by Matie Cole
“Oh, but what is happening here?” the man asked as he glanced around to see the whole clan gathered in their finest clothing for the day because of the wedding. “I have interrupted something...”
Rosalyn stared at Bryson in sheer shock. She loved him, he was the man that she wanted to marry, but if this man knew who she was and where she came from, then did she not need to find out?
“Who are you?” Bryson asked angrily, taking giant strides to get closer to the couple. Rosalyn was his bride, he did not like the sight of another man touching her. “And why are you here at my wedding?”
“Your wedding?” The man tossed his head back and laughed loudly. “You cannot marry her because she is my fiancée. That is why I have been trying to find her for all this time. I shall marry her. My name is Ray Thompson and I have been betrothed for a very long time. That cannot change...”
Bryson stepped back in shock. This was exactly what he had been fearing, it was why he had held back on falling in love with Rosalyn as much as he could, but when it seemed like there was no one looking for her, he caved. He fell in love with her, and it was all being ripped away just as he was about to get married.
“Do you know him?” Bryson asked, focusing only on Rosalyn as he said this. “Is this all true?”
“I... I do not know,” she admitted sadly. “I feel like I have some memory, but nothing has come back enough for me to be sure. I am terribly sorry, I know that this is a terrible inconvenience...”
Rosalyn felt dreadful. This was not what she wanted. She never wanted to hurt anyone, but now it seemed like she was in the middle of two men who both looked like they cared about her a lot. She glanced her eyes between the pair of them, wishing that none of this was happening.
“I... I do not know what to say,” she admittedly sadly. “I feel very confused right now.”
“You found her!” Another shrill voice shattered the tension of the moment. This time it was attached to a strikingly beautiful woman whose face flooded with relief at the sight of Rosalyn. “Oh, thank goodness, Ray. At long last. We have been searching for such a long time and now she is here.”
“And who are you?” Bryson asked wearily. “Are there any more people coming to interrupt my day?”
“I am Lauren, Ray’s sister,” she said with a delighted smile. Lauren stuck her hand out for Bryson to shake which he did wearily. “It is good to meet you. Thank you so much for taking care of my sister in law.”
Bryson was silent for a beat too long as he let this wash over him. This was not supposed to be happening, this was more like a nightmare than real life, but since it was the truth, he had to do something about it. He darted his eyes to look at everyone, but the guests to his wedding could hardly meet his eyes. The only person staring back at him was Anice, and his poor daughter looked terrified.
She had already been through enough in her life. He could not make her witness this as well.
“Let us halt the wedding,” he finally declared quietly. “We must go and discuss this in the other room.”
Those words made Rosalyn really anxious. She had a terrible feeling that if this wedding got stopped now so they could sort this mess out, then it would never happen... but she could not be the terrible person who refused to talk to this man and his sister who had searched for her for a long time.
“Yes, that is a good idea,” Lauren declared as she made a strange sweeping gesture with her hands. “We should straighten this whole mess out so that the three of us can all go back home.”
Three. Rosalyn sucked in a deep and panicked breath. The three included her. She never wanted to leave this castle, this place, this clan... how could she ensure that she stayed? Rosalyn tried to catch Bryson’s eyes, to see if he would be willing to help her stay, but his eyes were firmly fixed on the floor like he could not stand to look at her any longer. He had already fallen out of love with her, he did not want to see her any longer, he was ready to kick her out at the first opportunity. This was hopeless.
Her eyes whizzed around to see Ray instead and he was grinning at her like the cat who had the cream. She could see that he was so pleased to have found her, that he had missed her like crazy, that he wanted her back. She should have felt excited about that, but it only upset her because she was afraid to leave behind the only life that she knew. Sure, she might be heading in to one that she lived before, but she did not know a damn thing about it.
She was dressed up like a bride, like a princess, but it seemed that her happy ever after was not going to happen in the way that she wanted.
Chapter 12
“O h, it has been such a terrible time for us,” Lauren started as soon as the four of them were alone in one of Bryson’s biggest halls. “We have been missing our darling for such a long time. Especially my brother, Ray. He has been bereft without the love of his life. It has been so challenging.”
“My men went out looking,” Bryson growled, his anger at how unfair the situation was, was really getting to him now. “They searched all the nearby towns and no one knew a woman who had gone missing.”
“Clearly, they did not make it to us,” Lauren shot back without a pause. “We did not have any visitors to our town. It was only because my brother has been looking for his love so fiercely that he happened up on the rumors and thank goodness as well. I cannot express how worried we have been.”
Rosalyn’s stomach churned. She feared that she might throw up at any given moment. The dress that she had put on so excitedly this morning, proud to finally make all of her romantic dreams come true, was slowly becoming a symbol of failure. It was going to be a reminder of her losing everything.
“My darling, Maisie, has been a huge loss to me, and to our clan,” Ray interjected. “Everyone has missed her. They will be so pleased to know that we can finally bring her back to where she is meant to be...”
