned to the beach?”

  Aidan shook his head. “Nay sign at all. It’s as though she’s toying with me, playing some kind of trick. If protecting this Key is so important, why would she not be there to collect it? And why would she allow Kara to get caught up in this?” There was a hint of anger in his voice and his hand clenched into a fist where it rested on the table.

  “I had thought we were done with her interfering in our lives,” Andrew said, a menacing undertone to his voice. “It seems that Irene MacAskill is nay yet finished with my family.”

  “She might be a meddler,” Lucy said. “But she’s always been a friend of this family. Whatever her reasons, I don’t doubt that she was acting from good intentions. As to why she wasn’t there to meet Aidan? I don’t know, but from my experience Irene doesn’t do anything without a reason.” She glanced at Kara. “Maybe we could figure out what that reason is if we hear your side of the story.”

  Kara swallowed. With a quick glance at Aidan she began her tale. “It all started with a man called Michael Devereux.”

  She told them everything, leaving nothing back. She described the man’s shady dealings and the rumors of what his organization was caught up in. She described her encounter with Irene MacAskill and the cryptic message she’d given along with the clue that led her to her meeting with Aidan.

  Lucy was especially interested in this and asked several times what Irene MacAskill’s message had said. In the end Kara wrote it down and Lucy took it, studying the words carefully before tucking the message into her pocket. Kara’s story ended with the fight by the railway bridge and their tumble back in time.

  Finally, silence fell in the room, everyone taking their time to digest her words. Then Bhradain cleared his throat. Throughout Kara’s tale he’d been listening intently, pausing every now and then to scribble something on a piece of parchment. “Ye are sure ye’d never met Irene MacAskill before she accosted ye?”

  “Of course,” Kara replied. “I think I’d remember, don’t you? I’ve never seen her before or since. And I’ve no idea why she sent me to that place. Believe me, I’ve wracked my brain trying to think of a reason.”

  “But yer name,” Bhradain persisted. “Buchanan. It’s Scottish. A good Highland name.”

  Kara nodded. “Many generations removed. My great grandparents moved to America from Scotland.”

  Bhradain’s eyes narrowed, his look calculating.

  Kara shifted awkwardly. What had this got to do with anything? She didn’t like the way Bhradain was looking at her. There was something in his gaze, like he knew something the others didn’t.

  “And this Key of Ages?” Bhradain asked. “Where is it?”

  Aiden frowned at his foster-brother but then brought out a wrapped bundle and placed it on the table in front of him. “This is the thing Irene sent me to fetch.” He unwrapped it and everyone leaned forward to get a good look.

  Andrew picked it up and weighed it in his hand, inspecting it closely. The three curling gold prongs gleamed in the light. “I canna say what I expected from a Fae artifact,” he said. “But this doesnae look anything special.” He handed it to Lucy who also took a good look.

  After a moment, she shrugged. “Who can say? If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Irene, it’s that appearances can be deceptive.”

  Bhradain reached out to take the Key but Aiden took it before Bhradain could lay hands on it and covered it with the bit of cloth. Annoyance flashed across Bhradain’s face but he said nothing.

  “I suggest we lock this up somewhere safe,” Aiden said, looking at his father. “And tell nobody of its existence until Irene can be found to take charge of it.”

  “Lock it up?” Bhradain said, incredulous. “Why would ye want to do that?” His gaze flicked to Kara and back to Aiden. “If ye wish to send Lady Kara home, surely this is the method for doing so? We should use it, not lock it away!”

  “Havenae ye been listening at all, Bhradain?” Aiden growled, rounding on his foster-brother. “It doesnae work. I suspect it will only work for Irene.”

  “There is only one course open to us,” Andrew said. “And that is to find Irene MacAskill. I’ll send out riders, have them take word to all settlements on Skye. Somebody must know where she is. We’ll find her. Until then, this Key will remain locked securely in the treasury.” He turned his stern gaze on Kara. “Dinna worry, lass. We’ll find a way for ye to return to yer time. Until then Clan Harris would be honored if ye would treat Dun Arnwick as yer home.”

