Son and Throne (Kaitlyn and the Highlander Book 11)

by Diana Knightley

  Emma said, “This is such a fucking relief.”

  Zach joked, “You know something is a fucking relief when my wife drops an F-bomb.”

  She said, “I’m way too pregnant for all this worry and stress. It’s too hot. Too stressful. Too irritating. Now that I know Magnus is alive, I can breathe. It has to mean Kaitlyn is alive too. Now it’s up to Lady Mairead to get them.”

  I sighed. “Why hasn’t she yet?”

  Seventy-nine - Hayley

  On September 7, 2021, Emma was taken to the hospital and gave birth to Zoe Jane Greene.

  Zach was in the room with her, as well as her sister. Her family was there in the waiting room, along with me and Quentin. Beaty and Fraoch stayed at home with the kids.

  Her labor was short, so they said, though it seemed plenty long enough to me.

  I knew Katie would have loved to have been there. This would have been the kind of thing she would have known what to do and what to say.

  And when we got ushered in to meet the baby in Zach’s arms, I felt so overwhelmingly sad that this was happening without Katie to be a part of it.

  Emma met my eyes and gave me a sad, knowing smile.

  Yeah.

  This fucking sucks.

  But also congratulations. Woohoo.

  We rode in quiet on the way home.

  Right as Quentin turned on our road I said, “You know what this means?”

  Quentin said, “What?”

  “This means that a whole new person is on the earth while Katie and Mags are gone. There’s no looping back, or starting over. A new person while they aren’t here...”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Yeah, I hope they make it back soon. Katie is going to be so sad about the time she’s missing with her kids.”

  Eighty - Hayley

  A few weeks later, we were sitting around on pool chairs watching the boys splash in the swimming pool. It was a new addition to the house, built under a large screened enclosure. Zach and Emma had gotten it built as a summer present for the family.

  Zach took the boys swimming every day. Like today: he was splashing in the pool with the boys. Emma was nursing Zoe in a chair by the pool. Isla was napping inside. Beaty, who took daily swimming lessons from Quentin, was sitting in a chair in charge of the towels while Quentin was on guard duty. I was laughing at what ‘little lovable idiots’ the boys were, when all of our phones buzzed at once.

  Quentin texted from up on the roof: “Car coming up the drive, says they’re carrying General Hammond and Lady Mairead. I’m on my way down.”

  Zach said, “Hey kids, out of the pool, please.” They scrambled out, Beaty wrapped them in towels, and hustled them from the pool area with Emma following. Zach rubbed a towel over his head, then wrapped it around his waist, and drew on a shirt. I peered through the screen as a black, limo-style SUV rolled up to the house. Quentin jogged down to meet it in the driveway.

  Lady Mairead stepped out. Hammond climbed from the car on the other side.

  “Colonel Quentin, I am verra glad tae see ye guardin’. Ye hae been often derelict in yer duties, but now ye are bein’ cautious as is right for ye tae be as Magnus canna be here tae watch over his family.”

  It was classic how she could just start talking, making bitch-ass observational statements, without conversing at all.

  She noticed us in the pool house and brushed by Quentin with Hammond following.

  I said, “Uh oh.”

  Zach opened the screen door for her. “Hello Lady Mairead.”

  She entered the pool house and stood taking it in with a look of displeasure. She was dressed in a pantsuit of filmy silken material, trimmed with fur, luxurious looking, with ostentatious jewelry on every bit of skin. She looked like a queen if that queen was Lady MacBeth mixed with Cruella De Vil. “Chef Zachary, what is this?”

  “It’s uh, our new pool, for the kids.”

  “Ah,” she looked him up and down, dripping under a towel skirt, scrawny tattooed legs, bare feet, his favorite old threadbare Frank Turner T-shirt. “I see tis for ye as well.”

  “I do like to swim.” He folded his arms and looked at me like — what the fuck?

  “Madame Hayley, what is this man doing here?”

  “Who, Fraoch?”

  “Aye, ye ken who I am speakin’ on. He is in Magnus’s house, did Magnus invite him?”

