Timeless Mist (15 page)

Kris giggled when Elsbeth threw
her a disgusted look and snorted.

"When she rode away wi' the
Campbells, she left all her cloth
ing
behind. Lady Sorcha said we should bring it wi' us as 'twould be a shame to
leave them behind and a waste as well. Isobel
was
a might bigger than ye are, but 'twill be an easy enough th
ing
for me to adjust these
to fit ye."

"They are love
ly
gowns." Kris stood
and climbed from the now cooled water. Elsbeth wrapped her in one of the warm
linens then sat her down in a chair by the fire.

"Aye, 'tis a shame to see
them just hang there collect
ing
dust. 'Tis a sin to
was
te."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

Elsbeth tapped her chin
thoughtful
ly
. "I
believe lady Sorcha
has
an extra plaid
that
may fit ye." She nodded to herself. "'Twill go
nicely
with
that
gown and provide ye wi'
some extra warmth to keep ye from catch
ing
a chill. It might be com
ing
on spr
ing
, but here in
the Highlands, it can still get a wee bit brisk, especial
ly
in the even
ing
s."

"
That
would be wonderful." Kris said,
distracted by the warmth of the fire curl
ing
around her toes.

"I will just go check wi'
her." With a grin, she scooted out the door, leav
ing
Kris to wonder how a woman of such girth
could move so fast. She smiled to herself as she sat by the fire. The heat
emanat
ing
from the
blaze warmed her delicious
ly
.
Especial
ly
her toes,
which never seemed to get warm. Her back to the door, she heard it sw
ing
open again.

"
That
was
quick, Elsie. Did you run all the…" Kris turned a bit to reach for the
chamber robe
that
had
been left on the
opposite chair and instant
ly
froze. Instead of Elsbeth, Iain stood in the doorway. Shocked, Kris jumped up
from the chair and
almost
dropped the towel, which just bare
ly
covered her vital spots as it
was
.
Her nightshirt
had
actual
ly
covered more
of her. At least it was an inch or two longer than the towel.

"Do
n't
you ever knock?" She grimaced and
tried to stretch the towel bigger too better cover herself. "Do
n't
you
have
someth
ing
else you need to be do
ing
? Maybe go raid some
cattle or burn a build
ing
down, a battle to fight somewhere?" She kept one hand tight
ly
clenched to the towel
while she reached for the robe with the other, afraid if she moved to much the
linen would fall.

"I saw Elsie leave and
assumed ye
were
finished wi' your bath." Iain closed the door, crossed his arms in front
of his massive chest and continued to stare at her as if he could
n't
quite
figure her out.

"Yeah, well, you know what
they say about people who assume." She struggled to get into the robe with
on
ly
one hand, while
the other clutched the towel secure
ly
around her. "What are you look
ing
at? You know, a gentleman would be decent enough to leave until I'm proper
ly
dressed.  Or at least
turn around," she snapped.

"I
have
a few more questions I would put to
ye."

Kris groaned. "Do
n't
you think you've
questioned me enough for one day? You're
not
go
ing
to get any
different answers this time than you did last time. I still
have
no idea how I got here.
Yes, I still say I'm from the future, no I'm
not
hav
ing
delusions from
the bump on my head and I
haven't
lost my wits. I'm
not
a spy, I could
n't
care
less about what wars you guys want to fight. I on
ly
want to get home. I do
n't
belong here and I'd just as soon
not
be here anymore."

"Besides, you did
n't
seem to care for any of
those answers before." She final
ly
succeeded in gett
ing
both arms into the robe. Snapp
ing
it shut, she let the wet towel fall to the floor and tied the sash tight about
her waist. "I doubt you've changed your mind about them now.
Not
to mention the fact
that
you all but called me a
liar." Her voice matched her ris
ing
irritation.

"I will admit your manner of
speech is pass
ing
strange and I cannae place your unusual accent. But ye are right, I still
dinnae believe ye to be from the future. No' fully, leastwise."

"Well, I
haven't
thought of anyth
ing
I could offer you as
proof yet. You said you'd give me some time. A couple of hours' is certain
ly
not
enough of it."

"I
have
no' decided if I believe your tale or
not
. But I wouldnae put it
past the Campbells to plan an elaborate scheme such as this just to try to
discover any weaknesses in the clans defenses. They ha'e done the like
before."