“Wait, Maisie?” All of a sudden, the name Rosalyn slipped off her like a coat that never quite fit her in the first place. It had not shaken a lot, but there was a definite memory within her. “Is that me?”
“Oh, my dear.” Ray cocked his head to one side and shot her a sympathetic look. He seemed to see her pain. “You do not even recall your own name? No wonder you have struggled to find your way home. You are Lady Maisie Ferguson. Daughter of Laird Duncan Ferguson and Lady Tara Ferguson...”
“Although unfortunately, the pair of them were killed in an accident years ago,” Lauren jumped in through gritted teeth. It was obvious she did not want Maisie to find out about her parents in such a brutal way. “Which is why it has been so hard on the people that you have gone missing as well.”
Maisie... it felt right. She knew instinctively that name belonged to her. She also had a vague recognition of the names given to her for her parents. They belonged to her and she knew it. It was just a horrible shame to learn that they were no longer alive. She so wanted to see them, to hold them.
“I cannot find memories of my mother,” she admitted, talking more to herself than anyone else. “But my father... he loved me. I can feel it deep within me. He loved me a lot and wanted the best for me...”
“Which is why he was happy for you to marry Ray,” Lauren insisted. “He was chosen for you because your father just knew that he could look after you. He wanted the best for you always.”
Lauren’s words were growing worse with every passing second. Maisie did not know how to take them. If Ray was who her father, who clearly adored her, wanted her to marry, and she had agreed to it, then how could she ignore that now? How could she ignore his wish? Sure, she had fallen in love with Bryson while she had been staying with him, but that was not real life. Bryson did not even know her real name. They had been more playing a game where she was an angel and he was her hero. But none of it was real.
Now, he could not even look at her. Bryson was disgusted by her and who she really was.
“It is terrible to learn that you do not remember anything.” Lauren grew nearer to Maisie and stared deep in
to her eyes. Maisie’s initial reaction was to pull away because she did not really want this stranger to see her... but the woman knew her better than she knew herself. She had no choice. “But you have clearly been cared for very well. I am sure that my brother and everyone in our town will be pleased to know that. However, it really is time for us to leave. You are supposed to be married to my brother already. We do not wish to put it off any longer. I am sure that you feel the same way, do you not?”
Maisie did not know what to say. She was nowhere near eager to marry the man that she did not know, but she also could not follow through her plan to get hitched to Bryson either. Not when he did not want her. “I cannot just immediately leave. I have people here who I must say goodbye to...”
“They do not know the real you, Maisie.” Lauren was beginning to become visibly irritated. “They do not wish to say farewell to a woman that does not exist. I believe that you have imposed on these kind people for long enough. You are starting to take advantage of their hospitality...”
Lauren tried to grab hold of Maisie’s arm, to speed up the process of them leaving, but Maisie was too afraid to comply. She snatched away, knowing that while she should trust these people, she did not. Not yet. There was something in the pit of her stomach screaming at her not to. Probably her love for Bryson.
She was torn. She wanted to stay and live out the fantasy that she had created for herself with Bryson. She wanted to be his wife, to spend more time with Anice, to be happy here, but how could she when everything that these people knew about her was a lie? She could not do it...
“I have been afraid,” she declared quietly. “Worried that someone has been after me. A nightmare...”
“Oh, Maisie, my love.” Ray grabbed Maisie’s hands. “You have been suffering from nightmares ever since your parents died in the accident. You have held on to a lot of guilt for that.”
“Wh... why?” she stammered back, terrified of the answer. “Was it my fault?”
“No one else believes that it was your fault. Only you. We all believe you to be innocent....”
“Best not upset her,” Lauren jumped in once more, controlling the conversation as much as she could. “That is something we need not discuss here. We can look after Maisie when we get home...”
As the three of them talked... well, it was more Lauren talking at the other two, Bryson paced up and down the room like a caged animal. He felt a bit like a tiger than wanted to escape his entrapment but could not. There was something wholly wrong about this whole situation, but he could not figure out what.
Ray and Lauren really did seem to know Rosalyn, or Maisie as it now seemed that she was called, and they had a lot of information on her, but it did not feel right. Were they spouting nonsense at her and she was so desperate for any memories that she would go along with anything? Even if it meant being pulled away from him and their love on their wedding day of all times as well?
Urgh, it would not have surprised him. He instantly got a bad feeling from them. Lauren was bossy and seemed to have a passive aggressive nasty streak. He did not enjoy her company immediately. And as for Ray... he was pompous and stupid. Bryson could not imagine Rosa... Maisie, liking him one bit.
But if she had promised her father that she would marry him, then maybe she felt like she was obligated to. Many families arranged husbands for their children, it was certainly not unheard of. Bryson did not have to like it for it to become reality. He had been afraid of something like this happening, but he never imagined that it would hurt so much when it did. He felt like he was breaking into pieces.
What shall I do? he asked himself anxiously. I still love this woman and want to marry her, no matter what her name is or where she has come from... but who does she want to marry?