  Fraoch said, “Aye, he told me I was welcome.”

  “Was it before he kent of your being an illegitimate son of Donnan? Conspiring tae murder him, wanting the throne?” Before he could answer, she said, “We should hae a seat, Colonel Quentin, I hae things tae discuss.”

  She brushed past us, directly to the table and chairs, and waited for us all to sit before she took a chair, imperiously. She also seemed nervous, and I saw her slide a small knife from her purse.

  Quentin said, “Should we all be armed?”

  “Nae, tis tae help me think.” Now that I was watching her, she actually looked frightened. “I hae procured the device which will allow me tae go further back in time—”

  “Where did you get it from?” Quentin urged. “Is there more tech? Who has it? They might be very very dangerous. Hammond, do you know about this?”

  “I ken enough—”

  Her voice wavered. “Tis nae for Hammond tae ken of. He kens what I allow him tae ken.” Her color raised on her cheeks. “Hammond directs the armed forces for the kingdom at my discretion, tis up tae me tae discuss with him what I wish tae.”

  Quentin said, “I understand that, Lady Mairead, but it’s a matter of kingdom security, heck, it’s a matter of world security. If someone malevolent has other tech, or information about the vessels that we don’t know, we are at their mercy.”

  “I am at nae one’s mercy.” She took a deep breath and raised a shaking hand to smooth back her hair.

  Quentin’s eyes went wide, taking in her fear. “So what do you have?”

  “A device that will allow the vessels tae go further intae the past. Procuring it came at a great cost though and I came as soon as I could tae tell ye, Quentin, tae double security around the bairn.”

  “Oh.”

  I said, “As soon as you could? It’s been months!”

  She turned a bitchy glare on me, her knife going from loosely held to tightly held. “Ye ken why. Twas ye who urged me tae wait this long, would ye like tae continue our discussion?”

  I clamped my mouth shut. “No, ma’am.”

  She nodded, the flickering blue light reflecting from the pool surface on her face. She continued speaking to Quentin, “I need ye tae strengthen security, and monitor the storms for all of Florida and Georgia. But as ye ken, someone may already be here.”

  She nodded at Hammond, and he pulled a device from his pocket. He tapped it and a video projected in front of it with a scrolling list of names.

  Quentin asked, “What am I looking at?”

  Colonel Hammond said, “The names of the original time travelers. We have been looking through the list, there are three missing people. We haven’t been able to locate them, through history, and now there are signs that trouble is at hand.”

  “What kind of signs?”

  “Storms for one, centered over the south end of the kingdom.”

  Zach said, “Fucking storms.”

  Lady Mairead said, “Aye, they are always a sign of trouble. I hae been watching Madame Hayley come and go from here, but these are different. They are occurring regularly, in short bursts, every day for weeks. I am sure tis a homing setting on at least one vessel, but I daena ken who would be setting it. I fear if we go tae investigate we will be trapped.”

  Quentin said, “Probably, I mean, it’s an excellent way to get someone. That’s how Katie was taken by Donnan.”

  Lady Mairead scowled.

  I started to say something in defense of my friend but clamped my mouth shut again. Listen, Hayley, just listen... Speaking to this woman caused nothing but drama.

  Q
uentin said, “What else is happening?”

  Hammond said, “Lady Mairead has been noticing discrepancies, not big ones, but little moments that prove the passage of time is being altered by some other time traveler.”

  She said, “I hae been led tae believe that all the vessels were in King Magnus’s possession, that they are accounted for in our safe, but as I hae gone forward and back I hae noticed some alterations that I dinna cause. That I could nae account for.”

  We all looked confused.

  Quentin said, “Like what?”

  Her agitation rose. “Well, I didn’t know what to think at first, truly, twas little things. I explained it away tae be ripples caused by my own traveling, or King Magnus’s traveling.” The knife twisted in her fingers.

  “But then there was this day — I was visitin’ Abby Rockefeller. She is a good friend of mine. Dost ye ken of her?”

  We all shook our heads.

