“Doona ye ever compare my meddling to that of Grier’s, Callum.”
“Who is Grier?” Anne’s question was well-meaning, but Callum would’ve done anything to prevent her asking it if he’d seen it coming.
“She is none of yer damn business, Anne.”
Morna turned and stomped out of the room, leaving Callum to deal with a weepy Anne.
CHAPTER 7
“Damn ye, Grier. Damn ye for making me believe ye were dead and then using yer powers here without showing yer face. ’Tis time ye make yerself known. Whatever it is ye want with me or my family, get on with it, lest ye wish for me to start waging magic of my own. Would ye like to see which of us is more powerful? I wouldna think ye would, for we both know the answer.”
Callum took one more step toward Morna, and he grimaced when she jumped in surprise. He made no effort to sneak up on her, but she was so wrapped up in her speech to the stairwell he managed to frighten her. He hurried to apologize.
“I’m sorry. I thought ye would see me. What are ye doing out here, Morna? Ye were not kind to Anne. Ye need to go and apologize. Normally she doesna mind the teasing about her food, but ye are always so kind to her. It took her aback to have ye be so cruel. She had no part in this. She dinna deserve the way ye treated her.”
She turned on him, anger in her eyes. He readied for his own verbal beating.
“Ye have no business telling me to apologize, Callum. Ye are not my father, ye are my friend.”
Morna could lose her patience with him all she wished. He knew fear drove her strange and impatient behavior as of late.
“No, Morna. Ye doona get to behave this way. There is no reason for it. I doona understand what happened between this Grier and ye, but we’ve no proof that any of this has to do with her. Ye are frightened. I can see that, but ye have to stop this. Now.”
He waited for her to unleash more anger on him. Instead, she wilted down onto the grass as she shook all over. He moved in to gather her up in his arms.
Callum rubbed Morna’s hands gently, pushing as much warmth as he could into her cold, trembling hands. He’d never seen the witch in such a state. He imagined few ever had.
“I’ve never been so frightened in my life, Callum. Nor have I ever been so out of control. If this is how most of ye live yer life, I pity ye for it, for I doona care for it at all.”
“I know that I doona have yer powers, but I dinna feel any evil near Grier when I saw her. I truly believe ye are worried for naught. Ye are making yerself ill over this. We’ve all enough to worry about, and we depend on ye too much for ye to be sick, Morna.”
He held her as she wept. He’d done a lot of that lately—with Jane, with Anne, with the wee babe, and now even Morna. He grew up in the rough company of his father and brothers. The newly realized knowledge that he was good at comforting women surprised him greatly.
“Aye, I know it. Fear makes us all do foolish things, I suppose. I’ll apologize to Anne at once. Ye dinna listen to me, did ye? About the lass? Someone will go and get her.”
Not a one of them, regardless of Morna’s fears, was apt to leave the poor girl waiting at the airport.
“Aye, Morna. She’ll be coming to the castle. Though, I doona know where we will fit her in.”
“Fine. Help me up. Please just heed my warning. Be careful with this girl, Callum. We doona know enough about her, and I for one willna trust her until we do.”
He hoped Morna’s fears would abate soon. Everyone was used to her being so grounded, so open and loving to everyone. Suspicion didn’t suit her.
“Fine. I will be wary of her until we all know her better. But let’s give her a chance, aye?”
She answered his plea with a glare, and he laughed as he dared to ask one more question.
“I’m not comparing ye and Grier, but why do ye see yer interfering on the behalf of others differently than ye see Grier’s?”
Morna pulled away from him, rolled herself to her knees and pushed herself up from the ground. He continued to sit, staring up at her.
“I meddle for the sake of love, Callum. Grier meddles for her own amusement. I fear ye shall know the difference firsthand soon enough.”