  “Ha! Finally!” Jamie leaned back in his chair and raised his goblet in a toast. “Now everything is sorted out, we can really get down to business! It isnae often we welcome back one of our own and a time-traveling visitor! I feel a feast coming on!”

  Chapter 8

  Kara felt uneasy as she sat by the window in her chamber, pulling a brush through her hair. She knew the feast being planned for tonight was as much to welcome her to Dun Arnwick as it was to welcome Aiden home, but she couldn’t help the nerves that coiled in her belly. She had never been good with big social events and in a few hours time she’d have to mingle with people she didn’t know. She always felt out of place at such occasions and usually managed to make an idiot of herself in the process.

  When she’d graduated from college and had gone up on stage to collect her scroll, she’d somehow managed to trip on her gown and sprawled flat on her face in front of hundreds of people, much to the uproarious laughter of her classmates. At her acceptance speech when she’d won her first award for journalism the microphone hadn’t been working. Kara droned on through her speech for a good five minutes, whilst the audience couldn’t hear a word she was saying and then she wondered at the stone-wall silence that greeted the end of the speech.

  No, she wasn’t good at these sorts of things. She was used to working alone, living alone. This sudden immersion into a tightly knit extended family was a little overwhelming and the fact that it was taking place in a time and culture completely alien to her made it worse.

  Her worrying was interrupted by the door opening. Lucy poked her head around the door and, seeing Kara by the window, pushed her way inside, followed by Beth. She carried a tray set with cups and a teapot which she set on the small table.

  “I thought we might have a cup of tea and a chat, if you’re feeling up to it?” Lucy said.

  Kara nodded. “I don’t suppose there’s coffee?”

  Lucy laughed. “Afraid not. Beth, I forgot the cake. Would you be a dear and run along to the kitchens and get it?”

  As Beth left, Lucy seated herself opposite Kara. Kara watched Aiden’s mother. There was nothing to indicate she was anything but a Highland native—until she spoke, of course.

  “I’ll bet you have a hundred questions,” Lucy said, pouring them both some tea.

  Kara took the cup Lucy offered her and inhaled the minty scent. At home she was a coffee girl but tea would have to serve that role. Kara had no idea when coffee was first introduced to Scotland but she guessed it was many years distant yet. “More like a thousand questions,” Kara muttered. She gestured at the room around them. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

  Lucy smiled sympathetically. “If it’s any comfort, I know exactly how you feel. I was so disorientated when I first came here that I refused to believe that I’d traveled in time. For a good while I insisted on thinking I’d been kidnapped and transported to Scotland without knowing.” She smiled at the memory. “I came to my senses eventually.”

  “Do you miss it?” Kara asked. “Home, I mean?”

  Lucy shrugged. “This is my home. To be honest, it’
s been so long that living in the twenty-first century feels like another lifetime. I adapted. I suppose being able to visit home helped with that.”

  “You mean you went back to our time?” Kara said, shocked.

  Lucy nodded. “Irene left a portal open for Andrew and I so that we could visit my family in the twenty-first century. I was brought up by my Aunt Helen and Uncle Nathan and couldn’t bear to leave them behind. In the first few years I was here they used to visit regularly and we used to go there. It was great for bringing medical supplies back too. If there’s one thing that I do miss from my time, it’s the medicine.” She sighed wistfully. “But I’ve not been back in many years. Uncle Nathan and Aunt Helen are both gone now and after they died I never went back. It was too painful.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kara said. Then the import of Lucy’s words hit her. “Wait a minute! You said Irene left a portal open for you? That means there’s an open portal here on Skye?”

  Lucy shook her head and Kara’s moment of hope was dashed. “I’m sorry, dear. The arch was destroyed many years ago. It formed part of a window in a church and the whole building came down during a particularly bad storm one winter. It’s nothing but a pile of rubble now.”

  Kara tried to stifle the sudden feeling of despair that crashed in on her. What if she was stranded here? What if she never got home?

