My Laird's Love (My Laird's Castle Book 2)

by Bess McBride

  “Sit yerself here,” Laird Anderson said as he settled me onto the velvet rose sofa and bent to stoke the dying embers of a fire in the large white-mantled fireplace. Clearly, someone had been using this room recently.

  I looked up at James, who lowered a canvas bag from his shoulder and set it by the door. I saw a pipe sticking out of the top, and now realized where he had stowed his bagpipe.

  I watched him drape the comforting extra length of his kilt over one shoulder and secure it with some kid of brooch. Handsome was simply too weak a word to describe James, with his shoulder-length chestnut hair now gleaming under the candlelight. His eyes were indeed blue, a teal blue that matched the color of his kilt.

  He caught me staring at him and tilted his head as if to study me in turn. I blushed under his scrutiny. He seemed about to speak, when the earl rose from his kneeling position by the fire and lit a candelabrum on the mantel, casting even more light into the room.

  Clearly, this family didn’t waste much money on electricity. Nowhere in the room did I see radiators or vents, and I wondered if they heated the castle with fireplaces only. That seemed far-fetched to me, but so did the entire evening.

  The laird turned to us just as the door opened. A beautiful, petite auburn-haired woman entered, her eyes flying straight to me. She stared at me for a moment before she looked toward James. Both dogs rose and trotted to her side. She patted their heads absentmindedly.

  “Oh, dear,” she said. Beth, as I recalled James had called her, exchanged a glance with her husband.

  “What have you brought us, James?” she said almost under her breath.

  “Lady Elizabeth Anderson, may I introduce Mistress Margaret Scott?” James asked. “I found Mistress Scott lost down by the river, and I thought it best to bring her here rather than take her to my place. I believe she is from the Colonies, as are ye, Beth.”

  Beth threw her husband another look and nodded.

  “Yes, I’ll bet she is.”

  She passed James, still standing by the door, and came to sit beside me. Dressed in a lovely ankle-length gown of brown satin, she looked as if she came straight out of a historical portrait. Her bodice was delicately embroidered with gold and orange threads, and she evidently wore a large hoop of some sort under her skirts, such that she had to perch on the sofa. White lacy material fell from her three-quarter-length sleeves. She wore her hair piled high on her head, allowing a few curls to drape down to her shoulders.

  Beth reached for my hand and cupped it in hers.

  “Margaret,” she said softly.

  “Maggie,” I corrected. “It’s nice to meet you,” I added. Something was going on, and I couldn’t figure it out. I didn’t feel unwelcome so much as an oddity, as if I’d fallen asleep and awakened in the wrong century.

  “Welcome to Gleannhaven Castle, Maggie,” Beth said. Like the others, her eyes dropped to my jeans before returning to my face.

  “Thank you. I’m so sorry for imposing like this, but James thought I might be better off here. My cousin and I were driving around Scotland, and somehow I lost her. We stopped at a pullout—there was a bagpiper—and I went down to the river. I don’t know what happened, but I must have fainted. When I woke up, it was almost dark. Julie was gone—in fact, everything was gone—and James came riding up out of the darkness. I threw a glance in his direction. He had taken a seat, and the earl had poured him a drink of some kind. Both dogs had settled by James and seemed on their way to falling asleep.

  As I rambled, Beth nodded throughout with sympathy, as if she truly understood. But how could anyone understand? Even I didn’t understand why I had fainted or how I’d ended up so far from the pullout.

  The door opened just then, and two women entered—both wearing mobcaps, and long gray dresses with laced bodices, and white scarves tucked into their necklines. The younger one, almost a girl, wore an apron over her skirts. I assumed she was a maid. The older woman, small and lean, directed the maid to set the tray down. I assumed she was the housekeeper.

  I stared at their clothing as the maid poured tea, wondering if I was still passed out by the river. Had I stumbled onto the remnants of a costume ball? That must have been it! Like renaissance festivals in the United States and elsewhere, no doubt Scotland had historical Highlander festivals of its own.