Kris groaned low in her throat so
it came out
like
a
growl. "Did you come in here just to tell me you still do
n't
believe me? You've
was
ted your breath." She
stomped to the bed and back again. "You know what? I'm done. I do
n't
really
give a rat's ass if you believe me or
not
. As soon as my clothes
are clean, I'll be outta her so fast, buster, all you'll see is my dust. Then
you wo
n't
have
to concern yourself
about me anymore." She glared at him.

"I know when I'm
not
wanted. I ca
n't
exact
ly
say it's been fun, but it
has
certain
ly
been educational. I never
asked to be stuck here in the first place. I'd just as soon be home in my
nice
warm bed, with my
nice
warm comforter, my
electric blanket and fuzzy slippers and a
nice
mug of double hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows. You can just
tell Elsbeth to forget about the plaid, the dress, and anyth
ing
else she
was
go
ing
to get. You can forget
about any more questions and forget about me. I'm go
ing
home!"

"Nay." He said, before
he thought better of it. Iain
was
a bit dizzy from her outburst. He
had
no idea what any of those th
ing
s
she'd said where, but for some reason, he knew he could
n't
let her leave. He shook his head. What
was
wrong with him? He
should
have
just stood
aside and let her go. But his feet would
not
obey his command to move.

"
That
's it? Just nay?" Her jaw slide down. The
arrogance of the man. "You ca
n't
just keep me here forever, you know.
That
would be kidnapp
ing
and
that
's against the
law."

"Ye are in the Highlands,
lassie; we make our own laws here."

Rage
almost
choked her. "You arrogant,
self-righteous beast. Who do you think you are?"

"I am Iain MacGregor, Laird
of Clan MacGregor and my word is law. Ye will remain here until I decide if ye
are a spy or a threat to my clan," he paused for a heartbeat "or if
ye speak the truth about yourself. Though 'tis unsure if most women e'en know
the mean
ing
of
that
word."

Kris' jaw dropped at his
statement. He
was
go
ing
to keep her prisoner
here. Over her dead body. She lifted her chin in defiance to meet his
belligerent gaze. Shock at his words yielded quick
ly
to fury.

"You are
not
h
ing
but an egotistical, chauvinistic, pigheaded
brute!" She crossed the room, fists raised. "I refuse to stand here
and let you bul
ly
me,
you overgrown, scruffy look
ing
horses' ass. I want to go home. And you are
n't
anywhere near big enough to stop me."

Before Iain knew what she
was
about, she swung at him
with all her strength, just as her brothers
had
taught her. Gratification coursed through her when she heard his grunt of pain
and surprise as she connected with his stomach. One more well placed sw
ing
and she heard the
satisfy
ing
crunch as
she connected again, this time with his jaw.

She raised her foot and kicked
him in the shin, putt
ing
all her anger and pent up frustration behind it, then brought her heel down
upon his other foot, stomp
ing
on the instep. It hurt
like
hell because she
had
no shoes on, but she paid no attention to the pain. She wanted out of this room
and out of this castle. She wanted to go home.

She did
n't
stick around for him to regain his senses. Scoot
ing
around him, she yanked
open the door and scrambled into the hallway. On
ly
to run headfirst into a chest. A
very
large,
very
well-muscled
chest.

"Uffda," she grunted as
the impact near
ly
knocked her on her rear end. Instinctive
ly
,
she raised her fists, wish
ing
she
had
a weapon of
some kind.

The man simp
ly
grinned down at her. He
held her by the shoulders and refused to release her.

"What do ye wish me to do
with her, laird?"

Chapter Nine

Kris
had
no desire to turn around and see the look
of pure anger she sensed emanat
ing
from Iain. His eyes bore into her back. Eyes closed, she prayed for a quick
death.

"Br
ing
her back into the chamber," Iain
managed between clenched teeth. His temper, when crossed, could be
almost
uncontrollable. At
the moment, he held it in check, but 't
was
on a
very
thin tether
indeed.

"Will ye be needin' anyth
ing
else then, laird?"

"Nay, Brian. I believe I can
manage well enough now." Iain nodded to Brian as he set the lass on her
feet near the fire.

With a slight bow, Brian exited
the chamber. Iain eyed Kristianna wari
ly
.
A brow rose at her stiff stance. Aye, she might be afeared of him, but she
would ne'er let it show. She
had
courage and spirit, he'd give her
that
.
He
not
ed the tilt of
her chin as she squared her shoulders. She looked prepared for battle.

"Will ye sit?" He
gestured to a chair.

"No, thank you, I think I'll
stand if it's all the same to you."

Iain shrugged and took his own
seat. "Shall we talk, lass?" He might look as if he
were
relaxed, but e
very
muscle
was
ready should the lass
decide to attack again. He would
not
be taken unaware this time.