  As if sensing her distress, Lucy put down her tea cup and squeezed Kara’s hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll find Irene eventually. She wouldn’t bring you here and leave you without any way to return. She may be annoying and meddlesome but she always has a plan. We just have to figure it out.”

  Kara smiled. “Thanks. I hope you’re right.” She squeezed Lucy’s hand. “You’ve all been so kind since I got here. I want to repay you. Is there anything I can do to help around the castle? I’m not proud. Mucking out stables, doing laundry, cutting vegetables.”

  Lucy laughed lightly. “Anything you can do? You’ll soon regret asking that question! There are always a hundred different jobs to be done around the castle so I’m sure we’ll find plenty to keep you busy!”

  The door opened and Beth came in carrying a large platter which she set down next to the teapot. She grinned at Kara and her mother. “Cook has put extra cream in the sponge cake and I promised I’d let you have an extra large slice, Kara. Cook takes her duty to her guests very seriously.”

  “Well don’t just stand there!” Lucy said to her daughter. “Dish it out! Don’t you know we have a cake emergency here? There’s nothing better than tea and cake for curing homesickness. We’ll have Kara as right as rain in no time! And then we have a party to get ready for!”

  ***

  “There,” Beth said as she stood back and inspected Kara’s hair. “Ye do look every bit the Highland lady.”

  Kara examined herself in the mirror. Beth had worked wonders. Kara’s hair was pinned up at the sides, away from her face, leaving it to fall down the back in lazy waves. In addition, Lucy had lent her a pair of earrings with crystal droplets that dangled just above her jawline and sparkled in the lamplight.

  “Wow,” Kara murmured. “Who’s that staring back at me? I’m sure I’ve never met her before.”

  Beth snorted. “Didnae anyone tell ye we have an important noble lady visiting us? Her name is Kara Buchanan.”

  “Oh, is that who this is?” Kara replied. “I didn’t recognize her. It must be this gorgeous dress she’s wearing.”

  “Must be,” Lucy said, coming to stand behind Kara’s chair. “I must say, you look better in that dress than I ever did. I was a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl back home and it took me quite a while to get used to wearing dresses every day – particularly dresses with so many hooks that I couldn’t dress without help. If it wasn’t for Annis, I doubt I would have ever learned to dress myself properly!”

  Annis, the blonde-haired housekeeper, raised an eyebrow at her friend. “I had nay choice but to help. Otherwise ye would have gone around wearing jeans all the time. How would that have looked when ye went down to the village?”

  Lucy waved her hand. “Oh they would have got used to it – it might have even caught on. Although I’m not sure starting a new trend and probably changing the whole history of fashion in the process would have pleased Irene MacAskill very much.”

  “We’d better be going,” Beth said. “If we’re late Uncle Jamie will have polished everything off before we arrive!”

  Kara pushed the chair back and stood. Lucy gave her an encouraging smile and together the four women swept out of the chamber. Lucy and Annis walked in front whilst Kara and Beth followed behind, Beth linking her arm through Kara’s good-naturedly.

  “My mother is mighty glad to have ye here,” Beth whispered, leaning close conspiratorially. “I think she’s missed having someone to talk to about her homeland.” She looked up suddenly and a wicked smile played across her face. “And I know somebody else who’s equally glad ye are here.”

  Kara followed the line of Beth’s gaze and saw Aidan leaning against the wall, waiting for them. For a moment her breath left her and it was all she could do not to stumble.

  His eyes flicked over the group and settled on Kara. He hadn’t shaved and there was a light dusting of stubble on his chin. Firelight from the braziers reflected in his stormy blue eyes and sent shadows dancing across the contours of his face.

  He gave them a bow. “My ladies.”

  Lucy raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here, son? I would have thought you and your father would have been well into your drinking by now.”

  “I came to escort ye all to the feast.”

  “Thank you, but I’m sure Beth, Annis and I are perfectly capable of escorting ourselves to the Great Hall. Lady Kara though, might be unsure of the way. Perhaps it would be best to ensure she gets there safely.”

