Chapter 15
Brenna spent the morning with Helene as she busied herself around the castle. She was excited to meet Ashley and Jenna, as they hadn’t joined them for dinner the other night.
“Helene,” Cailin said, as he rushed her way with a sweet little one in his arms. “Would ye mind taking Emma? I’m off to the practice field.”
Helene held out her arms and Emma did the same. “Come here me sweet,” she cooed. “Is Ashley still abed?”
“She’s feeding wee Andrew. I’m sure she could use yer help getting dressed.” Helene took baby Emma from Cailin as the men headed out to the practice field.
“Do ye think Zeke will join them,” Brenna asked, trying not to appear to interested.
“I’m sure he will. If ye’d prefer to go watch them, I dinnae mind.”
“Nae. I’d much rather spend the morning with ye,” she lied.
Helene scrunched her nose and made a face at her. “Yer nae fooling me, lassie.”
“’Tis true. I wish to meet Ashley and Jenna.” She tickled little Emma under the chin.
“Would ye like to hold her?” Helene headed for the stairs with Brenna following behind.
“Mayhap I will later,” she said.
“Alright. Follow me.” They reached the first landing and headed down the passageway. As they approached Ashley’s chamber, they could hear the distinct sound of a newborn babe fussing. Helene knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Ashley called.
They entered the room and Helene handed baby Emma off to Brenna as she immediately began opening the shutters to let the light in.
“Thank you, Helene. I meant to have Cailin do that before he left, but I forgot. This little one has been demanding all of my attention.”
“Would ye like to get out of bed?” Helene asked.
“I would, but I could use some help.” Ashley smiled warmly at Brenna. “Who have we here?”
“This is Dougall’s sister, Brenna. She’s come to live with us.”
“How wonderful! I’m pleased to meet you, Brenna.”
“As I am ye,” Brenna said. Breaghacraig was so different from Castle Treun. She always felt isolated from the world back there. Everyone here seemed so welcoming. She couldn’t imagine Greer and Gillian behaving this way. They were always off in a corner devising some new way to embarrass her.
Little Emma wanted her mother. She held out her arms to Ashley. “I’ll take her for a minute, Brenna. Would you mind taking Andrew?”
Brenna hesitated for a moment. He was so small and fragile looking, but she made the switch with Ashley. “She’s very sweet,” she said, smiling warmly at Emma.
“She’s been a very good natured lass from the very beginning.” Ashley beamed proudly. “And she loves her new baby brother. Don’t you?” She kissed Emma’s chubby little cheeks.
“When was yer son born?” she asked.
“It’s been a little over a week now. I thought I was tired after Emma was born, but that’s nothing compared to how I feel this time around.
It seems Andrew is always hungry and in need of my attention but I don’t want to ignore Emma.
” She hugged her daughter close as she spoke.
“Combine that with sleepless nights and … all I can say is thank goodness for Helene. She’s a lifesaver. ”
“’Tis nothing,” Helene answered as she picked up around the chamber. “Let me know when yer ready to get up and I’ll take Emma.”
Andrew began to fuss a little and Brenna looked frantically to Helene. “He’ll be fine.”
“He’s just eaten,” Ashley added.
Helene helped her adjust Andrew and showed her how to burp him. Brenna followed instructions and smiled when her efforts worked.
“Someday ye’ll have bairns of yer own,” Helene said. “This is good practice.”
Brenna imagined what her life might look like in the future. She hadn’t given much thought to husbands and bairns while living with her Da. She thought about what it might be like to be a mother, imagining a little boy who looked a lot like Zeke.
“Cailin told me that Zeke Barrett is here,” Ashley said.
“Aye. He is,” Helene said, continuing to straighten the room. She moved to the wardrobe and removed a gown for Ashley and placed it on the foot of the bed.
“Was it weird seeing him?” Ashley asked.
Brenna tipped her head at this, not understanding the meaning of the question. Ashley sounded much like Zeke. She wondered if she, too, was from San Francisco.
“It was at first, but then … “ Helene stopped mid-sentence.
“But then what?” Ashley asked.
“Nothing. He’s a good man. He treated me well in San Francisco and I imagine if I had stayed there I could have made a life with him.”
Brenna was shocked at this news. “Do ye love him?” She couldn’t control herself, the question just popped out.
“I do, but not in a romantic way. I love Dougall. Zeke will always be special to me.”
“Does he love you?” Brenna asked, trying to keep the worry from her voice.
