Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
“ T his way, lass." Graeme opened a door and stepped into a hallway with huge ceilings. "This is the Great Hall. Door to the courtyard is that way," he nodded down the hall to the right, "and we'll be going this way to the dining hall." He gestured in the opposite direction.
Danielle took in the busy hallway that was double the size of the one they'd just been in. "I don't…" she started but then shook her head, not having the words to describe how she felt. Everything he'd said was true. They were in a real castle, there was a roof over her head, enormous wood-and-iron doors stood at one end, and well down the other was a cacophony of sound.
"What is that noise?" she asked softly.
Graeme chuckled. "That would be those not on duty partaking of the evening meal."
An evening meal? Well, he had said it was near dinner time. Her stomach grumbled, and she wondered if Graeme had heard it. She didn't like feeling vulnerable, but it couldn't be helped. She was starving, and if Graeme was right, she hadn't eaten in more than five hundred years! She needed food if she was going to make it through the rest of the evening. She wondered if they would allow her to eat.
The smell of cooking meats and vegetables grew stronger the closer they moved down the Great Hall, as did the symphony of voices. The louder it grew, the more nervous she became. A part of her hoped that when she got to the dining hall, it would be filled with the tourists from her group. She would even be happy to see that British player Marcus and his seething girlfriend. Anything to remove the uncertainty she felt and get back to normal.
Graeme gestured to the open doors on their right, and they stopped in the doorway for her to take in the view. As she looked around, she knew without a doubt that Graeme had been telling the truth: She was no longer in her time. There were no tourists, no Marcus or his angry girlfriend, and no one who looked like they belonged in her century. Everyone was dressed in authentic period wear. Most of the men were dressed in kilts with plaids, though some wore trousers with linen shirts and a plaid. The ladies were dressed in gowns of a variety of colors, and the servants were dressed exactly how she expected: dark dresses with aprons for the women, serviceable tunics and trousers for the young men. There didn't seem to be any male servants older than their early twenties.
"This way," Graeme said softly, leading her toward the back of the room where a very long table and benches sat on a raised platform.
As they got closer, Danielle could see that it was four tables placed end to end. There were ladies on one side and men on the other. They came to a stop in the middle, facing a tall, broad-shouldered man with wavy, long, blond hair, and a regal-looking woman with hair the color of a raven's wing and wide brown eyes.
Graeme cleared his throat and then said, "Laird Cameron, I have brought a visitor from the doorway."
Laird Cameron looked up in surprise. The woman next to him leaned toward him and said something softly that Danielle couldn't make out. The woman's eyes then slid to her, and she grinned.
"Does our visitor have a name?"
"Aye, my Laird. May I introduce Lady Danielle Longchamp? Lady Longchamp, Laird Cameron MacLeod and his Lady wife, Maria MacLeod."
"Welcome to Dunscaith Castle, Lady Longchamp. Graeme, you may return to your post." Laird Cameron gave him a hard look. "Now."
Danielle frowned. She didn't like how dismissive he was of the man who felt like her only friend here.
"Aye, my Laird." Graeme nodded, then looked to Danielle. "You'll do fine, lass," he whispered just before leaving.
Danielle swallowed and stood uncomfortably before the Laird and his wife. She already missed having Graeme at her side.
"Where do you come from, Lady Longchamp?" Laird Cameron asked.
"San Francisco?"
"Is that in America?" he asked.
Danielle nodded.
His wife leaned close to him and said, "California, like Cara."
"Do you know our Lady Cara?" Laird Cameron glanced down the table toward a woman with a long auburn braid who waved to her.
"I don't think so?" Danielle frowned. "California is a rather large state, with nearly forty million people."
Laird Cameron blinked in surprise. "I see." He nodded. "And how did you find your way to us?"
"I was on vacation here in Scotland, came to visit the Dunscaith Castle ruins and when it started raining, I found myself in a large room with a small door. I got curious and opened it. And here I am."
Laird Cameron smiled again, and then his expression softened, and he seemed almost apologetic. "I am afraid the trip is one-way."
Danielle gazed at the women at that table. There were seven, including the Laird's wife. They had to be the seven Graeme had told her about. "I have been made aware of that fact." She nodded and then added, "Though I am not quite sure what I am expected to do here."
Laird Cameron chuckled. "For now, I would imagine you are quite hungry. Why don’t you join us in the evening meal and afterward, my wife Maria will escort you to a room."
