Son and Throne (Kaitlyn and the Highlander Book 11)

by Diana Knightley

  “Aye.”

  “Thank you for coming to tell me. I was freaking out that I didn’t get to hear the news.”

  “I ken ye were, and with a bairn in yer arms, yelling as she was, how were ye tae listen at the doors?”

  “Yeah, poor girl, she needs to be better at stealth or she’ll never know what’s going on.”

  He teased, “I kent I would need tae come first thing or else ye might fall from a window trying tae overhear.”

  “It crossed my mind. I wondered if I could hire that nurse in the corner and call it a day.”

  “Would ye have another woman tae nurse Isla?”

  “No, I... no, no way, it’s just an example of how desperate I was to know what was happening.” I stroked the back of Isla’s sweet little head on my husband’s chest and said to him, “God, I miss you.”

  “I am right here, unless ye mean somethin’ more.”

  “I do, I mean so much more. Like you have a baby sleeping on your chest, while wearing a kilt, while a sword rests at your hip — you’ve never been hotter.”

  “Och hae ye seen me when I am ridin’ m’horse?”

  “I have, man have I, now that’s in my head too.”

  “I will be busy for a time. I need tae help the men clear the courtyard. The women have some business as well, they are preparin’ food for those returnin’ tae their homes and helpin’ the villagers tae their needs. Dost ye want tae help them?”

  “I would like to.” He passed me Isla and I dropped her into the wrap like I was good at this. Then I reached out my hand and pulled Magnus to standing. He groaned.

  “Tired?”

  “Och, in my body and m’soul.” We held each other for a moment, a hug that held and warmed and supported and comforted. Then we let go to get to work.

  Seven - Kaitlyn

  A caravan of villagers left from the castle. It wasn’t far to walk, it was evening and light enough, but the paths were tight and there were a great many people to go. The line of people stretched for a distance, animals and carts and horses and women with children and men alongside them.

  Sean and Magnus and other men rode along, up and down the caravan, to make sure they were safe on their journey home. Hayley, Emma, Beaty, and I helped however we could: packing, child care, running for things, so the families could gather their wares and belongings. The general feeling was relief, but also, homes had been ransacked and the fields had been burned, there would be a great deal to do. I was very worried about some of the families with small children — how would they feed their children now that the harvest days had passed while they were under siege?

  Hayley had been making a mental list: comfortable mattresses and a watch for Fraoch, long burning fire logs, but now, as we carried loads back and forth, we added to the list:

  I said, “Seeds.”

  She said, “And flour, like the good kind.”

  I said, “What about big bags of oatmeal? The harvest has been ruined, we might bring oatmeal for the winter.”

  Emma said, “Bags and bags of beans.”

  Hayley said, “Oh, and potatoes, what lots and lots of potatoes? And don’t forget, big ass, dairy cows.”

  I said, “A pile of pumpkins, for food plus full of seeds, there could be fields of pumpkin vines, I think. And what about apple trees?” I didn’t know a lot about horticulture but I knew how to google and I would as soon as I got home.

  Emma walking by added, “Seriously, we need a better sewage system, the filth, ugh! Zachary and James have convinced the men the cesspit has to be cleaned out, it’s overflowing. They said a gong farmer will come tomorrow or the next day to clean it, but we’ll have to cover our noses until then. Hopefully tomorrow isn’t hot.” She carried a bundle of blankets to a cart and returned a few minutes later with a jug of water. “Add water containers to your list.”

  Finally, in the twilight of the day, late late on the summer night, as the last of the people left, Magnus came to me. “Tis time for bed, mo reul-iuil.”

  “Is it?” I leaned tiredly on the wall.

  “Tis.”

  He said good night to everyone and led me from the courtyard to the stairs.

  “We need to get Archie. I haven’t seen him in hours, I miss him.”

  We found Archie asleep in a pile with Ben in the nursery. Emma took Ben up. Magnus took up Archie and we walked Zach and his family to their room and then went down the hall to our own.

  The night before I had been tired. Now I was wiped out exhausted.

  I got Isla to the bed and collapsed beside her. “This is it, all I can do.”