  I turned back to Beth.

  “Anyway, I’m grateful that James brought me here, and I was wondering if you all had a phone? Julie will be so worried about me.”

  Beth put a single finger to her lips as if to silence me, and I pressed my lips together.

  “Thank you, Grace. That will be all. Mrs. Agnew, could you prepare two bedrooms for our guests? I think you should stay here tonight, James. It’s too late for you to ride home now.”

  James dipped his head.

  “Thank ye, Beth. I will take ye up on yer offer.”

  Mrs. Agnew curtsied and left the room with Grace in tow.

  Beth, still holding my hand, gave it a squeeze before looking up at her husband, still standing by the fireplace.

  “I guess we’ll have to let James in on our secret,” she said. Laird Anderson nodded.

  “Yes, I think we must, dear. It has been difficult to keep such a secret. I am sure he has wondered about ye long enough.”

  I watched everyone, that surreal feeling still continuing. What were they talking about?

  James straightened in his chair, throwing a quick look in my direction.

  “I did always think ye had a secret, Beth, but I assumed ye wouldna welcome my prying.”

  Laird Anderson moved across the room to pick up a cup of tea and took a seat in a brocade chair next to James.

  “Aye, she does that, James,” he said with a sigh. He favored his wife with a wry smile and a look of profound love. I drew in a deep breath at his expression. Sam had looked at me that way, and I knew I had been loved.

  “Maggie,” Beth said, turning to me. “I know you’re confused, so I’ll get right to the facts. Today’s date is May 28, 1747. You have traveled back in time. I’m not sure what year it was when you traveled, but you definitely look like you come from the twenty-first century, right?”

  I stared at Beth, watching her face swirl. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a sudden movement from James, as if he had jumped up from his seat. But Beth’s compelling gaze forced my attention back to her. She didn’t smile. She kept a straight face.

  Cold sweat broke out on my forehead and upper lip as I grew dizzy. I dragged in a deep breath through my nose, a gurgle of laughter welling up inside me. It escaped, and I pulled my hand from Beth’s to cover the sound, which rapidly turned into a bizarre guffaw.

  I laughed and laughed, a hysterical note to the sound, until my sides ached. Beth calmly reached for her tea and watched me with a sympathetic smile.

  Through tear-filled eyes, I saw James start to move toward me, but a word from the earl stopped him.

  “Let her be, James. She may laugh and cry more as the night goes on. I have seen this afore.”

  “I dinna ken what is happening,” James said, echoing my own thoughts.

  Beth spoke up. “Colin has seen this before because I traveled back in time, James. I was born in the beginning of the twenty-first century. I don’t know how or why I traveled back in time, perhaps it was to find Colin, but that’s what happened. It’s something about the river, the water. I don’t know what.”

  She turned to me.

  “I’m guessing you put your hands in the river? Maybe splashed some on your face?”

  James sank back down into his chair and stared at both Beth and me as I grabbed my aching sides and kept foolishly chuckling.

  “Ha-ha-ha, you guys. Very funny!”

  Beth didn’t join me in laughter but kept sipping her tea. James looked dazed, and Laird Anderson watched me with growing concern.

  “Well, Colin, unlike me, I think Maggie is going to laugh this one out. Good for her,” Beth said. She turned to James. “I know you must have
many questions, James. What would you like to ask?”

  I pressed my lips together, the better to hear James speak, but the rumblings of laughter still erupted.

  James lifted his shoulders in a questioning shrug, as if he didn’t know what to ask. He finally spoke.

  “How is this possible, Beth?”

  Beth shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s something in the river. I returned to the twenty-first century as well and came back, so I know it’s the water.”

  “How many are there? Time travelers?”

  “Well, it was just me, as far as I know, so I guess Maggie makes two now.”

  “And ye feel ye traveled in time to meet Colin?”

  “I don’t know, James. That’s all I can think.” She cast an affectionate glance toward her husband.