  “It was 1925 and I had given her a painting by Pablo. Twas a lovely painting. She was new tae collecting modern artists and I was advising her. She planned tae renovate her estate tae showcase her collection and there was tae be a large party tae celebrate it. I arrived just afore the date, but the date had been changed. I couldna understand how I came tae make the mistake.”

  Lady Mairead’s eyes drew down and she shook her head. “Abby said it had always been set tae the date and that I was mistaken. But what concerned me most was the painting — I had gifted it tae her but twas nae in her collection. When I returned tae Pablo he had nae recollection of painting it.”

  “And there was no way to explain it?”

  “Nae, hae ye ever come across Abby Rockefeller in your travels? Hae ye been tae New York in the 1920s?”

  Quentin said, “No, and if Magnus had, I would know.”

  “I canna explain it by Bella traveling or Roderick. I ken enough about them tae ken they were nae dealing in art in the twentieth century. I believe someone else has a vessel and that they are using it tae travel. Now I canna be sure what is true tae our own timeline.”

  Zach said, “And how does this tie in to the first vessels, the list of names?”

  Hammond said, “Because there may have been up to three vessels that are now being used. We are gravely worried that someone has found the original moment and has gone back there and stolen vessels.”

  While Hammond spoke, Lady Mairead gazed on Fraoch. “Where is your mother?”

  He looked surprised to be addressed. “She died when I was young.”

  She scoffed. “Really, I am expected tae believe ye are this unknowledgeable about yer own history? Ye are next in line tae the throne, livin’ in the king’s house, and ye daena ken anything about your mother?”

  I intervened, “His mother died when he was very young. He was never told anything else about it. Do you know something we don’t?”

  “Tis nae for me tae educate an illegitimate son of Donnan. He claimed Magnus, my son.”

  Quentin said, “Okay, okay, let’s just say this, in another time, when we are not so stressed out about Boss, maybe you can fill me in on what you know about Fraoch’s mother, as a matter of security?”

  “I agree tae that. I would prefer nae tae speak tae Fraoch directly as I canna understand how a conspirator is allowed tae ingratiate himself with the royal family.”

  “Perfect.” Quentin straightened, took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Now the task at hand. How do we use the tech to take the vessels further back in time?”

  “I hae been trying tae do it.”

  Quentin leaned forward. “What do you mean, trying?”

  Her shaky hand smoothed her hair again. “I canna manage it. I canna go verra far back, not at once. I hae tae wait between tries. I ken we are in need of expediency but I am at it’s mercy.”

  Quentin was nervously rubbing the knuckles on his fist, something he had done since grade school trying to stay on top of his anxiety. I watched him thinking about how much he still looked like that little boy and here he was the royal guard, in an impossible situation. I just had to sit and keep my mouth closed. He had to talk to lady Mairead and ultimately had to work with her to rescue Magnus and Kaitlyn. He said, “What the hell, that sounds awful, what happens?”

  “Tis different from the vessels. Ye ken how the vessels will hold ye tae them?”

  Quentin said, “Yeah, it grabs you.”

  Lady Mairead’s eyes went distant and she shuddered.

  So Hammond explained, “Colonel Quentin, the way Lady Mairead has described it to me is, this tech, I call it the Trailblazer — it won’t hold on, and it is very painful, brutally painful. She took all she could handle and let go and she had only gone further in the past by fifty-three days.”

  She said, “I had tae rest afore I could return tae the kingdom. The following week I tried again, really tried, but I dropped it in agony and found myself only a couple of months beyond. I could barely move for two days.”

  Quentin said, “That’s too dangerous to do alone. You need an army with you. Now that I think about it, that’s probably why there were so many people around the vessels that first time. I wonder why it’s so painful?”

  Zach said, “A guess: because you’re hacking into the jungle, the time jungle, exploring for a new map. Or like you’re laying railroad track and you’re crossing the plains. Alone, anything can happen. You need more people. When you land you need safety in numbers.”

  Quentin shook his head. “That didn’t help the first explorers. They were massacred by the Campbells, but I agree, alone could be way worse.”

