by B. J. Scott
“Nay, this solar belongs to Lady Lilith,” Mara said, then ushered Gwen into the room. “The lairdess has her own chamber with an adjoining door to the Lord’s, so Laird MacQuin can summon her when he wishes to sate his needs,” she said, blushing.
Things were exactly how Gwen imagined they would have been during medieval times. Stone walls adorned with colorful tapestries, wooden shutters on the windows, heavy oak furniture, and a bed in the corner near the hearth with a thick mattress, covered with a layer of pelts and plaid blankets.
“You said you were new to the castle, from where do you journey?” Mara asked. “I’m na sure if you noticed, but you bear a striking resemblance to Lady Lilith. If I dinna know better, I’d swear you were kin.”
The way Mara was staring at her made Gwen uncomfortable. If she noticed the similarities, she wondered how long it would be before others would as well. If only she could explain it.
“I thought the same thing when I saw you, Gweneth.” Lady Lilith stood in the doorway, her eyes fixed on Gwen.
Chapter Five
“If you’d excuse us, Mara, I’d like to talk to the lass alone.” Lady Lilith entered her chamber, then stepped aside, waiting for the maid to leave.
Mara bobbed a curtsy. “Aye, m’lady. Summon me if you need anything.”
“I will. Please see that we are na disturbed.” Lilith closed the door, then faced Gwen. “I always dreamed this day would come, but feared it as well. Now you are here, I dinna know whether to drop to my knees and praise the Lord, or to curse Beatha.”
“You know Beatha? Do you know where I can find her?” Her heart leapt the moment she heard the old woman’s name, and Gwen quickly closed the gap between them. “I have no idea what is happening and need some answers. One minute I was sitting in a rose garden outside the castle ruins, waiting for my friend, and the next I was waking up in the woods, dressed in clothing from the thirteen hundreds, and was told by Beatha I was home where I belonged.” She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, wondering if she’d said too much. She didn’t know if she could trust Lady Lilith, but a little voice inside told her she could. Regardless, it was too late, she’d already told her who she was.
“I’m sure you are confused and have many questions.” Lilith moved to the bed and sat on the edge before patting the mattress beside her. “Come and sit. I will try to explain.”
Desperate for answers, Gwen took a seat beside Lilith. “Anything you can share that might help me to sort out this mystery would be appreciated.”
Lilith lightly stroked Gwen’s cheek with her fingertips. “I still canna believe you are sitting here with me. You grew up to be a lovely young woman. Have you been happy? Tell me about your family.”
“I had a wonderful childhood and was very happy. My parents are amazing and I have never wanted for anything,” Gwen said. “But that doesn’t explain what’s happening now.”
“At least Beatha kept that promise.” Lilith released a soft sigh. “I suppose I should start at the beginning.” She squeezed Gwen’s hand, then caught her gaze. “When Beatha said you were home, she wasna lying. You were born in the forest behind this keep on Samhain Eve, and that was the night I made a heartbreaking decision to give you up in exchange for a changeling.”
“A changeling?” Gwen tugged her hand free. “What are you talking about? I was born in 1993, in Winchester, Virginia and grew up in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley. I have a mother and father, a grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am twenty—”
“Twenty-four summers as of yesterday,” Lilith finished the sentence before Gwen had a chance. She lowered her gaze, twisting her hands in her lap. “I’m glad you had a happy life and loving parents, but you were born here and I am your mother.”
“You’re lying and I don’t understand why.” Gwen stood and began to pace. “I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous. I was born in the USA and this is my first time on Scottish soil. You must have me confused with someone else.”
“I’ve na made a mistake,” Lilith replied adamantly, her voice taking on a stern tone. “You are my daughter. I suspected it the moment I saw you, and was positive when I noticed you wore the emerald pin I gave you on the night you were born.”
Gwen slid her hand over the pin on her chemise. “There could be many such pins. It doesn’t mean I’m your daughter.”
“You also have a heart-shaped angel kiss on your upper right thigh, do you na?”
“How do you know about that?” Stunned, Gwen fought to catch her breath. She did have a birthmark on her thigh, something Lilith couldn’t possibly know, unless what she said was true.
“After I gave birth to you, I counted all your fingers and toes, committed every inch of you to memory, believing I would never see you again, but I knew it was for the best,” Lilith said. “Memories you carry in your heart are one thing that can never be taken from you and are with you always. I named you Gweneth, which means blessed, before I gave you to Beatha in exchange for Damen.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, then made the sign of cross. “Lord help me, but I saw no other way to protect you. I knew your father would be furious when he learned you were a lass and not the son he demanded.”
“I’m not saying that I believe you, but I do know a woman can’t pick and choose the gender of her baby like it was take away food. Besides, what difference did it make if the baby was a boy or girl?” Gwen couldn’t imagine a father not loving his child, regardless of the sex. Her father doted on her as much as he would have a son, and never once said he was disappointed that she was a girl and not a boy.
