Lost in the Mist of Time

by Karen Michelle Nutt

  Aislinn had stood in silence, but now she would not stand for it. This was Dougray’s grandfather for goodness’ sake and there was no need to be rude. “Please do not leave so soon. Dougray has had a lot to deal with these past months. I for one would love that you stay with us awhile, so I may have a chance to know you better.”

  Dougray bit the inside of his cheeks trying not to lose his temper. He had no wish to dine with his grandfather when they had absolutely nothing in common. Unfortunately, now there would be no other way around it without causing a scene. He was going to be forced to endure.

  As planned, Halstead slipped away from the festivities to meet with the hooded figure who was waiting for him within the folds of the darkness, like a shadow of doom. Halstead was aware of the hooded man’s identity, but still he wished he could see his face. “You know what to do?” The hooded figure nodded. “Good. The young fool does not know what is best for him and we will have to see him set straight.”

  It was late by the time they had started on their trek back home. Dougray rode his mount some distance from the carriage, dwelling on his marriage that seemed doomed from the very start.

  He understood the ordeal she had gone through, maybe not the physical aspect of it, but he did understand grief. He had lost a child too and because of his arrogance he hadn’t bothered to listen to her fears. He had assumed that all his dreams and wants would be sufficient for her also.

  He knew that she cared for him. Maybe she would eventually forgive him, but he had run out of time. He had to send her away. He couldn’t take it if anything were to happen to her.

  He sighed miserably still so lost in his own reverie that it took a split second before the thwack sound registered. Turning to the left of him, he witnessed one of his men fall to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his chest.

  They were under attack. It happened so quickly that he barely drew his sword to defend himself. From the corner of his eye, he saw the carriage was taken hostage. “Aislinn!” he yelled as he fought for his life.

  Aislinn was jolted against the side of the carriage. She braced herself the best that she could. Leaning out the window, she saw Dougray fall from his mount. A scream tore from her only to be silenced when she was thrown back inside. They were being attacked?

  She gripped her handbag close to her for it held the only weapon that she had to protect herself. How she wished that she wasn’t wearing the hindering dress. She pulled herself to the window again, so that she could better assess her situation. She could see there were two men on top that she didn’t recognize and another riding a horse furiously alongside of the coach. She pulled back when she realized the culprit was trying to gain access. She quickly pulled out her dagger, gripping it in her hand. The man’s fist plunged through the opening trying to undo the latch. Aislinn didn’t hesitate. She thrust the blade into the man’s arm. He let out a blood-curdling yell and lost his balance. He fell back and out, where he tumbled onto the ground.

  She was now without a weapon and had no intentions of waiting until the vehicle came to a stop. She made the decision quickly before she had time to rationalize the stupidity of it. Unsteadily she made her way to the door and opened it, making the leap. She rolled with what seemed an eternity finally coming to a complete stop with her kidnappers still fleeing without the knowledge of her escape.

  She opened her eyes without moving for every part of her body ached from the impact of her fall. Gingerly she moved her limbs to make sure nothing was broken. When she was sure that she was still in one piece, she came to her feet and in a crouched position. For the moment, she looked to be alone and she had no intentions of waiting for the wrong men to find her. She got up and ran. She didn’t know where she was going, until she saw the steeple of St. Michan’s Church.

  St. Michan’s wasn’t exactly where she wanted to be, considering the last time she had been there she had viewed mummies and had a ghost whisper in her ear. “Beats being murdered,” she murmured under her breath and ran to where she hoped would be sanctuary. At first she wasn’t sure it was the church; it looked different, smaller. Then she remembered that the church would be rebuilt sometime in the 1600s to accommodate the larger congregation. She pounded on the door and couldn’t believe it when Father Fiach had answered. Why hadn’t she known he was from here? She might have thought more on the matter, but right now she was more concerned that she remain hidden.

