Timeless Mist (13 page)

"I remember go
ing
to the library in the
castle and I spent some time in there, read
ing
and tak
ing
not
es." She sat down on
the bed. "Then, before I went to bed, I
was
look
ing
at the watch I
had
purc
has
ed at the fair. I found
an inscription engraved on it." She tried hard to remember what it said,
clos
ing
her eyes to
picture the watch in her mind. She could
not
,
for the life of her, remember what she
had
read on the watch, however.

"Ye say ye purc
has
ed it at a fair? What did
it look
like
?"

Kris described the watch to her. "It
was
really
quite
a love
ly
piece. I knew Lucas would
love it. The woman told me it belonged to Iain, actual
ly
."

"From whom did ye purc
has
e this timepiece?"

"Oh," Kris shrugged,
"I do
n't
know,
some old woman sell
ing
jewelry and baubles, most
ly
junk. But then she brought out this beautiful watch on a gold chain."

"What did this woman look
like
?"

"She
was
old, grey hair, kind of bent over."

"Did she
have
dark color
ing
?"

Kris nodded.

"
Was
she verra old?"

"She
was
ancient."

"I see." Sorcha nodded
her head thoughtful
ly
as she sent a
not
her
glance toward Elsbeth. "It
was
a Rom," She nodded her head decisive
ly
.

"A Rom?"

"A gypsy. They travel about,
entertain
ing
and sell
ing
their wares." Sorcha
tapped a f
ing
er
against her bottom lip for a moment. "Tell me, what did ye read on the
watch?"

“I ca
n't
remember." Kris looked at her for a
moment, her brow furrowed in concentration. She shrugged helpless
ly
, "it
was
late, and I
was
very
tired." Kris shifted around so she
sat with her legs pulled up onto the bed. She would start to drive Sorcha mad
if she started pac
ing
again.

There
wasn't
much else she could remember, except, “I
had
a dream
that
night too." She
snapped her f
ing
ers,
"after I
had
finished figur
ing
out
what the watch read I went to bed right after
that
…”
She said trail
ing
off
as she thought of the dream.

"What sort of a dream?"

"I felt
like
I
was
float
ing
, but
not
really
. It
wasn't
a comfortable float
ing
.
The inertia
was
horrible. The next th
ing
I remember, I
was
stand
ing
in the woods.
Someone called to me. I got scared and started to run. When I ran, I tripped on
a root or a rock or someth
ing
.
The next th
ing
I
remember is wak
ing
up
here.”

"Ye must remember exact
ly
what
was
written on
that
watch." Sorcha
was
insistent. "Do ye
still
have
it?"

"I do
n't
know. I doubt it. I put it on the table
beside the bed when I went to sleep. I did
n't
even remember it until just now." Kris looked over at a small table, part
of her hop
ing
that
the watch would magical
ly
be there. No watch. She
climbed off the bed and looked under there. You never knew, it might be here. Although
maybe she
was
just cl
inging
to false hope.
Not
h
ing
. She stood up and shook her head, tears
beginn
ing
to form
again.

"Ye must remain calm
Kristianna. I will try to speak with Iain. He can be most stubborn at times,
but I will see what I can do. In the meantime, ye must try to recall exact
ly
what
that
inscription said."

"I will." Kris nodded
her head hesitant
ly
,
not
sure why Sorcha
was
so adamant, but glad for
the al
ly
just the
same.

"I must leave ye for a time
now. I
have
much to
do."

"Thank you, Sorcha."

"For what lass?"

"For believ
ing
me."

"There is no need for
thanks." She hugged Kris and then left the room, nodd
ing
to the guard on her way
out.

*          *          *

"Well, what do you
think?" Sorcha asked Elsbeth, find
ing
her long-time companion wait
ing
for her in her rooms.

"I know
not
what to think, my
lady."

"I know you better than
that
, Elsie." Sorcha
tsked her friend. "You think someth
ing
,
you always do." She sat in the chair beside Elsbeth, "it
wasn't
supposed to work this
way,
was
it?"

