“All the more reason to cooperate.”
A twinge of excitement twisted inside me. “I guess you’ll just have to work it from me.”
“I think I’m gonna vomit!” Leslie shouted, jumping from her chair.
We jerked apart like two teenagers caught necking behind the jungle gym, surprised and shocked into silence by the sound of Leslie’s gagging in the bushes.
“We’d better get her upstairs,” I said.
“I’ll grab some dry toast for her from the breakfast area.” Cullen replied.
TWELVE
Northern Ireland, November 1551
T he long table in Dún an Aonaigh Castle’s dining hall looked inviting, covered with shimmering candelabras and a fruit centerpiece. Pewter plates were added, each one topped with a white linen napkin. Sorely Boy invited the McQuillan’s to join him at the head of the table.
Once they were seated, their glasses were filled.
“I offer my apologies for the hasty arrival but I have a proposition for ye. I hope ye will find it pleasing.”
Sorely Boy plastered a huge smile on his face. “Ye have always been good to me, my Lord, and I canna see how anything ye propose would not be to my liking.”
Steaming leg of lamb and tongue were brought in and set on elevated dishes.
Uilliam McQuillan stood and held out his glass in toast. “Good then, let us eat first and, after, we can discuss the strengthening of Clans McQuillan and MacDonnell.”
Reluctantly, Sive took a sip of her wine. She found the toast to be rather vexing considering she was the bargaining chip, but she drank anyway.
Sorely Boy and Da were reminiscing about Sorely Boy’s own father, who’d passed two years before, while Sive pondered a life here in this castle with this man. She’d always thought him to be awkward and slightly mad in the head, always talking to himself as a child. At least he’d outgrown the madness but he was still awkward. Unlike Conal, he’d never shown her an ounce of attention, this gave her hope that he would turn down her Da’s outlandish proposal.
Sive was pulled from her self-doubt when suddenly Sorely Boy turned to her, “Has yer tongue stopped working, Sive. I dinna think I’ve ever seen ye so hush.”
Sive nodded and shifted uncomfortably. The servant refilled her glass for what must have been the fourth time and she realized she was feeling rather light headed. She’d never drank more than two cups during a meal, but then again, she’d never felt this hopeless.
“Tell me, Sorely Boy,” Da said, smiling, “Have ye a lass that ye’re fond of?”
Sive’s heart pounded, and she pushed the piece of lamb around her plate, unable to stomach even a bite.
“I do not,” Sorely Boy stated flatly.
Da continued, “Oh come now. Surely there must be someone?”
“I assure ye, Uilliam, there is no one of importance. I have been far too busy for that,” he returned, looking amused.
“What would ye say to the idea that we unite our clans?”
“I would not disagree. What do ye have in mind?”
“I’d like ye to take Sive as yer bride.”
Sorely Boy paused. “Sive is an honorable lass, a fine prize to any man who wins her affections.”
Sive looked from Sorely Boy to her Da and watched as his eyebrows knit tightly together. Hope swelled in her belly. Was Sorely Boy rejecting her Da’s offer?
“Well?” Da asked sharply. “Was that a yes?”
“Aye, of course it was. I would be honored,” he said at last.
“Good.” Uilliam sighed. “Then we shall enjoy the rest of this meal, and hammer out the details and if ‘tis to both of our likings, ye will have my daughter’s hand in marriage before the next full moon.”
Sive slammed her drink down on the table. Wine slopped over the side. The full moon was less than three weeks away.
“Are ye alright, Sive?” Da kept his voice level as he spoke, but Sive could see the tension in his jaw.
Sive nodded and stood from the table. “I apologize. I find myself weary from the long day’s travel.”
THIRTEEN
Southern India, Present Day
M y stomach fluttered at the thought that this time Cullen could have found the correct temple. Was I ready to part with my cursed sapphire? Or would we simply be disappointed once more. I needed to do something more to help.