  “Lady Aislinn?” Fiach had been just as surprised to see her. His eyes widened as he took in her rumpled appearance. Her velvet gown was torn and mud smeared. Her hair was in disarray, her dark eyes wide, her very stance betrayed her fear. He glanced over the woman’s shoulder to see who was chasing her.

  “I don’t think I was followed,” she managed to croak.

  He wasn’t taking any chances and quickly pulled her inside and barred the doors. “What has happened?”

  “We were attacked.” She gulped in air trying to keep her wits about her. He led her to one of the pews and made her sit down.

  “I don’t know what happened to the others, but it didn’t look good. I was in the carriage when it was hijacked.”

  “Hijacked?” Fiach shook his head not understanding.

  She went on to explain, “Whoever attacked us took control of my carriage.”

  “How did ye escape?” “I jumped of course.”

  Fiach’s mouth dropped open for he hadn’t expected her to tell him that she leapt from the moving vehicle. She could have been killed, but again the alternative most likely would not have been much better. There was no telling what the kidnappers had intended to do with her.

  She grabbed a hold of his hand drawing his attention. “Dougray,” she wailed, fear stark and vivid glittering in her eyes. “I saw him fall.”

  Fiach was not quick enough to hide his worried expression, but he managed to force his words to sound comforting. “It will be all right. Dougray is very capable and will not succumb so easily.”

  “Oh, Father Fiach, if anything happens to him I don’t know what I’ll do. There are so many terrible things I have said to him.” She bit her lower lip trying not to cry, but everything seemed to be closing in on her, gnawing away her confidence.

  Fiach pulled her close, patting her back. “We all say things sometimes that we regret later. I am sure Dougray knows ye didn’t mean them.” He felt Aislinn shake her head.

  “No, he doesn’t,” she sobbed against him. “He doesn’t know.”

  “Then we will pray that Dougray will arrive without delay so ye may lay yer heart bare to him.” He put his hands on her shoulders and gently moved her away so that he could see her eyes. He lifted a hand to wipe the tears away.

  “Ye stay brave, milady. Dougray will be marching through those doors soon.”

  “He wouldn’t possibly come this way. It would be foolish of him to ride where the enemy may be waiting.”

  Fiach smiled. “Ye underestimate my cousin, milady. He will come looking for ye no matter what the dangers may be.”

  She tried desperately to believe him, but as much as she wished it were true, she also hoped that he wouldn’t dare to take the risk.

  “Now, let’s find ye something to drink.” Fiach helped her to her feet and led her to the back room. He couldn’t help but admire how she escaped without harming herself. “Ye really jumped from the carriage?”

  She nodded. “After I lost my dagger, I knew I had no other choice. I didn’t know where I was going to be taken, and I had no wish to find out either.” “Should I even ask ye how ye lost the dagger?” His brows arched high on his forehead.

  She hesitated before she shook her head again. “It may be best that you don’t.”

  He handed the brave woman a goblet filled with wine. She was indeed a worthy match for Dougray. Whatever difficulties they were having, he hoped that they would soon rectify them. They obviously belonged together.

  Aislinn was grateful for the drink for it was beginning to calm her frazzled nerves, but as i
t grew later and there was still no news, even Fiach could not hide his worry. He gave strict orders for her to stay put and not to let anyone in. He left her then to see if he could discern the situation.

  The fighting was intense and Dougray and his men were outnumbered. He wasn’t sure how long they could hold out. Then when the situation could not have gotten any worse, he noticed that another garrison had joined in. At first, he thought they were reinforcements for the enemy, but then he recognized it was Merrick and his band. The age-old leader nodded his head toward him as he raised his sword. With the help of the gypsy band, the fighting did not last much longer. When Dougray was able to, he made his way over to Merrick, his hand reaching for his in a firm grip. “We thank ye of yer assistance.”

  “We saw yer crest, milord, and I take offence that someone should try and slay a friend of mine.”

  “And I appreciate that ye feel that way.” They walked a few paces before he asked the question he hoped Merrick would be able to answer. “Do ye recognize these men we fight?”