"Nay," Elsbeth shook
her head, "I dinnae believe so. But who can know how a spell will work, or
when."

"We never should
have
asked a gypsy for her
help. I, of all people, should
have
known better." Sorcha's voice
was
troubled.

"We dinnae know 'twould
snatch the wee lass from her time and br
ing
her to ours. Nor did we know 'twould be a Sassenach who arrived."

Sorcha gave her a doubtful look. "We
should
have
been more
careful in our instructions when we asked Morag to help us find Iain's true
mate. We maybe should
n't
have
interfered. There
are other, more important th
ing
s
we could
have
asked
her help with, such as locat
ing
my daughter." Sorcha sighed. "I just pray
that
Cait
ly
n
is safe and unharmed, where ever she is."

"Aye, but we
had
no idea Cait
ly
n would disappear again
when we asked Morag for her help. When ye saved
that
woman from those brigands and she promised ye a favor in return, we
had
no idea
that
Cait
ly
n would use the confusion
of the move here to run off again. Ye simp
ly
wished to honor your husband's dy
ing
request. 'T
was
an
honorable th
ing
for ye
to do, Sorcha."

Sorcha nodded a little sad
ly
. "Now, we must deal
with the consequences of our foolishness, I suppose. We must help Kristianna
find
that
watch. Then
we shall take both her and it to Morag and beg her help in return
ing
the lass to her own
time."

"Ye could
have
asked Morag for a boon
of your own." Elsbeth stated, look
ing
hard at Sorcha.

"Nay, I
have
not
h
ing
to return too. My life is here with my clan and I will stay here."

Elsbeth chewed her lip, a
question form
ing
in
her eyes.

"Ask what you will, Elsie. I've
never known ye to hold back before, do
n't
start now."

"I
was
just wonder
ing
,
will ye tell the lass the truth? About yourself I mean."

Sorcha shrugged. "I dinnae
know yet. 'Tis someth
ing
that
will take much
thought and prayer before I decide
that
.
I do know, however,
that
Kristianna must be returned to her home."

"'Tis probab
ly
for the best." Elsie
agreed, albeit reluctant
ly
.
She did
n't
voice the
thought
that
Cait
ly
n
had
disappeared short
ly
after they'd enlisted Morag's aid. 'Twould
do Sorcha no good to cause her more concern over her on
ly
daughter.

"'T
was
a foolish th
ing
for me to try to meddle in the first place." Sorcha insisted. "I on
ly
wished to see my children
happy, as their father and I
were
happy. Alistair felt the same. Although he exacted the promise from me, he
had
no idea
that
I would try to see it
happen the way I did. He on
ly
wished, after Iain's first two betrothed wives turned out to be such disasters,
that
I would watch out
for him and Cait
ly
n.
That
I would see
that
they did
n't
make a mistake by marry
ing
the wrong person. In my
impatience, I thought to hurry th
ing
s
along, and now look what's happened.
That
poor girl thinks she's gone complete
ly
witless and my boneheaded son
has
no idea what kind of lass he's deal
ing
with."

Elsie chuckled.

"What do ye find so amus
ing
?"

"'Twill certain
ly
be entertain
ing
to watch."

Sorcha could
n't
help a laugh of her own,
"oh, aye, it will be
that
."

Iain's first betrothal
had
been a disaster. The
chit
had
on
ly
agreed to marry Iain
because her father
had
threatened to put her in a convent. Iain
had
thought he could sway the girl to his purpose. But she'd been in love with
someone else. In the end, she'd run off with her lover.

His betrothal to Isobel
had
been no better, in fact,
it
had
been much
worse. The shrew he'd decided to wed
was
no more than a greedy, grasp
ing
,
lowborn whore, though she'd tried to claim otherwise, insist
ing
Iain
had
saved her from a life of
drudgery.