"I
have
no idea what you want to talk about. I
want to go home, and you wo
n't
let me. You do
n't
even
believe I'm tell
ing
you the truth on the matter."

Iain raised a brow at her. "If
what ye say is in truth, then how can ye get home? If ye are tru
ly
from the future, and ye
have
no idea of how ye came
to be here, how can ye return?"

"It is the truth. I do
n't
know how to get home
from here. I just know I
have
to try. There
has
to
be a way."

"Why? What is so important
that
ye must return
for?"

"You would
n't
understand, nor would it
be
likely
that
you'd believe me."
She furrowed her brow at him. "Why would you want to keep me here, anyway?
You do
n't
trust me. From
all I've seen, you do
n't
even
like
me, so why
wo
n't
you let me try
to go home?"

Iain could
n't
answer
that
question either. The portrait he'd seen of her and the man stand
ing
next to her popped into
his mind without warning.
Was
he her husband or her betrothed husband? Is
that
why she
was
so anxious
to return home? He shoved those thoughts aside.

"Try to explain it to me,
lass."

Kris sighed. "Why should I
bother? I've already explained it to you. I ca
n't
stay stuck here," she swept her hand around, gestur
ing
the room, "in this crumbl
ing
down, medieval castle. I
have
responsibilities,
people who depend on me and need me."

"Are ye certain 'tis nay the
Campbell laird who needs ye?" He ignored her slur against his keep be
ing
crumbled down.

"Oooh." Kris stomped
her foot in frustration. "You're impossible, do you know
that
? I've never met a more
irritat
ing
, stubborn
man in all my life." Kris threw her hands up in the air in disgust, her
fingers literally itching to throw someth
ing
at his head. Maybe a good whack upside the skull with someth
ing
of substantial weight
would make him more amenable to listen
ing
to her and believ
ing
what she said.

"If I still
had
my backpack with me, I'd
sure as heck show you all the evidence you needed to see. Although with your
suspicious mind, you'd probab
ly
have
me burned at the
stake for be
ing
a
witch, think
ing
I
conjured the stuff up."

Iain blinked several times at the
despair
that
showed
clear
ly
in her eyes. "I
know
not
what this
'backpack' ye speak of is."
Was
it mayhap the odd-look
ing
pouch he
had
in his
room?

Aye, he decided, it could
quite
possib
ly
be
that
of which she spoke. He'd
ne'er know unless he got the other part of it open, and even then, he would
n't
know what to look for.

He still
had
no idea what he
was
look
ing
for, nor what any of those other th
ing
s
that
he'd already
discovered
were
. They
were
pass
ing
odd, but he could
decipher none of their uses. He still could
n't
even figure out how the infernal th
ing
opened. Several times he'd
almost
taken his blade to it, but someth
ing
made him hesitate.

He realized if he gave it back to
her, she could mayhap show him the uses of the items. He also realized
that
if he gave it back to
her, there might be someth
ing
inside it
that
would
help her return home. He could then be rid of this unwanted complication
that
had
appeared from nowhere to disorder his life.
But now, part of him
wasn't
quite
sure if he
wanted
that
complication
gone.

He watched her pace the room in
her agitation. Her bare feet peeked out from under the long robe as she walked,
her hair, now nearly dry, hung in soft waves down her back. The sash of her
robe defined a small waist
that
led to tempt
ingly
rounded
hips. There
was
both
delicacy and strength in her face. Someth
ing
about her made him want to comfort and protect her. He also wanted to grab her
and kiss her senseless, among other things.

He shook his head to clear it of
such foolish
not
ions.

She'd dared to strike him, someth
ing
few others
had
ever tried let alone
succeeded. Aye, she
had
a fire in her, a strength he'd seen in few other women. His
màthair
had
it, before she'd lost so
much. Oh, it
was
still
there, to be sure, it
was
simp
ly
hard to see beneath
the sadness
that
clung
to her
like
a cloak. Kristianna
looked delicate, fragile even, but she
had
a stee
ly
determination
and strength of character he could
n't
help but admire.
Not
that
he'd ever admit the
like
out loud, of course.

He made the mistake of gaz
ing
into her eyes. They
sparkled with unshed tears, but she did
not
flinch or look away from him. He sensed her feel
ing
of helplessness, could see her hopelessness in those unwaver
ing
blue-green eyes. He ran
a hand through his hair and rose from his chair.

"Wait," Kris put a hand
on his arm, "where are you go
ing
."