  Lady Mairead said, “Daena discount there is danger in a group, as well. Ye hae tae be able tae trust them. I daena like tae work with anyone else, I daena want anyone tae ken how far back we are takin’ the vessels. Hammond spoke of sending the military with me, but I would prefer tae keep this quiet.”

  Quentin said, “We have something we needed to tell you too. Magnus isn’t at Balloch anymore, we think he is in Edinburgh. Let me run and get something.”

  Zach said, “While he gets that, can I get you both a drink?”

  I said, “I will, you stay here, Zach. I’ll get them a drink.”

  Zach and I locked eyes, a power struggle. Who got to leave the room...? I jumped up and rushed to the kitchen. Emma was in there with Isla asleep on her side. Zoe, the baby, asleep in her arms. She asked, “What’s happening? I didn’t have time to turn a baby monitor on to eavesdrop.”

  “She’s begun looking for them, it’s just a lot harder than she thought. She’s being a total bitch, but also scared — she looks dangerous because she’s a bitch plus she’s scared.” I filled two glasses of ice, popped the top of two cans of Coke, and poured both, talking the whole time. “But she’s closer, she’s close to getting them.”

  “It’s taking her long enough.”

  “She totally blames me for that. Katie is going to be so pissed when she hears.”

  “She’ll understand. Lady Mairead is evil, Kaitlyn knows there’s no way to handle her without violence.”

  “Yeah. True. But Isla.”

  “I know. She thinks I’m mama, I totally know.”

  I met Quentin, carrying a stack of papers and a laptop, to return to the pool house. The conversation there was strained: Zach was talking to Hammond about the limo they were in, but truth was, Zach didn’t know anything about cars. James would have been useful. You could see the agony in Zach’s eyes.

  Fraoch was watching everyone at the able as if he was attempting to translate a foreign language. I would need to rehash the whole history to him, again, so he understood how diabolical she was.

  I placed the drinks in front of them and returned to my chair.

  Quentin placed the pile on the table, rifled through for the printout, and slapped it down in front of Lady Mairead. “We found this.”

  “Tis Magnus’s signature!”

  “I know. It’s on the bottom of this document.” He placed the other page in front of her.

&
nbsp; “Who is this man, remind me?”

  “Duke of Châtellerault, he was a regent to Mary Queen of Scots. In 1552.”

  Lady Mairead perused the document. “Och, she is a sad story, I hae often wished I could go tae her and advise her differently. I decided long ago not tae of course, twould be too complicated tae advise a queen, but I do wish tae.” She flipped through another page and mused, “Her cousin Elizabeth dinna need tae be advised, but would nae it be fun tae shew her a time travel vessel? Tae let her see the effect of her reign?”

  She added, “Now I ken the year, twill be easier tae recover Magnus. I will go tae late 1552.”

  I said, “They might have been there for years though, what if they’re old and gray? We should investigate more, see if we can find the oldest document, go farther back. Shouldn’t we do our best to make their time shorter?”

  Her face clouded over. “Nae, Madame Hayley, nae. Dost ye ken how much farther I will hae tae go already? Five years! I am doing enough, tis painful. I am doing enough.”

  Quentin said, “Hammond said Magnus has radio frequency beacons, is this true? You will be able to find him once you get to 1552?”

  “Aye, I am outfitted tae find him.”

  Quentin said, “Good. But now we’re back to this — it’s worrisome that you’re going alone. You should take men.”

  She looked down at the dagger in her hand. ”I canna trust men.”

  Fraoch intruded on the conversation. “Lady Mairead, I ken ye daena think well of me, but I would offer tae go in yer stead. I ken Scotland, and I am strong and will be able tae...” He glanced around at us as if asking for the word.

  “To jump?” I said. “Are you offering to do it for her?”

  “Aye, I will be able tae jump. I will go.”

  Lady Mairead scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. How many times have you even traveled?”

  “Two, but I am a verra good at it.” He smiled his best, most disarming grin. “I will take weapons and equipment. I winna jump back and forth. I will rest and then use the... What was it called?”