With her cherubic face and golden
hair, Iain
had
fallen
hard for Isobel. Believ
ing
he'd final
ly
found
love, he arranged to wed her immediate
ly
.
The betrothal papers
were
bare
ly
signed and
celebrated, the date set for the wedd
ing
,
when Alistair sent Iain on an errand to their allies for some support against
the Colquhoun's.

Isobel
had
shown her true colors and purpose then. She'd
taken to disappear
ing
for hours and at all times, return
ing
to the castle after her long absence with her face flushed with excitement. After
a bit of investigat
ing
,
Sorcha and Elsie discovered where she
was
go
ing
. She'd been meet
ing
with Tomas Campbell for
a tryst in an empty cottage at the edge of MacGregor lands.

Sorcha and Elsie
had
rushed to inform Alistair,
but they'd been too late. By the time they reached the edge of the woods to the
keep, the Campbell's where already attack
ing
.
Not
on
ly
from the outside, but
from within as well. Isobel
had
informed them how to breach the keep by show
ing
them the secret passage beneath the castle walls.

Sorcha and Elsie
had
kept themselves hidden
until they saw the Campbell's ride away victorious, Isobel with them. They
had
run into three Campbell
scouts, however and Sorcha
had
done her best to defend herself and Elsie. Iain
had
ridden in and seen them, immediate
ly
com
ing
to their aid. Sorcha
had
suffered several
wounds, includ
ing
one
to her shoulder and one
that
ran the length of her neck. She now wore high-necked gowns to cover the scars
of
that
time as well
as the brand she'd received there for be
ing
a MacGregor.

A st
ing
of guilt stabbed her heart. If she'd on
ly
been a bit faster,
perhaps she could
have
been in time to stop the slaughter.

She shook herself free of her
memories. They did her no good. By go
ing
to see Morag, she'd on
ly
succeeded in achiev
ing
a bigger mess. Somehow, God will
ing
,
she would remedy the situation and see Kristianna returned to her own time.

Chapter Eight

Kris sighed with relief as she
sank into the soft chair by the fire.
At least you're
not
los
ing
your marbles, my girl.
 

If she could on
ly
remember what
had
been inscribed on
that
darn watch. She could
vague
ly
remember
someth
ing
about mist
and time and love, but other than
that
,
it
was
a blank. The
harder she tried to remember, the more indistinct it became.

She rose from her chair and poked
at the fire. It did
n't
really
need attention,
but she
had
to do
someth
ing
or she
was
go
ing
to end up stir crazy
from try
ing
to force
herself to remember.

As she stared into the flames,
thoughts of home intruded her mind. A deep sadness
was
hed over her. Would she ever see her fami
ly
again?

She shook her head
almost
violent
ly
, know
ing
it would
not
be a good idea to let
those thoughts run around in her head right now. If she did, she
really
would be in hysterics
by the time her bath arrived. Then Iain would most certain
ly
have
her thrown into the dungeon. She
had
to think about other th
ing
s,
like
what
that
inscription on the watch
was
.

She also
had
to try to figure out what kind of evidence
she could offer Iain
that
he'd believe. Or she still might find herself mak
ing
a home in his dungeon or burned at the stake as a witch. A shudder ran through
her at
that
thought.

A bath, she decided.
That
's what she needed. Soak
ing
in a hot tub always
helped her to think, especial
ly
after a long day. And God knew these
were
the longest two days she'd ever lived through.

She turned from the fire, realiz
ing
if she kept pok
ing
at it, she'd on
ly
succeed in putt
ing
it out. She crossed her
arms in front of her and strolled over to the window. She
was
bored.

Glanc
ing
in the mirror on the wall by the window she
grimaced. Her weariness showed. Peer
ing
closer into the glass, she stuck her tongue out. Good grief, what a mess. Her
hair hung in limp tangles she did
n't
think she'd never get out, even if she brushed it for a week straight.

She swiped at a smudge of dirt on
her cheek, but
that
on
ly
served to make it worse,
see
ing
her hands
were
grubby with soot from
play
ing
with the
fireplace. Her nightshirt
was
final
ly
dry, although
not
as clean as she would
have
like
d. She put it back on anyway. The lukewarm
water she'd used to
was
h
it in
hadn't
gotten it
very
clean, but it
was
someth
ing
familiar and comfortable.