“You obviously know verra little about life in this time. A powerful laird like Ronald MacQuin has only one use for a daughter, and that is to trade her for land, alliances, and wealth,” Lilith said. “Fearing you might be a lass, I visited a seer prior to your birth, and she confirmed my suspicions. She told me your da would mistreat you and you would die verra young at the hand of an abusive husband.” Tears welled in her eyes and she scrubbed them away with the back of her hand. “I was forced to marry a man I dinna know or love, and couldna bear to have my bairn raised by such a brute, or used as a pawn like I was. I wish I had been stronger and refused to marry Ronald in the first place.”
Gwen patted Lilith’s shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself for your lot in life or when you were born. From what I’ve read and heard, medieval women had no say in who they married. Thank God things are different in the time I live. A woman has a say in every aspect of her life, not just marriage.”
“If only I knew such times.” Lilith released a heavy sigh. “I was na so lucky and refused to see you go through what I had. Beatha offered to make the exchange with the fairies on my behalf—you for Damen—and she promised to see you were placed in a loving home where you’d be safe. It did my heart good to know you’d be protected. Even if it meant I would never see you again.” She cradled her face in her hands. “Giving you up was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”
Gwen couldn’t dispute the fact that she bore a strong resemblance to Lilith, and she truly felt sorry for her. The woman was understandably distraught over her decision to give up her baby, but that didn’t mean she was that child. She could dismiss the pin and her name as coincidence, but Lilith’s knowledge of the birthmark had her baffled. However, when she mentioned Beatha and a deal with the fairies, Gwen had to draw the line between reality and fantasy.
“Your tale is touching, and I’m sorry to hear that you felt forced to make that sort of decision, but I don’t believe in fairies or changelings, any more than I do a seer’s prophesy.” Gwen sat on the bed beside Lilith and rested her hand on her shoulder. “I’ve never had a child, so I can’t say if you made the right choice or not. Nor can I tell you that I fully understand how you feel, but you don’t honestly believe your son is a fairy, do you?”
“You’d be wise na to question things you dinna understand,” Lilith said. “When you meet Damen, you will change your mind.”
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�Some of the people I’ve encountered cringe when they hear Damen’s name,” Gwen said. “My grandmother, who was born in Scotland, believes in the fae. When I was a child, she told me changelings were evil creatures and often caused harm to their mortal families and those around them. Were you not afraid to bring a potential demon into your home?”
“At the time, it was a risk I had to take. I couldna present my husband with a daughter, and feared for your safety.” Lilith hung her head. “Ronald said if I dinna give him a male heir, he’d have me thrown in the dungeon and would take a mistress who could do what I could not. Once I was certain you were a lass, making the exchange was the only way I could protect you from your father. I hoped that with love, Damen might turn out to be decent man, but should have known better.”
“But you said when you gave up your daughter, Beatha claimed you would never see her again. I don’t understand how I could be that child if I’m here with you now?”
“Once I made the difficult decision to give you up and you’d crossed over to another time and place, I was told there was one exception to the rules,” Lilith explained.
“An exception?”
“The only way you could return to me was by entering the same fairy ring on Samhain Eve, and doing so of your own accord. The odds of that happening were next to impossible, but given you are here, I must assume that happened,” Lilith said. “There could be no other explanation for your presence.”
Beatha had said exactly the same thing to Gwen. While it sounded far-fetched, she had grown up hearing her grandmother’s tales, so Highland belief in the fae was not something new. She had accidently stepped into the fairy ring on Samhain Eve, but she couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea of traveling back in time, or that this woman was her birth mother, so she was convinced there had to be another explanation. The idea that she could be adopted bothered her greatly, and if true, she wondered why her parents had never told her the truth?
“Say I do believe what you’re telling me. Is there any way I can go back to the twenty-first century? I have a family and a job waiting for me. Not to mention a man I love,” Gwen said. “I never intended to step into the fairy ring and certainly didn’t asked to be transported back in time.”
Lilith shook her head. “I have na heard of this thing you call ‘job’, and dinna know of a way for you to return to your life in the future. To be honest, I selfishly wish for you to stay. I always prayed you’d find your way back to me. But—” She hesitated for a moment, then continued. “I fear for your safety. When Damen finds out you’re here, he may fear you’ll try to send him back to the fairy world and do you harm.”
“I pose him no threat,” Gwen said. “All I want to do is find my way home. Besides, if he truly is from the netherworld, I am no match for his power and have no reason or desire to challenge him.”
“Damen doesna need a reason to be a tyrant, and lore dictates that when a changeling replaces a mortal bairn, he can be sent back to the fairy world if that bairn returns to its rightful place and speaks the words that will force him to leave. For that reason, I fear your life could be in jeopardy when he learns you are here.”
“Then, I’ll have to avoid him.” Things were getting more complicated by the minute, and the last thing she wanted was an altercation with a creature from the bowels of the netherworld. “I suppose I’ll have to find a place to hide until I can figure out a way to go ahead in time. If I could find Beatha, perhaps she can tell me how.”
