by Riley Moreno
He took the pen from her trembling hand, dipped it into the inkwell and then in a very beautiful, sloping hand wrote, ‘August 23rd, 1747.’
Bridget gasped. ‘That is barely possible. Did my friend Allie put you up to this?’
‘Allie? Who is that?’
‘This is a joke, yeah?’
‘I am not laughing at you, am I? I am as baffled as you are; that you are here…and that you appeared out of nowhere this morning as well. I could ask you – have you been sent by the enemy to throw me off guard?’
‘Who is your enemy?’
‘All of England. We are being hunted down still – all of us who fought alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie.’
‘Am I dreaming?’ Bridget asked, fear rising up in her gut, ‘Is my mind wandering? Am I hallucinating, Kirk? Or have I gone completely mad?’ She ran out of the room, panic stricken, and Kirk ran after her, pulling her into his arms and holding her fast against him.
‘Breathe slowly and deeply, Bridget. Do not be afraid.’
‘What is happening to me?’
‘I cannot explain either, but things will become clearer by and by, I am sure.’
Bridget looked up at Kirk, his face bronzed by the firelight. ‘I feel like I know you from somewhere, Kirk,’ she said, her voice unsteady, ‘Are you part of some fantastic reverie?’
Kirk took her hand and placed it on his face. ‘Feel this,’ he said, unfurling her fingers and running them over one cheek, ‘I’m real.’
Bridget felt the tips of her fingers on his warm skin and her breath came faster. There was something familiar about his square jaw and broad forehead, framed by the mass of dark hair, now peppered with points of light cast by the fire. Kirk caught his breath, looking down at Bridget’s face, so close to his own; her light grey eyes luminescent. ‘I am a poor host,’ he whispered, ‘I invited you to join me for a wee dram and I have offered you nothing.’
‘I shouldn’t be drinking tonight,’ Bridget whispered back, ‘My mind is turbulent enough as it is.’
‘It might help to calm you,’ Kirk said, leading her back into the room. Bridget watched him as he poured her a drink from a decanter, never stopping to ask him what it was before she quaffed it down in a single gulp.
‘I must leave now,’ Bridget said.
‘It’s late and the moors are dark. Stay here tonight,’ Kirk said.
‘I will get in trouble if I do. We have rules, you know.’
‘Get in trouble with whom?’ Kirk asked, puzzled.
‘My professor. The person who brought us here.’
‘I don’t think he, or she, will ever know.’
‘And why do you assume she won’t?’
‘Because of these dates,’ Kirk said, holding up the paper on which they had both just written.
Bridget allowed Kirk to lead her up the stairs to an exquisitely decorated bedroom, and sank into the four poster bed as soon as her host had left the room.
When she awoke, Bridget heard Allie’s voice, and as her eyes opened she found herself looking up into Gavin Mackenzie’s face.
‘Oh thank God you’re awake!’ Allie exclaimed tearfully.
‘How are you feeling?’ the doctor asked.
‘Bewildered, mostly,’ Bridget said. ‘I was in Kirk’s castle last night and now I’m here at our B and B.’
‘Kirk?’ Allie asked.
‘The Scotsman I mentioned I met at Duffus Castle yesterday,’ Bridget replied.
‘So you’ve been in his castle this time around?’ Gavin asked.
‘Yes,’ Bridget said. ‘Look, I know you think I’m completely mad, but I swear I was in Kirk’s castle and I even had something to drink while I was there. It was dark out on the moors so he wouldn’t let me go out alone, and asked me to stay over.’
Allie and Gavin exchanged looks and the latter turned to Bridget. ‘I’m going to have to take you to our psychiatric facility for a thorough check up.’
Bridget shot up in bed. ‘Psychiatric facility? So you really do think I’m mad!’ She stood up and faced her friend and the doctor. ‘Look, you can’t do that to me. It’s not right.’
‘You’ve been passing out, and everyone is concerned,’ Gavin said, ‘And you also claim to be seeing people and visiting castles and what not…’
‘I promise I am not insane,’ Bridget said softly, ‘Please don’t commit me to an institution.’
‘We’re not doing that at all. We’re merely taking you to a facility where your condition can be evaluated.’
