by Jennae Vale
Dylan knocked on Alec’s door. “Alec, are you in there?”
“Aye,” came the reply. “Give me a minute.”
“I was wondering if you’d like to ride out with me to the apple orchard. I want to look for clues.” Dylan waited patiently. He could hear rustling on the other side of the door. He assumed he must have woken Alec. The door opened a crack and a sleepy-headed Alec peered out at him. “Do you sleep with that cap on?” Dylan questioned with a laugh.
“Of course I do. It keeps me head warm.” Maggie answered a little testily.
“Well, what do you think? Do you want to go with me?”
“Aye. I’d be happy to join ye. I’ll meet ye in the courtyard shortly.” Maggie stifled a yawn. “Could ye bring some food? I’m quite hungry.”
“Sure. I’ll go get some from the kitchen and I’ll have the stable boys bring our horses. See you in a bit.” Dylan turned away and headed downstairs, first to the stables to speak to the stable boys, and next across the courtyard to the kitchen.
As he approached, he could hear the sounds of women talking. He knew it was Jenna, Sophia and Mary, already hard at work preparing food for the day ahead. “Good morning, ladies,” Dylan said when he entered the kitchen.
“Good morning,” they responded.
“You’re up early,” Jenna said, dusting the table with flour. The three women began kneading dough as they looked expectantly to Dylan.
“I had a lot on my mind. Sophia, how’s Latharn? He took quite a blow to the head yesterday.”
“He feels much better this morning. He had a nasty headache last night, but it’s gone now. He’s going to take it easy for a day or two, whether he likes it or not.” Sophia spoke with a very determined expression on her face.
“He won’t like it, but I have no doubt he’ll follow orders.” Dylan chuckled and Sophia’s expression relaxed as she joined him. As a waitress in twenty first century San Francisco, Sophia had a crush on Dylan and he had behaved very badly after their first date by not calling her. She had been extremely angry with him, but thank goodness all was forgiven and he was once again in her good graces. He could now appreciate her for the special woman that she was. Latharn was a lucky man.
“What can we get fer ye?” Mary asked. Dylan knew the cook had taken a liking to him since his arrival. She didn’t allow many people in her kitchen while she cooked, but she made an exception for him. “Come, love, sit down. Would ye like some bannocks?”
“That would be great. I was wondering if I could get them to go. I’m going riding this morning with Alec and he’s hungry, too.”
“Of course, of course.” Mary grabbed a sack from a nearby rack and began filling it with bannocks, fruit and a flask of cider. “Will that be enough for ye?”
“That should do the trick.” Dylan watched as Mary gave him an odd look. He realized she probably didn’t understand the modern expression. “Thank you, Mary. You are too good to me.” Dylan copied what he had seen the men of this time period do on many occasions and reached for Mary’s hand to place a kiss on her fingers.
Mary blushed. “Och. Yer a charmer, ye are.”
“Where are you off to?” Jenna asked, as she and Sophia expertly worked with the dough.
“We’re heading back to the orchard.”
“Do ye think that’s safe now? I wouldnae want any harm to come to ye.” Mary appeared concerned at his announcement.
“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, Mary. I’ll be very careful.” He reassured her with a gentle squeeze of her shoulder. “I’ll see you all later on.”
Dylan couldn’t help but laugh as he walked from the kitchen and overheard Mary speaking to Jenna and Sophia. “He’s a handsome one, isnae he?” Mary, who was old enough to be his mother, apparently had a crush on him.
* * *
THE COURTYARD WAS quiet this morning. Everyone had been up until the wee hours last night and they were probably catching up on some much-needed rest. Maggie stood waiting for Dylan to arrive, holding the horses that had been delivered by the stable boys a few moments before. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea to do this, but she wanted to spend time with Dylan, even if she had to pretend to be someone else in order to do it.
“Alec,” Dylan called.
