by Bess McBride
“Ye could eat,” Colin said, one dark eyebrow lifted in a sardonic expression.
Captain Jones laughed. “Yes, I could, and am happy to enjoy Mrs. Renwick’s fine repast.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. I reminded myself again that while Colin had reason to despise the presence of the English soldiers, Captain Jones was a very charming man.
After that though, Colin managed to offer a few desultory comments on the weather, and Captain Jones seemed satisfied with that. I nodded and smiled but offered nothing in case I said something wrong and revealed myself to be a time traveler. I couldn’t quite remember whether the Scots or English burned witches at this time, but I was pretty sure something bad would happen if I was discovered as something other than Colin’s American cousin.
Given that I had spent the majority of my time since arriving in Scotland—in 1746—disputing any notion of time travel, and then upon a hard-fought acceptance of such, worrying about my future—or at least about finding my way back to the twenty-first century—I’d given almost no thought to discovery. I couldn’t even remember when the Salem witch trials had occurred.
What would happen if I were found out? What if Captain Jones demanded to see my “papers?” Did people have papers in eighteenth-century Scotland?
Nope! If anyone should have traveled back in time to Scotland in 1746, it should have been an expert on Scotland’s history—someone who would know when things happened, what to do, and how to behave. Certainly not a tourist who knew almost nothing about Scotland, other than what she had seen in movies. In other words, me!
Chapter Seven
The following morning, sunshine peeked through the clouds. It looked as if the rain had dissipated. When I came down for breakfast, Mrs. Agnew told me that Colin had gone down to the river to check on the flooding.
No sooner did I sit down than he burst into the dining room.
“The bridge is free from water, and the river is now passable. We shall say good-bye to Captain Jones this day,” he said with a self-satisfied smirk. He seated himself and dug in with a hearty appetite.
“I’m sure Mrs. Renwick and Mrs. Agnew will be thankful to see them gone.”
He nodded. “Aye! And what of ye? Shall ye miss the good captain? It seemed to me that the pair of you got on verra well last night.”
I smiled and shook my head.
“Oh, please! He was teaching me to play cards, nothing more. He is a nice man, Colin. At least I think so. I certainly don’t know much about him.”
“He’s an English officer. That is all ye need to ken. They own us, heart and soul, at least for the moment.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Remind me again that we shall indeed vote to take our freedom from England.” He shook his head. “I canna believe that we shall struggle against their oppression for two and a half more centuries.”
I kept my voice low as well. For the moment, we were alone. George was out of the room, and the captain had not yet arrived.
“I don’t know how Scottish people feel about England in the twenty-first century, Colin. I really don’t. I don’t know if they feel oppressed or not. I’m American, and I cannot begin to understand how complicated politics in the United Kingdom are. Don’t forget though, Scotland voted against independence in 2014. The vote was very close though, if that’s of any help.”
“I canna believe it!” he said with another shake of his head, though I’d already shared that information with him a few nights ago.
The door opened, and we both jumped back in our seats. Captain Jones entered.
“I heard from one of my men that the flooding has retreated, so we shall trespass on your hospitality no longer.”
“Trespass, indeed,” Colin muttered.
Captain Jones ignored his comment and greeted me as politely as ever.
“Good morning, Mistress Pratt. You look very fetching today.”
I smiled in response. Who, besides Colin, wouldn’t smile at the affable man?
“Why, thank you,” I said, smoothing the taffeta of my chocolate-brown skirt. An ivory bodice decorated with a lovely embroidered pattern in red, gold and brown threads completed the ensemble. Mrs. Agnew had noted Colin had ordered this dress from France as well, and that his wife had loved it.
“So, you are leaving today?” I asked, more because I was embarrassed by his overt admiration than anything else. I couldn’t tell if he was a flirt or genuinely thought I was attractive. Or maybe he was just that well mannered.
“Yes, we return to Fort William.”
“Oh, is that far?” I asked.
“It is only a day’s journey on foot,” he said.
“Aye, the fort is verra close,” Colin said. From his expression, I could see he thought it too close.
My next words would have been something about seeing him again soon, but that would not have gone over well with Colin, I was pretty sure of that, so I kept silent.
I actually hated to see the captain go. I wanted Colin to be happy, to feel safe and secure in his home, master of his domain, king of his castle, but something about the good captain made me feel safe.
I could only nod and smile.
“Perhaps we shall see each other again while you are here, Mistress Pratt. Did you say how long you planned to visit?”
“Not long,” Colin offered.
My eyes widened, and I held my breath. Where was I going? I knew Colin hadn’t figured out how to get me back. Was he planning on sending me somewhere? I also knew he wasn’t planning on throwing me out of the door on my rear end.
Captain Jones’ smile faded.
“Oh, no. Do you return to America soon?”
I looked at Colin. Since he seemed to have all the answers, he could go ahead and answer this question.
“Aye, verra soon. It was just meant to be a short visit.”
I hoped Captain Jones didn’t think I was a dunce for not answering. I favored him with a bright smile and a shrug of my shoulders.
“Well, I am glad we met, Captain Jones,” I said, almost defiantly, ignoring Colin. “Even if only for a short time.”
