Carmen peered into the room. “Isn’t it here?”
“This? This an’t yer room, Miss. Yers is upstairs, ye ken. Come alang wi’ me, and I’ll help ye undress.”
Carmen blushed to her eyelashes, but she followed the girl upstairs. She should have expected this, but for some reason the whole situation embarrassed her. She never really accepted until right now that she really did travel to a different time.
The guys never expected her to change into any dress, and she never had any servant help her change her clothes before. Would the girl stand by and watch her take a bath, too?
At this point, the prospect of her first bath in…. however long, appealed so much Carmen didn’t care. She would take a bath in front of a hundred people for the opportunity to wash her hair and change her clothes.
The girl led the way up to the second landing. All the rooms Carmen beheld in that castle paled in comparison to the room into which the maid showed her now. It was five times the size of her room downstairs, and an enormous canopy bed occupied almost the entire room. Brocade curtains surrounded the bed, and mountains of satin cushions stacked on top of the embroidered coverlet.
A large wooden tub the size of a jacuzzi sat in front of the window. Steam from the hot water inside clouded the window so Carmen didn’t have to worry about anybody looking in on her. Anyway, this room was high enough off the ground no one could see her anyways. A magnificent gown like the ones she saw on the ladies in the Throne room draped over a chair nearby.
The maid scooted around the room doing God knows what. When she came back to where Carmen stood, the first indication of doubt crossed her face when she inspected Carmen’s clothes. “Weel, let’s get ye out o’ these, then.”
Carmen’s cheeks burned. “I think I’ll undress myself. Thank you, anyway, but I’d like to be alone right now.”
The maid brightened. “Certainly, Miss. Just ring yer bell when ye want me back.”
“I’ll definitely need you to help me get that dress on,” Carmen remarked.
The maid let out a pealing laugh. It didn’t sound right to Carmen’s ear in that castle, but she better get used to the sound of voices again.
The maid took herself off, and Carmen stood alone in the silence once more. She couldn’t get her mind to comprehend everything she’d seen and heard and done. Angus burned to a crisp in that fire and rose from the ashes to become the dragon King. That must be why they called it the Phoenix Throne.
Carmen should have thought of that before, but she had to see it for herself. She never would have believed it if she hadn’t witnessed it with her own eyes. Even now, that big black dragon downstairs seemed like something out of a fevered dream. There was no dragon downstairs, only Angus and his adoring people.
Carmen shucked off her jeans, her vest, her T-shirt and her boots. She piled them in a corner and gave them an affectionate pat like the old friends they were. She would never wear them again. She would stay here, and she would become one of these people. That meant dressing the way they did and acting as they did. She might never change her accent, but she would join the life of the castle. She might even grow her hair out.
She turned her back on that last vestige of her old life. She stood fresh and clean and new before the window. The time had come to wash away the last shades of death and decay. Angus rose from the ashes, and Carmen could do it, too.
She stepped into the water, and it closed her in a hot tight fist. It seeped into her skin and rushed in her veins. It filled her to the brim with Urlu until she became part of it. This was where she belonged.
Chapter 32
Angus and Carmen stood in the vestry outside the Throne room. He wore a new kilt of dark green Cameron tartan, and an ornate bejeweled silver medallion hung from the plaid across his chest. A jewel-encrusted kilt pin bumped his thigh where it held his kilt closed. He wore a new sporran of sealskin lined with silver tassels.
He felt different, and he saw the difference reflected in Carmen’s eyes when she looked at him. His smooth brushed hair swept back from his clean-shaven face. All his clothes were spotless and fragrant with laundry soap.
He couldn’t remember feeling so clean and presentable, but when he looked at Carmen, she took his breath away. Her gleaming white gown touched the floor. Pearls and diamonds glittered along every seam, and lace lined the bodice where it cut low across her chest.
Teardrop diamonds hung from her ears, and a large oval diamond set in gold draped around her neck to rest above her sternum. A circle of pearls decorated her shiny black hair. She blushed every time he looked at her.
He took her hand and drew her toward him. “Are ye ready fer this?”
Her eyes slid away from his face, and a flush crossed her cheeks. “You are. I can see that.”
He slipped his hand behind her back and pressed her against his chest. He breathed into her face. “Do ye love me, lass?”
Her eyes snapped to his face. “Of course I love you. You should know that. Why do you even ask that?”
He squeezed her so she bent over backward in his arms. “Ye’ll be mine after this. Ye know that, don’ ye?”
Her eyes widened to stare back at him. “I’ve always been yours. You know that. Today doesn’t change anything.”
He bent forward to kiss her. She never meant more to him than she did now. She smelled fresh and clean, and her skin glowed. She smiled more these last few days, and her clothes made her look feminine and inviting.
He never wished for this. He never wanted anything but that hardened fighter he fell in love with on the road, but she intoxicated him beyond belief now. He never guessed she would look so beautiful like this. He never even imagined it. For some reason, he always imagined her dressed in her old trousers, even when he imagined her as his Queen.
She collapsed into his arms. Her breath caught in her throat the way it did when the old excitement tensed through her. Her lips welcomed him, and her mouth opened to receive his tongue probing in to find her.