Maggie watched as he strode towards her with a sack of food thrown over his shoulder. He couldn’t look any better to her if he tried. She masked her obvious admiration by looking down at her feet. This was going to be a challenge. She hoped she didn’t slip up.
“I’ve got some food, Mary packed plenty for both of us. I know you said you were hungry, so grab something and we’ll get started.” He held out the sack to Maggie and she reached in and took a bannock and a piece of fruit. She had been so preoccupied with Dylan that she didn’t even look to see what she had picked, but saw now that it was a beautiful pear. Maggie placed the food in her pocket while she mounted her horse and watched as Dylan mounted his. Retrieving the pear, she bit into it and turned her horse towards the gate with Dylan following close behind. They were just about to pass through, when she heard Brielle calling out to Dylan. The sound of her voice resembled the sound of chalk on a blackboard, and it had the same effect on Maggie.
“Dylan, where are ye off to?” Brielle asked. She was mounted on her own horse and trotted up to them.
“We thought we’d head back out to the apple orchard and take a look around,” Dylan answered. “I want to see if we can come up with any explanation for that sudden storm yesterday afternoon.”
“Do ye mind if I join ye?” Brielle smiled sweetly at him.
“No. Not at all.” Dylan replied.
“What about you, Alec, do ye mind?” Brielle was playing with her as far as Maggie could tell and she had all she could do to keep her voice under control, so she simply shook her head. “Good, I wouldnae want to interfere with yer outing,” Brielle added.
Maggie was irritated beyond belief with Brielle, who had obviously intended to be coming with them, no matter what Dylan or she might have to say about it. She nudged her horse forward and rode in front of Dylan and Brielle, who rode side-by-side as they headed for the orchard. I wonder what she’s up to this time. It can’t be anything good!
* * *
“WHAT MADE you decide to go riding this morning, Maggie?” Dylan was not happy to see her, but he hoped she didn’t notice. He had wanted to examine the orchard with Alec alone. There was something strange about the whole situation and the thought had popped into his head that maybe Maggie had more to do with it than it appeared. But why would she do it? It didn’t make any sense, and then there was the fact that she had stopped it. His hopes of getting answers, without her hovering around, had been dashed.
Maggie slowed her horse and they both fell back a good distance from Alec. “I was worried fer ye, Dylan,” Maggie said quietly. “I believe yer little friend, Alec, may have been the one who caused the lightning strikes yesterday.” She turned her sweet face to his.
“Alec? Why would he do something like that?” Dylan was baffled by her accusation. Alec was a young lad, sent by Edna to Breaghacraig along with Angus. What possible reason could he have to do something like that?
“I dinnae ken why, but just before the lightning struck for the first time, I was watching him. He stared into the sky, as if he was calling down the fiery bolts, and then once they began to rain down on us all, he stood there, smiling an evil smile.” Rather than sounding concerned about what had happened, she seemed pleased with her recounting.
Dylan gave it some thought and while he didn’t necessarily believe Maggie, he felt the need to watch his back on two fronts today. Could he trust either one of them?
“I believe Alec is a witch, Dylan, and I think she’s a young woman – not a young lad as she would have everyone believe.” Brielle sat atop her horse with a smug smile on her face. “She must have fooled my aunt and uncle into allowing her to come to Breaghacraig.”
“I’m not sure what to think about that possi
bility.” Could Alec conceivably be a woman? Admittedly, he was very slight of build and didn’t have a lot of strength in his arms or shoulders – that much had been obvious when they’d sparred together a few days ago. Dylan ran everything through his head and had to admit, he was having a hard time believing what he’d just heard. He focused on Alec riding ahead of them and scrutinized the young lad very carefully. Could he be a woman? Anything was possible, he supposed. It was one more thing he would need to investigate. He had to get to the bottom of this. “Come on. Let’s catch up with Alec.”