  “Then are we to assume that Mistress Scott has traveled back in time to meet someone?” James asked.

  Beth exchanged a look with her husband before she responded with a shrug.

  “Maybe.”

  “And ye think that is me?” James’ voice rose with an incredulous note. As fun as this had been, I thought I ought to put him out of his misery.

  “Okay, no, stop!” I chuckled. “You’ll scare the poor man to death. No, James, I did not travel over two hundred and fifty years across time just to meet you. You can relax.”

  Beth sighed heavily. “I can see you’re going to be as tough to convince as I was, Maggie.”

  I turned to her with a smile, if a little forced at the moment.

  “Well, I’m not that desperate that I need to cross time and ocean to find a man! In fact, I’m not looking for anyone at all!”

  “No one is implying that you are,” she said softly. She patted my hand. “But the truth is, you have traveled through time, though we don’t know why. What year do you think it is?”

  I told her, and she nodded.

  “That’s a year after I left.”

  Something in the normalcy of her tone, the lack of playfulness in her expression, made my hand shake as I reached for my tea. I drank it in a gulp, my mouth suddenly dry.

  “I canna believe this,” James said, echoing my thoughts. I wasn’t sure he was playing around anymore, as I had believed he was on our journey here. And that frightened me.

  I set my teacup down and turned to Beth.

  “Do you have a phone?”

  She shook her head, still terrifyingly sympathetic.

  “No, Maggie. We don’t. It won’t be invented for a long, long time.”

  I tried to ignore her last words.

  “Well, I need to get in touch with my cousin Julie. She’ll be worried. Do you have any idea how I can do that?”

  Beth turned to look at her husband.

  “The only way is to go back through time, to return to the river and do whatever it was you did to get here.”

  “No!” James barked.

  Chapter Four

  I jumped at the sharp note in James’ voice. Even the dogs jumped up, alert to some trouble.

  “Nay, I dinna think that is a good idea,” James said, his expression suddenly sheepish. “Certainly nae this night. Mistress Scott needs to rest. Perhaps we can discuss this again in the morning.”

  “Wait! What? No!” I started, but Beth put a calming hand on mine.

  “He’s right, Maggie. It’s too late to do anything tonight. It had to be hard enough making your way here in the dark. It’s just too late to go out there now.”

  “I agree,” Colin said. “Naethin can be done this night that canna be done in the morn, in the light of day.”

  I pulled my hand from Beth’s and jumped up.

  “No, I really do have to go. I’m fine. I can make my way back. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone. If I could just borrow a flashlight?”

  “We don’t have a flashlight, Maggie.” I heard a note of impatience in Beth’s voice. “It’s 1747! We don’t even have indoor plumbing!” She quirked a wry eyebrow in my direction.

  All three of them stared at me, and I sank back down to the couch as if to blend into it. Of course, I didn’t manage to disappear. They continued to stare at me. Well, James stared at all of us as if everyone in the room was insane.

  I think it was the look on James’ face that broke my resistance to Beth’s explanation. He really looked baffled.

  My heart pounded loudly, throbbing in my ears...so much so that I couldn’t hear the conversation. I knew James said something to Beth, and I knew Colin and Beth responded, but I couldn’t hear their words. I put a hand to my chest as if to slow my heart rate, and watched everyone with wide eyes.

  “Are ye ill, lass?” James said, jumping up and coming to me. He knelt down in front of me and took my icy hands into his big warm ones. I stretched out my fingers, almost painfully, and grabbed onto him.

  “Yer hands are cold, lass. Beth, more tea, I think.”

  Beth hurriedly poured another cup and handed it to me. I looked at the cup, but to take it would have necessitated removing my hands from James’ grasp, and I didn’t want to do that.

  James reached for the cup and placed it into my hands. He guided the tea to my lips, forcing me to drink. Hot liquid poured into my mouth and down my throat. My heart slowed.

  James’ face swam before mine. Maybe my heart slowed too much. I thought I fainted again.