  “Tis enough.” He tiredly dropped a sleeping Archie into the middle of the bed, pulled his boots off, and collapsed on the bed beside him, and we were all fast asleep within minutes.

  Eight - Kaitlyn

  The next day we were late getting up.

  Archie tumbled over us, upside-downed, and said, “Wake up Da!”

  Magnus pretended to be sleeping. “I canna wake up, I am sleepin’ and daena hear ye.”

  Archie said, “Da! Hear me! Wake up!”

  Magnus and I both laughed.

  I tucked Isla in, nursed her good-morning, and watched as Magnus and Archie rose, used the chamber pot, and readied for the day.

  Soon enough we were in the Great Hall. The castle was less crowded, emptier, lighter feeling. We gathered around to eat breakfast. Everyone was exhausted still — yesterday had been a lot, a big project, but now we were done. Now we were doing the next thing.

  Lizbeth was bustling around organizing a big, necessary project, filling the castle with the scents of lavender and thyme, clippings were placed in corners, heather flowers put on tables, fragrant bowls of rosewater were put on tables for washing our hands.

  Hayley had coffee. She said, “I heard the Earl has coffee here sometimes, but it is not enough for how much coffee I need, personally, day by day. I am only sharing this because you’re going home to get more, that’s the only reason.”

  I said, “Yes, I get it, coffee is a necessity. The only reason why I’m drinking some of your supply is because I’m definitely going home. Or — if not home, some where very close. I just haven’t decided yet, but I promise I’ll bring coffee to you.”

  Zach said, “My family’s going home though, that’s what I hear? I mean, not home-home, somewhere else, right?”

  I said, “I would send you to the lake house in Maine, but it’s November, too cold, we could time jump you to the following summer?”

  Emma shook her head. “No way, I don’t want to lose any time. Imagine losing months of your life?” She shuddered.

  Imagine losing months of your life... It had happened to Magnus and me so many times. I said, “Yeah, you’re right, that was a dumb idea.”

  She said, “Can you imagine if we returned and Ben was not the right age? Kids are totally judged on milestones — is he walking, talking, reading? Imagine how unfair that would be for a kid.”

  “There are a million choices though, what about Los Angeles or maybe the Outer Banks?” I chewed a hunk of bread with a smear of butter. Beside me was a mug of coffee with a lot of milk and a dash of sugar so I could pretend it was a Starbucks latte.

  She said, “I’m wondering about Atlanta. Zachary has friends there, we could get a place.”

  Ben and Archie were running up and down the room, enjoying their freedom from the nursery immensely.

  Beaty sighed dramatically. “I wish I could go. What will my Insta followers think? I am just gone, right Mookie?” She petted her pig under the chin. “But we have to stay here with Quenny, he needs us.”

  I grinned at Hayley who was sprawled back in her chair. She said, “Not used to all this work, it’s usually a life of leisure around here.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Sure, all we need is coffee and love, right Fraoch?”

  “Aye,” he grinned and pushed his mug forward. “A bit more of the coffee for me.”

  “Of course.” She poured a
little from her jar, screwed on the lid, and returned it to her bag. “We need a sugar field and coffee fields too. There is not enough. I’ve seen the kitchen store rooms.”

  I said, “I’ll add that to the list.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it all up here.” Hayley tapped on her forehead. “So what today? When are Zach and Emma leaving?”

  Magnus said, “This afternoon after we shew them the castle and we might walk tae the river. I think twill be safe enough if we stay near the castle.”

  Hayley called to Ben as he ran by, “That will be fun, huh Benny-boy? See the fishies?”

  Later, as we walked, we fell into groups: Magnus with all the men except James who stayed behind to help Sean, and the women walking together with the kids. I let Hayley tell Emma about things, because she had been living here longer than I ever had. She had fully embraced it, and this was where she would be living, forever. To me it was simply Magnus’s family home.

  Emma was enchanted by everything, though she kept a wool wrap across her nose, because as Zach said, “It’s fucking ripe out here.”