He spurred his horse forward and Maggie followed along. They reached Alec as he was about to enter the orchard, where the damage was unbelievable. They had been in such a hurry to get away yesterday, that Dylan hadn’t really taken notice of the destruction. More than half the trees in this particular orchard had been destroyed. Whole limbs, bits of tree bark, and broken branches were strewn everywhere. There was an eerie silence about the place as they dismounted and walked through the orchard. Dylan took note of each tree, examining the trunks for any sign that what had happened had not been a natural occurrence. Nothing was obvious to him. Alec and Maggie were conducting their own inspection, or at least he hoped they were. They all searched and searched, and yet there was nothing to suggest this was witchcraft and not merely a freak, natural occurrence.
They met in the middle of the orchard. While Alec appeared disappointed, Dylan noted that Maggie didn’t look fazed in the least.
“Alec, would ye mind waiting fer us over by the horses?” Maggie asked.
Alec didn’t respond, but his eyes flashed angrily at her and then Dylan before he turned to stomp away.
“Thank ye, yer a dear,” Maggie called out to Alec’s departing back.
“What was that all about?” Dylan wanted to know.
“’Tis nothing. I wanted to be alone with ye for a moment, ’tis all.” She sidled closer to him and said, “Kiss me.”
* * *
MAGGIE STOOD in the shadows and watched as Dylan kissed Brielle. To her eyes, it appeared to be a tender kiss, one that spoke of love and promise. Her love and promise, damn it! She fought hard against the urge to disrupt the couple’s idyllic moment. I should be the one he’s kissing. The thought of the sweet kisses she’d shared with Dylan back in Glendaloch assailed her, nearly shattering her fragile composure. Maggie should never have let Dylan leave. She had stupidly encouraged his sense of adventure. She’d let him go, expecting that when next she saw him she would run to his waiting arms and their love would bloom into the happily-ever-after she’d always dreamed of. Instead, she found herself at Breaghacraig, spying on him as he kissed the woman intent on destroying him and the entire clan. He must be blind, she thought. How can he nae see that she isnae me? Surely one look in her eyes would be enough for him to recognize the truth. Fists clenched and eyes tightly closed, Maggie was steaming mad. The tension was rolling off her body like waves crashing the seashore and the horses sensed her anger. They snorted and danced nervously around her. “Shhh… ’tis fine. Calm yerselves,” she soothed. She purred to them like a kitten; a trick she knew would work to settle their harried nerves. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didnae wish to upset ye.” The horses visibly relaxed and that was Maggie’s cue to do the same. “If this is what is meant to happen, then so be it. I will just have to accept that love may not be for me and perhaps neither is Dylan Sinclair.”
* * *
DYLAN FOUND himself lowering his head and cradling Maggie’s face in his large hands. He hadn’t planned on kissing Maggie, but somehow he found himself doing so. He gently kissed her lips. Maggie kissed him back with great passion and intensity, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into him, but for Dylan, the kisses fell flat. There was no spark, no connection. Where had it gone? In Glendaloch, he had been so sure of it, but now it was all wrong. This appeared to be Maggie, but she was a really bad version of Maggie. The Maggie he met in Glendaloch had been sweet and engaging, smart and funny. Now she seemed distracted most of the time, and when she kissed him, her purpose wasn’t clear. It was as if she was trying to prove something to him. But what? The sound of the horses, whinnying nervously made Dylan stop their kiss abruptly. “We should get back,” he said, casting his gaze towards Alec and the horses.
Maggie’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “Why? They’ll not miss us yet. I dinnae wish to stop.” She smiled coyly and traced his jawline with a soft finger.
“Maggie, this isn’t the time or the place.” He glanced back over his shoulder at Alec, who now stood perfectly still, holding the horses. What an odd expression he had on his face. It was a mixture of sadness and anger – or so it appeared.
“Don’t worry about him,” Maggie insisted. “The wee lad looks like he might need to sleep a bit.” As if on cue, Alec yawned and rubbed his eyes. “See there, he is sleepy.” She laughed, the sound sharp and cackling as she reached up and kissed Dylan again.