I got to my feet after helping Leslie to the bathroom and removed the spell book from my suitcase. Grabbing Gigi’s carved elephant box as well just in case I needed it. The elephant box contained the dagger that had been my wedding present to Cullen, and the engagement ring which also held a chip from the devious gemstone. I looked down to my ring finger, where the sapphire had been perched only weeks ago. I’d grown used to the hum, but it wasn’t safe to wear anymore. Cullen had made that clear when he bought me this new solitaire to replace it.
Despite the late hour, exotic Carnatic sound floated up and onto the hotel’s balcony from two streets over where the musicians were gathered on the corner.
I flipped open the book looking for a spell that would help us find this blasted, mysterious temple and vibrations traveled up my arm and into the pit of my stomach.
The Reveal Spell. Hmm. That sounded promising and it was in English for a change.
The thought of casting this spell spread dampness down my spine but I had to do it. It didn’t help that we were in Southern India and I’d never felt such heat. I cleared my throat, memorizing the words. A sweat bead fell from my chin and landed on my chest and my fingers trembled ever so slightly as I reached closed my eyes. “Sister spirits, please help me reveal. The truth, the location and all that’s been concealed. Allow me one glimpse, one vision to peek. The Temple of Indra is what I seek.”
I was suddenly tempted to stroke the sparkly sapphire chips embedded in the handle of the dagger, but I pulled away. The vibrations intensified and I quickly covered the dagger and ring back up and set the closed box on the table beside me, taking a deep breath to shut out the sensations. That was a mistake. The scent of unwashed bodies and hot garbage wafted up.
“Have ye ever heard such a racket?” a voice exclaimed at my shoulder.
I jumped slightly, so engrossed in my own thoughts that I forgot Cullen was coming back so soon.
He kissed my cheek and then leaned back and tilted his hat, his fiery green gaze locking in on my chest. “Are ye a wee bit warm, Aeval?”
That was an understatement. We’d just gone swimming and my white dress was already soaked through and clinging to my breasts as if it were molded there.
“I can’t take much more of this heat.”
“The heat, really? If this honkin’ keeps up, I’m gonna try and deafen myself, save the locals the trouble or maybe we could give ‘em a run for their money. Show ‘em how loud we can really be.” He gave me a bawdy wink.
“I read there’s a system to it. That’s why they honk. The big vehicles get the right of way.”
As if to punctuate our statements, we heard the ear-ripping noise of metal against metal and then shouts and horns.
“I guess someone didn’t get out of the way.”
“That’s not funny,” I said, biting my lip to avoid laughing. “I think we just witnessed an accident. Look at those people gathering.”
“I’m sure it happens all the time here, love. I read that someone gets hit every four minutes in this country.”
“What’s going on out there?” Leslie shouted.
I popped my head back inside the room to answer her. She was standing outside the bathroom door in a green dress, looking herself over in the arabasque-silhouetted mirror.
“We just witnessed an accident,” I replied. “I think it’s a serious one. The trucks have actually slowed down out there,” which was saying a lot for this place.
“There are too many accidents here. I think I’ll avoid crossing the road from now on.”
“Or ye could wait eight months; ye’ll be as big as a house by then.”<
br />
Both Leslie and I turned on Cullen, revealing our death glares.
At five foot nothing and a hundred pounds soaking wet, Leslie was not destined to be huge, even if she carried full term, which I hoped she wasn’t planning to do.
“What?” Cullen frowned. “I meant a beautiful palace.”
I shook my head letting him know that he wasn’t off the hook.
“Ye know,” Cullen smirked, “if anything I think you’ve lost weight the last few weeks. Maybe you should be resting more.”
I turned back to Leslie who was wearing a long strapless green maxi dress, her collarbones jutted out.
“Cullen’s an insensitive ass but he’s right, you should lay down for a bit. We don’t need you hemorrhaging in India,” I said.
Cullen moved to my side, dropping a kiss on my forehead. “And that’s my cue to go. I’m off to pay for the tour.” He bit his lower lip. “Whatever ye do, love, don’t go disappearin’ on me.”
“Funny,” I said, rolling my eyes. Though considering my history of time travel he did have a point.