"I shall return, lass."
Her touch
was
like
lighten
ing
, send
ing
a jolt through his
entire body. He looked at her, and reached out too light
ly
f
ing
er
a loose tendril of hair. Aye, it
was
as soft as he'd imagined it would be. He touched a f
ing
er to her trembl
ing
lips. "I must needs see to a few th
ing
s, but I shall return
soon. Then we shall talk some more." He guided her gent
ly
to the chair he'd just
vacated.

With a sigh, Kris sat and watched
him leave. She listened careful
ly
,
but heard
not
h
ing
after the door closed. She
cautious
ly
went to the
door and turned the knob, thankful when it opened with no resistance.

She
had
to get home. And the on
ly
way she could think of to
do
that
was
to get out of this
castle and return to the woods. Hailey would be frantic. She
had
to realize by now
that
Kris
was
nowhere to be found. At
least not in the twenty-first century. She could just imagine what her brothers
and sister
were
go
ing
through. It
had
been three days now. Hailey
must
have
called them
and let them know
that
their sister
had
vanished without a trace. With a groan, she moved to the bed and sank down.

Iain think
ing
she
was
a spy did
not
h
ing
to help her situation. And
if she
had
any proof
to show him, he'd probab
ly
think her a witch. She knew what they did to witches in the seventeenth
century, or at least she thought she knew, and it
wasn't
pretty
.
Icy fear twisted around her heart. Somehow, she
had
to convince Iain
that
she
really
was
from the future and
needed to get back. There must be some way to prove it. Maybe Sorcha could
help. At least she believed what Kris told her.

*          *          *

"'Tis sorry I am
that
it took so long,
lass." Kris jumped
almost
a foot when Elsbeth breezed back into the room. "But I think I
have
found ye someth
ing
that
will be to your lik
ing
."  Her arms
were
laden with what looked
like
yards of cloth. "Well,
come on then, let me help ye."

Kris f
ing
ered the soft plaid Elsbeth laid on the bed.
MacGregor plaid. There
was
also a belt and shoes
that
she sincere
ly
hoped
fit her feet.

"Come lass, off with the
chamber robe. Let's get ye dressed afore ye catch a chill."

Kris nodded and shed the robe. First
came the soft linen chemise, then the gown. Kris chuckled when she got helpless
ly
lost in the many yards of
fabric as she searched through a sea of green for the armholes. Elsbeth helped
her pull the gown over her head and buttoned the numerous tiny buttons in the
back. Next came the plaid. Elsbeth wrapped it around her waist, then brought
part of it up over her shoulder and pinned it in place with a large brooch. Kris
not
iced
that
the pin
was
the MacGregor crest. Final
ly
, she slipped on the soft
leather slippers. Thankful
ly
,
they fit, her feet be
ing
the on
ly
part of her
that
could be called large.

"Come, sit ye down, lass and
let me attend to your hair."

Kris sat obedient
ly
, her back to Elsie. Her
hair
was
most
ly
dry now from stand
ing
in front of the fire. Elsbeth
brushed it free of tangles, braided it and tied the end with a length of
MacGregor colors.

"There," she said, patt
ing
a stray strand of hair
back into place, "ye are now
quite
presentable, Lady Kristianna." She smiled.

Kris stood, her gaze on the door
while Elsbeth put th
ing
s
back into their proper place. The gowns went back into the wardrobe, the corset
Kris refused to wear back in the drawer along with the chemises
that
hadn't
fit.

"I shall return short
ly
with some lads to take
care of
that
tub, my
lady, and some food for ye to eat." Elsbeth breezed out of the room as
quick
ly
as she'd come
in.

Kris looked down at the gown
Elsbeth picked for her to wear. "Humph. All dressed up and no place to
go."  She felt sort of
like
Cinderella, except no Prince Charm
ing
awaited her.

No, she'd been stuck with a toad
and
not
even a kiss
would turn him into a prince.
Not
that
Iain
wasn't
handsome. He
was
. Handsome, sexy even, in
that
dark, dangerous
sort of way
that
any
sane woman would avoid at all costs. But he could certain
ly
use some lessons in
people skills.

She paced the room, feel
ing
more frustrated as the
time crept slow
ly
by. She
stared into the fire for a few moments then looked around the room. She needed
a distraction, someth
ing
to do before she went stir crazy from boredom. She
wasn't
used to be
ing
so idle. Inactivity
was
not
in her vocabulary.
Her life for the past few years between school, her job and homework
had
been full and active
with
not
much
opportunity for any downtime.