CHAPTER 8
Callum sat back in his seat at the long wooden table, directly across from Morna, with the rest of the castle’s temporary inhabitants gathered around. Morna rarely chatted this freely at the dinner table. While no one would ever call the witch quiet, Callum knew her to be the sort that very much enjoyed listening to others converse—especially her family.
Each evening when they gathered together for another of Anne’s well-meaning but horrible meals, Morna would sit back delighting in whatever new story the children had to tell about their imaginative adventures that day. She relished in every word about how work on the Cagair of his own time had gone. But this evening was different. Rather than chiming in when the conversation called for her to do so, his friend led the conversation aimlessly, bouncing from topic to topic as if she couldn’t settle her mind on just one thing.
He couldn’t stand it another moment. It was time to do what he promised her earlier—it was time that everyone learned of Cagair Castle’s newest resident.
“Anne.” He stood, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. “Might I speak with you a moment?”
Callum ignored all of the confused expressions and left for the kitchen to wait for Anne to join him. He would stay true to his word, but first he needed to make Anne understand the need for him to do so.
“What was that about?”
He leaned against the doorway, turning to face Anne as she paused midway down the steps leading to the kitchen.
“Did Morna apologize to ye?”
“Yes, she did. I accepted. What’s going on?”
“I’ve been torn between the two of ye lassies all day. Ye are both so stubborn that neither one of ye will work this out between yerselves. Ye are quite a pair. I shouldna be involved in this at all.”
Anne rolled one of her hands dramatically in the air to hurry him on.
“All right. We’re a pain in your ass. I know. Get on with it.”
“I know I told ye that I’d keep yer secret if ye thought it best to surprise everyone with the girl’s arrival, but Morna has made me see differently. Everyone needs to know before she is picked up tomorrow.”
He could see Anne’s face redden in anger, and he prepared himself for her outburst.
“Is that why Jerry didn’t come down for dinner? She doesn’t want him to know about this Grier person? Morna has nothing to do with this. I’m hiring someone to work here. That’s my job. Or at least it will be once the work is done on the castle and everyone has gone home. This is my deal—not hers. I see no reason why Morna should have any say in how I handle this. I don’t know how or why the email was sent, but I’m glad it was. I’m so freaking sick of trying to cook for you guys that I would hire anyone that showed up wanting the job.”
He allowed her to finish all that she needed to say. He understood her frustration, but it would change nothing.
“Aye, ye are right about much of it, Anne. ’Tis yer job and I doona think anyone will object to having the lass about, but ye know that ’tis not a normal situation here. There are things to decide. Things to talk over with everyone.”
“Such as?”
“We must decide if we will tell her about the magic. Doona ye think it would be difficult to hide it from someone who not only works in the castle but lives here as well? The only reason this arrangement has worked so well during the castle’s reconstruction is that everyone here knows the truth. Do we really feel comfortable introducing someone else to all of it? Such knowledge would change the lass’s life forever.”
He could see by Anne’s long, drawn-out breath that she could see the sense of such a discussion. It wasn’t something to be decided lightly. Whatever the outcome, it would affect everyone at the castle.
“Okay, fine. I understand that, but that’s not M
orna’s problem with the girl, is it? Morna has never had any problem introducing someone to magic. Every time we turn around, she’s sending another girl across time to be wooed by one of you brutes.”
He tried not to take offense to Anne’s description of him and the other men of his time. He always thought himself a gentle sort of man on the inside. He expected the same was true of most of them.
“Ye are right. ’Tis not the magic Morna is worried about. She believes this girl already knows of it, for Morna had no hand in sending yer email to the lass. I know she dinna respond well to ye before, but she’s ready to tell all of ye about Grier and her suspicions now, and aye, that is why Jerry is gone, though if he wakes and learns she put poppies in his drink before dinner is over, I fear a dreadful scene will unfold before all of our eyes. Still, the lass must be discussed with everyone whether ye like it or not.”
He could see the resignation in Anne’s eyes, and he didn’t wait for her response as he stepped past her on the stairwell on his way back to the dining hall.
