Lost in the Mist of Time

by Karen Michelle Nutt

  He was heading this way! She would rather die than have him find out that she had been standing there ogling him. She scrambled to her feet and practically ran all the way back to where they had made camp.

  The fire was low again and she frantically stoked it until it blazed hot. She paced a few moments taking deep breaths and lifting her arms in the air, so that she would appear calm by the time he returned. When she thought that she could, she sat down and pulled her legs close to her body, resting her chin on her knees. Not long after, she saw him come into view. Nonchalantly as possible, she lifted her head and smiled. “You’re back.”

  Dougray nodded. “Aye. Took a swim.”

  “I know.” She saw his dark brow raise and she quickly added, pointing out the fact, “Your hair is wet.”

  He touched the damp strands. “So it is.” He walked around the fire and to his pack. “Ye want to know something curious?”

  She looked at him nervously biting her lower lip.

  “I could have sworn that I left my dagger here.” He pulled the item in question out and he heard her little intake of breath before she quickly fell into a series of explanations.

  “You must have taken it. It can’t get up and walk by itself, can it?” She chuckled nervously turning away from him. She closed her eyes expecting him at any moment to accuse her of spying on him.

  “Maybe but….” He watched her tense and he had to bite the inside of his cheek just to stop himself from laughing. He knew exactly how the dagger happened to be tossed among his clothes. She had left enough evidence to convict her without a trial. Broken branches, footprints, and well, the knife had been the sure clincher. He had been quite curious to know just how long she stood there watching him. And now, he had a good idea by the way she was acting. For now, he would let her have her little secret.

  He sighed heavily. “Ye are probably right. I must have taken it with me.” He smiled and turned away to put the dagger in its rightful place.

  They said little that night for the tension was weighed heavy between them, each aware of the slender delicate thread that had begun to form between them.

  While Dougray busied himself with securing the area, Aislinn wrote in her notebook that was beginning to sound more like a personal journal. She didn’t just jot down ideas for a future book, but was now putting down her innermost thoughts. She reminisced about the tranquility of the lake and the trees that lined its shores. For a moment, she even allowed her thoughts to conjure up the moment that she had stumbled upon Dougray. She couldn’t resist writing about that since it had been just about the highlight of the whole evening. She wrote in bold letters, “Anticipation, intrigue, and of course, desire.” She chuckled causing Dougray to glance her way.

  “Ye find something amusing?” He noticed the high color that shone on her cheeks.

  “It was nothing.” She shrugged. “Just writing.”

  “What do ye find to write about? Never seen someone have so much to put to paper.”

  “How could I not find something to write about? I’m in an adventure that most writers will only dream about. I can write from an actual account. I’m here, seeing, feeling, and smelling everything around me. This is a setting for one heck of a novel.”

  “A smut book?”

  She chuckled. “What?” “Yer brother….”

  “Say no more. That’s Connor for you. I tend to think that my books have at least a story behind it, and maybe just a little bit of sex added to spice it up.” “Sex? This is what smut is then?”

  “Connor was trying to be funny. Smut really means scandalous.” “Connor told me that yer novels would make my hair curl.”

  She couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, but she was still smiling.

  “Ye write about sex? This does conjure up a whole different picture. Ye write from experience then?” It seemed that this woman was an ever- changing mystery, for he would have thought by the way she blushed that she was still an innocent.

  “Not exactly.” She hesitated to say more. “What do ye mean by not exactly?”

  “It’s more like how I imagine it to be.”

  He gave her sidelong glance, too curious not to ask. “Ye are still untouched?”

  “Well don’t act so surprised. I don’t jump into bed with every guy I date. I’ve kissed…fondled a little but…” She looked away, a blush evident even in the firelight. “I haven’t done…you know…it.” She was suddenly anxious to escape from his disturbing gaze for she had no wish to have him ridicule her personal decision. But when he had remained silent, she chanced a look at him. He wasn’t laughing or even smiling. He was looking at her as if he had made a shocked discovery.

  “Ye are not young. What could ye possibly be waiting for?”

  “I’m not young….” Her mouth opened and shut not believing that he thought she was old. “Love,” she finally snapped at him. “I’m waiting for the man that I will love forever. Something you obviously wouldn’t understand.” “Ye think that ye have me all figured out, do ye?” The bridled anger in his voice was unmistakable and he rose to his full height now. “Do ye think me incapable of knowing love?”

  “I don’t know.” She permitted herself a withering stare. “We can’t even have a decent conversation for me to figure you out. Really, I think I liked you more when you didn’t have a memory at all. Now you’re just grumpy all the time.”

  “What do ye mean grumpy?” He took a step toward her. She looked so vulnerable, so sweet that he wanted to press his lips to her and show her how agreeable he could be. Instead he halted his steps. “Grumpy indeed!” he shouted and turned on his heels tending to just walk away.

  Aislinn sighed and turned her attention to her writing, deciding that once again their conversation was over, but he whirled around and came back to where she was seated.

  “I’ll have ye know that I have never been grumpy in my life.” “You could have fooled me,” she mumbled but he heard her.

