Chapter 3 #2
He approached the guard, “The people who were looking for me, where did they go?”
“They got in their wagon and left. I wouldnae have thought their old nag would go that fast, but they were certainly in a hurry,” he answered.
The bairn wiggled and nearly fell out of his arms. “What have ye there, Donal? The fruits of yer labor?” The man chuckled and Donal vowed that once he had this straightened out he’d be back to land a solid blow to the guard’s protruding nose.
Just outside the castle gates, all he could see were the crowds of people coming and going from market day. There were carts, horses and throngs of people. So many that he’d be lucky to find the man and woman who’d just ruined his life.
He didn’t believe curses truly existed, but the way the last few days had gone he could be convinced of it.
He headed back to the courtyard, awkwardly holding the bundle he’d been handed.
Securing the bairn in one arm, he used his other hand to move the plaid to find a very unhappy wee one staring out at him, tears spilling from her eyes, face red from all the angry screaming she’d been doing.
“What is yer name? They didnae even tell me that.” His heart sank. How is it that he’d never, ever given a thought to one of the many women he’d been with having his bairn? Bethia was right. He was a daft fool.
“What have we here?” Cormac’s voice forced him to look up from the babe.
He found he was unable to speak.
Cailin, Logan, Robert and Dougall joined Cormac fresh from the practice field. He was surrounded by men he counted as his brothers, but he was too stunned to speak. A cry from the bundle drew all their eyes and he watched as each man realized what he was holding.
“Is the bairn yers?” Cailin asked.
“So I’ve been told,” he muttered. Donal had never shied away from sharing his conquests with them, but now he worried what they would think.
He had been careless and now there was a bairn without a mother.
It was all his fault and he didn’t know what these men would think of him.
For the first time since arriving at the castle, he feared that they would turn him out. It was no less than he deserved.
“Who’s the mother and where is she?” Dougall asked.
Robert reached into the bundle and touched the bairn’s face, tracing her eye brows and down her nose. She immediately quieted and reached for his hand. “That would be my question as well,” he added.
Donal focused on the bairn, it was easier than looking up to see the disappointment he knew would be in their eyes.
“She was a kitchen maid here. I didnae ken she was with child. She didnae tell me.” She must have understood what a poor excuse for a father he’d be and thought better of it.
“She’s passed and her Ma and Da brought the bairn to me. ”
They were silent and Donal felt the heaviness on his shoulders.
He tried his best to remember what Sionaid looked like.
If she was the lass he was thinking of, she was quite pretty with blonde locks and emerald green eyes.
He was ashamed of himself. So wrapped up in his own conquests that he never thought this might happen.
He hadn’t mean to hurt anyone. He had been so careless. What a sorry excuse for a man.
“I dinnae wish to say anything about yer skills in the Da department, but this wee one needs a Ma,” Robert said. “I’ll send condolences to her family. I’m hoping Mary kens who they are.”
“What will I do?” The helpless feeling in his gut was growing to the point where he thought he might be sick. He gazed at the screaming bairn in his arms.
“Ye must rock her a bit,” Cailin said, swaying back and forth. “Like this.”
Donal felt like a fool, but he did as Cailin suggested and was pleased that after a moment or two the babe quieted. They were not throwing him out and that small bit of reassurance allowed him to look up into their eyes.
“Here, wipe her tears and her nose,” Cormac said, handing him a kerchief.
Again, Donal did as he was told. “She’s a pretty wee one,” he said, a bit of pride slipping into his voice.
“Aye. She must take after her mother.” Dougall chuckled, placing a hand on Donal’s shoulder.
The group of Highlanders gathered around the wee lass, cooing at her and doing their best to make her smile. Donal wasn’t sure how he would manage, but knowing that his friends were by his side made him feel a wee bit better.
***
Wallace guided the wagon into the inner courtyard of Breaghacraig.
The tall stone walls of the castle were formidable, stretching up high into the bright blue of the sky.
Smaller buildings lined the walls of the courtyard, housing a blacksmith, stables and other things she couldn’t name.
Tina was awestruck by the sight of it. She felt a bit overwhelmed as it reconfirmed that she was in the sixteenth-century.
The people they passed nodded to Wallace as he brought the wagon to a stop in front of two large wooden doors.
“It seems we’ve arrived just in time,” Wallace said, nodding towards the group of men huddled together.