“As am I, madam. As am I.” He finished his coffee and stood up, extending me a deep bow.
“I must delay no further if we are to reach the fort by nightfall. Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Anderson. I know this is difficult for you.”
Colin rose and returned the bow, gracious now that the captain was leaving.
“Safe journey,” he said.
I stood as well.
“Yes, good luck,” I said. I had the strangest urge to hug him good-bye, but I was pretty sure that was a no-no. Who didn’t trust a man in uniform? I certainly did.
He nodded and left the room. I plopped back into my seat, feeling as if I were spent.
“Well, that’s that,” I said.
“Aye, that is that,” Colin said as he retook his seat. “Good riddance!”
I had no response to that.
“What do you mean by saying I’m leaving soon? Have you figured out a way I can get back to my own time, or are you giving me the boot?”
“The boot?” His version of the word had so many more o’s than mine did. “Nay, lass. I said that only to thwart any suggestion that he may wish to return to pay ye a call. The man looked fair near to asking for yer hand.”
I sputtered and laughed.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, Colin. Don’t be silly!”
Colin eyed me askance.
“I couldna tell. Did ye take a fancy to him?”
“No!” I said, perhaps too vehemently. “No! I’m lost in the eighteenth century. Romance is the last thing on my mind!” Neither of my statements was particularly true, but I didn’t want Colin to know that. I did think the good captain was handsome and kind, and I’d been harboring romantic thoughts about Colin for some time.
Colin drew in a sharp breath.
“Well, ye need nae shout at me,” he said, frowning. “I wonder that ye protest overmuch.”
“Oh, are you Hamlet now?” I smirked.
Colin’s lips twitched. “Nay, mistress. Although the line is similar to that in Master Shakespeare’s play. It was Queen Gertrude who spoke it.”
I remembered too late. “Touché.”
“Exactly,” Colin repeated.
I rose restlessly. “Well, what are your plans for today? Reverse time travel? Finding me a place to live, a job? Fishing? Visiting the poor and hungry?”
Colin rose when I did.
“I hadna thought that far ahead. My plans were to see the English soldiers leave. I have no poor and hungry tenants. Those that are left are well cared for, at least for now. Do ye wish to fish?”
I smiled. “No, I don’t fish. Do you think we can go down to the river and see if I can reverse the time travel?”
Colin pursed his lips and turned away, moving toward the door to hold it open for me.
“Do ye wish to leave so soon, mistress?”
I passed by him, close enough to smell the soapy scent of his hair. So, he had bathed as well.
“Not really, Colin, but if I don’t know that I can leave, how can I stay?”
He had no reply but reached to run a finger down the back of my neck. I shivered and fairly scooted out the door.
“It shall be as ye wish. We shall go down to the river as soon as the soldiers have gone.”
I nodded.
“I’d better get out of these clothes then. I don’t want to get them muddy.”
“I’ll send Mrs. Agnew to ye.”
I parted from him, wishing I didn’t have to, and I returned to my room to try to wriggle out of my dress. If the bodice laced in the front, I had few problems. But this one laced down the back, and I struggled to loosen the laces that Mrs. Agnew had tightened.
She came in shortly.
“I don’t know if the laird told you we were going down to the river, but I can’t possibly wear this dress outside in the mud. Do you have my clothes or something shorter I can wear?”
“Shorter? Och, nooo, mistress. Ye canna wear anything shorter. And I dinna think yer trousers and man’s blouse are quite proper for the Scottish countryside. Let me fetch ye her ladyship’s riding habit. It is of a good, durable velvet, dark red in color.”
“Red velvet? You want me to traipse around outside in red velvet?”
Mrs. Agnew’s dark eyes blinked, and I could see she had taken offense.
“No, I’m sorry. I’m sure that will be fine, Mrs. Agnew.” Of course, it would not, but I had little choice. My clothing had disappeared, and I knew Mrs. Agnew had made off with my jeans and blouse—perhaps to wash them, perhaps just to hide them. Hopefully, she hadn’t burned them.
She returned with the riding habit, which looked far more elegant than I hoped, and she helped me into the clothing. There was nothing about this clothing that was remotely suitable for walking along muddy paths or traveling through time to the twenty-first century, but I was stuck. Thankfully, no pannier would be required.
While I changed, I did my best to ignore the traveling part. I needed to know that I could get back to my own time, but I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to Colin yet. I wasn’t sure I would ever be ready to say good-bye to him.
I wore my trusty athletic shoes under my skirt, assuming I would have to hike up the skirt the entire way to keep it out of the dirt and/or mud.
I met Colin downstairs. He had donned his kilt again, draping the length of it over his shoulder.
“So, you’re wearing your kilt again,” I said.
“Aye, I am verra comfortable in my plaid, but I canna wear it when the English are around.”
“Because it’s forbidden. You’d said that. Now I know what you mean.”
He nodded. “Aye. Speaking Gaelic, carrying a sword, wearing the tartan—all forbidden by the English.”
I eyed the sword hanging from the strap that ran across his chest.
“Do you really need to carry that thing around? Didn’t you just say it was illegal?”
He looked down.
