Timeless Mist (34 page)

"Ye arenae pay
ing
the least bit attention
to what I say, are ye lass?"

"What?" Kris asked,
shak
ing
free of her
reverie. "I'm sorry." She smiled at him, and nodded, embarrassed. "I'll
listen this time, I promise."

"I
was
ask
ing
ye if ye would ye believe me if I told ye
that
I am beginn
ing
to care
for ye? And nay just as a
not
her
member of my clan."

Shock coursed through her and she
gasped, meet
ing
his
gaze. She searched his eyes and knew he spoke the truth.

"Oh!" She threw herself
into his arms,
not
nervous at all anymore.

Then he kissed her, and Kris let
herself forget e
very
th
ing
else except the joy of
be
ing
in his arms.

*          *          *

Kris woke late the next morn
ing
, and then on
ly
because the bed beside
her
had
grown cold. She
sighed contented
ly
and
stretched. Then stopped. She never realized the different muscles
that
were
used when one made love.

It did
n't
matter. She figured she'd get used to it,
especial
ly
if last
night
was
any
indication of how little sleep she'd be gett
ing
in the future.
That
did
n't
matter either.

A noise at the door made her pull
the sheet up to her chin and look. Iain smiled at her as he entered the room, a
tray filled to the edges with food in his hands. He used his foot to close the
door and set the tray on the bed between them.

"It looks
like
a feast." She
smiled at him.

"Aye, a feast fit for a
queen. I wanted no one to disturb us, so I decided to get th
ing
s to break our fast
before anyone decided to take upon themselves."

"What clever think
ing
, my laird."

"Aye, I thought as much as
well." He looked at her a moment, "and how did ye sleep, my
lady?"

"You mean when I final
ly
got to sleep?"

He grinned.

"Hmm. I slept well enough,
thank you." She reached for an apple, "you're look
ing
mighty pleased with
yourself. Any particular reason for
that
?"

Iain gave her a pure
ly
lecherous grin, caus
ing
her to giggle.

"You're bad."

Iain raised a brow at her.

"I mean
that
in a
very
good sense, of
course."

"Ye look a bit pleased wi'
yourself as well this fine morn, lassie."

"I'm bask
ing
." She bit into the
apple, lett
ing
the
juice run down her chin and smiled at her husband.

"Bask
ing
?"

"Um hmm." She refused
to say more.

"I wonder if I can aid ye in
that
?" Iain moved
the tray and reached for her.

She went will
ing
into his arms, decid
ing
breakfast could certain
ly
wait awhile longer.

*          *          *

A bang
ing
on the door awoke Kris. She blinked and
bleari
ly
looked around
for Iain who
was
already on his feet strid
ing
to the door.

"Aye," he growled. "The
keep
had
best be burn
ing
down or somebody is go
ing
to pay for this
interruption."

Raibert stood at the door, sword
at the ready, gasp
ing
for breath.

"Ye ha'e someth
ing
to say?"

Raibert nodded, "Aye. I just
came to gi'e ye a report from the watchmen in the west section."

Iain became instant
ly
alert.  "What
news?" He waved Raibert into the room and closed the door.

"Ye
were
right to be cautious. The Campbell's ha'e
been spotted snoop
ing
about."

That
news made Iain sit down. He ran a hand through his hair, and glanced at
Kristianna, "how close are they to discover
ing
us?"

"If we are careful and our
scouts keep to the mists of the hills and wooded area, we are safe for the
moment."

"I assume from your tone
that
we dinnae ha'e as much
time as we would wish, howe'er."

"Nay. Mayhap a fortnight,
mayhap a bit more. I would say nay longer than a month though, until they
discover where we are."

"Aye, I would agree wi' ye,
if they are
that
close." Iain rose from his chair and stood by the fire. "This will
cut our time short for this honeymoon my
màthair
insists on. Considerab
ly
."

He gave Kris, who
had
covered herself with the
sheet and blankets, an apologetic smile. Her eyes
were
wide with fright and he would need to take
some time to reassure her.

"Aye." Raibert ans
were
d with a quick glance in
the same direction.

"I wish for ye to start
e'eryone else to pack
ing
up the keep and prepar
ing
for an attack. We will need all the supplies we can get. Mayhap plan a raid or
two, if ye think it can be done safe
ly
wi' out gi'
ing
our
position away. I will come to the Greathall as soon as I ha'e dressed and
broken my fast. "

"I will see to all the details,
laird."

