Chapter 11 #2
“Yer a despicable old man. I cannae believe what ye did to Helene.” Dougall’s fisted hands were shaking with the need to do great bodily harm to his father.
“Is she dead?” he asked.
“Ye’ll be disappointed to find that she isnae. She’s nae here. I’m going to find her and take her back home to Breaghacraig.”
“I can send Logan to do that. Ye shall stay fer yer own wedding.” Paddraig turned in a dismissive manner and began to walk away.
“I’ve told ye, I’ll nae marry Greer. That was yer plan, but nae mine. I intend to marry Helene.”
“Think on it, Dougall. I ken being laird is important to ye. Marrying Greer will seal yer place in the clan. Go. Find yer wench, bring her back here if ye must, but ye’ll marry Greer.” Paddraig’s unwavering stare seemed to be saying there was no relenting when it came to this topic.
“If yer so in love with the idea of Greer Matheson, marry her yerself then.” He quickly mounted his horse and as they spun away, Dougall saw his father’s face as he obviously contemplated Dougall’s suggestion.
“Dinnae expect me back, fer the only reason I’d be returning would be to kill ye.
” He laughed bitterly as he rode away. His Da and Greer deserved each other. There’s would be a match made in hell.
Riding through the night, Dougall hoped they’d make up for lost time and come upon Helene somewhere on the road back to Breaghacraig.
He didn’t know whether or not he’d find her.
Helene had never ventured far from home, so he had no idea whether she’d be able to find her way back.
The thought of her alone and frightened in these woods tore at him.
It was cold and a soft drizzle had begun to fall.
He hoped she’d found some shelter. Would she be able to start a fire to keep herself warm?
And what of highwaymen? She’d already been attacked once on their journey to Castle Treun.
He only hoped she didn’t have the misfortune to run across any unsavory creatures, human or otherwise.
He scrubbed his hands through his hair as he consciously forced his limbs to relax his rigid posture.
“Dougall, we’ll find her.” Logan assured him.
“I hope so, but I’m nae so sure.” He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take, but then he thought of Helene and realized his discomfort was nothing compared to what she must be feeling.
“We’ll head all the way to Breaghacraig and if she isnae there, I’ll come with ye and we’ll search until she’s found.” Dougall appreciated what Logan was trying to do. He recognized the concern in his eyes and the encouragement he tried to put into his voice.
“Thank ye, Logan. Yer a good friend.” He meant it. Logan was proving to him that he could be trusted, that he would be there for him no matter what may come of their search.
“Ye’d do the same fer me.”
“Aye. I would,” Dougall agreed.
“Our horses are tiring. Mayhap we should stop fer the night.” Logan glanced around the area.
“She’s out there somewhere, Logan. Cold and alone in the dark. She’ll be frightened.” He hoped she had a warm blanket to cover herself with.
“There’s naught ye can do, Dougall. If she’s been gone a sennight, she verra possibly could have reached Breaghacraig.” Logan was obviously doing his best to comfort him.
“’Tis me hope.”
They stopped in a small clearing and made camp for the night.
Dougall didn’t believe he’d be sleeping much, but the horses certainly needed to rest, or they’d never make it back to Breaghacraig.
He said a silent prayer that Helene would be safe and he cursed himself for leaving her alone with his father and allowing her to be put in this danger.
Logan brought out some food, but Dougall had no desire to eat. He leaned back against a large tree, closing his eyes, folding his arms across his chest and hoping that sleep would come quickly and dreamlessly. It did neither.
Dougall breathed a weary sigh as Breaghacraig came into view.
Logan who was riding at his side urged his horse into a gallop. Dougall gratefully followed. He’d know soon whether or not Helene had made it back home. He wanted more than anything to believe she had and that he’d see her smiling face as he rode into the courtyard.
Dougall and Logan slowed their horses to a trot before riding through the gates.
He searched every face and his disappointment was evident when he didn’t see Helene anywhere.
Hopping from his horse, he handed it and Helene’s mare to one of the boys.
Logan did the same and both men strode into the castle.
Irene was first to greet them. “Dougall, we’re so happy to have ye back.” Irene tipped her head and scrunched her brow. “Ye dinnae appear to feel the same.”
“Where is Helene? Is she here?” Dougall’s heart dropped.