  Then, before Kara could utter a word, Lucy, Beth and Annis walked off down the corridor. They turned a corner and Kara found herself alone with Aiden. His presence seemed to fill the narrow space.

  “I...um...ye look nice,” he said, finally.

  “Thanks,” Kara replied. “But I can’t take any of the credit. Beth is the miracle worker. How she’s managed to make me even halfway presentable I’ll never know.”

  Aiden stared down at her for a long moment then he blinked and stepped back, offering her his arm. “If it would please ye, my lady, I would be honored to escort ye to the Great Hall.”

  Kara smiled and laid her hand on his arm. “It would please me a great deal.”

  They reached the Great Hall and from within Kara heard the drone of many voices in conversation. Kara balked, suddenly nervous, but Aiden gave her a reassuring smile then led the way inside.

  “Lord Aiden Harris of Clan Harris, and Lady Kara Buchanan of Clan Buchanan!” shouted a servant as they entered.

  The room fell silent and all eyes turned towards them. Kara swallowed, her stomach knotting. All those eyes. All staring at her

  Oh God, she thought. What am I doing here? What the hell am I doing here?

  Aiden began walking and Kara had no choice but to pace by his side. They made their way down the length of the Great Hall and Kara felt the eyes of the crowd on her the whole time. What would they make of her? She knew that Aiden’s family had put out word that she was a visiting noble, some long-lost family friend or something, but she knew they’d be wondering exactly who she was and where she’d come from.

  She stared straight ahead, feeling like a goldfish in a bowl, sure that any minute her shaky legs would betray her. But they reached the high table without mishap where Aiden bowed to his parents.

  Andrew Harris scraped back his chair and stood. He raised a goblet. “Ye all know I’m not one for fancy speeches or fine words so I’ll nay delay the feasting by blathering on. My son Aiden has spent years away from Dun Arnwick, serving King James. He’s returned to his clan with honor. We also welcome Lady Kara Buchanan who is visiting with us from across the seas. I’m sure ye will show her a warm Dun Ar
nwick welcome. Now, let the celebrations commence!”

  The crowd broke into a round of cheering and hollering and much banging of tankards on tables. She heard ‘welcome home, Aiden!” shouted many times. Aiden led Kara to her seat and she slid gratefully onto a bench next to Beth, Aiden seating himself on her other side.

  Beth leaned over. “See. That wasnae so bad, was it? Although I reckon ye’ll be the talk of the whole of Skye come the morning. I reckon we ought to put it about that ye are some foreign princess – that would really set the cat among the pigeons.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  Beth laughed and Aiden frowned at his sister, leaning close to Kara. “Nay, she wouldnae. Our Beth just doesnae know when to stop teasing. Dinna worry, lass, there will soon be some other point of gossip to take everyone’s attention.” He reached over to a pottery jug and poured out two drams of whisky, handing one to Kara. “I reckon we’ve earned a dram or two.”

  He didn’t smile as he offered her the cup. Instead his eyes roved over the gathering and there was a look in his eyes Kara couldn’t quite place. Wistfulness? Resignation?

  “See?” Beth said, raising her cup and gesturing at the people filling the hall. “A few drams of whisky, some good music, and they’ve forgotten all about ye already.”

  Kara looked where Beth was pointing and saw that people were gathering in the center of the hall to dance. Benches and tables had been pulled back and a dozen or so people were forming lines facing each other. Some of the clansfolk had struck up a tune on a few instruments: a fiddle, a flute and some sort of stringed instrument that looked like a round-bellied guitar.

  Lucy suddenly clapped her hands in glee, rose from her seat, and hurried to join them, taking down a fiddle that was hanging above the fireplace.

  Beth rolled her eyes at Kara. “We’ve done it now. My mother likes nothing better than playing that fiddle until her fingers bleed and you’ve gone and given her the perfect excuse.” She took a sip of whisky. “It’s going to be a long night!”