  “Bah! Why do I even bother?” He waved his hand at her and stalked out into the night.

  Aislinn just shook her head. The man was impossible to get along with. She wrote in her journal, “Dougray Fitzpatrick is the most irritable human being alive…” She paused for a moment. Then with a curious smile, she jotted down: “…but he does have nice buns.” She closed the book then and put it away in her backpack.

  She retrieved the mantle that had become their blanket at night and draped it over her. She was not going to let his foul mood ruin her rest.

  Dougray hadn’t strayed too far from the camp, but just far enough away so that he could become a rational human being again. How the woman could with a single word cause his temper to flare. Not even a Butler was capable of doing that.

  He was still a little perturbed when he had finally decided to return, but the moment that he saw her all curled up on one side with his cloak tucked under her chin, he lost some of his ire. He knelt down beside her, studying her peaceful expression. “Ye look like an angel.” He couldn’t resist feeling the soft strands of her dark hair and letting them feather through his fingers. Only when she stirred did he pull his hand away with a sigh. “Ah, I take it back; ye are a temptress.”

  He moved beside her and pulled a bit of covering over him. Oddly, he felt comforted by her body leaning against his back.

  After a somewhat uncomfortably quiet breakfast, Aislinn insisted that she have a few moments alone to ready herself. Dougray was fuming that they had wasted so much of the morning, but finally he had relented.

  He decided to take a walk, and when he had returned, he saw her on the ground engaged in some sort of exercise ritual. He could see the muscles in her arms flex with each up and downward motion. She was indeed a strong woman. “What are ye doing?”

  “Push ups.” She did a few more before she came to her feet and proceeded to jump in the air clapping her hands above her. “Jumping Jacks,” she informed him before he could ask. “I don’t plan on having
shin splints. You should really warm up too. Loosen up those muscles.”

  He just shook his head. “Ye are a strange lass.” Though in actuality, he found her intriguing, but not everyone would have the same opinion as he had. Again, he was plagued with how he was going to present her to his clan. “We will have to come up with a story of where ye are from and one that will seem plausible.”

  “Telling them that I’m from the future wouldn’t do?”

  “Ye may if ye like the notion of being burned at the stake.”

  “Ha, ha.” She was now stretching her long legs, to one side and then to the other. “What about saying that I am a distant cousin of yours, who has come to visit, or maybe you can tell them that I was the daughter of your father’s closest friend who had been abducted by….”

  He shook his head.

  “What? Am I getting a little too carried away?”

  “Aye. We need to make this simple, so that we will remember the story. Ye will have to be visiting from another country. That should be plausible, for though ye speak the Irish, there are slight differences. And to be perfectly honest, ye are too much of yer world.”

  Finished with her morning stretches, she turned to face him. “Are you trying to say that I will stick out like a sore thumb?” He didn’t even have to nod for her to know that this was exactly what he had been thinking. “Not to worry. I can blend in, when need be. Now where will I be staying once we arrive at your home?”

  He was still trying to picture her blending in. “What?”

  “Where will I be staying?”

  “Ye will stay in the castle, of course. Whatever we decide, ye will have to become a lady.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Are you saying that I’m not?”

  This was not going well. “Do not vent, I am saying that we will present ye as noble birth, so that ye warrant the protection of the keep. Ye’ll be safer there and I can watch over ye, and hopefully avoid any complications.”

  “You live in the castle?” She was rather impressed.

  “Aye.” To her disappointment, he didn’t elaborate. “Come now. Let us put a few more hours behind us. I am anxious to be home.”

  Darkness was descending upon them faster than Dougray had anticipated, and he was becoming more and more uneasy with the fact. For some time now, he had the feeling that they were being followed. Two people out alone were easy targets to those that had nothing to lose. He glanced over his shoulder expecting to see someone jump out of the shadows. He picked up the pace, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  “Hey, what’s the rush?” Aislinn matched his step. At this moment, he was glad that she was able to keep up with him. “Are you pissed off about something?” She continued to talk but not getting any answers from him. “What’s wrong with you?”

  He threw her a lethal glare. “Hush, lass, and keep moving.” He took hold of her arm and she let out a yelp from the sudden grip.

  She was about to make another retort, when Dougray suddenly stopped and drew his sword. It seemed that they had come out of nowhere, but there they were surrounding every exit. “Gypsies,” Dougray breathed.

  Aislinn took a step closer to him, when she saw a man with a black scruffy beard move forward and with two powerful-looking men beside him. Their muscles nearly bulged tight against the fabric they wore, and each had a weapon that gleamed menacingly in the light of their torches. The man in the center presented himself with authority, his leer sending chills down her spine. They were surrounded and she instinctively knew that if they so much as breathed wrong, that they would be killed.

  Chapter 16

  “Just let us pass and we will forget this little misunderstanding,” Dougray voiced with confidence making even Aislinn want to laugh. Didn’t he realize they were ten to one here, definitely not the time for boasting?

