Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
The plane ride to Scotland took forever in Jenna’s mind.
She slept through a good portion of the flight and she dreamt that Cormac was frantically searching for her along the wooded path that would eventually lead him to the bridge.
She could see him riding Saidear and repeatedly calling her name.
“I’m right here, Cormac,” she said, but he couldn’t hear her.
“I’m on my way. I’ll be with you soon.” She woke feeling guilty for causing Cormac such pain.
What was done, was done. She couldn’t change it.
The only thing she could do was try to get back to him as soon as she possibly could.
That’s where Edna would need to work her magic.
There was no doubt in Jenna’s mind that Edna would help her. She had to, there was no other way.
Dylan rented a car and with Chester happily ensconced in the back seat they made their way from Edinburgh to Glendaloch.
Jenna’s first thought on seeing the little town was that it was lovely.
They traveled down the main street and almost immediately came to The Thistle and Hive Inn.
She couldn’t wait to get out of the car and get inside.
“You go ahead, Jenna. I’ll get the bags and Chester,” Dylan said.
“Okay.” Jenna was already opening the front door of the inn and her eyes searched the lobby, hoping to see Edna standing there. Instead, she saw an attractive young woman standing behind the reception desk.
“Checking in, Miss?” the young woman asked.
“Yes. I mean, no. I don’t know,” Jenna conceded.
“We’re checking in,” Dylan came through the door with their bags and Chester. “Do you have two rooms?”
“Yes, we do. My name’s Maggie,” she said, never removing her eyes from Dylan.
“Nice to meet you,” Dylan said. “I’m Dylan Sinclair and this is my cousin, Jenna Sinclair. And this is Chester. I hope you allow dogs.” Jenna watched him putting on the charm for this lovely green-eyed redhead.
Maggie had come around the desk and was petting Chester. “Of course. He seems verra well behaved. My aunt won’t mind.”
“Who is your aunt?” Jenna asked.
“My aunt and uncle own The Thistle and Hive. They are Edna and Angus Campbell. Now, if you don’t mind filling out the registration forms, I’ll have you in your rooms in short order,” she smiled, once again focusing all of her attention on Dylan. “How long will you be staying with us?”
“Well, that depends on your aunt,” Dylan said. “We need to speak with her.”
“I see. She’s not here today, nor is my uncle. They’ve headed off to Edinburgh for the weekend. They’ll be back day after tomorrow.”
“Can you call her,” Jenna asked. “It’s extremely important that I speak with her.”
“My aunt doesnae carry a cell phone with her, but she may check in with me later. I’ll tell her ye wish to speak with her. She’s had a trying time of it lately and Uncle Angus thought she could use a break.”
“Thank you.” Jenna felt deflated. She had hoped to meet Edna and then be on her way back to Cormac right away. Now she knew she was going to have to wait.
Dylan finished the paperwork and Maggie handed them the keys to their rooms. “They’ll be at the top of the stairs.
Let me know if I can be of any help. Dinner is served in the dining room shortly if you’re interested.
” Jenna noticed again that she was speaking to Dylan as though he were the only one in the room.
“Thank you,” Dylan said. “I’m sure we’ll be down once we get settled in. I’ll need to take Chester for a short walk. Is there a pet store here in Glendaloch?”
“Aye. It’s right up the street,” Maggie said. “I’d be happy to show you where, when you’re ready.”
“I’d like that,” Dylan answered.
Jenna stood back and watched the exchange taking place and thought Dylan was seeming awfully interested in this girl. She took one of the keys from his hands and wearily made her way up the stairs to her room.
Once Jenna got herself settled in, she tapped on Dylan’s door to see if he was ready for dinner.
No answer. He must have taken Chester for a walk, she thought as she headed downstairs.
Maggie didn’t seem to be in the lobby anywhere and Jenna was just about to walk into the dining room when the door to the inn opened and a laughing Dylan and Maggie walked through.
“Hey, Jenna. Maggie just walked down to the pet store with me. I picked up some food for Chester.” Dylan held out the bag of dog food for proof.
“I was wondering where everyone was. I was going to go in to get something to eat. Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’ll bring Chester upstairs and I’ll be right back down. Would you care to join us, Maggie?” To Jenna’s eyes, Dylan looked very hopeful that Maggie would say yes.
“I’d like that,” Maggie answered. “Jenna, if you’ll follow me, we’ll get you seated and pour you some wine.”
