by Ria Cantrell
“Trust me, girl. Ye’ look like Lady Jenna….”
“You mean I look like her painting.”
“Right. Her painting. Ye’ just arena’ seeing it. Sometimes we see ourselves differently than others see us.”
“That’s true, I suppose. Okay, if you say so,” Kiera said, shrugging. “Show me more, Moira. I just love this place.”
Kiera fairly clapped with the delight she was feeling at being there. Morag led the young woman up the stone steps. She said, “I will show ye’ to yer’ apartments.”
“What? I had thought it to be only a room.”
“Nay, lass. It is a regular suite of rooms fer ye’ to enjoy. Mind you, the kitchens are down here, and ye’ may access them as ye’ wish, provided that there isna’ a banquet or an event. But ye’ have the basics up in one of the solars for yer’ use. Ye’ just canna’ actually do much cooking up there. If ye’ are so inclined, the kitchens are at yer’ disposal. But ye’ have a regular bedroom and sitting room. As I said, a solar, and a modest bath as well.”
“You mean I won’t have to bathe in the moat,” Kiera asked teasingly.
“Daft girl. Moats were ne’er used for bathin’.”
“It was a joke, Moira. I mean the place is so positively medieval, I wondered if there was proper plumbing.”
With a raised eyebrow, the old woman said, “Aye. Indoor plumbing, complete with guarderobe.”
“Guarderobe? You can’t mean.…”
“It was a joke, girl. The privy is modern.”
Kiera breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she was fascinated with the ancient place, she was not certain she would be able to adjust to medieval toilet facilities. She was glad she was born in the present day. She actually felt sorry for the people of Castle Campbell’s heyday. It was one thing to live in a castle all one’s life. It was an entirely other to have to use medieval plumbing. As they climbed the sprawling stairs leading up to Kiera’s private apartments, she helped steady the old woman walking beside her. She worried it was too much for Moira, as her steps seemed labored.
“We can do this another time, Moira. I have no wish to overtax you.”
“Nonsense! I am fine. We are nearly there.”
Once they reached the top of the stairs, Kiera walked beside Moira through a short corridor. The old woman took an old fashioned skeleton key from her pocket and slid it into the lock of a set if double doors before them. The doors swung outward, showing the expanse of the sitting room. Kiera suppressed the gasp that lodged in her throat at the sight of the place. It was positively magnificent. She stammered, “You can’t be serious! I am to reside here?”
“Aye, lass. Is it not to yer’ liking?”
“My liking? Are you kidding me? I was only joking about being a princess. This exceeds my highest of hopes.”
“Go on inside, girl. Have a look around. Ye’ will be spendin’ a good deal of time here, I reckon.”
Kiera made her way inside. There were comfortable looking chairs and settees before a great fire place that held a massive wooden mantle that looked as if it had been there from ancient times. On one side of the room, there were large shelves that sported volumes upon volumes of books. Kiera thought she could happily sit before a roaring fire and lose herself within some of those treasured pages and she actually looked forward to doing just such a thing. The floor was a polished weathered wood, that matched the mantle but it shone like glass. It had obviously been very well cared for. There was an expensive looking tapestry rug between the two larger chairs. While the décor was far from medieval, it had an old world charm. Unlike the main hall with its pseudo torchlight, the room was lit with lamps that cast an inviting glow about the place. On the other side of the room, away from the fireplace, sat a writing desk and chair. Kiera scanned the wall near it and saw the modern electric plug and hook-up for her laptop. Perfect, she thought. She could live without a modern kitchen to call her own, but not an internet connection. As if reading her mind, Morag said, “I suppose the things of the modern world will hold less charm as time goes by. Ye’ll see, girl. The simpler things will draw ye’ and ye’ will find yerself’ less concerned with the trappings of technology.”
Kiera did not want to argue. She didn’t care so much for television, but she had to have her laptop and Kindle at her fingertips.