  The man that seemed to be the leader just stared at him for a long moment before he burst out with a harsh laugh that made Aislinn cringe. “Ye dare make threats to me? Me the great Merrick?” He pounded his broad chest with his fist. “I only have to raise my hand and ye will be choking on yer own blood.”

  “Aye, I can see that well enough, but I assure ye that I am not easily captured. I will make it my duty to take a few of ye with me on my way to hell, and I will be starting with ye first.”

  Aislinn heard the calm and sure tone of his voice but she knew better for she could feel the muscles tense in his back. He was a darn good actor. She just hoped that this Merrick thought so too.

  He seemed to be weighing the words spoken to him as he warily eyed the heavy sword that Dougray held with confidence. Finally he spoke again, “Ye are a brave soul, and ye should count yerself lucky that I like that. I may consider releasin’ ye both, but for a fair price?” Merrick smiled, but it didn’t quite make him look any friendlier.

  “I can assure ye, that ye will be paid handsomely.” Dougray nodded hoping that this meant they would get out of this alive, but somehow he sensed it was not going to be that easy.

  “Riches are indeed an added bonus, but what I wish is from the lady.” He looked at Aislinn now, his eyes seductively roving over her. Instinctively Dougray moved completely in front of her, as if he could single-handedly protect her. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, she would have kissed him for the sweet gesture.

  “I’d advise ye to reconsider.” There was no denying the threat that lay behind Dougray’s words. Aislinn looked around her, as each man moved a step forward. Even with her help, there was no way that they could fend off so many.

  “Very admirable of ye.” The gypsy chuckled again. “Protectin’ the lady’s virtue to the death.” His hand swept around him indicating just how many men were on his side.

  “If the need be.” Dougray was still insistent that he could keep her safe. Aislinn couldn’t help but lift her brows. The man barely tolerated her and yet he was risking his life for her? She again looked to where the men stood within the shadows. No matter how strong or brave Dougray thought he was, there was no way that he could stand up to so many. She felt obligated to at least make an offer to help with this situation. “Maybe you should….”

  He cut her off with a hiss. “Ye say another word and I’ll gladly hand ye over to them without another thought to it. Do I make myself clear?”

  She wisely remained silent.

  After a tense moment, the leader again grinned. “I like ye, milord.” He waved his hand for his men to step back. “Rest easy. I have a woman of me own. I am nah after yer lady’s favors. I only wish to be entertained with a song.”

  Aislinn gripped Dougray’s shoulders. “Sing?” Her voice croaked out the word. She couldn’t sing.

  “A moment please,” Dougray asked and Merrick nodded. To the side now, Dougray lowered his voice so that only Aislinn could hear him.

  “All ye have to do is….”

  “I can’t sing, Dougray,” she interrupted. “I sound like a drowned rat.”

  “Ye are just exaggerating. Are ye not?” He hoped to God that she was joking.

  “No, I am completely serious. I can’t carry a tune. It’s the truth.” She glanced over his shoulder to see the gypsy leader conversing with his men. She looked back to Dougray. “Maybe you could sing.”

  “He did not ask for me.”

  “Well, all I can say is that I can try, but I am telling you, after one stanza, even you will wish that he killed us.”

  Dougray pursed his lips together. How could the woman not know how to sing? He shook his head before he turned to face the leader, once more. “I fear the lady is shy and would ask that ye not insist.”

  Merrick’s face turned murderous. “I am bein’ generous and ye slap me face?” He lifted his hands for his men to seize them.

  “Wait!” Aislinn stepped forward. “I accept.”

  “What are ye doing?” Dougray hissed. “Did ye not tell me, just moments before that ye could not carry a tune? Are ye deliberately trying to get us killed?”

  “As I s
ee it, we are as good as dead if I don’t at least try,” she whispered right back.

  “Just give me a dagger now,” he mumbled under his breath.

  “This will buy us some time and then you can think of a plan to get us out of here.”

  “A plan? Lass, we will need a miracle.”

  “Then I suggest that you start praying for one.”

  He wanted to say more but a gypsy with the gold earring was coming toward them with the intent of relieving them of weapons.

  They were lavishly fed and treated with upmost respect, but it was quite clear that they were not guests. Try as he might, Dougray could not think of a way that they could escape this without being seriously injured or worse. Aislinn had to sing, that was all there was to it.

  Later they were led to where Merrick was seated before the great fire. They were again heavily guarded on all sides, making escape utterly impossible. Aislinn took a deep breath, knowing that it was all up to her. She bravely stood and hoped that her plan was going to work. “Great and noble Merrick.” She bowed slightly before him. “I want to thank you for your open hospitality.” The man nodded looking quite pleased. She continued, “This coziness around the fire reminds me of my home where I have spent many evenings with my family and friends. With your permission, great one, I would like to share with you a tradition that has been passed on for generations. It would do me a great honor, if I may entertain you with ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.’ It is an appropriate story for a campfire such as this.”

  Dougray’s eyes flashed with disbelief. Why was she purposely enticing the man to anger?

  The leader leaned forward cocking an eyebrow. “What is this campfire story? I wanted a sweet melody.”