Love Beyond Dreams (A Scottish Time Travel Romance): Book 6 (Morna's Legacy Series)

by Bethany Claire

  Marion closed her eyes and pulled her hands free of him, gently resting one of them on his chest as she took a strangled breath to gather her strength.

  “No wonder I felt I could trust ye, to help ye when ye fell from that cliff and washed ashore at my feet. Do ye think ye can carry me, Orick?”

  Orick shifted and lifted himself to an elbow, surprised at both her request and her use of his real name. If he lifted her from the ground, she would die in a matter of minutes.

  “Aye. I can lift ye, but do ye truly wish me to? Ye know ye will go quickly if I do.”

  Marion nodded.

  “Do ye no ken where we are, Orick? I traveled this way so I could see the place I grew up. Allow me to see it before I die. And when I go, I want ye to bury me near it.”

  He didn’t know where they were, not exactly, though the forest did feel familiar to him.

  “Wrap yer arms around me as best ye can. I will have to slide ye out before I can lift ye. ’Twill cause ye pain.”

  “The pain willna last long. Ye will wish to see what I do. Hurry.”

  He did as she asked, sliding from beneath the small shelter and pulling her toward him before lifting her easily into his arms. She pointed in the direction she meant for him to go, and he climbed the short hill, every ounce of breath leaving him as he reached the top.

  From the top of the hill looking downward, all he could see was an open expanse of grass forever burned into his mind. He knew right away why Marion had lived the secluded life she had. He’d grown dangerously close to living the same sort of life once himself. For the land they both looked down on led straight to his family home. The structure itself was long since gone, set on fire by his own hands after finding his parents murdered.

  He looked down at Marion with wide, tear-filled eyes as he watched her breathing slow.

  “Is yer name truly Marion?”

  Marion turned her head toward the clearing, and Orick bent to kiss her forehead as she answered him with her last breath.

  “No little brother, ’tis Maidie.”

  He slumped to the ground as she died. Orick held his sister close as he wept for her.

  CHAPTER 31

  While the laird’s greeting was friendly enough, his phony charade quickly disappeared by nightfall when we all gathered for dinner.

  Laird Macaslan sat at the head of the table and quickly directed his eldest son and his wife to sit to his left. Following the assumption that the left side of the table was for the married couples, Adwen and Jane filed in beside them, leaving me, Callum, and the laird’s youngest son, Drostan, to figure out our own seating on the opposite side of the table.

  Unconsciously, I gravitated toward the middle but was quickly ushered to the end farthest from the laird by Callum’s guiding hand. It was the first interaction I’d ever had with Adwen’s brother, and I appreciated his guidance immensely.

  “Best ye sit on this side of me. The laird has wandering eyes, and his son a wandering hand. I doona wish to see ye groped over yer stew.” I smiled and nodded in appreciation as I took my seat.

  “Laird Macaslan, thank ye for the meal and for the hospitality ye’ve show me while Adwen was gone in search of what’s owed ye. I offer my apologies for the debt my Da and Griffith acquired. Adwen has gathered what ye are owed. I hope that this unfortunate incident willna affect relations between our clans.”

  It surprised me for a moment to hear Callum address the laird, as Adwen was the eldest. But then I remembered Adwen and Jane’s quaint little home in McMillan territory and the brief mention that Adwen had released his title to Callum.

  The position seemed to suit him. He spoke with confidence, and there was an authority in the tone of his voice I could tell Laird Macaslan didn’t appreciate.

  The old man stared at Callum, taking a long moment to take a swig of his ale before plastering a phony smile on his face.

  “I canna see why it would. Ye brought what was owed to me.”

  Callum nodded and tipped his glass in the laird’s direction.

  “Good. Then we shall enjoy this meal together, and ye will release my brother and Da so that we may all be on our way come morning.”

  “No.” Laird Macaslan slammed his fist down on the table as he spoke.

  Movement from across the table caught my eye, and I looked over to see Adwen reaching beneath the table to squeeze Jane’s leg in warning. She visibly twitched with anger at the laird’s response to Callum, and I wondered then why Jane felt the need to tell me not to speak to the laird. Clearly, she was going to have a much more difficult time keeping her mouth shut than I was.