He needed to take action, to do something. After all, this was his castle, his kingdom. He held all the rights in this place so if he wanted to kick these people out then he would. Then he could continue on with his wedding day, but he did not want to put the love of his life through anything that she did not want.
If she wished to leave with these people, to return to the life that she had before, then he had no choice but to say goodbye to his second chance at happiness. This would probably hurt more than Jane though because she had no choice but to leave him. Maisie would be making that decision.
I might not be destined for happiness. That thought crushed him, but it was potentially all too real.
“Do you need time?” Bryson’s voice boomed, causing everyone to stop talking for a moment, even Lauren. “Do you need time to make a decision about what you wish to do? You do not have to choose now.”
“But we have a life to get back to.” Lauren’s hands flung on to her hips. “My brother has wanted his fiancée back for a very long time. You cannot expect him to wait any longer.”
“But this is all brand new for Rosalyn... I mean Maisie.” Bryson noted how Lauren laughed nastily as he got her name wrong. Maisie would take some getting used to for sure. “She might well be overwhelmed and need some time to adjust. And as she has expressed, she wished to say goodbye to people...”
“I will not have you trying to kidnap her,” Lauren snarled. “You want to claim her for your own, do you not? Is that not why you were trying to marry her today? Well, she is betrothed to Ray and that is who she shall marry. There is nothing you can do to prevent that from happening. I suggest you stop right away.”
“That is not what I am doing.” Bryson could feel the heat creeping into his cheeks. “Not at all. I just want what is best for everyone involved. This is a very strange time and I want to know what Maisie wishes for.”
They all turned to look at Maisie who was honestly far too speechless to say anything. She did not know where to even begin. She felt like she was being pulled in a hundred different directions and she was not sure which way to turn. As much as she would have loved to remain in her fantasy with Bryson, she was also a little bit intrigued about the life that had come before, about who she was. She could not see herself falling in love with Ray, she felt weird in his presence right now, but he did seem to love her too...
“I do not know what I want,” she admitted quietly. “I am very confused right now.”
Bryson did not want to let her go. He wanted to hold on to her forever more.
Lauren was determined to drag her along with her no matter what.
Ray looked like a man who needed his fiancée back at any cost.
Maisie simply wished that these people had turned up a little while later when she was already married. Then it would be too late to take her from her utopia. She would be able to live in it forever without a worry in the world about who she did or did not agree to wed in the past life that she did not remember.
Chapter 13
“I think that I am going to need proof,” Bryson suddenly shouted out as a last-ditch attempt to stop these people from taking the love of his life away from him. “I need to see that you do know Maisie properly.”
“We have given you all of the proof that we have.” Ray shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “You have seen that Maisie knows us. As soon as her true name was mentioned, it sparked memories. She knows that her father loved her more than anything in the world, she recognizes us, you can see it.”
Bryson darted his eyes over to Maisie, but it crushed him to see her with shining tears in her gaze. He knew that was from her confusion because she was so afraid of knowing these people. But she did know them. Yet he could not help thinking that the nightmares seemed far more significant than anyone was letting on. Maisie was traumatized by these dreams. They came from fear, not guilt.
“Well, hang on a minute.” Lauren rested her hand on her brother’s shoulder to push him behind her. Bryson could not stand to see her pushing everyone around like she was the queen of the world. He did not know how they stood it as well. “There is something. There is the engagement gift that you gave Maisie.”
Everyone looked a little confused at that
moment. Maisie had been found with nothing, certainly no sign of a ring or Bryson would have immediately known that she belonged to someone else...
“A medallion,” Lauren continued. “A golden medallion that Maisie has always worn around her neck, although I do not see it right now.” She narrowed her eyes at Maisie. “But it is engraved with a picture of your mother and a flower. You must know what I am speaking of, it is so important to you.”
Maisie bent down slowly and pushed her fingers into her shoe to retrieve the medallion. She did sometimes wear it around her neck these days, but since she had been found with it in her shoe, there was a comfort to having it by her foot. She wanted it there on her wedding day as a reminder of how she had been found. She needed the memory of how Bryson had met her. But now... well, now the medallion had taken on a whole new meaning for her. It actually linked her to the man she had previously been engaged to. The man who was staring at her expectantly, needing something from her.
“I always felt like this picture was of my mother,” she half whispered as she looked at the engraved image once more. “It has always been important to me. I knew that when I first saw it.”
Lauren’s eyes lit up in delight as she spotted the medallion. She knew that she had Maisie finally seeing everything that she was trying to tell her. The medallion was the key to everything, it was the answer.
“Ah, I knew that you would have it!” Lauren clapped her hands together in excitement. “I knew that you would not let that go. You have loved it ever since my brother got it made especially for you. I believe that is the moment when you fully allowed yourself to be loved by him. Before then, the guilt that you have experienced has held you back and made you feel like you are not worthwhile.”
Maisie could not ignore the fact that she did feel a bit like that, even with Bryson. As incredible as he made her feel, there was always a little part of her that was not sure she deserved him. She had always been worried that she was a bad person and that he deserved better.