Cullen grabbed me by the shoulders. “I mean it. Stay in the hotel room and out of trouble. For God’s sake, I can’t risk losin’ ye again, and don’t go wanderin’ down the street to see what happened.”
He’d been waging an inner battle where I was concerned ever since his brother tried to kill me weeks before. On one hand, I found the constant attention delightfully romantic. On the other, it was getting old.
He took a hard look at me and turned to Leslie. “Make sure she stays put.”
“I promise to stay put as long as you agree to never comment on a pregnant woman’s body again”
“Lesson learned,” he said and kissed my forehead. “I love ye.”
“I know,” I said with a wink and he walked away.
Leslie was already snuggled up in a chair in the corner of the balcony looking as nauseous as ever. Whether it was the affection or the spawn inside her, I couldn’t be sure. I glanced at her carefully. “Are you gonna throw up?”
“I’m fine,” she said dismissively. “Just a really long night, the spice isn’t exactly agreeing with the baby. Do you think Cullen’s really found it this time?”
“Who knows? It would be nice to go home and sleep in our own beds.” I almost added and to put that psycho Liam and the cursed sapphire behind me but the memory of being captured had bile creeping up my throat.
“Are you sure I’m not intruding?” Leslie asked, pulling me from the chaos of my mind. “I feel like a third wheel, sharing a room with you guys.”
“Ignore Cullen’s inappropriate libido. You are not a third wheel. Yes, there are three of us, and yes it sucks that they didn’t have a suite available but we’ll look for a different place tomorrow. Anyway, I need to keep an eye on you. “I said, reaching a hand out for her belly. It was completely flat but I knew what was growing inside of her—like a cancerous tumor.
Leslie turned green as I spoke. I opened my mouth to ask if she was okay but I was afraid she’d pop me one if I asked again.
“You know, Sophia, you don’t look so well yourself. You’ve dropped at least ten pounds since Cullen’s mother’s funeral.”
“At least my wedding dress won’t be so tight,” I said with a chuckle. The Gatsby style vintage lace gown had been made with my measurements and yet it had been almost as painful to wear as the nineteenth-century corsets I’d endured in the past.
Leslie closed her eyes. “I don’t know how many more times I can throw up; maybe you could just push me down the temple steps. Put me out of my misery.”
“That’s not funny,” I said involuntarily cracking a smile. I couldn’t help but find amusement in her morbid logic.
“Hey! Do you see that crowd dispersing?” Leslie said jumping to her feet, “I think that’s a body. You never said someone actually got hit.”
I didn’t have my glasses on but at that moment I caught sight of a pair of bare feet and caramel-coloured legs. The rest of the body was hidden from sight behind the crowd. I backed up and into the small round table. It clattered to the floor, sending my jewelry box flying through the air. I swore and stretched my arm out for it, even leaning against the sketchy balcony railing, but the box was far out of my reach. It thudded, a warm, muffled sound, as it landed on the pile of garbage in the small narrow alley below.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
“No. Oh, hell no—”
“Was that what I think it was?” Leslie asked.
I turned to her, nodding. I could feel my eyes bulging. “My jewelry box. I have to go get it.”
“But we can’t…you promised Cullen you wouldn’t leave.”
Leslie followed me through the arched entrance from the balcony to the room as I headed for the door.
And right into Cullen’s smiling face.
FOURTEEN
Northern Ireland, November 1551
S ive picked up her lantern and walked briskly, exiting the cave’s passageway. Following the path up and away from the castle’s light. The wind sent the loose strands of her hair flying madly about her face. Steadily upward she pulled herself over the hills until at last she saw the thatched roof of the abandoned cottage and quickened her pace. It was essential that they go undetected tonight. The skeleton of what had once been a beautiful home was now reduced to decay. The roof leaked and the animals had made a home inside. Sive did not enjoy coming here on her own in the dark. Even though she was not as superstitious as the staff, she always felt the presence of something restless and unsettled within the abandoned walls. But it was close and private enough to be a meeting place. Halfway up the bluff, she stopped to catch her breath. The ascent was steep, her walk had been brisk, and she bent over, panting.