"Disgust
ing
."

She must
have
been beyond exhausted to
have
fallen asleep in it in
the state it
had
been
before she'd
was
hed it.
Where
was
that
bath Sorcha
had
promised? Hands on her
hips, she strode purposeful
ly
to the door. Turn
ing
the knob, she
was
surprised when it opened with no resistance.

Pok
ing
her head into the hall, Kris gasped as the largest man she'd ever seen grunted
and stepped forward to block her path. He could probab
ly
take on the entire offensive line of the
Patriots and win without even break
ing
a sweat.

"May I be of assistance, my
lady?" He asked polite
ly
,
with a stiff bow.

"Err, yes, I, umm
was
just wonder
ing
about my bath."

"I shall see what is keep
ing
it, my lady," the
giant rumbled from deep in his chest, one brow raised. "But ye must return
to your room and promise to remain there else I shall
have
to lock ye in again. No matter what the
lady Sorcha says, I will no' risk the laird's anger."

"Cross my heart," Kris
nodded, "I wo
n't
leave this room." She smiled and held up her hand in pledge.

"Does
that
mean I
have
your word?" the
guard asked with a puzzled frown.

"Yes, it does." Kris
ans
were
d chuckl
ing
before she could help
it. She
was
go
ing
to
have
to be much more careful
or she'd never be understood. She offered the guard a smile, turned back into
the room, and shut the door.

Now, she just needed clothes to
wear. Preferab
ly
,
someth
ing
that
would cover her
backside a bit more than her nightshirt did and someth
ing
a bit less reveal
ing
than this see through nightgown. What e
very
one thought when they
looked at her bare legs, she shuddered to imagine. Maybe she could find someth
ing
simple among the bounty
in the wardrobe, someth
ing
that
would fit her.

She'd just flung open the double
doors to
have
a look
when there
was
a short
rap at the door. It opened to admit several boys carry
ing
a large wooden tub and steam
ing
buckets of hot water. Elsbeth
followed close on their heels.

Kris smile at her and stood back
as Elsbeth directed the boys where to set up the tub.

"Nay,
no'
there, ye dolt. Do ye
want the lady to catch a chill?" She swatted the tall, gang
ly
boy on the side of the
head, "use your wits, Donald. Put it there, by the fire." She nodded
in satisfaction as the boy obeyed immediate
ly
.
"Aye,
that
's
better."

The tub in place, the other boys
emptied their buckets into it. Elsbeth shooed them from the room as soon as the
last one finished and turned back to Kris.

"I will help ye
was
h, my lady, and then
dress."

"I do
n't
think I
really
need any help bath
ing
,
Elsbeth." Kris knew she must
have
blushed all the way to her toes, for she felt the heat in her cheeks and on her
neck. Nobody
had
bathed her since she
was
a small child. She glanced at the gowns hang
ing
in the closet, "but I may need a bit of help dress
ing if you're planning on putting one of those on me
."

Elsbeth chuckled warm
ly
. "Aye, ye will if
what ye told the Lady Sorcha about be
ing
from the future is in truth. Especial
ly
if what ye now wear over your nightclothes is any indication of what is
considered fashionable attire."

Kris laughed. "Actual
ly
, yes, it is normal, but
on
ly
for nightwear or
with pants. Er, trews, I mean. Although I've seen some girls in my day wear
dresses this short, it's
not
really
popular
anymore. This is called a nightshirt. I on
ly
sleep in it."

"Saints be praised for
that
, though 'tis still a
strange look
ing
garment, e'en for night attire."

"I suppose it is. You'd be
surprised by what is considered fashionable in my time." She nodded in the
direction of the gowns, "I'm afraid I would
n't
even know where to begin with
that
stuff. My best friend Hailey would, though. She's
very
into the fashions of this time period and
before." Kris thought a moment, "oh, and one more th
ing
. I absolute
ly
will
not
, under any
circumstances, wear a corset. I've heard more horror stories about those th
ing
s than I care to
recount."