  Callum kept his voice level as he spoke, but I could see the tension in his jaw as I sat next to him. “I’m sorry. I doona ken yer meaning. The debt owed to ye is paid. Ye will release them.” The laird’s expression changed once more back to one of strained friendliness. He was as changeable as the wind, and I found being around him to be rather exhausting.

  “Aye, o’course. I only meant that I willna discuss such matters over dinner.”

  The muscles on either side of Callum’s jaw bulged out as he refrained from saying anything further. Instead, he simply nodded and bent to shovel food into his mouth.

  The laird quickly followed suit and changed the conversation to something about hunting. While he spoke to Adwen about it, Callum turned to speak to me.

  “I’m pleased to meet ye, Gillian. Adwen spoke of ye when he arrived, though I dinna think ye’d be following the rest of them through. I’m glad ye did. Orick’s needed a match for a long time. Ach, I canna believe he’s alive. I canna wait to see him.”

  “He will be happy to see you, I’m sure. He’s a bit of a blowhard, isn’t he?”

  I nodded my head toward Macaslan, and Callum nearly spit up stew at the expression.

  “Ye speak just as Jane does. Aye, the man is a fool and an arse, and it pains me that we are under his control here. I doona feel things will go as easily as they should. He is no the sort of man to keep his end of a bargain.”

  As if Callum’s words summoned trouble, Laird Macaslan spoke up loudly from the end of the table. I could scarcely breathe when I realized the question was directed at me.

  “Yer husband must be a fool to allow ye to visit yer cousin without him. Why is he no with ye?”

  I responded instinctively before I had a chance to remember Jane’s advice.

  “I’m not married.”

  The laird turned toward Drostan, and I swallowed as I watched the way he grinned at his son.

  “Ye are no married, ye say? Ye must come from a fine family if yer cousin has married a MacChristy son. My Drostan is in need of a wife.”

  I swallowed so the ale I had in my mouth wouldn’t come up my nose. Before I could panic and respond even more inappropriately, Callum reached over and grasped onto my hand, stepping in to take care of the situation for me.

  “No, she is no married, but she is betrothed.”

  Laird Macaslan’s face changed once more, his stern lines setting in, his smile evaporating in a second. It reminded me of one of those terrifying mimes that can change their expression as they wave their hand up and down over their face. It was truly unsettling.

  “Betrothed? To who?”

  Callum didn’t release my hand. Instead, he raised it to his lips and kissed my fingers gently, winking at me in a clear plea for me to keep my mouth shut.

  “To me.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Orick’s return to Fionn and Shona’s was a somber one, but this time instead of an unwelcome glare, Shona greeted him with ale and a tender hug. He suspected Fionn had warned her to be kind.

  “Did ye find the lass? Were ye able to help her?”

  He followed Shona inside and gratefully accepted the ale and food she offered him. He didn’t know if he’d ever been so weary in his life.

  “Aye, I found her. While I was no able to save her, I did offer her comfort in the last moments of her life.”

  Shona sat down be
side him and patted his hand gently.

  “’Tis all any of us can ask for in this life—someone to sit with us as we leave this earth. Who was she to ye? How did ye know her?”

  Fionn stepped from the corner of the room to join them while he chided his wife.

  “Shona, canna ye see how tired the man is? He knew the lass. He may no want to speak of her so soon.”

  “’Tis alright.” Orick lifted his head and managed a small smile. His heart did hurt for Maidie or Marion as he knew her in the end, but more than that, he was grateful they found one another before it was too late.

  “She was my sister, though the last I saw her, I was twelve and she no more than sixteen.”

  It was true enough. The true story he didn’t have the strength to tell. Fionn and Shona weren’t owed it anyway.

  “Ach, man. I’m verra sorry for yer loss. How did ye know ’twas her when I spoke of the lass?” Fionn reached for his cup and refilled it.

  Orick shrugged. His fatigue seemed to make the small lie easier to tell.

