42. Chapter 42 - Lady Mairead
CHAPTER 42 - LADY MAIREAD
THE KINGDOM OF RIAGHALBANE - 2391
I took a deep breath and turned to the bundle. I opened the edges of the towel tae see the spoils of my victory.
Wilfrey asked, “What are those?”
“Tis a vessel, a Trailblazer, and a Darner. They were mine and he stole them. I daena ken how, but he did, and I am verra glad tae hae them back?—”
I froze.
What happened tae my monitor?
Och nae.
He asked, “What happened? Are you well, Mairead? You look like you saw a ghost.”
“It just dawned on me, where is my monitor? I gave it tae Archibald and he promised tae return it, but tis nae here.”
I picked up the edges of the bundle and looked under it.
He asked, “Was it important?”
“Tis crucial. Tis for monitoring all the vessels. He was supposed tae bring Asgall’s body and all the devices tae me, and he dinna, where would he hae left it?”
I leaned on the front of my desk once more, watching the video, thinking, tapping my lip. “I told him he must return it, tis not like him tae defy me.”
He sat quietly drinking from his champagne.
I addressed the voice in the room, “Are there any more discrepancies around that date in Virginia? Any messages?”
The room said, “There is a newly found register of a physician from Charlottesville, Doctor Everett. Lady Kaitlyn is listed as a patient. The entry looks as if it were written with a modern pen.”
A page appeared which read:
On 26th of January, 1775 - Attended to Her Grace, the Duchess of Awe. Her Grace suffered a graze from a musket ball on the outer aspect of her right thigh in an altercation with a band of Highwaymen. The wound was cleansed with warm towels provided by her husband, the Duke of Awe, then bound with clean linen. A poultice has been applied to aid healing and prevent putrefaction. Her Grace bears the injury with fortitude and is expected to make a full recovery.
Her Grace is resting while His Grace and their Son, Archibald, await the constable.
Under it was written:
Gifted unguents and bandages by His Grace, the Duke
Then under that:
Thank ye, Physician Everett, for yer care of Lady Kaitlyn.
I admired yer collection of Apothecary Remedies.
Your servant,
Magnus, Duke of Awe
5-25-2025 is good
I narrowed my eyes, why… what was happening with this note?
Wilfrey asked, “What does this mean, Mairead?”
“After the killing of Asgall, Kaitlyn?—”
“Queen Kaitlyn?”
“Aye, do try tae keep up, Wilfrey, there is naething more irritating when I am trying tae discern what has happened while ye are prattling on with questions.”
He chuckled. “I adore you as well, Mairead.”
I said, “Wheesht,” and thought tae myself, Kaitlyn was injured in the altercation with Asgall and was treated at this Physician’s address and Magnus wrote a thank you note in the physician’s register for some?—
Wilfrey said, “Why would King Magnus write a note in the register? It seems as if he might use an alias.”
I said, “Tis what I am trying tae discern as well, and he did use an alias, as ye can see, he has called himself the Duke of Awe.”
“Yet, in his thank you note, he is careful to use his own name and Queen Kaitlyn’s name. It seems pointed.”
“Aye, ye are correct, it has been done tae send a message.”
“Is this a common way to send messages in time travel?”
I had a split second of irritation, but then I shook my head of it. I was being too quick tae want tae do things alone, twas out of habit I supposed. Here we were celebrating and he was takin’ an interest in helping.
I gave him a soft frown. “My apologies for being sharp with ye before, Wilfrey, I hae grown too used tae solitude when I am vexed. But I was sometimes jealous when I would see Magnus and his family discuss their problems and come up with solutions… sometimes . Other times I thought it was a verra big waste of time tae take so many opinions, but I did want someone tae discuss the troubles. My… General Hammond used tae discuss with me?—”
“He was your lover?”
I nodded. “Aye, and then he was a traitorous fool.”
“He died a while back?”
“Because he was a traitorous fool…”
He gulped.
“I dinna kill him, Wilfrey, he just couldna live with having been treasonous. He sided with our enemies, my enemy Agnie…” The corner of my mouth went up. “Now Agnie I killed.”
“How many people have you killed, Mairead?”
“Many less than I ought tae hae, and only Agnie will I admit tae.”
He said, “Fair enough, you have never murdered a former lover?”
“Nae, I winna accept the sort of behavior that might require it. Is this a deal breaker for ye, Wilfrey?”
He chuckled. “No, this is fair enough, Mairead. I am clear-eyed going into our forthcoming marriage.”