  “They belong to no clan. They are men for hire and work for whomever can give them coins to fill their pocket.” “As I figured.”

  “How fairs yer lady?” Merrick asked. “On a better day, I would have wished for another campfire story of hers.”

  “At this moment, we are searching for her carriage.” “She was with ye then?”

  “Aye.”

  Merrick turned to his men. “Lady Aislinn may have been taken. Spread out, men, and keep a wary eye.” He looked to Dougray then. “We will find her.”

  Everyone regrouped after a thorough search of the area. “We came across this.” Murrough showed Dougray the silver-tipped dagger.

  “It’s Aislinn’s,” he confirmed. He looked at Murrough for the answer, fear showing in his eyes that he already thought the worst.

  “It was stuck deep in a man’s forearm. I fear that it was not the cut that killed that man, but rather a hard fall. His neck was broken.”

  “And Aislinn?”

  “We are sure that she jumped also, milord”

  “From the carriage?” He couldn’t believe it, and yet the old Aislinn would have had enough spunk to do just that. “Where?”

  “Not far from here and we also found the vehicle abandoned and not a sign of a struggle. When we backed tracked, we came upon the footprints of a lone person, soft imprint of a woman.”

  “We must find her before they do.” They were about to mount, when it occurred to Dougray that he had an idea to where Aislinn might have gone. “We ride to St. Michan’s.”

  Murrough nodded understanding immediately. “We must go with caution then. There may be others still waiting for such an opportunity to overtake ye.”

  “More the reason we must hurry. I will not let them capture Aislinn. I will see them dead first.” He didn’t wait for Murrough to answer and put his mount into motion.”

  They ran into Fiach who was heading back to the church. Dougray was off his mount before the animal had time to stop. “Say that she is here.”

  The priest smiled. “Aye, she came straight away, cousin. Come, she will be glad to see that ye are all right.” Dougray forgot about the trouble between them. His only goal was to hold her and know she was all right. Before he could reach her though, she was on her feet rushing to him. Her arms went around him in a fierce hug.

  “Oh, Dougray, I thought the worst.” She clung to him never wanting to let him go. He closed his eyes relishing in the fact that she had come to him. He tightened his hold on her not daring to speak.

  “I don’t mean to break up this happy reunion.” Fiach had approached. “Would it not be to yer best interest to stay here for the night?”

  Dougray was about to protest, but Murrough had quickly agreed. “It is too dangerous. We don’t know who sent those men and we can’t be sure there are not more. It would be best for both yer sakes to stay here until we can check out the situation.”

  “Aislinn will stay…”

  “No,” she interrupted. “I will not be left behind to worry. Either you stay with me, Dougray, or I am going with you.”

  He raised a brow. Was she actually making a demand? “I will stay for tonight,” he agreed with a nod to Murrough. “After that if ye do not come up with what we need to know, then I will be doing some investigating on my own.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Make sure ye send someone to Miriam. I do not want her to be worried.” “Aye, consider it done.”

  Merrick had walked into the church and straight to Aislinn. He bowed to her.

  “Merrick?” She was surprised to see the gypsy leader. “I am most pleased that ye are well.”

  “Merrick was there to lend us a hand when we were sure we were to be bested,” Dougray told her.

  “Thank you, Merrick, we are in your debt.” Aislinn’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

  “It is I who is grateful to be at yer service.” He raised her hand to his lips bestowing a sweet kiss. She noticed that he held a twinkling in his eye. “Besides I owe ye a campfire story.”

  “Yes, you do.” She clasped his hands with both of hers.

  After everyone cleared from the church, Fiach showed Aislinn and Dougray to the stairs that would lead them down below. It was slightly different than Aislinn had remembered it from the tour of her century. Not as many coffins for one and the fact that there were two entrances on either end of the tunnel. One was hidden in the church behind the scaffold and the other visible on the outside.

  “I know this is not of the best conditions, but ye will be safe in here,” Fiach assured them. He gave them food, blankets and candles for lighting.