"Good."

Raibert bowed, "I will take
care of it all."

"Thank ye. Br
ing
us someth
ing
to break our fast, will
ye?"

"Of course," Raibert
grinned and left.

Iain knew his captain would take
care of all the details, but he hearti
ly
wished
that
such news
had
not
come today of all days. Why could
n't
it
have
waited a
not
her month or so? He
shrugged and set the thoughts aside. It would do no good to dwell on them right
now.

Aside from fortify
ing
the keep, he could do
not
h
ing
until he
had
someth
ing
solid to go
on. Now it would be a wait
ing
game. Wait
ing
and
watch
ing
. If they
had
enough time, he would
move the clan higher into the hills. If they did
not
,
he shrugged, then 'twould be a battle again.

Right now, he needed to see about
comfort
ing
Kristianna
and giv
ing
her what
assurances he could under the circumstances.

*          *          *

Kris stared at Iain as Raibert
left the room. She
wasn't
sure what she
was
supposed to do, if anyth
ing
.
She did know, however
that
she
was
near
ly
numb with fear.

She shook her head when she
realized Iain
was
speak
ing
to her.

"I'm sorry, what did you
say?"

Iain came to her and held her
hand in his. "Lass, I understand this is all strange to ye. Ye ha'e nay
idea what to expect, nor what is expected of ye. I promise ye, I will take care
of ye and keep ye safe."

She nodded, but could
not
br
ing
herself to speak.

"We will ha'e
a lot
to do in the next few
days. I must see where the Campbell's are before I can plan what we do next. In
the meantime, ye must see to the stow
ing
of our gear. Elsbeth and my
màthair
will help ye. Do ye think ye can do
that
?"

Kris nodded again as a tear
escaped.

Iain pulled her into his embrace
and held her tight
ly
. "Dinnae
fear, lass. 'Twill be well enough, ye shall see."

Kris clung to him, wonder
ing
what would happen next. She
did
n't
want to lose
him now, she'd on
ly
just found him. Theirs
was
a love still in its infancy. To delicate and too new to be tested just yet. She
knew
that
, as sure as
she'd ever known anyth
ing
.
Now
was
definite
ly
not
the time to tell Iain her secret about be
ing
a Campbell. Especial
ly
not
with the Campbells so close to discover
ing
their hid
ing
place. She would never
gain his love if he knew
that
detail.

She sighed, pulled back and
looked at Iain.

"I'll be fine. Your
màthair
is here and knows
what to do. I'll help her as much as I can." She offered him a weak smile,
'besides, I
have
to
learn it all sometime, do
n't
I?"

Iain smiled at her and brushed a
stray lock of hair from her face. He dropped a kiss on her nose, "ye will
do well, lass."

"I love you, Iain." She
said, before she thought better of it. Before he went into battle, she wanted
him to know
that
. To
take
that
knowledge
with him when he went.

He gave her a pure
ly
male look of satisfaction
and dragged her into his arms again. A knock at the door interrupted them
before Iain could speak.

Raibert
was
here with food.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The next several hours
were
full and busy for Kris.
Iain
had
left the room
to go check on the scouts as soon as they
had
eaten someth
ing
. He
still
hadn't
really
spoken of how he felt
about Kris, nor about her declaration. He'd told her after the ceremony
that
he cared for her, but car
ing
wasn't
exact
ly
lov
ing
.
Had
he just been try
ing
to ease her mind and
help her relax?

She sighed, and looked at the
ceil
ing
. No answers up
there. She decided
that
sometime soon, after th
ing
s
settled down again, she and Iain would
have
to sit down and
have
a
very
long,
very
honest conversation. Right
now, however, she
had
enough to keep her busy.

She looked up from her daydream
ing
, startled when Iain
banged back into the room. She jumped to her feet and went to him.

"I stink of sweat and horse,
lass. Ye may wish to keep your distance until I
have
bathed." He smiled at her.

"What news? What's happen
ing
out there?"

Iain sighed and pulled Kris over
to the chair by the fire. Settl
ing
himself, he pulled her down onto his lap and just held her for several long
moments.

"I must bathe and change,
then eat someth
ing
. Raibert
and I ha'e come up wi' a plan we think may work, but it means I will be away
for several days."