Passing before a small round dining table set with four chairs around it, Kiera ducked into the antechamber off the sitting room, which had been converted to the bedchamber. If she had held the gasp at bay prior to entering the sitting chamber, Kiera could not contain it upon entering the bedroom.
There was a great king-sized bed resting against the far wall. While the mattress looked modern, the bed itself looked every bit the medieval part of the beautiful room. At least, how she imagined a medieval bed to look. In truth it was a copy of a piece from the 1920’s, when medieval art and furniture design saw a revival. Honed wood was carved to form grand posts at the four corners of the bed. Beautiful sheer silk trappings hung from an adorned framework that reached as high as the ceiling. Expensive looking bedding covered the not-so-lumpy mattress and a warm fur coverlet was draped over the edge of the foot of the bed. Kiera’s eyes widened at the sight of it. She would be dwarfed in that big comfortable looking bed. She wondered if there was ever a giant who might have slept in it. There was a trunk in front of the foot of the bed and Kiera imagined “princesses” of old storing their finery in it. Here the floor was polished as well, but it seemed the wood was lighter. It gave a cheery, airy feel to the room; not the oppressive dark and dank atmosphere Kiera had imagined she would find. While there was truly only an arrow-slit for the window, natural light poured in from the adjoining room on the opposite side of the bedroom. That must be what Moira had called the solar.
Passing a magnificent wardrobe, Kiera wanted to explore the source of that well-lit brightness. The solar consisted of a large open room completely composed of the granite and stone that the outer building was made of. It was semi-circular and opened out to what Kiera believed to be some sort of balcony. What probably had been closed with heavy wooden doors in days gone by, the balcony sported a series of sliding glass partitions which stacked to provide a glassless opening out on to the balcony. Kiera marched her way out and saw it wasn’t really a balcony at all. It had been part of the outer-watch of the Keep’s exterior. She could only peer down below from the cut-out crenellations of the castle wall. Kiera had to hoist herself up a bit onto the parapet, but the exertion was worth it. The view was incredible. She could see the valley in its entirety with its tilled fields and village. Toward the west Kiera could see the shimmering waters of the still loch as it glistened in the late afternoon sun. Toward the east she could see the wooded expanse of land that still looked untouched by modern man. This was too good to be true! As she looked out, resting her weight on her turned wrists, Kiera thought, I wouldn’t even care if I had to bathe in the moat after all. This is beyond my wildest dreams.
Morag watched the girl explore the private apartments and she smiled at the childlike quality present as the young woman “oohed and ahhed” with her exploration. Yes, she would take good care of the place. Morag was certain about that. And she will take good care of her charge as well. It was inevitable now, Morag mused.
Kiera practically bounced back into the solar. On the far right sat a beautiful claw-footed bathtub, that Kiera could definitely see herself sinking into. No moat bathing for her after all. While the actual bathroom was not in the solar, but off to an adjoining room, the tub lived in the solar, where the sun spilled onto it with shafts of light. Someone had given a lot of thought to the layout of the place. She faced Moira and said, “Are you sure these are my quarters? I would have thought this was the Royal suite or something…you know for the high paying guests that stay here.”
The old woman gave a little laugh. In truth there were not many paying guests that stayed the night in the place. Weddings and banquets were one thing, but staying the night in the
old Keep was daunting to many people. Still there was a wing of the Keep used for tourists who wished to venture and spend the night in a replica of old in the Keep. It was a little more fantasy than historical, but to each his own, Morag thought. Mostly they got historical re-enactors who were just dying to sleep in a castle than not, so the Inn section of the Keep catered to that type of tourist. She explained, “Well, there is a wing used for the accommodations of guests, but those aren’t as lived in as ye’ think. Since the caretaker and head tour guide spends so much more time here, these rooms seemed more fitting for his or her stay. Now it is fer ye’ to enjoy…and I do hope ye’ will like staying here, lass.”
With a wink, Kiera said, “Well, I guess that all depends on whether or not our ghost friend likes me or not, doesn’t it.”