The cottage was small. On one side of the fireplace rose a short set of stone steps leading to a loft. A wicker basket holding peat bricks sat near the hearth, and recessed into one wall was a neatly made bed with a faded quilt.
Sive waited for Conal outside, sitting with her back to the wall of the cottage. She was at her ease now, leaning on a wall, her knees drawn up, watching the moonbeams sparkle on the waves. A crumbling stone wall flanked the cottage, sheltering her from the wild wind. She sighed and leaned her head back, closing her eyes as she reflected on dinner with Da and Sorely Boy. What could she possibly do? Please let Conal have a solution?
Suddenly, she heard something that sounded like a footstep. The density of the fog moving in alarmed Sive. She strained her eyes, searching the landscape. It was too early for Conal to be here. She rose, straining her eyes in the darkness, as cold fear washed over her. Finally, Sive shook her head and chuckled, attributing everything to an overactive imagination. She turned to move and came face to face with a short figure in a dark, hooded robe. A bolt of terror shot through her, and she stood frozen, unable to move or to speak.
Every tale of phantoms and apparitions raced through her mind, and the specter moved silently toward her with a white hand outstretched. She stepped back and gasped.
Suddenly the hooded figure stepped out of the shadows and hissed, “Dinna be a fool, girl. I’m not what ya think.”
The figure reached up and lowered her hood. There in the moonlight stood Conal’s servant. “It’s nice to see ye again,” she said in a gentle voice. “I’ve come to take ye to yer man. He couldn’t get away in time.”
“Fiona. I was so startled a minute ago, I forgot my manners.”
“Ye mistook me for a banshee, never ye fret. The wind and shadows can get the best of anyone up here.”
They walked down the bluff quickly, neither saying a word. Sive was uneasy going so far from Dunlace castle. They’d always met here, but she trusted Conal would get her home safe before morning. He always did.
She led Sive in through the servant’s door of the castle and into the kitchen. Fiona wiped her hands on her apron. “Would ye like some tea, dear? Ye look very cold.”
Sive imagined the tea would feel wonderfull
y warm, but she needed to see Conal. “No tea, thank ye. I need to speak to himself. The matter is urgent.”
Fiona laughed and said, “Aye, sweet girl, I bet ‘tis!” She turned to a stone crock, drew some brandy into an earthenware mug and handed it to her. “This will do, then.”
Sive took a sip and then followed Fiona up some steps and down a hall. The brandy felt warm as it went down, and she felt the tensions of the day start to dissolve.
Fiona pointed to a door and then turned and went back the way she’d come.
Sive knocked and waited. When she received no answer, she knocked a little louder, and began pacing. Fiona had said this was Conal’s room but what if she was wrong. What would she do if someone caught her here? Her Da had spies everywhere and this could be a trap set by the witch—to get her locked in the dungeon again.
She tried the handle. The door was unbolted, and she slipped inside the room, closing it quietly behind her to avoid unwanted attention. Before she could fully look around the room her back was shoved into the door behind her.
Their gazes met and held. She drew in a breath that was almost a sob. Pressing a trembling hand to her breast, she took a step forward.
“Thank God, ye're here....” Her words trailed off as he kissed her. She reached with trembling hands to touch him. His chest felt solid beneath her fingers. She let out the breath she had been holding and her body reacted to his kiss the way it always did. All of her worry melted away, along with every other sensible thought in her head. She knew she should stop him and tell him what had just happened at dinner, but when his hands dropped from the door to cup either side of her face, she found herself leaning into him, desperate to get closer.
As his tongue slid deeper into her mouth, the feeling of his fingers running along her neck and up into her hair undid her completely. She moaned into his mouth and he pushed his hips toward her.
It wasn’t until his hand dropped to cover her breast that Sive returned to her senses. Oh God. This must stop.
Cruel Fortunes Omnibus: Volumes One to Four Page 50