"Thank you."
Maria gestured for her to join them as the ladies shifted down to make room for her.
Danielle moved around the tables to sit next to Maria. "Thank you. I am starving."
"The trip here does leave you with a ravenous appetite." Maria smiled.
"You don't have a Scottish accent," Danielle said, surprised.
Maria laughed. "No, I'm from New York. I was a homicide detective with the NYPD." She grinned.
"You were a cop?" Danielle couldn't even imagine going from being a cop to coming here. She couldn't believe she was here at all. Still, she had to make the best of it, she supposed, considering there wasn't a way back.
"Yes," Maria's eyes sparkled as she nodded. She turned and held up a hand, stopping an older woman wearing an apron. "Heigl, will you bring Danielle a plate and goblet while I give her the rundown?"
"Of course, my Lady." Heigl bustled off quickly.
"Let me introduce you to the others." Maria gestured to her right. "Next to you is Edith?—"
Danielle smiled at the petite redhead. Her hair was slightly lighter than the one the Laird had said was named Cara, and much longer. She had very bright blue eyes.
"Hi, Danielle." Edith smiled at her. Her voice was soft and had a bit of an East Coast accent, maybe she was from one of the Carolinas.
"It's nice to meet you." Danielle returned her smile.
"—and then next to her is Carissa. She's an herbalist, so if you start feeling sick, she's your go-to person." Maria winked at the curvy brunette, who blushed.
"Hi, Danielle."
"Hi."
"On Carissa's right is Sarah. She was a private eye in Boston, but her whole family were cops. She'll ask you a million and one questions later, I'm sure." Maria laughed.
"Oh, I will not!" Sarah replied, rolling her eyes. "Hi Danielle, if you need anything or need to know anything about this place, I'd be happy to fill you in."
"Thanks," Danielle murmured, admiring the woman's platinum hair. If they weren't here in the fifteen hundreds, she would swear it was from a bottle because it was so light.
"On Sarah's right is Beth. She was a mystery author before she joined us."
"Really? That's pretty cool," Danielle commented as Heigl deposited a plate filled with roasted meat, potatoes, vegetables, and a hunk of bread in front of her. "Thank you," she said gratefully.
Beth smiled. "Not much use here, but I make do." Her smile widened as she brushed some of her wispy strawberry hair from her face.
Danielle's stomach grumbled. "Oh, excuse me." Her cheeks heated as she put her hand to her stomach. "This all smells so good."
"Go ahead and eat while I finish up," Maria encouraged her. "Next to Beth, as my husband mentioned, is Cara. She was an anthropologist who studied Celtic myths. If you want to know anything about Scáthach, just ask her; she knows a ton."
Danielle's eyes widened. "Do you know how to get her to send us back?"
Cara shook her head. "No, sorry. I don't think that sending us back to our time is anything Scáthach wants. We're pretty sure she's—" Cara broke off, her eyes staring beyond Danielle to Maria. "Er… well, she only brings us here, usually because we're needed for something or other, we think."
"I'm a defense attorney. I can't imagine there is much use for me around here."
"Oh, you never know," Maria said.
Danielle continued eating. The food tasted better than any roast and vegetables that she could ever remember. And the bread was crisp on the outside and soft in the center, just the way she loved it. If they ate like this every night, she'd gain thirty pounds in a month!
"And last, but not least, is Eva, our most recent visitor before you."
"Oh, yes. Graeme said you are married to his brother-in-law?"
Eva blushed and nodded. "Yes, Finlay and I married several months ago."
"And in another few months, Eva will be having a baby," Maria commented.
"Congratulations," Danielle said.
"Thank you," Eva replied.
Danielle turned to Maria. "So, are all of you married to men here?" she asked, feeling a bit odd. Did they have to marry? Did these men require them to marry to stay?
"We are," Maria replied, though she must have seen the concern Danielle was sure was on her face because she continued. "By choice, Danielle, each of us fell in love with a man from this time. It isn't a requirement to stay here. You are welcome no matter what."
Danielle expelled the breath she'd been holding. "I see." She had no intention of getting involved with a man here, whether or not she was stuck there. She wouldn’t give up her independence and allow some man to be her ruler.
"You will." Maria nodded, but there was a twinkle in her eye as she picked up her goblet and took a drink.