‘And then you will decide I’m mad and a danger to everyone, and you will commit me. I’ve known these things to happen.’
‘You don’t seem to have a very high opinion of doctors, do you?’ Gavin laughed. ‘Look, just come in for a check-up, please.’
‘Ok,’ Bridget said, ‘Sure, I will. But not today. Today we are going to Drummond Castle and I don’t want to miss the trip. Allie knows how much I’ve been looking forward to this.’
‘Yes,’ Allie conceded, ‘Bridget’s surname is Drummond and she is of Scottish descent, and has been waiting for this trip for months.’
‘Very well,’ Gavin said, ‘Bridget could visit us when you get back, or give me a call tomorrow and I will set up an appointment with a specialist. You need to take this condition seriously, Bridget.’
‘I’ll walk you out Dr. Mackenzie,’ Allie said, and led Gavin out of the room.
‘So how often in the past has your friend had these episodes?’ Gavin asked.
Allie shrugged. ‘She has had the occasional seizure, but has never passed out like this.’
‘Hmmm, really? Listen, you need to bring her in for a checkup as soon as possible. Don’t allow her to neglect her condition. Sometimes, certain environments trigger episodes such as the ones Bridget has been experiencing.’
‘She’s been emotional about coming to Scotland…because of her ancestry, I guess,’ Allie observed.
CHAPTER II
Bridget rifled through her suitcase for something pretty to wear, though she knew she had packed only sensible clothes and shoes. She dressed carefully, however, in a warm woollen skirt and embroidered sweater, and pulled a cheeky beret over her hair. She ran her fingers through her chemically straightened, chemically coloured blonde hair, missing her wavy auburn locks. Then, on an impulse, she used Allie’s curling iron to coax some waves into her hair before she put some makeup on.
‘All dressed up for Drummond Castle?’ Allie asked, walking in.
‘Yes,’ Bridget said, sweeping a brush across her eyelids.
‘Wow!’ Allie said, ‘You almost never use that stuff!’
‘I know,’ Bridget answered, ‘I’m not sure what’s gotten into me.’
‘Are you ok, Bridge?’ Allie asked, concerned.
‘I don’t know. I feel fine, right now, of that I’m certain.’
‘Well, come on then, let’s storm Drummond Castle!’
Bridget was silent on the drive there, contributing only a few monosyllables to the chatter in the car. When they arrived at the gates of Drummond Castle, she rolled the window down and leaned out to get a better look at the long, elegant driveway.
‘Alright everyone, you’re allowed to split up and go around the castle, but return here in an hour,’ their professor announced, and Bridget heaved a sigh of relief. Much as she loved Allie, she wanted to be alone for this visit.
‘So Bridget, how does it feel being in your ancestral castle?’ Allie teased.
‘I wish it were my ancestral castle,’ Bridget laughed, ‘all I have of it is my surname.’
Allie took her arm, ‘Let’s do the tour together,’ she said.
Bridget’s spirits sank, but she smiled brightly, ‘Yes, sure.’
Inside the castle however, Bridget left Allie admiring the clan heraldry and took off on her own, climbing the staircase and finding her way to the rooms at the top. It was almost like she knew the place, the way she found the bedrooms with such ease, and the way she rounded a corner an
d discovered the nursery with all its array of toys from a bygone era. She wished she could touch them, but they were cordoned off and bore signs that deterred visitors from getting too close. Bridget looked long and hard at the carved wooden rocking horse, the row of wooden soldiers wearing kilts, and the carved wooden galleon.
Feeling, once again, like her feet had taken on a life of their own, she found her way to the fireplace and stood there before the grate, wondering why she was drawn to that particular spot. She stood there, her mind locked in a battle with itself, and suddenly, before she knew what she was doing, she had ducked into the fireplace and was pushing the wall behind the decorative pile of logs. The wall fell away, and Bridget gasped as she discovered she had forced open a trapdoor. It fell inwards, and Bridget hesitated only the slightest moment, before she crawled inside.
‘Well, there you are again, Bridget!’ Kirk said, as Bridget straightened up, completely overwhelmed by what had just transpired.