“He did once, but I knew I wanted to be with Dougall. I ken it was hard for him and I didnae wish to hurt him, but I had to follow my heart, which had always been with Dougall. It was because he loved me that he let me go. He knew Dougall and I were meant to be together.” Helene took Emma from Ashley, holding her in one arm while helping Ashley rise from the bed with the other.
Brenna wasn’t happy to hear this. If Zeke still loved Helene, then he couldn’t ever love her. It was good she found this out now.
“Is something wrong?” Ashley asked Brenna. “Do you need me to take Andrew?”
Brenna shook her head. “All is well,” she lied.
Thoughts of a son who looked like Zeke flew from her head.
She’d warmed to him since they’d shared those first kisses in her chamber at Castle Treun.
They’d kept each other at arm’s length since then, but when he rescued her from Nevil Munro and held her in his arms, she felt like she belonged there.
She’d started thinking of him differently.
She thought he might have done the same, but all along he was probably thinking of Helene.
How could he not still love her? She was everything Brenna hoped to be.
Dougall would protect her with his life and now she knew that Zeke would, as well.
For a brief moment, she thought she’d found the man for her. He was kind, thoughtful, brave, strong and quite handsome. Other than her brother Dougall and Logan, she hadn’t known many men with those characteristics. But now, all hope had been sucked right out of her. He wanted Helene, not her.
“Brenna, keep an eye on Emma while I help Ashley dress.” She placed Emma in the center of the bed, where she sat entranced by an object Brenna didn’t recognize.
“What is that?” she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Andrew had fallen asleep in her arms and his sweet little lips were puckering in and out as if he were still attached to his mother’s breast.
“It’s called a snow globe,” Ashley answered. “It was a gift from a dear friend.”
Brenna watched sweet Emma as she tried to pick it up.
It was too heavy for her little hands, so Brenna used her free hand to lift it up.
As she gazed at the small building in the center of it, the snow inside began to swirl around and around.
She thought she saw a woman’s face, but when she looked away to see if the others had noticed, the woman vanished.
“Where did she go?” she asked, sounding confused.
Both women stopped to look at her and then Emma.
“Where did who go?” Ashley asked.
“The woman in the globe. She was there and when I looked away, she vanished.”
“You mean Edna,” Ashley said. “She must be looking in on us.”
“Edna?” Brenna was confused and a bit frightened by this.
“Edna Campbell. She’s the one who gave me the snow globe.”
“’Tis alright, Brenna. She’s a witch who lives in the future.”
“A witch,” she held little Andrew closer.
“Don’t worry,” Ashley assured her. “She’s a good witch. Jenna and I are from the future, as is Sara and Sophia, who you haven’t met yet. If we ever need her help, all we have to do is gaze into the snow globe and call to her.”
“She sent Dr. Ferguson here to help deliver Andrew, and Jenna’s baby.”
Brenna was speechless. This trip to Breaghacraig had been full of surprises. When she’d first heard talk of time travel, she’d thought they were teasing her, but now she was meeting more people from the future. “Do ye come from San Francisco, too?” she asked.
“I do and so do the others.”
Zeke would be going back to San Francisco, possibly taking Sara and Logan with him. Yet another reason that they could never be together. She couldn’t imagine living in another time and place.
“It must be a terrible place if no one wishes to stay there,” Brenna observed.
Ashley and Helene laughed at this. “It’s the exact opposite. It’s a wonderful place.”
“Then why didnae ye stay there?” she asked, completely baffled as to why they were all here.
“Because this is where we belong.”
“What of Zeke?”
“I believe he belongs in San Francisco,” Helene observed. “He loves his work, but without Sara there, he’s alone.”
“’Tis why he’s here. He’s told me over and over that he’s here for his sister,” Brenna said, finally understanding why it was so important to him.
“Let’s go find Jenna,” Ashley said as Helene adjusted one final ribbon at the back of her dress.
Brenna handed Andrew over to his mother and was surprised when Emma wanted to go to her. She picked her up, placing her on her hip and the three women went off in search of Jenna.
They really didn’t have to go too far. They found her pacing back and forth in the great hall, appearing quite uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong, Jenna? Is it the baby?” Ashley asked.
“I think so. I’m having contractions. Can one of you find Dr. Ferguson for me.”
“I’ll go,” Helene said as she rushed from the hall.
Moments later Irene hurried in. “Are ye having the baby?” she asked.
Jenna seemed to be in the midst of a new contraction and didn’t answer.
“Jenna, remember to breathe,” Ashley said. “Like this.” She stood next to her friend and Jenna tried to focus on what Ashley was showing her.