Just then, loud organ music drifted to Angus’s ear through the thick oaken door. He straightened up and set Carmen on her feet. Her eyes darted around the vestry, but she didn’t see anything.
Angus gave his belt one last adjustment, and Carmen smoothed down her skirts. On one last impulse, he grabbed her behind the neck and planted a firm kiss on her mouth. “I’ll see ye in there.”
He turned away as the huge doors swept open, and he found himself looking down that long red carpet to the Phoenix Throne beyond. Hundreds of people in their finery lined the carpet on either side. Ross stood next to the Throne and waited for him.
This was his moment. The long journey came to this, and his heart rose to the occasion. He swelled out his chest and strode into the hall. The people on either hand sank to their knees before him. A wave of bowing heads proceeded him all the way down that carpet to his Throne.
His sword swung at his side. His sporran bumped back and forth between his thighs, and his kilt tossed against his knees. He owned this moment. This whole castle, this whole world belonged to him alone.
He came to the foot of the Throne. The black dragon stared down into his eyes. The castle craftsmen needed no instruction to make a new Throne for the new King. They reproduced the dragon in its exact likeness. Even the eyes followed the observer no matter where he moved.
Angus cast a glance around. His brothers and Ewan formed a line to one side of the platform, the brothers in their Cameron green and Ewan in the red Munro tartan. The Guard formed ranks behind Ewan with their halberds presented at attention. The crowd knelt with bowed heads behind him.
Ross stepped forward and motioned Angus to ascend the Throne. His heart thudded against his ribs. Even this, he never dared imagine. He never rehearsed this moment in his mind or thought what it would look like to gaze out at the assembly from the platform. Could he really do this? Could he really be King?
What was he really going to do—run away? Of course not. He clenched his fists and climbed t
he steps. Ross wore his same old brown cloak and hood. Angus could see no sign of him save that shaggy beard.
Angus stopped in front of the wizard. What Ross thought at this moment, Angus would never know. He turned around and faced the crowd. Faceless heads bowed before him all the way to the back wall.
Ross came up behind him and put something heavy on his head. He had to brace his neck and shoulders to hold his head up under the weight. It came to rest and stayed there.
Ross moved away, and his voice boomed out through the hall as Angus never heard it before. “I give you Angus Cameron, King of Urlu.”
The people exploded to their feet in wild cheers and shouts. The Guard raised their halberds and hooted to the skies. A long line of trumpeters put their horns to their lips and sounded a deafening blast of triumphal harmonious tones. The noise electrified Angus’s nerves, and a thrill ran through him. He’d done it. He was King at last.
His brothers cheered with the others. Only Ewan stood still. A beatific smile spread over his face, and he blinked back tears. Angus surveyed his new realm in satisfied calm. Today was his day.
The cheering went on and on. It would have gone on forever if Ross hadn’t raised his hands for quiet. The hall fell silent once more, and every eye turned back toward the doors.
Angus gazed down the long red carpet to the oval slabs of oak separating him from his destiny. His future, his dreams and aspirations—they all waited for him outside that door. When they opened, his life would never be the same. Not even the crown of Urlu could affect him as much as this.
The last rustle of skirts and shoes died away. The people held their breath. Angus’s pulse hammered in his brain. This moment made him more nervous than his own coronation.
At last, the great doors heaved open. The light streamed in from outside, and everyone stared into the vestry. A small white-clad figure stood alone on the red carpet. Her short-clipped black head contrasted with her snow-white gown and the pearls and diamonds all over her.
From the Throne, Angus watched her glide down the hall toward him. Her skirts floated in clouds of silken whiteness over that crimson carpet. She held her shoulders erect and thrown back under her tight bodice. Her breast shone white and smooth and tender where her lacy neckline cut low over her chest.
The crowd slumped to its knees in front of her. Heads bowed and skirts fluttered to the floor. Carmen looked neither right nor left. Her dark eyes fixed on Angus in front of his Throne.
Across that distance, he sensed the change between them. Hardship and heartbreak, pain and deprivation, parting and reunion bound them together against all odds. Nothing could tear them apart again. Their love made them both into the best they could become until they rose to the highest position they could attain.
Blood and death stretched behind them into a past that no longer fit them. They fought and they won the glorious daylight surrounding them at this moment.
Carmen halted at the foot of the Throne. For one moment, she locked her eyes on Angus’s face. Was this the woman he fell in love with? Was this the same tough cop who smashed his head into a tree the first day they met?
He could scarcely believe it was the same woman, but here she stood, magnificent, radiant, composed. She never hesitated to look him in the eye. She would never hesitate to stand up to him. She was fit to be Queen. He loved and trusted her so much it hurt.
The moment drifted into one eternal hiatus. They could stand there and look at each other and never get tired of it. Just when Angus started to believe that’s exactly what they would do, she lowered her eyes and sank down on her knees before the Throne. Her chin fell onto her lily-white breast, and she bowed her head in fealty to the King.
The sight of her bowing at his feet stabbed him in the guts. He wanted her so bad right now. He would give anything to take her in his arms, to cradle her and kiss her and shelter her. He was her King, too, and he would never let her down.