‘Where am I?’ Bridget asked, apprehensive and excited all at once.
‘Well, you have just come through a secret passage between Drummond Castle and Skelbo Castle – which you visited not long ago.’
‘A secret passage? It seemed more like just a door from one room to the next.’
‘Oh no. It is a passage that runs a couple of miles actually, and was used by a former Kirk Sutherland for his secret assignations with one Bridget Drummond whom he was forbidden to marry because of enmity between the clans.’
Bridget was staring at him wide eyed. ‘Bridget Drummond did you say?’
‘Yes,’ Kirk answered, ‘You look almost afraid…like you have seen a spectre.’ He looked more keenly at her and said, ‘Oh, of course, your name is Bridget too.’
‘Actually it is Bridget Drummond,’ Bridget answered slowly.
Kirk stared at her in amazement. ‘You are from the Drummond clan?’
Bridget shook her head. ‘No. Well, I have no idea where I am from…originally.’
Kirk took her hand. ‘You look pale. Come, sit down.’
‘What room is this? We were in a different one last night.’
‘This is the morning room. I receive guests here. Mostly clansmen talking about war.’ Kirk gave Bridget a wan smile.
Bridget walked slowly around the room, running her hands over the furniture, looking up at the tapestries and stealing a look out of the window from where she could see the heather clad hills.
‘Kirk, I am afraid. This morning, walking into Drummond castle, it looked so familiar – like I knew it.’ She looked up to see if he was listening, and Kirk’s green eyes were alert and alive. ‘I saw a rocking horse and I felt like it belonged to me. I saw a wooden galleon and …’
‘That was carved by the former Kirk Sutherland for Bridget Drummond.’
‘Was he – the former Kirk Sutherland – your father? Grandfather? Some kind of uncle?’
‘Oh no,’ Kirk answered, ‘He lived a few hundred years ago – but yes, he was a relative and did indeed live in this castle.’
‘Did he marry Bridget Drummond eventually?’
‘No,’ Kirk answered, ‘The story goes that they were forbidden from marrying each other and when Bridget was forced into a marriage against her wishes, Kirk disappeared. They say he died at sea.’
Bridget looked at him intently. ‘Do you think this is a dream? That I am just a phantom?’
Kirk laughed and pointed to her clothes. ‘You obviously do not belong to this place, Bridget. You speak differently from us and you dress differently too. But I feel like I know you from somewhere.’
‘Yes, we met up at Duffus Castle,’ Bridget murmured.
‘And now you poke fun at me,’ Kirk said.
‘Can I be honest with you?’ Bridget asked, and Kirk nodded. ‘You know, I come here from the twenty first century and each time I am here, I am lying unconscious in my world. The doctor who was summoned to attend to me the last time I passed out, thinks I need to be assessed by a psychiatrist.’
‘And what is that?’ Kirk asked.
‘A medic who deals with problems of the mind,’ Bridget explained.
‘Ah,’ Kirk responded, not quite comprehending.
‘The doctor obviously thinks I am a raving lunatic. Do you know, Allie my friend, doesn’t believe me when I tell her about you?’
‘Perhaps you should take her a souvenir from here,’ Kirk suggested.
‘That’s a good idea,’ Bridget said, ‘But I don’t think I will be believed, regardless.’
‘Then perhaps you shouldn’t go back.’
‘I have to. I have a life of sorts there.’
‘Where they think you are mad?’
‘They didn’t until we got here. I did have a few seizures before that though.’
Kirk came over to her and touched her hair. ‘Bridget Drummond, how do you have such fair hair if you are a highland lass?’
‘Because I colour it. With chemicals.’
‘I do not understand,’ Kirk said, shaking his head.
‘It’s something women do where I come from.’ She looked deep into his eyes. ‘Kirk, what do you make of this? You seem quite unperturbed that I have landed up in your home from another century.’
‘I am clan chief. We are trained to show nothing of what we feel. Except love…perhaps.’
Kirk whispered the last few words and Bridget found her eyes riveted to his.
His face was very close to hers when he observed, ‘Today you do not say that you have to go back. Today you seem quite content to be here.’