  I remembered being here about this same time of year and the scent of grass and wheat and baking bread had filled the air, instead of this horrible cesspit. I was relieved to reach the stables, they smelled better. “I hope it doesn’t get any warmer. If that cooks much more we’ll get dysentery from the smell.”

  Magnus glanced up at the sky. “On the morrow twill be warm as the top side of a mucag lyin’ in the August dust.”

  Fraoch grinned, “Och, will be warm enough tae turn that mucag tae bacon, we will only need tae—” They both noticed Beaty’s eyes wide with horror as she put her hands over Mookie’s ears.

  Fraoch bit his lips to keep from laughing.

  Magnus said, “M’apolgies Madame Beaty.”

  She said, “There is nae need tae apologize, King Magnus. I daena take offense. I do like tae partake of pork, but please daena say it within the hearin’ of Mookie, he is verra sensitive.”

  Magnus nodded.

  Fraoch said, “Twill be warm as a boilin’ pile of excrement on an August afternoon.”

  Quentin said, “In the words of my friend, James, hot as shit, y’all.”

  We laughed.

  Magnus and I showed them details of the castle: the earl’s favorite window; we stuck our head in at the chapel; the walls that were rebuilt after the battle. At the stables we introduced the boys to the horses. Ben was nervous, but Archie loved horses and we had to pull him away to go from the stables to the riverbank.

  As we walked, Magnus, Quentin, and Fraoch tightened their hold on their weapons. I understood, Magnus wanted this to be a normal day, showing his son the river of his youth, taking his wee’un to the water — but this wasn’t an ordinary day. It was a day of uncertainty. The possible danger seemed over, but was it?

  The grass was thick and tall. Our steps raised little bugs. The midges were out in force. We waved our arms from the onslaught. Hayley said, “Adding to list: mosquito netting. Moving to first place, above mattress and watch.”

  She then added, “fire logs and more coffee, plus some seeds.”

  Fraoch turned around, checking behind us. Magnus watched the woods. Their nerves heightened.

  Quentin walked backwards behind us, bringing up the rear, mindful of the surroundings. He asked, “Wish we brought the ATVs, Fraoch?”

  Magnus asked Fraoch, “Ye like the ATVs?”

  Fraoch’s eyes glinted merrily. “Aye, Og Maggy, I like tae drive them.”

  “Ye drive them? From the front? With steerin’?”

  Fraoch said, “Aye, I hae driven one, verra fast. Ye haena driven one yet?”

  Magnus said, “Nae, I haena.”

  From the corner of my eye I saw him chew his lip. My guess was he would try to drive one by the end of the day.

  “I hae driven a car though, tis bigger.”

  “Och, how much bigger?”

  “Verra much and twill be faster too, if ye ken how tae go.”

  “Och.” Fraoch stared off into the distance. I wished I could get Fraoch to draw what he thought a bigger car would look like. It probably would have been hilarious.

  The field sloped to the trees at the edge of the riverbank, and there was a rocky shore and shallow water. Isla wanted to nurse so I sat on a large rock and got comfortable. Magnus crouched beside Archie at the edge and they splashed their hands in the water.

  Archie said, “Cold!” and kicked water at Ben, who squealed with delight. We sat for a long time watching the boys play and explore at the river’s edge, in the sort of fresh air, in the mostly clear freezing water. Their pudgy wee hands lifted rocks to expose the wonders underneath.

  Fraoch and Quentin stood guard.

  Hayley lounged on a rock, basking in a beam of sunlight filtering through the leaves. “Isn’t this the life?”

  “It is, such a beautiful day, this shade is perfect.”

  “I wish we could walk to the church to show you where I got married.”

  “I’ve been before, I can imagine it, but next time, for sure.”

  “Good.” She called tae Fraoch at the edge of the bank. “Weren’t we fabulous, Fraoch?”

  “Och I was wet as a salmon up stream, but ye were beautiful tae behold.”

  I grinned. “That was a perfect answer Fraoch, really perfect.”

  Hayley peeled off her shoes and dipped her feet in the water. “We were both drenched. We said a simple — what did you call it Fraoch?”

  “Twas a plight and troth, tis almost the most important part.”

