Chapter 35
B ethany woke abruptly. Soft dawn light streamed in through the narrow window; she must have slept all night. Where was she?
She sat up, and the memories all came rushing back. She was in her own bed, in the tiny guest chamber, with Matthew snoring softly beside her. After everything that had happened, it was a miracle she’d managed to sleep at all.
Tomás and Eithne had got away. It seemed that a boat had been ready and waiting, all prepared to spirit Eithne back to Ireland. Tomás was an expert sailor, of course, having grown up on an island west of Dunadd. He and Eithne had probably already reached Ireland. It looked as if they would get away with no punishment at all, despite all the terrible things they had done to the people of Dal Riada. They didn’t even have any evidence of wrongdoing. It turned out that Eithne’s mother was from Dal Riada, albeit one of the very northern clans, and her family would riot if she was exiled from the country. It all came down to politics, in the end .
She smiled down at Matthew, still fast asleep. By some miracle, he’d slept through the entire mess with Tomás and Eithne. Once Comgall left in pursuit, Bethany had woken her son up and brought him here. It seemed too strange to sleep in Comgall’s bed.
Guilt struck her. She couldn’t even imagine how Comgall was feeling this morning. Even she had been hurt by Tomás’s betrayal, and she’d never liked him. It must be a thousand times worse for his brother.
It came as a surprise when someone knocked on the door. How did anyone even know she was here?
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Bethany opened the door. All of her old maids flooded in, each pronouncing how wonderful it was to see her again. She managed to smile and welcome them all warmly, but nothing they said seemed to quite make sense.
“You do all know I’m not the princess, don’t you?” she asked uncertainly.
They all nodded seriously, but still went to work.
While Matthew gradually woke up, Bethany had her hair brushed and elaborately braided. The two of them were given a hearty breakfast - the finest food Bethany had eaten in days. She still couldn’t work out what was going on. Except for the tiny room, now full of people, it was as if she was a princess again.
Someone else knocked at the door, then walked straight in without waiting for an answer. It was Lady Maible, Comgall’s mother.
“Leave us now, girls,” she said, waving a hand at the maids. They scattered, vanishing from the room before Bethany even realised they were leaving .
Maible nodded a solemn greeting to Matthew, then turned to Bethany.
“My dear,” she said, then took a deep breath, as if preparing herself. “I want you to feel welcome here at Dunadd. More than welcome. You saved Comgall’s life, and so you will be treated as if you had indeed been born a princess. It is the least I can do.”
Overwhelmed, Bethany tried not to gape at the older woman.
“I only did what anyone else would do,” she managed to say.
“That is not the story I heard from Comgall,” Maible said. “From the account he gave, a seasoned warrior would be pleased to have reacted like you did.”
Bethany smiled at that. It seemed her years of practice had paid off after all.
“I did have some training in hand-to-hand fighting,” she admitted. “I had to keep it secret from my ex-husband, but it made me feel safer.”
She paused, not sure how to word this. Maible was not only Comgall’s mother, after all.
“I am sorry about Tomás,” she said, reaching out to clasp Maible’s hand. For a heartbeat, the wrinkled fingers clung to her own.
Then Maible tugged her hand free and coughed slightly.
“The king would like to see you,” she said.
Bethany swallowed. She’d known this was coming. Why else would she need to be so primped and tidied? But she had hoped for a little more time.
“I should not leave Matthew,” she said lamely.
“Nonsense,” Maible said, sitting down on the bed. “I shall watch Matthew for you.”
As if to prove her words, she smiled at the boy beside her. To Bethany’s amazement, he smiled back and Maible’s entire face softened. Who would have guessed that a child could change her so much?
Bethany found Comgall standing beside the footprint, gazing out over Dunadd and the surrounding countryside. Touched by the warm light of a summer morning, the Scottish countryside really was beautiful, rolling fields blending into distant hills or fading into golden beaches.
As Bethany walked up to stand beside him, Comgall turned and smiled softly at her.
“Thank you,” he said.
Bethany had nothing to say in return. She just smiled and let her gaze drift into the distance.
Comgall ruled all this land, as far as her eyes could see. He had so much power, but so many responsibilities. He needed a wife who could help him with that. Not someone like Bethany, who would always need protecting. Who would always distract him from the real problems.
After a quiet moment, Comgall finally spoke.
“Do you still plan to leave?” he asked. “To hide?”
This time, Bethany took a moment to think before she answered.
“No,” she said, almost surprising herself. “I’ve come to realise that I do not need to fear Lucan any more. I am not the scared young woman who first met and married him. Things have changed, and I have grown and strengthened in ways I could never have imagined.”
“What will you do?”
Suddenly, Bethany knew the answer to this as well.
“I will stay with Finola for a while,” she said. “ I like it there. And I have the chance to learn something worthwhile. She can teach me to heal people.”
Comgall nodded.
“It sounds like a good choice for you. I hope you will be happy with her.”
For a while longer, they stood there, side by side, gazing out at the countryside and the distant sea. Bethany felt happier than she had in a long time, but there was also a persistent sadness lurking somewhere deep within her.
“Can you tell me more about him?” Comgall asked. “Your ex-husband. The man who attacked you.”
Bethany took a deep breath. She’d avoided this for so long, but the time finally felt right. After all, what was left for her to fear? Her path was chosen. Comgall’s disbelief could not hurt her now.
And so she told him. The truth about the year of her birth, about her journey through time. She told him how she had met Lucan, so much older than her, when he was a professor and she was a student. How he had wooed her - then turned on her. Once the words started, she could barely stop talking. The whole story poured out, faster and faster, until abruptly she reached the end.
She stood there blinking in surprise at herself, as Comgall stared down at her. He said nothing.
“Do you understand?” she asked hesitantly.
His eyes still looked a little glazed, but he nodded.
“There are many stranger stories about this footprint,” he said. “If you tell me that you are from the future, then I believe you. I am just glad that you found your way to my time.”