Kris sat up and looked at him. "What
are you plann
ing
on do
ing
?"

Iain ran a hand through his hair.
"We will try to throw the Campbell's off the trail for a wee while."

"How are you go
ing
to accomplish
that
?" Kris shook her
head, try
ing
to make
it all compute.

"'Tis a bit detailed." He
gent
ly
put her from
his lap, "and right now I cannae stand the smell of myself."

Kris grinned at him, bent and
dropped a kiss on his mouth.

"I'll go see to a bath for
you then, my laird and some food."

"Aye, ye do
that
."

She strode to the door, but
turned to give him her best look of invitation, "after all, is
n't
it the duty of the
laird's wife to help him bathe?" With a quick wink, she left the room
before Iain could say anyth
ing
.
She whistled soft
ly
on
her way to the kitchens, wove her way through all the activity in the Greathall
and final
ly
reached
her destination.

*          *          *

Iain unbuckled his sword and laid
it aside. It
had
been
a long day full of tension and fear of disco
very
as he and Raibert
had
followed the Campbell's from a good
ly
distance try
ing
to
gauge just how close they
were
to discover
ing
the
keep and the clan.

As he waited for Kris to return
with food, he stripped off his shirt and boots, glad to get them off his poor
abused feet.

He
was
restless, however and looked about for someth
ing
to soothe his nerves. His eyes lighted on Kris' sack sitt
ing
in the far corner. Over
the past few days they'd spent alone together, he'd come to appreciate some of
the music she'd introduced him too.

Aye,
that
would be a good diversion right now. He
grabbed the pack and set it on the table, pull
ing
the cd player out as well as the earphones. Kris could plug in the speakers
when she returned if she wished.

He opened the center pouch, the
zipper still fascinat
ing
him enough
that
he
smiled at the wonder of it. He reached inside for the case
that
held all of Kris'
music, intent on find
ing
someth
ing
sooth
ing
to listen too, when his
eye caught sight of a
not
her
zipper on the inside of the bag. Intrigued, he reached in and slid the zipper
open.

Inside the small pouch near
ly
hidden from view where two
small parchments. He pulled them out, surprised by the feel of them. Shiny and stiff,
he
was
again filled
with a sense of wonder at the th
ing
s
from Kris' time. Turn
ing
the parchments over, he saw they each contained a tiny portrait of Kris. Sure
ly
not
at her best, he thought.

The top one read 'driver's
license' and the picture itself
was
not
the most flatter
ing
. Kris
had
called such portraits
photos. The other's she'd shown him
had
been much more becom
ing
and pleas
ing
to look
at. He wondered at the artist who'd created this picture.
Had
he been so poor
ly
educated in such matters
that
he could
n't
have
done a better job of captur
ing
her image?

He sighed and let his eye wander
away from the picture to the other information on the small paper. There
were
numbers on it
that
he
had
no idea the mean
ing
of. Her name
was
also listed. Kristianna
E Campbell.

Iain's jaw slid south and he sat
down heavi
ly
in the
chair. Campbell? The lass
was
a Campbell?

Nay! It
wasn't
possible. How could she be a Campbell? And
if what this small piece of parchment said
were
true, how could she
have
lied to him? Especial
ly
about someth
ing
so
important?

A noise at the door made him look
up to see Kris return
ing
.
She
had
several lads
in tow with a large tub and numerous buckets of hot water. Direct
ing
the lads to set the tub
by the fire, Kris busied herself with sett
ing
out the food on the table while the boys filled the tub then filed out.

She glanced at Iain.

"Why are you just sitt
ing
there? Your bath water's
gett
ing
cold,
Iain." She walked over to him and reached for him.

He flinched and rose, mov
ing
away from her.

"Iain?" She looked at
him then
not
iced he
held someth
ing
in his
large hands. "What…" she cleared her sudden
ly
dry throat, "what is
that
?"

"Ye are a Campbell."

Kris started to shake her head.

"Nay, dinnae e'en think to
try to deny it. I ha'e the proof here in my hands. Ye are a Campbell."

Kris sighed and sat down. "I
wanted to tell you before this. I never meant to let it get this far,
Iain."

"Let what get this far? Ye
mean ye ne'er intended to let me wed ye and bed ye? What did ye ha'e in mind
then, lassie? Did ye intend to murder me in my sleep? Did ye intend to betray
me and mine to the Campbell's? Is
that
why, after all these months of successful
ly
hid
ing
in these hills
the Campbell's are nigh onto discover
ing
us? Did ye somehow get word to them?"