“Come, Anne. Let’s not put this off any longer.”
When Callum and Anne returned, all of the children save the babies were gone from the table. Callum didn’t know for certain what Morna would say, but the last thing she would want to do was frighten them. He expected she sent the children away to shield them from her words.
“All right, Callum. Now that ye’ve told Anne that she willna be surprising the lot of them tomorrow, I’m ready to speak with everyone.”
Jane spoke right as baby Nora squealed in her arms. “Please do. I think the three of you have successfully put everyone’s nerves on edge. Why did you send Cooper and the other little ones away?”
Callum walked around the table, offering to take the child for her so that she could listen more closely. She handed the babe to him as soon as he approached. He smiled as the baby quieted the moment he gathered her in his arms. Whether it was the fire or their daily sessions with Morna for the months following, he didn’t know, but he and the babe shared a special bond. It warmed Callum’s heart to know she would always be able to call him uncle.
Morna gave him a quick questioning glance. As he nodded to encourage her, she spoke.
“The time has come for me to tell all of ye more about me than I’ve ever had cause to before. Though, before I say a word, I’d like to preface it with this—doona ask me a single question. All of it brings back memories I doona wish to dwell on. I will tell ye what I must, and that will be all. Understood?”
Callum watched everyone nod in agreement as Morna paused briefly.
“We all know that magic exists at Cagair—the magic of another witch—a witch I long believed dead. She is not. It was she that ended the fire at Cagair, and it is she that has seen fit to bring someone new into our midst now.”
With Nora sleeping in his arms, Callum returned to his seat, allowing Morna to relay everything she told him over the past days to the rest of the castle’s residents. When she finished, a silence hung over the room in a way he’d not expected. He could sense the tension of many around the room, their strong fear of a woman none of them knew.
He understood that Morna’s past dealings with Grier made her fearful, but something deep within told him that perhaps, in this instance, his friend was wrong to be hasty with her judgment. He’d seen this Grier for himself—witnessed her power, sensed her presence. Even as he lay enveloped in the rising smoke, all he felt was her love for the burning castle when he looked at her. He knew in that moment, as his vision faded along with the flames that roared over his castle, that the witch had come to save his home that day out of her own real and desperate love for Cagair Castle.
Time had a way of distorting memories. What if time somehow veiled the truth about Grier from Morna? What if whatever happened between them blurred Morna’s reality of past events after all this time?
Adwen’s voice stirred him from his thoughts.
“Morna, ye are right. If she knows of the magic like ye think she does then it means she works with this Grier, and she comes here with intent. We canna allow her to be here without knowing the extent of her knowledge about the castle’s magic. When she arrives in the morning, we must question her, the lot of us. If we’re all gathered, perhaps she will be frightened enough to tell us the truth. If she doesna do so, then we can have Morna spell her so that she has no choice.”
Callum stood, quickly looking over to his right where Blaire already held her hands extended toward him to accept the baby. When his hands were free, he slammed his fists down on the table. Adwen was always hasty with his decisions, but how could he possibly think it good to apprehend the lass and scare her to death when her innocence was far more likely than her guilt?
“Ye are a fool if ye think I will allow that for a moment.” Callum turned his angry eyes away from his brother to address Morna. “I’m sorry, Morna, but yer suspicion is not enough for us to treat this lass any differently than we would anyone else.”
Orick’s voice, deep and booming, joined in from across the room.
“Callum’s right. I’ve not had the same experiences with Morna as the rest of ye have so forgive me if my words cause offense. Have we not all learned by now that witches doona usually enlist the help of others in their meddling?”
Callum wanted to jump across the table and hug Orick in thanks for his wisdom. Not that it surprised him—Orick was always the sound and steady mind to Adwen’s changing and reckless one.
Morna joined him by rising to her feet, demanding everyone’s attention before a single person in the room could answer Orick’s question. She pointed right at Callum as she spoke.