“What are they doing?” she asked. They appeared to be focused on something one of the men was holding. “Is that a baby?”
“I believe ’tis,” Wallace said.
She had no idea who the man was that she was supposed to meet, but the group she was seeing were all very handsome. “Is one of them the man I’m here for?”
“I dinnae ken, lass. Edna has told me verra little.” He got down from the wagon and came around to her side to help her down.
“So, she’s told you something,” Tina said hoping he’d divulge any information he may have.
Wallace rolled his eyes in his head. “She told me to bring ye here. ’Tis all I know.”
“Are you going to leave me? I don’t know what to do.” Panic crept into her voice at the thought of navigating her way here in this foreign land and ancient time. She must have been out of her mind thinking she could do this. This was no vacation. This was real.
“Don’t worry. There are many here who will help ye,” Wallace assured her, holding her hands. His kind eyes held her gaze almost willing her to relax.
One of the handsome men was walking towards them.
He was quite tall with long black hair and even from a distance she could see his amazing blue eyes.
She straightened her dress and checked her hair as he approached.
“Wallace, welcome! I see ye’ve brought us another lass. I assume she’s been sent by Edna.”
“Ye assume correctly, sir. This is Tina. She is the sister to Elle.” He released one hand as he presented her to this gorgeous man. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to speak.
“Ah. Ye do resemble her. How is our Hamish?” the man asked.
“He’s great,” Tina said, finally finding her voice.
“Pardon my rudeness, I should introduce myself. I be Robert Mackenzie, laird of the clan. We’ve many a lass from yer time here with us. I imagine ye’ll be wanting to speak with them.”
“I’d like that,” Tina responded.
“Well, come with me, lass.” He held his arm out for her to take. “Thank ye, Wallace. Mary will be pleased to see ye.”
Wallace bowed to Robert and turned to Tina. “Good luck to ye, lass.”
“Thank you, Wallace. You were wonderful company,” she said, truly meaning every word of it.
He turned and walked away leaving her feeling a bit awkward and nervous. How lucky was she? Robert wasn’t only handsome, he was the laird.
“Shall we?” Robert asked.
She blushed and nodded. Robert led her through the heavy doors and into an expansive room, which she imagined was the great hall Edna had told her about. A beautiful dark-haired woman met them and Robert introduced her.
“This is me wife, Irene,” he said.
Tina’s heart sank. She’d been mistaken. Robert was already taken. “Tina,” she said, holding her hand out to Irene.
Irene took her hand and patted it as she held it. “Welcome to Breaghacraig,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“Irene, Edna sent her. She’s Elle’s sister,” Robert explained.
She hadn’t even been here five minutes and she was already back to being Elle’s sister. Some things never changed.
“Will ye get Ashley? She’s with the children upstairs,” Irene said.
“Of course,” Robert said, leaving Tina’s side. “I’ll send her right down.”
“Come, sit,” Irene said
Tina was too nervous to sit right away, so she took a moment to ground herself by looking around the room.
The hearth was larger than any she’d ever seen in her life.
The opening was as tall as she was. Over the top was a beautiful tapestry of mostly greens and golds, but with many other colors throughout.
It depicted the castle in the center surrounded by water on one side and trees on the other.
Birds were sprinkled here and there in the sky over the water and seated in the trees.
Several ornate wooden chairs were placed in a semi-circle around the hearth, where a small fire burned.
She tried to keep her mind from wandering to how crazy this all was.
Maybe she’d made a mistake. It might not be too late to find Wallace and have him take her back to the bridge.
“Are ye hungry?” Irene asked, interrupting her muddled thoughts.
“No. Wallace and I ate not too long ago. He’s very nice,” she felt herself beginning to babble and tried to get a grip on herself. “How many women from my time are there here?”
“Let’s see. There’s Ashley, Jenna, Sophia, and Sara. I think that’s all of them,” she laughed. Tina spun in her seat to look at her, surely she didn’t hear her right. That many modern women had chosen to live in the past?
“Are they all married to men they met here?” she asked.
“Aye. They’ll tell ye all about it. Ye seem nervous,” Irene observed.
“I guess I’m not doing a very good job of hiding it, am I.” She rested her hand on her belly, feeling sick.
“If I were in yer shoes, I’d be much the same,” Irene assured her.
Tina took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. She glanced around the hall. “This is so beautiful,” she said. “I feel like I’m in a museum.”