“Aye, I did,” he said. He grinned, patted it, and gestured for me to precede him.
We stepped outside to the sound of birds singing in the trees. The ground was saturated. Puddles ran deep through the muddy drive just in front of the castle. Small ponds had formed in the unevenness of the vast lawn.
We set off, me holding my skirts up with both hands. I wondered how long that was going to last, but I couldn’t imagine dragging such beautiful material through the mire, nor how much heavier the skirts would become if caked with mud.
Colin, striding easily, his boots protecting his legs, turned back to eye me. He shook his head.
“I dinna think this would be a goooood idea,” he said. “I havena carriage, nor would a carriage have managed in this muck. Perhaps I should have taken one of the horses out.”
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I can’t ride a horse.”
“I would have put ye up afore me on the saddle.”
As thrilling as that sounded, I still couldn’t imagine sitting astride something that was over five feet tall.
“I’m good. I’m enjoying the walk and the fresh air.”
“Here, lass. There is no one about.” Colin bent down, and to my shock, he hiked up both sides of my dress and hooked the hems into my waistband.
He stood back and eyed me, and I looked down. The skirts still hung to my knees both front and back, covering all that they needed to.
“Do ye still wear those shoes? Didna Mrs. Agnew fit ye with a pair of boots?”
I bit my lip. This is was not the time I wanted to discuss his wife and the fact that her feet were tinier than mine.
“Oh!” I stammered. “I just insisted on wearing these shoes. They’re very comfortable.”
“It is possible the muck will ruin them,” he warned.
I hoped not. That would leave me running around the castle barefoot, and the stone floors were quite cold.
“Shall we?” he asked.
I followed him, enjoying the freedom of swinging my hands now that I no longer carried fistfuls of skirt. I kept up nicely, avoiding deep, muddy ruts.
We soon emerged from the forest and reached the river in good time. We crossed over the stone bridge, and Colin stopped on the opposite bank. We were not at the exact location where he had found me, and I had no idea if that mattered.
“We are here,” he said unnecessarily, his voice husky. He braced one foot on a boulder, crossed his arms over his chest and stared down into the now fast-moving water. I remembered a lazy little creek, but the rains had amplified that sweet thing into a boisterous river running just below the edge of the bank.
“Wow! This doesn’t look anything like the babbling brook I saw the other day.”
“Nay, she canna be taken for granted. Like a woman, she changes her mood often.”
I looked over at Colin with a lift of my eyebrows.
“Like a woman?”
He kept his eyes on the river. “Aye.”
He seemed somehow closed, and I wondered why. If this was the last time I was going to see him, I would rather have remembered a happy man...for a Scot, anyway.
“Is something wrong, Colin?”
He lifted his head as with effort and looked at me. His chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath.
“I dinna want ye to leave. Not yet.”
I caught my breath and threw a wild look at the river, then back to him.
“Oh!”
“It is selfish of me, I ken. Ye want to go home. I dinna want to keep ye from yer home, and yet, I am not ready to bid ye farewell.”
My knees shook, and I moved to a nearby rock and sank down upon it. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and looked up at Colin.
“I don’t want to go home yet either,” I said. “I don’t want to say good-bye to you either.”
Colin crossed the short distance between us and bent to one knee in front of me. He pulled my hands to his lips, kissing them and warming t
hem with his breath.
“Then stay. Stay wi me.” His dialect grew thick with emotion.
I knew I had to answer, but I didn’t know what to say. How long did he want me to stay? Did he mean romantically? I stared at our clasped hands. Yes, he definitely meant romantically.
I hadn’t been involved with a man for years. One failed engagement, and I had bailed on romance. Although I was only twenty-three, I had truly given up, but I didn’t think I was aware of it until that moment.
“How long?” I asked, still unsure of what he wanted from me.
Colin grinned, and the dour Scotsman lit up.
“For as long as ye want.”
That was absolutely no help. As long as I wanted? I wanted a warm bed, a warm house, a warm car, warm planes, warm tea and warm food. Oh, and now that I’d emerged from my romantically dormant state, I wanted a warm man with whom to share all the above.
“As what?”
Colin tilted his head such that his curls fell across his high cheekbones.
“What do ye mean, as what?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t about to start asking if he wanted me as his mistress, his cousin, his best friend, his sister, his dinner companion or his wife. And truly? As enamored as I was of him, I didn’t know him well enough to know how I wanted him either. Somehow, a one-night stand seemed a bit brief given that I may be stuck in the eighteenth century for many, many one-nights. Besides, if it didn’t work out, where would I go?
I shook my head.
“Nothing,” I said, eyeing the river behind him. I took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll stay for a while longer. Or maybe I’m staying forever. We still don’t know.”
Colin’s smile broadened, and he raised my hands to his lips again. He made no move to kiss me, but instead pulled me to my feet.
“Good! Let us return to the house. It is cool this morning. I fear the summer has come and gone.”
He led me by the hand and kept up a brisk pace as we marched back to the castle, almost as if he wanted to hurry before I changed my mind. I was sure I would change my mind many times in the hours, days and weeks to come. I couldn’t even imagine a month, much less a year.