  “’Twas a feeling.”

  “Aye? Well, take heart in knowing ye were there for her at the end.”

  Orick smiled and nodded as he stood from the table.

  “Aye, I do.”

  Shona stood and walked with him to the doorway of his room.

  “Ye are welcome to stay as long as ye like. Mayhap, ye need some time to mend from yer loss before ye carry on?”

  He didn’t need time. Idleness didn’t heal loss, and it wasn’t what Maidie would have wanted from him.

  “No, though I thank ye. I’ll leave come morning.

  * * *

  Once he finished eating, Laird Macaslan left quickly, making it very apparent to everyone that he was in no hurry to release Lennox and Griffith. It didn’t take long for Callum and Adwen to follow after him, leaving Jane and me alone in the room with Drostan.

  A few long awkward minutes followed. Then, just as Jane stood and I followed suit, Drostan spoke. He had orange-colored hair and yellowish skin that made him look ill. He was short, fat, and frankly, rather repulsive.

  “’Tis a shame ye are already betrothed. I believe Da wanted ye as my bride.”

  I coughed uncomfortably and moved around the table next to Jane for comfort. My mouth had already gotten me in enough trouble. Luckily, Jane’s tongue no longer seemed tied.

  “Yes, such a shame, but you heard Callum, she’s already taken. Goodnight, Drostan. Would you have someone show us to our rooms, please?”

  Jane didn’t give him a chance to answer or send us assistance before she had me by the arm and pulled me from the room.

  CHAPTER 33

  “That is exactly why I told you not to say anything.”

  Jane’s voice rose at least three octaves higher than normal as she slipped into the bedchamber assigned to me and screeched like a banshee.

  I whirled on her, giving her every bit of frustration right back. I’d already reached my limit for the day as well.

  “No way. Don’t do that. This isn’t my fault. What was I supposed to say to him? I wasn’t the one who lied. That was Callum. Why would he say that?”

  Jane exhaled, leaned against the door, and pinched her thumb and forefinger together against her nose. I stayed back and allowed her the time she needed to cool down.

  Eventually, she spoke more calmly, her tone much less high and squeaky.

  “You’re right. It was Callum. He did it so that Laird Macaslan wouldn’t mention the very thing Drostan just did in the dining hall. But it doesn’t matter. As soon as Lennox and Griffith are released, we can be back on our way home, and this entire thing will be forgotten.”

  Something clanked loudly in the hall outside my bedroom, followed by a loud hushing sound from Adwen before Jane stepped out of the way to allow him and Callum to enter. I could tell by the tightness of Callum’s jaw and the shade of his face things with the laird hadn’t gone well.

  “What?” I asked the question as Jane sat herself down on the floor and answered for them.

  “He still hasn’t released them.”

  Callum spoke between gritted teeth. “Damn the bastard. He doesna have the right to keep them, no now that their debt is paid. Though the truth is he has them, and there is precious little we can do to force his hand, no with just the two of us.”

  Jane leapt up to her feet and started pacing the room as if she were looking for a weapon. “Well, how long is he going to keep them? He can’t keep them forever, can he?”

  Adwen spoke from the shadows of the room, his voice calmer than the rest of us.

  “No, he canna, but he can keep them for far longer than we can allow him to. He has made Callum a proposal. ’Twould result in their immediate release.”

  Jane nodded and held her hands up question. “Okay, great. That’s wonderful. What is it?”

  Adwen stepped into the candlelight. His aggravated expression made me nervous.

  “Ye tell her Callum. I doona have the heart for it. ”

  I laughed uncomfortably, hoping he meant to tease me unnecessarily.

  “Don’t have the heart for what? Come on guys, one of you just spit it out.”

  Callum stepped away from the door and neared me, reaching a hand out to touch the side of my arm.

  “He wishes for us to get married here, lass. Tomorrow.”

  “Ha.” I did laugh then, a full, hearty laugh that Jane had to shush with her hand before I had the opportunity to wake up the whole castle.

  Once I regained control of myself, I spoke again.