‘That’s because I am...very gradually... getting used to this - this travel between time zones.’ She moved away and looked out of the window. ‘Do you think that we – you and I – are somehow linked to the former Kirk Sutherland and Bridget Drummond? ‘
‘You mean that the former Kirk and Bridget live through us again?’ Kirk asked.
Bridget opened her mouth to answer when a clansman appeared in the doorway. Bridget instinctively knew that she could be seen by nobody except Kirk, so she continued to stand there by the window.
‘My laird!’ the clansman said breathlessly, ‘I have word that the King’s soldiers will be upon us by nightfall!’
‘The King’s soldiers?’ Bridget repeated dumbfounded.
‘Well, we are prepared, so have no fear,’ Kirk said.
‘What is this about? I thought the war was over!’ Bridget exclaimed after the clansman had gone.
‘We continue to be hunted down and killed in large numbers,’ Kirk said, ‘and we persist in fighting back. Culloden may have happened, but we will never give in.’
He took Bridget by the shoulders. ‘You will have to leave now and go back to where you came from. It is far too dangerous for you here.’
‘Why? I can’t be seen by anyone but you, so actually I could play a really useful part and spy on your enemy for you.’
Kirk looked thoughtfully at her. ‘You are a clever lass to be sure,’ he said.
‘Studying to be an Anthropologist is no mean feat believe me,’ Bridget laughed. ‘Jokes aside, I would be glad to help you out.’
Kirk nodded and then smiled mischievously. ‘There is one point when you become visible to everyone and that is also the point when you cannot return to your world so to speak.’
‘Oh really?’ Bridget queried, raising her eyebrows. ‘And what point is that?’
Kirk moved closer and looked down into her upturned face. ‘When I bed you,’ Kirk said, still smiling an enigmatic smile.
Bridget backed away blushing. ‘Well, you can be sure there will be absolutely no danger of that!’ she exclaimed, looking away from him. She turned back abruptly. ‘Are you teasing me? Is that even a fact you read somewhere?’
Kirk’s expression was serious as he picked up a book and handed it to her. ‘I’ve been doing some reading on the subject of reincarnation.’
‘Reincarnation?’ Bridget echoed in wonder.
‘Yes. Kirk Sutherland and Bridget D
rummond did exist many years ago…and you have come into my world from another time altogether - to maybe find me. Apparently that is what happens when two souls who were meant to be together were kept apart. They cannot rest until they finally cleave to each other.’
‘And you learned all of that from this book?’ Bridget asked, opening the tome and leafing through the pages. She frowned. ‘It’s in another language!’
‘That is Gaelic,’ Kirk said, reaching out to take the book from her. ‘Obviously you wouldn’t be familiar with it.’
Bridget gasped as the words in the book sprang out at her with disturbing clarity. ‘Oh, but I am…apparently!’ She exclaimed, reading a line from a page.
Kirk leaned over her shoulder and turned the pages and Bridget could feel his breath warm on her neck as she read the passage he pointed out to her. When she turned to look up at him, she could see a fire in his eyes. For one long moment she allowed herself to be caught and warmed by the flames, relinquishing herself to his arms when he drew her closer and pressed his lips to hers. There was a familiarity in the kiss that took both Bridget and Kirk by surprise and when he cupped her face in both his hands and the kiss deepened, Bridget allowed his tongue past her lips, receiving it into her mouth with an ache in her body.
‘Oh Kirk!’ She murmured in between kisses, ‘I’ve missed you so much!’
When the words were out, Bridget sprang away, one hand to her mouth and the other to her head. ‘What did I say?’ she gasped.
Kirk pulled her back into his arms. ‘You said that you had missed me so much…and the strange thing is that I wanted to say those words to you myself.’
‘What is happening to us, Kirk?’
‘Nothing that you need to be alarmed about. Obviously the book speaks the truth. We are souls kept asunder, drawing together again.’
‘Then how did you not recognize me? Or I you?’
‘You said you felt an affinity…nay, a familiarity with Drummond palace and other places.’
‘Duffus Castle – where I saw you the other day…do you remember a celebration there, after a victory against one of the clans?’
‘The Abernethy clan,’ Kirk said.