Again Morag raised an eyebrow at the words of the young woman. “Indeed.”
With arms outstretched, Kiera twirled around and giggled like a little girl. She called out, “Oh Mister Ghost, don’t even think about kicking me out of here. I plan on staying. Do you hear me? Don’t even think about trying to scare me. So there!”
Morag didn’t like this little joke. In fact, she thought it was unwise to even make a reference to Derek at the moment. He was still unpredictable and Morag did not want to chance his ire at this time. Calling to the girl, she said, “Come girl. I have to show you the rest of the Keep. It is getting late and I need to get back to my own lodgings before evening meal.”
“What’s wrong? You look like you actually have seen a ghost.”
“Lass, I know ye’ think it is a game, but it is not. I dunna’ want to provoke any of the entities that may or may not be here. Come along.”
The truth of the matter was that Morag could sense Derek’s presence. He had returned from his brooding place and she wanted to get the girl out of there immediately. She was not ready to make his acquaintance just yet and they needed to leave sooner than later if at all possible. He did not seem to know they were there yet, because he still moved as a mortal man and Morag hoped they would be long gone by the time he made his way up to the battlements where he was known to walk many a night.
Chapter 1 6
He could feel her. She was getting closer. The time was upon him now and sweet redemption was at hand. He sensed the Old One, as well although he could not see her. As sure as he approached the Keep in the gloaming, he was certain he could feel her. The Old One still made him nervous. Why was she here in this time? He thought she would have been left in his time before, but with this cursed existence, he could sense her magic and her power. He did not trust her. She was one of them. She was there on the day he took that fateful fall. Still, as he searched the faded memories of those times before, he remembered her standing over him. He thought her to be performing her witchery, but he remembered her crying. She was his dreaded enemy but she had cried. She also had pleaded for him before his grandfather. Why? She was a hated MacCollum and still she had gone to beg for mercy on his soul.
Derek was tired. In the years that had slipped away; so many years, he could no longer know how many; memories were dulled. Perhaps hatreds had dulled. Perhaps clan divisions were no longer in this time, as well. He sighed. The girl was a MacCollum. He knew that now and somehow this MacCollum girl held his future in her hands. The bitter truth of it had been hard to swallow. He regretted frightening that other woman off, but when he had learned of the sadistic irony of it all, he could not contain his anger. He had to learn to let that hatred go. His very soul depended upon it. But like his path in life, the hatred fostered between the Clan Campbell and MacCollum was as deep and hard to cast off. He silently cursed the Fates and the Guardians and those who thought to pull the strings of the tides. Did they revel in his agony? Hadn’t he paid enough all these years with his endless isolation and solitude?
As he made his way to the battlements, Derek once again felt the pull of the girl. She had been here. He could feel her energy. She had walked these rooms and stood upon the ancient stones which overlooked the glen below. She was gone now, but she had been there. As the sun began its descent in the sky, Derek stared out across the vast expanse of the terrain below. It was one of the only times in the day that he felt a sense of peace. In the brief time when night and day met, at the sun’s setting and at its rising, it was almost as if time had never passed. The modern world was one with the ancient one and Derek never missed a chance to stand on the parapet looking out at the land before him. It was a beautiful sight. As he watched the pinks and crimsons of the sky take hold as the sun sank below the shimmering waters of the loch, peace washed over him. It was different this time. She was coming for him. She was going to save him. It no longer mattered how much time had passed. He supposed it no longer mattered that she was a MacCollum, either. She was what he had been waiting for and with every changing ray of color in the sky, he felt life returning. He felt the physical presence of his body reforming. Yes, she was what he had been waiting for.
~~~~~~
Kiera woke bright and early the next morning. She just could not wait to get back to Castle Campbell. She was not certain why Moira had practically pulled her from the Keep the past night, but now that she had seen it, she could not wait to get back to it. She knew the wedding banquet would be in full swing today, but that did not mean she could not try to help or even continue her exploration on her own. It was a big place and surely, she would not be in the way of the celebrations at hand.