  He placed the torch in the sconce before he turned to speak again, “I will be back in the morning.”

  Now that Dougray and Aislinn were alone, some of the fear had ebbed away and the silence seemed to way heavy on both of them.

  Dougray busied himself by spreading out the blankets as Aislinn watched him. She admired how his powerful well-muscled body moved with ease as he made the necessary arrangements for what would be their bed. His black hair gleamed in the light and how she wished she could reach out and touch its softness. Then it hit her hard. She could have lost him tonight.

  He could have been gone from her life forever, but by the grace of God, she had been given a second chance. Her heart thundered against her chest as she wondered if she went to him, if he would refuse her.

  Then he turned his gaze on her. Those beautiful blue eyes pierced the distance between them. There was no denying the invitation smoldering in their depths. “May we talk?” he began, but before he could say more, she covered the distance between them and was in his arms, kissing him like she feared that she would never see him again. Talk could come later, he thought as he returned the caresses, meeting her obvious needs that were so much like his own.

  They moved to the blanket, both anxious to feel each other completely. “It has been so long.” Dougray’s husky voice reached her ears. He kissed her again and he felt her hands tug at his tunic. That was all the encouragement he needed. His hand moved beneath her dress to skim her hips. Heat rippled under her skin as she recognized the flush of sexual desire that she had been refusing to allow herself to feel. She was frantic to be with him, the need too strong to wait for all their clothing to be removed. She helped him hike her dress up above her hips. He tugged at her undergarment and removed his own. His body covered hers. As his hardness flooded through, a moan slipped from her lips. She clutched him pulling at him to be closer. He matched her urgency with his own lusty, unstated needs. With all that had happened to them, they needed to feel the flames of passion to know that they were still alive, that they indeed had cheated death this night. He moved against her, kissing her, fanning the sparks into a leaping flame until they both surrendered to the eager tremors of ecstasy.

  He held her close, not able to speak. They both knew that they must confront what had put them at odds, but they were both so afraid to b
reak the fragile bond.

  He clutched her closer to him, fearing that she would put distance between them. He wanted her to accept what they had done without regrets, but he began to feel her restlessness. Finally she spoke and he closed his eyes willing her not to say they had made a mistake.

  “I never opened the vial.” Her voice seemed to echo against the walls with her anguish. “I never drank from it.” He opened his eyes realizing she was not speaking of regret, but of baring her soul. He remained silent, gently stroking her hair to give her the encouragement she needed. “I couldn’t do it, Dougray.

  I couldn’t do it.” Tears stung her eyes as she remembered how difficult the decision had been for her. “Even though I knew it was wrong to bring a child into this world, especially since I was aware of what will become of it, I still wanted your baby. I wanted to feel our child growing inside of me, and I desperately wanted to see him draw his first breath.” The tears flowed freely now and she couldn’t stop them. “We had a son, Dougray.”

  “I know.” Listening to her sobs made his heart ache for there was nothing he could say that would relieve her mind. “I’m sorry, too. I am so sorry that I was not there for ye. It was my own selfish pride that kept me from ye. I should have told ye sooner, but I feared it was too late. It was I who had assumed too much, I think. I had forgotten that our marriage was to be temporary, that ye wanted to go back to yer time. I beg forgiveness for not listening to ye. It’s just that I wanted….” He bowed his head and closed his eyes. She reached for him and he looked at her. He caressed her winsome face that he had come to know so well. He wanted to kiss her and erase all that had happened, but he knew there was nothing that could change the fact that they had both lost a child. His hand fell away. “Aislinn, I forgot myself. I forgot that you also had dreams and they were not for here. I could never truly have ye.” He then pulled the item out of his pocket and placed it in her hand, gently squeezing it shut.

  She looked at him for answers but he was silent, forcing her to see what he had given her. It was the vial. “I never….”

  “I know ye didn’t,” he interrupted. “But I will not stop ye now, if this is yer wish.” Everything he ever wanted was here now, and if she chose not to let a child be born between them, he would accept it willingly.