Elsbeth raised a skeptical brow
at her.

"In my time, women do
n't
wear corsets. Well, at
least
not
like
those. The ones we wear
are smaller, on
ly
cover
ing
the breasts. I
like
to breath, and I
refuse to wear anyth
ing
that
will inhibit
that
ability. If what I've
heard and read about corsets is anywhere close to the truth, you can just
forget it." Kris
was
adamant.

"'Tis your decision, my
lady." It
was
Elsbeth's turn to laugh. "Although I will grant ye are right about the
corset. 'Tis nay someth
ing
that
is a joy to wear
and I forgo the burden whene're possible. I've ne'er known a lady to do the
like
before, howe'er."
She shrugged and moved to the tub. She pulled the stopper out of a small bottle
and poured a bit into the steam
ing
bathwater.

"Well, lady
like
or
not
, I'm
not
wear
ing
one." She turned
her back and removed her nightshirt and the nightgown a bit self-conscious. Dropp
ing
it on the floor, she
quick
ly
climbed into
the tub. "Mmmm, what is
that
delicious smell?"

"'Tis heather, mixed with a
bit of lavender. The lady Sorcha prefers its scent above all others. She
thought ye would enjoy it as well."

"It is heaven
ly
. And this warm water is
wonderful." Kris closed her eyes, feel
ing
her tense muscles final
ly
begin to relax. She sighed with pleasure.

"Would ye
like
me to dispose of this
for ye, my lady?"

Kris popped an eye open. Elsbeth
held her nightshirt by two f
ing
ers
well away from herself as if she
were
afraid it would grow teeth and bite her.

"No!" She
almost
jumped from the water
to rescue her shirt. "I mean, it just needs a better
was
h
ing
and it'll be as good as new," she
smiled. No way would she give up
that
shirt after all the trouble she'd gone through to get it. She
had
swiped it fair and
square from her older brother, Lucas. She'd
had
to wait for the perfect moment when he
wasn't
look
ing
, then
had
to dig around in his
closet to find it. He'd tried to hide it, but to no avail. She'd found it
buried in a box on his top shelf where he'd figured she'd never look because
she could
n't
reach it.

Huh! She'd fooled him. She'd
enlisted Hailey to help her, and her friend
was
quite
tall.

"'Tis more
likely
it needs to be burned
than
was
hed." Elsbeth
tsked.

"No way," she insisted
with feel
ing
. Kris
forced a laugh past the sudden lump in her throat. "
That
's my favorite
nightshirt. It will be fine once it's seen some hot, soapy water. You'll
see."

Elsbeth looked skeptical, but
said no more about it. Instead, she dropped the offend
ing
garment by the door and went to the wardrobe.
Kris watched as Elsbeth combed through the gowns. She brought forth several,
which she then lay across the bed.

Sudden
ly
, the door crashed open with a resound
ing
bang. Kris shrieked in
surprise and near
ly
jumped out of the tub. She grabbed for one of the dry
ing
cloths, but they
were
out of reach. She could
n't
reach one without expos
ing
too much of her naked
self, so she sank into the water, covered herself with her arms as best she
could and glared at the intruder.

Iain stood in the doorway, feet spread,
one hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression thunderous.

"What do ye think ye are do
ing
?" He growled, his
voice low and dangerous.

Kris tried to sink lower into the
water to no avail.

"I would think 't
was
obvious, laird."  Elsbeth
threw him a scath
ing
glance. "The lady Kristianna is tak
ing
a bath and I am try
ing
to decide which of these gowns would do her justice. Any suggestions?"

Her matter-of-fact stance shocked
Kris. Elsbeth acted as if a man be
ing
in Kris' chamber while she bathed
was
of little or no consequence. She continued to peruse the gowns, pick
ing
one up, shak
ing
her head and sett
ing
it back down.