“Is she nae with ye?” Irene’s hands flew to her mouth, as she obviously realized something was very wrong.
Dougall hung his head in what was part exhaustion, part disappointment and part shame. “I must find her. She left Castle Treun more than a sennight ago.”
“Why would she leave without ye?” Irene fidgeted nervously with the cloth she carried in her hands as she awaited his answer.
It was obvious to Dougall that Irene loved Helene and he was so very sorry to have to tell her what had happened.
“’Tis a long tale, Irene and one which I’m nae proud to tell.
Me father planned to have me wed Greer Matheson. ”
Irene appeared shocked at this news. “Surely ye told him ye wished to marry Helene. Did he nae approve?”
“He didnae. He told me that if I didnae go off on patrol with the men, he’d lock Helene up.
” Dougall shook his head. This was the part that tore him apart.
“If I’d simply turned around and headed back home with Helene, none of this would have happened.
I should have stood up to him, but I didnae.
I went on patrol and when I came back, I found that Helene had been mistreated and escaped on her own. ”
The shock on Irene’s face was easy to read. She was a kind woman and would never treat another human being poorly for any reason. Neither would anyone else here at Breaghacraig. It appeared that he came from a clan of despicable bastards.
“Dinnae blame yerself. He’s yer Da, Dougall, of course ye’d do as he wished. Did Helene travel on foot?”
“Aye. They locked up her horse.” Dougall hung his head. He couldn’t bare to look at Irene, sure he’d see the disappointment on her face that he himself felt.
“I’ll gather the men and we’ll come up with a plan to find her. Dinnae fear. She’s fine. I’ve known Helene a good long time and she is a strong lass.”
Dougall knew that too, but he feared that this had all been too much for her. “The woods are no place fer a woman alone, Irene. What if she met with some highwaymen or if she fell and was injured?”
Irene put her finger to his lips. “Come. Sit for a while. Logan stay with him.”
Irene left them alone in the great hall as she hurried off to find the men. Dougall continued to beat himself up over Helene’s disappearance.
The sounds of women’s voices came to them from the passageway adjoining the great hall. He recognized Jenna and Ashley’s unusual speech pattern. They entered the hall without noticing him at first, but when they did they both ran to hug him.
“So, how’s it feel to be married, Dougall?” Ashley asked.
When he didn’t answer, Jenna asked, “What’s wrong?”
Dougall didn’t have the will to tell one more soul of his failure, so he looked to Logan, who somehow understood what he needed.
“There’s been a problem,” Logan began. He told the women everything from their arrival at Castle Treun to their departure and Dougall watched the horrified expressions on their faces and felt even worse than he had a moment before.
“Oh, no! How are we going to find her?” Jenna asked.
“Irene’s gone to get Robert and yer husbands. We’ll ride out together,” Logan answered.
“I’ve got an idea,” Ashley said. “Edna!”
“Edna!” Jenna shouted.
Dougall wasn’t sure what they were speaking of and he must have looked quite confused.
“Don’t worry, Dougall. We’ve got this.” Ashley hurried from the hall.
“She’ll be right back,” Jenna assured him.
Dougall exchanged confused glances with Logan. “I cannae wait a moment longer. I must leave. Every moment she is gone is a moment too long.”
“Dougall, please sit. Ashley has something that will help. I promise.”
Dougall reluctantly sat down, although he was unable to contain his nervous energy.
Despite the lack of human compassion at Castle Treun, the exact opposite was to be found here.
The warmth he felt for these women and this family almost overwhelmed him.
Jenna stood behind him, rubbing his back.
This small gesture of comfort was so much more than he deserved.
Finally Ashley arrived back in the hall. She was carrying something he had never seen before. “What’s this?” he asked.
“This is going to help, Dougall. You’ll see.” Ashley appeared quite confident, as did Jenna who was tut-tutting around him like a mother hen.
Ashley was carrying a glass ball with a small building inside. She must have lost her mind because she was now speaking to the ball.
“Edna. Can you hear me? It’s Ashley.” Ashley exchanged what appeared to be a knowing glance with Jenna, who smiled back at her.
Dougall remembered hearing about Edna. She was a witch who lived in the future. She was responsible for Ashley and Jenna being at Breaghacraig.
