Chapter 5 #2
The real Maggie knew exactly what had happened and she knew Brielle was to blame.
She had rushed into the room with Cormac and Latharn when they heard Mary screaming and there sat Brielle, as calm as could be and not worried in the slightest that the fire would touch her.
Thank God, Maggie’d been able to put the blaze out.
If this was an example of the kind of magic Brielle was capable of, Maggie was going to have her hands full.
And now, to add insult to injury, Brielle was sitting all wrapped up in Dylan’s arms, seeming as innocent as a newborn babe.
Maggie was seething with anger and jealousy.
How dare Brielle steal her man? Maggie was typically a mild-mannered lass, but she did have a fiery temper when it was needed—one matching her flaming red locks, and seeing her rival with Dylan was enough to cause an explosion.
Angus approached the group from the Great Hall. “What happened, Alec?” he asked quietly.
“Brielle,” was Maggie’s one word response.
“I dinnae like this. We’re lucky there wasnae any loss of life.”
“Aye. Luckily I was able to put it out before it spread.” Maggie was staring at the back of Brielle’s head as Dylan hugged her close.
Latharn and Cormac had risked their lives to save the women they loved.
And so had Dylan. . Knowing how much he actually cared for Maggie should have warmed her heart, but the knowledge that he was being tricked by Brielle pretending to be herself was a horrible thing to endure.
Maggie didn’t think she could take much more of this.
Watching him with Brielle every day was almost too much to bear.
Angus seemed to read her mind. “Come, Alec. Let’s take a walk. Clear yer head.”
With a sullen nod, Maggie agreed and they headed through the gates to the outer bailey and as they walked, Angus kept up the conversation.
“I ken ye feel betrayed by Dylan, but ye must ken that he is under Brielle’s spell. He believes her to be ye.”
“But it’s not me,” Maggie protested. “How can he look into her eyes and not know that?”
“I dinnae ken how it’s possible, Maggie. But I’m asking you to be patient with him. We have much work to do here to rid the MacKenzie’s of Brielle and until we do, ye cannae let anyone here know who ye be, just as ye cannae allow them to distract ye from yer task.”
“I don’t understand why. Wouldn’t it be better for them to know who Brielle truly is and who I really am?” Maggie was confused by the whole situation. She stopped in her tracks and stared up at Angus. “It’s just not fair!”
“I’m sure ye’ve heard it before, lass, but life isnae fair. We all have to learn to deal with it. And until yer Aunt Edna gives us clearance to tell everyone what’s really happening, we must do as she asks and keep your business here a secret. We must trust that Edna knows what she’s doing.”
Maggie nodded grudgingly. “Okay. I don’t like it, but I’ll do as she said.”
“And dinnae worry yerself, yer time to find love will come. I promise ye.” Angus patted her on the back.
She guessed he had gone with that more manly gesture, because he couldn’t hug her without drawing suspicion to them.
He had to treat her as if she was a lad, but Maggie needed a hug more than anything else right now.
“I dinnae think so, Uncle. I dinnae believe love is possible in the twenty first century.” She knew she sounded pathetic, but it was how she really felt.
“Why on earth would ye say a thing like that?” Angus appeared completely bewildered by her statement.
“Look around ye. Jenna and Ashley had to come to the sixteenth century to find love.” That was a fact and it merely proved her point. “Everyone I know is in love with someone from the past.”
“That pout yer wearing is most appealing,” Angus teased. She thought it was sweet that he was trying to lighten her mood. “’Tis simply nae true. What of yer Mum and Da?”
“They arenae in love anymore. They’re divorced, you know that.”
“Aye. They are, but that doesnae mean they dinnae love each other. They still work together every day and I believe that if they stopped being so stubborn, they’d be back together again in no time.”
“Do ye really think so?” Maggie looked hopefully at Angus.
Her parents did work at the teashop together.
She had always thought it was just because they both owned it and had to be there.
Now that she thought on it though, they were always very sweet with each other, except for those times when they werenae and then they wouldnae speak with each other and aye, their stubborn ways kept them like that fer days.
“Aye. I do. So dinnae give up on love just yet. There may be some surprises in store for ye just around the corner.”
Maggie loved Angus. He was one of the best men she knew and his words had weight to them. When he said something, it was good to listen, because he always knew exactly what he was talking about and when he chose to speak, it was usually important.