  I awoke to the sight of James’ face close to mine, finding myself nestled in his arms as he lowered me onto a bed. Behind him, Beth and Colin hovered. Over James’ shoulder, I could see a roaring fire across the room.

  “Are ye awake then, lass?” James whispered. “How do ye feel?”

  “Woozy,” I whispered back. “Did I faint? My blood sugar must be low.”

  “Yer blood sugar?” James asked. He straightened and looked over his shoulder. “What does she speak of, Beth? Does she need to be bled?”

  “I know what she means, James, and she might be right. No! No bleeding. I’ve got some soup coming up for her.”

  Beth removed my shoes and set them on the floor, then pulled a blanket over me and tucked it around my legs as if I were a child.

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I don’t usually faint. In fact, I don’t remember fainting before.”

  “That’s okay,” Beth said. “You’ve had a shock.” She turned to look at James and Colin. “Okay, you two, I’ll take care of her now. Colin, I think James needs another glass of something stronger than tea.”

  “Aye, if I remember correctly, that he does,” Colin said with a handsome smile. He put his arm around James and drew him from the room. James seemed reluctant to go, and I hated to see him leave, but Colin prevented him from turning back.

  I felt vulnerable lying down on my back, as if the world was turned upside down, and I tried to push myself upright.

  Beth reached behind me to plump several soft pillows so I could sit up.

  A knock on the door brought the little maid, Grace, with a tray of food. Beth took the tray from her, and Grace curtsied and left the room.

  “Here’s some soup and oatcakes. Have you had them before?” Beth asked with a smile as she handed me the bowl of soup. She sat on the edge of a high-backed, velvet-cushioned chair next to my bed.

  I shook my head, taking the bowl from her. It smelled delicious and tasted just as wonderful, hot and filling.

  “Oatcakes are a staple here in Scotland,” she said. “I’ve gotten used to them.”

  I took one and bit into it. Crisp, with a mild salty taste, it reminded me of a large cracker. Lulled by the warmth of the soup and the fire, I could almost imagine that I was in a bed-and-breakfast, and I munched on the cake with appreciation.

  “I know things are hard for you right now, Maggie. I know you’re confused and frightened. Believe me, I know! But time travel is possible. I’m living proof. Tomorrow morning we can talk about what you want to do—whether you want to stay for a bit or go home.” Beth hesitated for a moment before continuing. “That is...if you can go home. I’m not sure it’s a
certainty, not like some sort of gateway or something.”

  I swallowed the food in my mouth.

  “There’s no way I could have imagined this tasty soup, so I’m pretty sure I’m not dreaming,” I said with an attempt at a wry smile. “I believe you. There’s no other explanation, not unless you want to fess up and tell me I’m smack dab in the middle of some sort of historic Scottish festival?”

  Beth chuckled but shook her head.

  “And if you tell me there’s a way back, then I think I can deal with this...phenomenon.” I took another bite of the delicious oatcake.

  Beth’s smile drooped. “Like I said, I was able to go back...once. I never tried again, because my life is here. I don’t want to get stuck back in the twenty-first century.”

  I studied her, wondering about “getting stuck” in the twenty-first century.

  “What happened when you traveled through time?” I asked.

  Beth told me her story—that she’d been on a bus tour, had gone down to the river, splashed water on her face, and awakened in a very different world. Colin had come along and taken her back to Gleannhaven Castle.

  “It was pretty hairy around here last year. Things aren’t quite settled down, but they’re better than they were.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Well, you know the Highlanders were defeated in 1746, right? At the Battle of Culloden?”

  I nodded. Julie and I had toured the battleground.

  “After the battle, the English searched for those Highlanders who survived, who hid out until they could get out of Scotland. Soldiers from Fort Williams spent a lot of time looking around here.” Beth smiled. “Not without good cause, but that’s another story. As a matter of fact, one of the soldiers, Captain Stephen Jones, married Colin’s cousin, Elinor. They live in Edinburgh now.