  “No way. Just tell him no. Tell him that we wish to get married at Cagair. Extend a damn invitation if you want to. And then, demand that he let your father and brother go. After we are gone awhile, send him a letter and tell him we broke up.”

  Callum squeezed my arm as if he expected that to soothe me. I jerked away from his grip.

  “’Tis no so simple, Gillian. Ye doona understand Laird Macaslan. He is no a man to be toyed with. He doesna make idle threats. If I wish to have my da and brother released by year’s end, ’tis the only choice I have.”

  “It’s the only choice you have?” I repeated myself for good measure as my panic rose. “Isn’t this my choice, as well? Why did you even tell him that in the first place? I met you less than twelve hours ago.”

  I heard a growl from the corner of the room and looked over to see that Adwen looked just as displeased about the idea as me.

  “Ye canna do this, brother. For Orick’s sake if naught else.”

  Callum stepped away from me and turned to face Adwen while Jane came and stood next to me in comfort. She waited until I looked at her then scrunched her nose and shook her head as if to say, ‘don’t worry’.

  “Will the both of ye no wait and allow me to finish? I’ve no intention of marrying the lass, no really. Part of the agreement was that he would release Da and Griffith so they can attend the ceremony. Once they are free, we will all make our escape before the ceremony. I’ve no wish to steal Orick’s lass. I just dinna wish to see the lass forced into a marriage with Drostan.”

  I wanted to weep with relief.

  “So no wedding. Orick’s not going to show back up here and find me married to you?”

  “No, lass. I swear to ye. Though ye shall have to go along with the ruse until just before, aye?”

  I nodded. I’d spent my fair share of time pretending it was my wedding day as a young girl. I could do the same tomorrow with no problem.

  “Sure, you got it. I will play along and be the happiest bride in the world tomorrow. As long as I don’t end up standing at the end of the aisle across from you.”

  Callum laughed and made his way to the door.

  “I will try to no take offense to that, lass. Doona worry, ye willna end up married to me. No unless he holds a knife to each of our throats and forces the ceremony to go forward. And even Laird Macaslan is no as cruel as that.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Macaslan territory didn’t l
ie far from Shona and Fionn’s. Orick left before sunrise and reached the edge of Macaslan’s land by midday. He couldn’t wait to see everyone, but it worried him to see Adwen riding toward him alone even before he reached the castle.

  Orick called out to him as they met. “What’s the matter with ye?”

  “I told Callum ’twas a fool’s plan. Laird Macaslan has seen to make trouble with us long before this day. They’re all in the chapel, and he has Da and Griffith still in chains no to be taken off until Gillian and Callum’s wedding vows are said.”

  “Gillian and Callum? What the hell did ye allow to happen over the course of a day?”

  Orick took off at a gallop toward the chapel as Adwen hurried to keep up.

  “Orick, ye need to slow down so we can talk of a plan of action. ’Twas no Gillian’s doing. I swear the lass is but a moment away from reaching for the nearest sword and running Callum straight through. He told her it wouldna come to this, but there she is now, standing at the end of the aisle with him just exactly where he swore to her she wouldna be.”

  Orick reluctantly slowed his horse and spoke to Adwen in a voice so disgruntled he could hardly recognize it as his own.

  “Ye need to tell me what has happened here. I still doona know how any of this has come about.”

  Adwen reached across the expanse between their horses and whacked him so hard across the back he struggled to stay on his horse.

  “Canna ye see that I doona have time to tell ye anything unless ye wish to allow Gillian to marry my brother?”

  “No.” The very thought made Orick’s skin hot with rage. “I doona wish for her to marry Callum.”

  “Aye, I know it. ’Tis why I snuck away to meet with ye. There is no one inside the chapel save Laird Macaslan, Drostan, Callum, Gillian, Jane, and a few guards with Da and Griffith. I doona think ’twill be difficult to take the guards. Laird Macaslan and Drostan willna raise a sword, for they know they willna win a fight. Laird Macaslan has others fight his battles and always has. We can stop the wedding and get Da and Griffith back with no bloodshed, so doona hurt a soul.”