Breaking away from her, Dylan spoke with more vehemence than he’d intended. “Maggie, I’m serious, we need to leave.” He was feeling utterly disillusioned. This was not what he wanted and sadly, it seemed that neither was Maggie after all. Maybe he wasn’t the kind of guy who could fall in love. He never had before and prior to that brief glimpse back at the inn, he’d never given it much thought. He’d always been happy with his commitment-free life, but Maggie had opened his eyes to the possibility of a partner for life and then, before he’d had an opportunity to experience what it truly meant to be in love, it had disappeared.
Dylan grabbed Maggie’s hand roughly and pulled her towards the horses, where a dazed looking Alec still stood waiting. “Are you alright, Alec? You look like you might pass out,” Dylan observed.
“I be fine. Just verra tired all of a sudden. I dinnae ken why,” he said, as he yawned again.
“We’ll be heading back to the castle now. You can rest when we get there.” Dylan gave Maggie a leg up onto her horse, carefully avoiding eye contact.
“Thank ye, love,” Maggie cooed. Dylan fought the urge to cringe. As he turned to his own horse, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Alec swaying on his feet. Reacting swiftly, he reached Alec before he hit the ground and the young lad collapsed into Dylan’s arms.
“Oh, my,” Maggie exclaimed, although she hardly seemed alarmed. “I guess we’ll need to stay here for now.” She started to dismount, but Dylan put up a hand to stop her.
“Let me try to wake him. The poor little guy must be exhausted. Alec? Alec, wake up!” Dylan gently shook him, but had no luck. Alec continued sleeping deeply. “Something’s wrong,” Dylan muttered to himself. He threw Alec over his shoulder, amazed at how soundly he was sleeping and by how light he was. He briefly recalled what Maggie had suggested about Alec being a woman, but right now, it was more important to get back to the castle.
Maggie appeared to be in quite a huff as she watched Dylan get himself onto his horse, shifting Alec around until he had him settled comfortably in front of himself. Dylan called softly to Alec’s horse and when Blue was close enough, he leaned over to grab the reins in order to pony her alongside.
“Maggie, I have something I need to ask you,” Dylan carefully guided the horses through the brush.
“Of course. Anything,” Maggie responded, with a thin smile on her lips.
“Did you put some sort of spell on Alec?” Dylan suddenly asked. “You know, to make him sleep?” Dylan cast an uneasy glance back at Maggie, who seemed startled by his question.
“Why would I do that?” she asked. She had quickly regained her composure and appeared quite peeved by his question.
“I don’t know. I just wondered. Don’t you think it’s rather odd that Alec would fall into such a deep sleep?”
“I did nothing to Alec. If anyone is up to something, I believe ’tis Alec himself. Ever since he’s arrived, all sorts of strange things have been happening. I cannae believe you would accuse me of, of—” Maggie sniffled and brushed a nonexistent tear
away from her cheek.
Dylan suddenly felt terrible for insinuating that Maggie was at fault. “I’m sorry, Maggie. I didn’t mean to accuse you. I guess all the strange happenings have me second-guessing everything. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone. Please, don’t cry.” He slowed his horse and waited for Maggie to come up alongside him, and then took her hand in his. Maybe she was right about Alec and he did have something to do with what was going on. Things had started to happen after he arrived with Angus. But why would he put himself to sleep? That part didn’t make any sense at all… unless Alec wanted Dylan to believe that Maggie was up to no good. This was all very unsettling. He was going to have to dig deeper if he was going to get to the bottom of this. “Maggie, tell me something,” Dylan carefully worded his question as she pulled her hand away from his. “What exactly are you doing here in Breaghacraig? Is something going on that you aren’t sharing with me?”
She seemed to think about this question for a moment before she responded. “Well, if ye must know, while I came here to spend time with ye, I’ve found myself thrown into the middle of someone else’s witchcraft. Someone who wishes harm to the MacKenzie Clan.” Brielle nodded towards Alec, where he lay peacefully sleeping in Dylan’s arms.