He struggled to get hold of himself. He held out his hand and called, “Rise!”
She raised her head, and when she saw him holding out his hand to her, she smiled and got to her feet. She ascended the steps until she grasped that hand. He drew her onto the platform next to him and steered her into place at his side.
She turned and faced the crowd. She painted almost a more regal picture than Angus himself. Her breast heaved with her breath, and her nostrils flared with excitement. Her black eyes sparkled when she glanced up at him.
Ross came up behind her and fixed a thin gold crown to her head. Gems and precious stones studded the surface. It lit up her whole face. Ross stepped back into his place and shouted over the crowd. “I give you Carmen, Queen of Urlu.”
The same eruption of noise and cheering filled the hall. The crowd cheered Angus and Carmen, crowned King and Queen before the Phoenix Throne. The ghosts came to rest, and life filled the halls and corridors of the castle, never to be cursed again.
Chapter 33
Carmen and Hazel strode through the grass along the riverbank. Their long skirts trailed over the short sod to the fields beyond. They held hands, and the sun shone full on their faces.
Hazel’s long gown flattered her willowy form and gave her sensual curves. Her smooth bright hair gleamed rich and shining in the sun. It draped over her ears to the long braid swaying across her back.
Good living agreed with Hazel. A peaceful smile spread over her face, and she trailed her fingertips through the grass stems growing golden in the late summer heat. “You’re so lucky.”
“What!” Carmen gasped. “I’m no luckier than you. You always said you wanted to belong somewhere, and as far as I can tell, you do. You never looked better in your life.”
A mysterious smile touched Hazel’s lips. “I feel better than I ever have in my life, and you’re right. I do belong here. I never belonged anywhere before.”
“So don’t go telling me how lucky I am. You cast that spell, and you succeeded. You came where you belong. No one can take that away from you.”
“Do you feel like you came where you belong?”
“Of course. Why do you even ask? You know I couldn’t be happier.”
“I know,” Hazel admitted. “Just sometimes I feel bad about taking you and the others away from your lives. I hope they’re okay somewhere, wherever they are.”
“I’m sure they are. Anyway, there’s nothing we could do about it if they weren’t.”
Hazel sighed. “Still, I wonder sometimes. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for making them unhappy. Look at Elle—or Sadie. They were already where they belonged. Now they’re not. I hate to think what they’ve been through.”
“Well, I would say even Elle and Sadie might have something to learn about where they really belong. I mean, Elle’s a workaholic, and Sadie has never even had a boyfriend. She’s been driving to the wall ever since college, and she hasn’t quit to catch her breath all the way through medical school. Maybe this is what they both need to take a break from their lives.”
“Do you really think so?”
“To be honest,” Carmen replied, “I don’t think about Sadie or Elle or Grace much at all. They’re somewhere, and we’re here. We’ve got our own lives, and they’ve got theirs. If they’re over here somewhere, they’ve got their own challenges to face to deal with it, and we’ve got ours. That’s all I really think about.”
Hazel shook her head. “You’re lucky, Carmen.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’ve got Angus. You’ve got someone. I’ve been alone all my life. I don’t see how I could ever love anybody.”
Carmen jumped. “Oh, is that what’s bothering you? You’ll find someone, but you have to get out more. You can’t keep hiding in your room all the time.”
“I don’t want to get out more. I like it better in my room. You keep making me come out here for a walk every day and I would do anything for you, Carmen. Just so you understand, though, I don’t want to come out here. I would rather stay inside.”
<
br /> “How can you say you belong here when you don’t ever leave your room? What’s bothering you? Why can’t you put the past behind you and be happy? Are you still upset over what happened between you and Angus?”
Hazel passed her hand over her eyes. “Angus is a good man and a good King. I can see that now, and you’re really lucky to have a man like him to go through life with. I wish I had someone like that, and he won’t stop apologizing for the way he acted when you disappeared. I understand now why he got so upset. I’ve told him a dozen times I forgive him, but I don’t think he can forgive himself. I seem to haunt him somehow and remind him of that part of himself he’d rather forget.”
“What is it, then? Why do you shrink from these people so much? I admit it took a while for me to get used to so much noise and activity around all the time. I was used to the castle being quiet and being able to eat in the kitchen whenever I wanted. Now I’ve got people around me day and night. I’m still not used to it.”
“It’s not that,” Hazel murmured.
“What could it be, then? Everyone here is so kind and considerate.”
Before Hazel could answer, a huge green dragon swooped low over the opposite hill. It screamed down the mountain and across the river on a bee line for the castle. The air washed off its wings and tossed the trees over Carmen and Hazel’s heads.
Hazel jumped and gave a little scream. Her hand flew to her heart, and she stared all around with wild eyes.
Carmen’s hand fell on her arm. “It’s all right. It’s just the patrol coming back. See? There’s Fergus.”
Another ten dragons of different colors soared down the mountain on their return flight to the castle. Hazel looked the other way. “I don’t know how you can stand to look at those things.”
Carmen spun around to stare at her. “Things! Is that what’s bothering you? You can’t get used to them being dragons?”
Ghost Clan Page 23