"No," Kris breathed,
stunned
that
he would
even think such a th
ing
.
"I told you the truth about be
ing
from the future."

"Nay." Iain bellowed. "I
willnae believe any more of your lies. I should ha'e
had
ye thrown in the dungeon in the first
place."

"Iain, please," Kris
begged, "please, just listen to me. I can explain all of this, if you'll
just give me the chance."

Iain shook his head violent
ly
. "Gi'e ye a chance
to spew forth more lies?  I think
not
,
my lady." He snarled sarcastical
ly
.
"I will gi'e ye nay chance to finish your vile deeds of betrayal."

"Iain, please," Kris
implored again. "It's
not
a betrayal. Yes, I did lie about my last name, but I thought it
was
necessary at first. How
could I tell you I
was
a Campbell? You did
n't
even believe me
that
I
was
from the future at
first. I panicked and told you the first th
ing
that
came to mind
about my last name. I knew what would happen if you found out I
was
a Campbell. You'd
have
immediate
ly
had
me thrown in the dungeon or someth
ing
. I
was
scared." She rose
from her chair and went to him. "You
have
to believe me. I never meant to lie to you. I never meant to keep it a secret
about who I
was
."

Iain's stance
was
rigid and unmov
ing
. He glared at her, icy
contempt show
ing
in
his face, his eyes hard and cold.

"Just give me a chance to
explain, please." Tears rolled down her face, but she tried valiant
ly
to stop them.

"Fine, then. Explain. But
know
that
'twill be
verra difficult to convince me ye speak the truth now."

Kris nodded and went too pour
herself some wine. She
was
go
ing
to
have
to be complete
ly
honest with Iain and hope
and pray
that
somehow
she could convince him of the truth.

"When I first woke up,"
she began, "you know I
had
no idea where I
was
. When
I found out, and Elsbeth told me what year it
was
,
I freaked. I knew about the MacGregor's distrust of the Campbell's. I also knew
that
if I claimed to
be from the future, you probab
ly
would
n't
have
listened to anyth
ing
after
that
, just
had
me burned at the stake
for a witch. I gave you the first name I could think of to save myself a trip
to the dungeon or the fire."

"Why did ye nay tell me the
truth before we
were
wed? Or e'en after
that
?
We ha'e
had
enough
time in this room and talked enough
that
ye could ha'e told me the truth." Iain said calm
ly
, a little too calm
ly
to Kris' mind.

"I
was
work
ing
up the courage to do just
that
when Raibert brought the news about the Campbell's be
ing
so close. I figured then
was
not
really
the best time to divulge the fact
that
I too
was
a
Campbell." She looked at Iain, her voice plead
ing
, "please believe me. I
was
scared. I
was
out of my element, out
of my own time and petrified of what
was
happen
ing
and what
would happen. Especial
ly
if you ever found out the truth." She walked over to him and put her hand
on his arm, "I love you, Iain. I'm ask
ing
for you to forgive me. Forgive me for
lying
to you, for deceiv
ing
you. I
had
no evil
intent and no ulterior motives other than sav
ing
my own skin."

Iain
was
so silent for so long, Kris began to get
nervous.

"I must think on all of
this, lass." He final
ly
said, "I dinnae know if I can forgive ye, or forget
that
ye are a Campbell."

"Is there anyth
ing
I can do?" Kris
asked sad
ly
, know
ing
already what the answer
to
that
question would
be.

"Nay. I wish to be left
alone for a time, however. I will be gone for at least a se'nnight. When I
return we will see what conclusions I come too and if I can live wi'
this."

Kris nodded, realiz
ing
there
was
not
h
ing
more she could do or say to convince him to change his mind.

She walked slow
ly
to the door. Hand on the
knob, she turned and gave him one last look.

"I love you, Iain. And
again, I'm sorry."

Iain acknowledged her with a
sharp nod, but
not
h
ing
more.

Kris left the room, her heart and
soul dejected and heavy. Where would she go now? What would happen to her if
Iain did
n't
believe
her? She made her way up to the roof and stood there, arms folded around
herself. The pain of Iain's rejection
was
so sharp and cut so deep
that
she did
n't
even
have
the strength to cry.