As Kiera made her way down to the comfortable main room of the inn, she scanned the place for Moira. The old woman was nowhere to be seen. Instead, old Duncan sat at one of the tables munching on a scone. Kiera’s stomach rumbled as she could smell the wonderful aroma of fresh coffee and freshly baked scones newly taken from the oven. As she approached, Duncan’s eyes lifted to her and he stood slowly, doffing his cap.
“Good Morrow to ye’, Lass.”
Kiera giggled at his greeting. He was such a throw-back from the past.
“Good Morrow, fine sir,” she answered with a smile.
“What did ye’ think of the Keep? Was it to yer’ likin?”
“Very much so, Duncan. You were right. It is a wonder to behold.”
“It didna’ frighten ye, girl?”
“Oh no, it was amazing. I still can’t believe I will be living there at that grand place now. I think I will start moving my belongings over there today. I can’t wait to get back there. You know, I was never one to love things with a rich history, but since coming to Europe, I have grown to have such a love for these timeless things.”
“History is part of us all, Lassie. Sooner or later we must find our past within our future.”
Kiera smiled. Duncan was an antiquity unto himself. She said, “Yes, so I am learning. I am not usually so sentimental, but if I hadn’t experienced it, I would not have believed it. I swear, I think that place has been calling me here for quite some time.”
“It has a way of doing that, Lass. Ye’ arena’ the first to say such a thing.”
Kiera grabbed a cup of coffee and sat back down before Duncan. He was sitting quietly observing her and Kiera detected a slight grin lifting his usually solemn visage. As she sat with him, she laughed softly and said, “What?”
“Oh nothing, Lass. I just was thinking how things work out sometimes. When Mora…I mean Moira said ye’ were perfect to fill the job, I doubted her. I am startin’ to think the old woman may be right after all.”
“Well, I am determined to make it work. I am not a quitter, Duncan. I am committed to the task.”
“Lass, sometimes the task at hand may be more than ye’ had perceived or bargained for.”
“Duncan, I am not going to be run off from this, so do not try to deter or scare me again.”
Abashed, Duncan replied, “Sorry Lass. I just dunna’ want ye’ to be caught unawares. Sometimes things are not what they appear to be. Sometimes tasks are harder than imagined, But Lass, I think if anyone can succeed in the Keep, it will be ye’. Y
e’ have given an old man hope.”
“Hope? Oh you mean because you lived for a while in the Keep and you want to see it well taken care of?”
“That too, Lass.”
Kiera shook her head with a smile at his cryptic response. He was not very forthcoming. However, perhaps if she asked outright, he would give her more definite answers. She said, “Moira said you would help me in learning the matters of importance in dealing with my responsibilities of the Keep. What do you think I need to know? What can you tell me?”
“Lass most of what ye’ need to know ye’ will learn just by bein’ there.”
Kiera drew in a heavy sigh. She could see this was going to be like pulling teeth. She said, “I know, but I was hoping you could offer me little gems of information. You know, so I can be effective in doing my job. I mean, I know I am only a tour guide and sort of a groundskeeper of sorts, but I just think….”
“Dunna’ ever think that is all ye’ are needed for there,” Duncan interrupted. Her comment had seemed to agitate him. He continued, “Ye’ will be the salvation of the place and its future. I know that now.”
“Woah, Duncan. That sounds very ominous.”
“Trust me lass, yer’ importance should not be underestimated. Ye’ can ask me anything and I can try to answer them as best I can.”
An image of the tower ruin flashed in her mind and she had a momentary desire to press Duncan about it, but she thought he would think her daft if she mentioned the tower of her dreams or for that matter the gorgeous hunk she imagined that had lived in it. Instead, she just said, “Alright…alright. But honestly, Duncan, I fail to see what you mean. I really wish you would explain it to me.”