“I’m here, Ashley. Is everything okay?” Edna’s face appeared through swirling snow in the glass ball and Dougall’s jaw dropped at the sight.
“Not really, Edna. Our friend Helene has disappeared and we need to find her.”
“Ah, yes. Helene.”
“Have ye seen her?” Dougall spoke to the face in the globe. A sense of relief washed over him. Edna knew of Helene. She must be alive.
“Aye. I have. I imagine ye to be the one who lost her.”
What did she mean by that? “She left me father’s castle unescorted and I’m afeared for her safety.” Dougall couldn’t get the words out fast enough. He needed to know where Helene was. If this Edna knew then why wasn’t she telling him?
“As I would imagine ye would be. Dougall, isn’t it?”
“Aye.” This had to be one of the stranger moments he’d lived to see, but no matter as long as he would see his Helene again.
“I know where she is,” Edna stated.
“Well, are you going to tell us?” Ashley asked.
“She is safely in San Francisco,” was her answer.
“San Francisco? Is that nae where ye are from Ashley and Jenna?” Dougall turned to the two women for confirmation, but it came from the glass globe instead.
“It is. She was quite heartbroken and asking fer help, so I sent her to me time,” Edna said.
“I must speak with her. I must get her back,” Dougall was afraid he might never see her again. She was so very far away from him.
“Well, I’m nae sure she will want to speak with ye.” Edna’s voice wasn’t reproachful, she was merely stating a fact.
“I ken I should never have left her alone with me father, but I was afraid that if I didnae do as he requested he would lock us both up.”
“And instead, he locked up Helene,” Edna replied.
Dougall’s shame was great. “Please Edna. I must find her and bring her back home. She’s to be me wife.”
“If she’ll still have ye after the ordeal she’s been through,” she replied.
Dougall hadn’t thought of that. In his mind, he thought it was simply a matter of locating her and then things would be back to normal. But Edna had a point. She may be angry with him for leaving her. “Please Edna, I must explain what happened and make sure she is well.”
“I’ll help ye, Dougall. I can get ye to San Francisco, the rest will be up to ye.”
“How will I find her?” he asked.
“Jenna can give you her old address. She is staying there with someone I trust will watch over her. Come to the bridge as soon as ye can. Once there, call to me. Dinnae fear. I’ll hear ye, just as I heard Helene.”
“I’m coming with ye,” Logan said.
“Ye can join him if ye wish,” Edna answered. “Now, if there isnae anything else, I’ll say goodbye for now.”
“Thank you, Edna,” Ashley said.
Edna’s face and voice were gone, leaving the room oddly silent.
“I’m going to put this away. You should gather the things you’d like to take with you and get ready to go,” Ashley said as she left the hall, snow globe in hand.
“Will we be able to take our horses with us?” Logan asked.
“I’ll give you all the information you need and I’ll draw you a map so you can find your way to the stables in Golden Gate Park. I have a friend there. He’ll help you get your horses situated. You’ll have to do the rest on foot,” Jenna said.
Robert, Cormac and Cailin rushed into the room with Irene right behind them. “We’re all ready to go, Dougall. Dinnae fear we’ll find her,” Cormac said.
“It’s okay,” Jenna said. “Edna is going to help him. It seems Helene somehow managed to travel through time to San Francisco.”
“She didnae somehow manage, Jenna. Ye ken Edna had something to do with it,” Cormac answered.
“Edna had everything to do with it,” Jenna laughed, her confidence in Edna evident.
Her obvious attempt to lighten the mood was working.
The men relaxed their posture and dispersed to stand by their spouses.
Cailin went to Dougall and placed a hand on his shoulder, just as Ashley returned to the hall.
“Dougall and Logan are going to go to San Francisco,” she said, her voice filled with excitement.
“Do ye need anyone else to go with ye?” Cailin asked.
“No. He doesn’t.” Ashley answered, commanding the men to stay in place with a mere glance in their direction.
“This is a two man job. Besides, the last thing the city of San Francisco needs is a mass invasion by Scottish Highlanders. So, no need for anyone else to go with him. Edna will make sure they’re safe.
” The men grumbled and exchanged disappointed glances.
“Logan, we’d best be on our way. Pray that our journey will be a successful one.” Dougall addressed the others gathered in the hall. “We’ll be back soon I hope.”