“When I ran a background check on ye it showed ye tae be a bit of a womanizer.”
“Then you probably discovered that I have never been married, Mairead. I have never promised someone that I would be true until today. With marriage I do not think past behavior will determine our future, it will be about trust.”
I said, “That is a valid point.”
He said, “Consider from my point of view, that a down-on-his-luck actor has been asked to marry the Queen Mother of the kingdom of Riaghalbane. You have offered to keep me in extravagant luxury. I will be famous and I will be allowed access to time travel, which I do not actually believe exists yet, but still, why not? I will pretend it exists until I am certain of the truth. But my point is, I think to betray you, Mairead, would be to lose a great deal. You can trust me; I am smart enough to see what you are offering me, the great risk you are taking, and I will take that risk as well.”
He leaned forward and kissed me, warmth spread through me, so much so that I almost forgot what we had been talking about until he pulled away. “Back to my question, Mairead, is this a common way to send messages?”
I sipped from my champagne and said, “Aye, we generally carry modern pens for this purpose while time traveling. We hae learned tae get our name and a date down in the public record when we are in need of a rescue.”
He looked off intae the distance. “And explain to me how this would work, King Magnus writes this in a register because he needs to be rescued?”
“Aye, but we already ken where he is and Archibald is with him…”
“And he knows the message will get into the historical record and then our computers in this kingdom will notice that there is a change in the historical record?”
“Oftentimes changes to history happen unnoticed, not every adjustment is recorded, but we have developed a program that constantly checks for names and events and flags them as discrepancies. The easiest ones are a mention of the Duke and Duchess of Awe or the name Magnus or Mag Mòr. The most difficult ones are the events. For instance, the Siege of Stirling is in the historical record, and seems to have always been there, but the discrepancy is the contemporaneous reports of flying cannons. That becomes a discrepancy that signals time travel might be afoot…”
“I see.”
“So I am just trying to figure out why Magnus left me the message.”
“It seems to me, Mairead, that your monitor is on a shelf in the physician’s office.” He pointed, “behind that jar of Mandrake.”
“What do ye…? Oh.”
“If King Magnus is with Archibald and they have killed Asgall and then Kaitlyn was injured, they have gone directly to the doctor’s office. Do you think the thank you note was for the Doctor, truly, or was it for you?”
“Aye, verra good thinking, Wilfrey, I take back all the disparaging remarks.”
“King Magnus could have thanked the doctor right then and there, he did not need to write it.”
I held up my glass and he clinked his with mine.
I drank and then said, “So my son and his wife are at the Physician’s office on this date, and more importantly my monitor is there as well.”
He smiled. “The King and Queen are also trapped there.”
She shrugged. “Ye will find, Wilfrey, that in time travel a monitor can be worth much more than a member of the royal family. I am not saying I winna see tae the safety of the King and Queen, but the monitor is verra important.”
“Mairead, this sounds treasonous toward your king.”
I waved a hand. “It could be, but he is used tae it. I am his mother, I am allowed. But, I will do something differently this time, because I am in a high mood.”
“Because of your Wilfrey?”
“Aye, because of my Wilfrey, I will see tae the comfort and safety of m’family first, then I will go get the monitor.” I smiled. “I daena ken what has gotten intae me.”
“You are feeling better because of my devotion.”
I raised my glass.
He said, “Then let us go see tae your family in… somehow… I have no idea how it works. Just trying to offer assistance.”
“Ye will travel with me? I hae a great deal tae do, first I must go tae Scotland in the year 2025 tae deliver a vessel tae the caretaker of Balloch so he can replace it in the lockbox under the tree... I daena like the idea that the box is sitting empty. While I am there I need tae see tae the caretaker’s peerage, and I need tae visit the bank. I will do that all over a weekend. Then, I will visit Magnus’s favorite boring beach town in Florida. After that, likely a trip tae Balloch tae see my daughter, tae tell her about the loss of Sean — if need be. Possibly a trip tae colonial Charlottesville, unless I can find someone tae do it for me.”
“In as much as I believe time travel does not happen, and this all sounds farcical, yes, Mairead, I would like to go with you.”
“This means meeting King Magnus at his home in Florida, and telling him that we are tae be married.”
He gulped, drank the rest of his drink, and very deliberately positioned the flute on the desk. “If that is the worst of it, let us do it.”
I decided not tae tell him of the pain of time travel, better not tae frighten him.