  “We said that, a plight and troth, it was short and quick. There was a prayer after, but the ceremony was really just the oath. And we were soaking wet, but at least we got our name in the books. We are a family tree now, aren’t we, Fraoch?”

  “Aye, we are a tree, I am yer trunk.”

  She giggled.

  I said, “I’m glad you’re so happy.”

  “Me too.”

  To Fraoch I said, “You’ll have to come to Florida someday, Fraoch, meet Hayley’s family, your new relatives.”

  Hayley leaned back on her arms, “Ugh, can you imagine? Mom would probably flirt with him.”

  “She might.”

  Emma said, “That’s awful, Hayley.”

  “I know. Fraoch and I are not thinking about our parents or our ancestors, that’s the past. We’re only thinking about the future and just the fun kind of future, definitely not meeting in-laws.”

  They met eyes.

  I said, “That’s a funny thing, thinking about ancestors, when in reality Fraoch’s parents haven’t even been born yet, right? Or wait, let’s see... It’s 1705, when were you born, Fraoch?”

  “I daena ken.”

  I sighed dramatically. “He daena ken,” I teased Hayley.

  Hayley shook her head pretending to be disappointed. “I know, he will not tell time like a regular person. Fraoch, how old are you?”

  He smiled, “I am nae verra auld and ye call me a ‘good boy.’ I must be verra young.”

  I asked, “How old are you, Magnus?”

  “I hae just passed m’birth anniversary, as ye ken, twas tae mark that I am an aulder man. Yet I am nae as auld as I once was, nor as young as I might be if I live it again.”

  I smiled. “Don’t live it again, time loops suck.”

  Emma said, “Zachary, how old are you?”

  “About to be thirty-one, old enough to know better, still young enough to want to have fun.” He crouched down and tipped over a flat rock, splashing mud on himself and the boys.

  She grinned. “Cool part is now you think playing in creeks is fun.”

  “I never stopped liking that.”

  “So how old is Fraoch?” I asked.

  Hayley said, “We’d have to chop him down like a tree to count his rings.”

  He asked, “Tis a thing?”

  Magnus said, “Aye. Ye can count the rings of a tree tae see how auld they are. I learned o
f it from Kaitlyn. Ye wouldna believe how auld the trees can be.”

  I looked up at the tree canopy. “There are likely to be some trees here that are still alive in my time, three hundred years on.”

  “Och, tis wondrous,” said Magnus.

  Fraoch said, “These trees would be in your time?”

  Hayley said, “Yes, I mean, it might be hard to find the exact ones, but there are some. I’m sure of it.”

  I said, “Like the castle.”

  “The castle is still there in your time as well?”

  I said, “Hayley and I have seen it with our own two eyes.”

  “Ye hae been here in your time?”

  “I have,” said Hayley, “I crossed the ocean in an airplane and came to this castle during a storm. It was incredibly brave of me.” She joked, “Quentin was there too.”

  He joked, “If I remember correctly you were hungover and bellyaching the whole time.”

  “Then Kaitlyn time-jumped and we don’t talk about that. You and I went to a pub and we were freaking out and went home the following day. It was all very exciting.”

  I shuddered. “I do not like to think about it.”

  Fraoch said, “How long did it take ye tae travel from Scotland tae Florida?”

  Hayley looked at him seriously. “A few hours. And it’s not magic.”

  Magnus said, “Aye, tis a carriage with wings that flies through the sky up among the clouds.”

  Archie said, “Airplane! Airplane!”

  “Hae ye been inside one, Og Maggy?”

  “I haena but I have stood on the sand and watched them sail across the skies. I canna believe they can do it. I ken it sounds as if I am lyin’, but then I look up and hae tae believe m’eyes.”

  I said, “Someday I want to take you on an airplane, Magnus, I truly do. Once this stops being death-defying.”

  “If our lives are ever nae death-defyin’, ye want tae take me up intae the clouds?”

  “Yes, one hundred percent.”

  Fraoch looked up at the sky. “Would ye go, Og Maggy?”

  Magnus glanced at Fraoch. “Aye, I will go intae the clouds.”