“Callum, ye can sit now. I’m taking charge of this conversation once again.”
Twirling to her right, she pointed at Orick.
“Orick, seeing as ye only know the one witch,” she pointed to herself, “me, I think it best ye keep yer opinions about witches in general to yerself.”
Adwen was the last to get her angry finger pointed in his direction.
“And, Adwen, Callum is right. What were ye thinking suggesting we all but take the lass captive? I’m frightened, but I saw fit to tell ye my fears so we could discuss them. I’m not cruel, nor am I a criminal. Jane’s sure to give ye hell for that answer later.”
Callum looked over at Jane to see her nodding her head in agreement. Her arms were crossed and her teeth clenched as she spoke.
“Oh, you have no idea.” Jane twisted her head to speak directly to her husband. “You can be so stupid sometimes.”
Callum seated himself at Morna’s request and leaned back to listen silently as he tried to keep from laughing at the wounded expression on Adwen’s face.
“Now. I’ll continue as I meant to before Adwen interrupted me and Callum and Orick saw fit to cast me as a crazy criminal. My first thought was that we needn’t pick up the girl from the airport, but ’twas a foolish notion, for I’m sure she’ll show up either way. I’ve had time to calm down. Here is what I suggest.
“We must all be hesitant with the lass. We must all be cautious, but I will not allow anyone to be unkind to this girl. I can see now that fear of Grier has turned me into a bit of a monster. I allow her to win if I continue on in such a way.
“Of course, we willna be apprehending her as soon as she arrives, but we must find out if she knows of the magic. Who is going to pick the lass up tomorrow?”
Callum raised his hand. He and Anne had already agreed on the arrangement. “I am.”
Morna nodded and reached into her pocket before rolling a small vial across the table toward him.
“I should’ve known. O’course ye are. Ye will give her this. I doona care how ye get it down her throat, but ye must promise me that ye will. Doona worry, it willna hurt the lass at all. All it will do is make certain that she canna lie to us while she’s here. That way, we will verra quickly learn if she knows of the magic.
“If she does, we will inquire further about what Grier has sent her h
ere to do. If she does not, I suggest that we keep quiet on the subject for, let’s say a week, so that we have time to see how she works out. If Gillian and Anne, seeing as the lass will be working for them in the near future, find her work pleasing and she fits in well, we will tell her everything then. I doona see how anyone can live here without learning of the magic. ’Twould be best if she knows everything if she stays here long-term. Does everyone agree, or do I need to keep speaking until ye all see sense and get on board with my plan?”
Callum twirled the glass vial in between his fingers. He didn’t like the idea of tricking the stranger in any way, but he could see that Morna’s thinking was more rational now than the last time he spoke with her. Her plan was a sensible one, and he expected everyone would agree as well.
“Aye, I’ll give the lass this before I arrive here with her in the morning. Does everyone else agree to do as Morna suggested? We can broach the subject of magic with her over dinner her first night here, if so.”
It didn’t take long for everyone to agree, and the matter was settled among them all.
Only when Callum stood to leave the table before everyone else did he see Jerry standing outside the dining hall, out of sight but surely not out of earshot. Morna’s poppies were not as strong as she hoped. Clearly, Jerry had been awake for some time.
Tears ran down the old man’s face, and Callum didn’t dare approach him for fear of embarrassing his friend. Whatever reason Morna had for keeping word of Grier from Jerry, it mattered not.
Jerry now knew everything. Callum was sure of it.
CHAPTER 9
By the time I actually landed in Scotland, some twelve hours later than originally scheduled, I was exhausted, frustrated, and ready to collapse. All that kept me from stopping for a quick nap on an airport bench was the knowledge that I didn’t have to drive myself to the castle.
So while I stood in baggage claim waiting for my bag to come around the carousel, I did my best to be grateful for small blessings. By the time I grabbed my bag, I felt better about everything and hurried outside to look for my escort.
Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) Page 4