As they made their way back to the inner bailey, they saw workmen carrying charred pieces of furniture from the kitchen.
Every available person seemed to be congregating in the area.
Some were going inside to help and others stood around outside, speculating about what had happened.
Maggie knew that she had put the fire out completely and before leaving the kitchen, she had done her best to fix the worst of the damage, leaving only a charred table and benches among the ashes.
“The damage doesnae appear to be too bad,” Cormac was saying to his brother Cailin. “We should count ourselves lucky that it didnae spread outside of the kitchen itself.”
“Aye. What do ye think caused it?” Cailin asked. He was surveying the charred remains of the kitchen table and other, unidentifiable wooden objects.
“From the sounds of it, I’d almost believe magick was involved.
Jenna said that the flames seemed to be leaping out of the fireplace towards anything made of wood.
” Cormac shook his head as if he were trying to come to terms with the thought of it.
“We have Maggie to thank for putting it out.” The immediate family were well aware that Maggie was a witch and were not in the least surprised by this information, after all, her Aunt Edna was a witch.
Maggie, who was standing nearby with Angus got some satisfaction from knowing that they realized she had put the fire out and then just as quickly, she recalled that Brielle was the one they thought responsible for saving them from a disaster because they thought she was Maggie.
The next words she heard set her teeth on edge and had her balling her hands into fists.
“Maggie thinks that young Alec is the one who made the fire go out of control.” Cormac said.
“Alec … how would he do a thing like that?” Cailin asked.
Maggie looked up at her uncle, panic in her eyes. “They think I did it!”
“Calm yerself, lad. We’ll straighten this out.” Angus assured her. “Cormac, Cailin could I have a moment of yer time?”
“Aye. Of course, Angus,” Cormac said. The brothers eyed Alec warily as they approached.
“I heard what ye had to say about Alec and I believe Maggie was mistaken. Alec arrived after the fire started. He was right behind you and Latharn. You recall that, dinnae ye, Cormac?”
“He was,” Cormac pondered that information for a moment and then laughed. “I be sorry for accusing ye, Alec, I forgot ye were not even in the room at the time.”
Maggie nodded her acceptance of his apology.
“I wonder was there a wind blowing at the time?” Angus questioned. “Mayhap it blew into the hearth and sent the flames flying through the kitchen.”
“I don’t recall,” Cormac said. “But I wasnae paying attention to the weather. Ye could be right, Angus. Magick, for better or worse, is always the answer when one doesnae ken how something has happened. Maggie is the only one of us who is capable of magick and she’s the one who put the fire out.
She was very suspicious of Alec, though. ”
“I will speak with her. She doesnae know Alec and so I understand why she might suspect him. I will set her straight.” Angus assured them. Cormac and Cailin went back to helping with the kitchen and Angus winked at Alec. “Ye see? We’ve averted their suspicion.”
“Thank ye, Uncle.” Maggie was grateful to have Angus with her. He was the voice of reason in this whole crazy mess.
“I believe it would be a good use of yer time to head out to the practice field and work on the things I’ve been teaching ye, so ye don’t get rusty.” Angus nodded towards the area where the men of Clan MacKenzie could be seen sparring with one another.
“Are ye sure, Uncle?” Maggie wasn’t sure at all. “Won’t they be able to tell that I’m not a lad? I’m not verra good.”
“They won’t be able to tell anything of the sort and ye are good.
Mayhap not verra good, but that will come.
” Angus started walking and Maggie had no choice but to follow.
She nervously cast her gaze around the field.
Shirtless, well-muscled men were everywhere and she couldn’t have felt more out of place.
“Ye’ll spar with me. Just like we did back home.
” Angus grabbed a practice sword and dirk and handed them to Maggie before arming himself.
“Remember what I’ve taught ye. Try to anticipate my moves and counter them.
” He found a clear area where they’d have enough room to work, while Maggie was busy gawking at what was happening around her. “Alec … Alec!”
It took Maggie a moment to realize that Angus was talking to her. “Aye, Angus.”
“Pay attention, lad,” Angus demanded.
“I’m sorry. I’ll pay attention.” Maggie was embarrassed at her behavior. She knew she was going to have to work hard in order to better herself and she was determined she would.