“Beatha is most elusive. After I gave you up, the ache in my heart was so great, I dinna think I could survive. I searched for her, hoping she’d let me change my mind and bring you back, but I couldna find her.” Lilith said in a remorseful tone. “I could see from the beginning that I’d made a horrible mistake and that Damen was an evil bairn who would likely grow to be an even crueler man than my husband. When he was a babe, he cried all the time, nursed constantly, yet was never satisfied. His features were dark, the expression in his eyes abysmal. He looked more like a shriveled old man than an infant, but my husband never saw his distorted features and doted on him, punishing anyone who dared say he looked different. I returned to the fairy ring every Samhain Eve, but in twenty-four summers I only caught a glimpse of Beatha once, then she disappeared before I could speak to her.”
Not one to give up easily, Gwen was determined to find the old woman and demand she tell her how to return to the twenty-first century. She didn’t belong here, wanted to go home, and come hell or high water, she’d find a way. By now her parents would know of her disappearance and be beside themselves with worry. Her grandmother had a weak heart, and news like this could cause her to have an attack, might even kill her. “I really must find Beatha, but until I do, I suppose I could hide out in the kitchen and try to avoid running into Damen.”
“Damen must be avoided, but he is fae, so has a special gift. I fear he will know you are here whether he sees you or not. If he believes you are a threat, he will seek you out and I shudder to think what he might do,” Lilith said. She took Gwen’s hand and stared into her eyes. “We must tell people who you are. I will say that I actually had twins that night, and was deceived when I was told you’d died, and have just learned you are very much alive.”
“Won’t that make Damen angry and more determined to find me?”
“I will tell everyone you were raised by the old woman who delivered you—a lonely soul who wanted you for herself. At no time will we mention the exchange and you must not let Damen know you are aware of his true parentage. If he doesna see you as a threat to his life in the mortal world, we may be granted the time to find Beatha.”
Gwen’s mind was so flooded with information, she needed a chance to process it all before she made any decisions. “I need to think this through. I’m still not sure I believe the tale you are telling me, but—”
“What have we here?” The door to the chamber swung open and struck the wall with a loud bang, interrupting Gwen’s words. “I heard you had a visitor, Mother.”
Gwen spun around to find a tall man dressed in black standing in the doorway, his harsh angular features contorted by an evil grin—a man so dark and menacing, he could be the devil.
“Damen?” Gwen gasped, as a cold shiver ran up her spine.
Chapter Six
“Gweneth, I presume.” Damen stomped into his mother’s chamber and halted when he reached Gwen, standing so close she could feel his hot, foul-smelling breath on her face when he spoke.
His harsh tone and the way he stared down at her with his fists balled at his sides, made her insides coil with fear. But she refused to show him any weakness, and decided to do as Lilith suggested and pretend she knew nothing of his true parentage. Gwen squared her shoulders, looked him in the eye, and smiled. “Yes, I am Gweneth, and I am so pleased to meet you at last. When I found out I had a twin brother and parents that I never knew about, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to get to know you better.”
Damen grunted and glared at her for a moment before responding. “I wish I could say the same about meeting you,” he growled, then circled her, studying her as if she was a cow at auction.
Gwen held her breath during his scrutiny, her palms sweating and her heart racing. It was as though he could look into her soul and knew she was lying, but she did her best to maintain a pleasant expression. “Mother told me you were away on behalf of our father when I arrived. I trust you had a good trip?” Exchanging pleasantries with a man who clearly despised her very existence was not easy, but she didn’t want to appear as a threat.
“My venture was most productive,” Damen finally said, then turned to face Lilith. “Does father know about her? I was told she was a servant, not my dead sister come back to life,” he spat.
“There was a misunderstanding when she arrived, but I have since discovered her true identity.” Lilith slid a protective arm around Gwen’s shoulders. “I have na had the chance to tell your father the wonderful news, but I am certain when he finds out, he
will be as pleased as I to learn we have two bairns and will welcome her. I am also sure learning he has a daughter willna have any effect on the way he feels about you. You are and will always be his successor and the son he wanted.”
Lilith was clearly trying to convince Damen her presence posed no threat to him or his place in the clan as heir, but judging by the look of contempt in his eyes and the scowl on his face, he wasn’t persuaded. While she’d only just met the man, Gwen knew better than to turn her back on him. Until she found Beatha, she’d be looking over her shoulder and sleeping with one eye open.
“I dinna question my place in this clan and no one else had better either,” Damen snarled. “I will leave you two to get acquainted while I speak with father. I have news of an acquisition he has been wanting for some time.” Damen turned on his heel, then left the chamber, slamming the door behind him.
“Do you think he believed us?” Gwen asked. “I am not so sure.”
Lilith sat on the edge of the bed, then picked up a tankard from the table and drank deeply before answering. “Damen is not an easy man to read. We must hope and pray he believes us and doesna try to do you harm.”
“I really don’t know why he would consider me a threat. I certainly do not have any fae powers, and I’ve no doubt he could destroy me if he wants with little effort,” Gwen said.
“He has a great deal to fear from you,” Lilith replied. “As I mentioned before, the only person who can expose him as a changeling and send him back to the netherworld is the person he replaced in this life. He knows that is you, and you can speak the words that will send him back.”
“But I know of no such words,” Gwen said. “And even if I did, I have no intention of staying in the fourteenth century any longer than necessary.”