“Wine would be amazing,” Jenna said as she followed Maggie into the dining room and to a cozy booth near the window.
“I’ll be right back then,” Maggie said as she made her way over to the bar.
Jenna’s view was of the quaint little main street.
The streetlights glowed and reflected off of the damp sidewalk.
It had started to drizzle since their arrival, and the few people out and about had their collars turned up and umbrellas out.
The dining room was only partially filled with guests.
There were empty tables here and there and only the slight murmur of voices, giving the room an almost churchlike feel.
Maggie headed back Jenna’s way and stopped to exchange a few words with some of the diners.
“Thank you,” Jenna said, accepting the glass of wine Maggie presented. “Have you worked here long?”
“Not really. I was working at my family’s teashop in the next town over, but Auntie needed me here. You see she doesn’t get much time off, what with all her responsibilities. So she asked me if I would come work here and she’d teach me what I need to know in order to take over for her.”
Jenna wasn’t sure she should ask Maggie about Edna being a witch. Maybe she didn’t know. She’d keep that information to herself. Maggie’s face lit up and Jenna saw that Dylan had just entered the dining room. He lifted his hand and waved at them, making his way over to sit with them.
“Would you care for some wine,” Maggie asked.
“I’d love some. This is a great little place. So unlike back home. Isn’t that right, Jenna?”
“Very different,” Jenna agreed.
Maggie retrieved two more glasses—one for herself and one for Dylan—along with a bottle of wine. “I thought to bring the whole bottle,” she winked and smiled.
“Good plan,” Dylan said with a wink of his own.
What the heck is going on here? Jenna almost laughed out loud. She couldn’t recall ever seeing Dylan wink at anyone.
“I’ll go see what chef has going on in the kitchen and I’ll bring back his best dishes, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Jenna said before Dylan could wink at Maggie again. He sat transfixed. Jenna had to wave her hand in front of his face to get his attention.
“Hello … anyone home?” she teased.
“I’m sorry, did you say something,” Dylan focused on Jenna for the first time since he sat down.
“No. Just wondering where you’d gone off to.”
Dylan chuckled at that. “Isn’t she something?” he asked.
“Yes. She seems like a lovely girl,” Jenna said.
“You must be disappointed that Edna’s not here,” Dylan noted.
Jenna shrugged her shoulders. “Not much I can do about it. At least I know she’s coming back. So I’ll just have to wait.”
Maggie returned with a tray of food. She placed it all down on the table. “I thought we could all share and if there’s anything you are particularly in love with, I’ll get more.” There was roast beef with gravy and veggies, a pasta dish, chicken with lemon and capers.
“It all looks delicious,” Jenna said as she helped herself to the food.
“Maggie. Tell me about your Aunt Edna,” Dylan suggested.
“There’s not much to tell. She’s been a fixture in this town forever. She was born here and she opened the inn with her husband quite a long time ago.”
“She’s a witch, right?” Dylan said in between bites of food.
“Dylan …” Jenna looked apologetically to Maggie, who didn’t seem at all fazed by his question.
“She is,” she said.
“Do you know anything about this time travelling thing that she does?” he asked. Jenna kicked him under the table. “Ow! Jenna, what are you doing?”
“I’m so sorry, Maggie. You’ll have to forgive Dylan for being so blunt.”
“No trouble. I’m just curious how you came to know about that.”
“She sent Jenna back to the sixteenth century with my friend Cormac. She’d like to go back.”
“Aunt Edna has been teaching me lots of things, but we haven’t gotten that far. You’ll have to wait for her to come back. I’m sure she’ll help you.”
“So, you’re a witch, too,” Jenna said, wondering how on earth she’d gone her whole life without ever meeting one and now she knew two.
Maggie just nodded and sipped her wine. “It’s a family thing.”
“Wow!” Dylan exclaimed.
Maggie laughed at that and sent Dylan a sweet look.
The caliber of the food was right up there with any five star restaurant Jenna had dined in and as a result they managed to eat everything Maggie brought out and polish off another bottle of wine.
Jenna retired to her room early, leaving Dylan to get to know Maggie better, while they shared dessert.
She hoped Dylan would behave himself and not do his usual love ‘em and leave ‘em thing. She didn’t think so, though. He had behaved very differently around Maggie. Maybe her cousin was growing up finally. She sat in front of the fire in her room and thought of Cormac. “I’ll see you soon,” she said and hoped she was right.
***