The Duke She Wished For

by Ellie St. Clair

  Every time she went somewhere alone, there was at least one instance of her getting lost. Though thinking about getting lost terrified Jaime, when she was actually in the situation she was pretty savvy. This, however, was a little different since there was no gas station to stop and ask directions from, and she didn’t have a cell phone to determine her location. Either way, Jaime knew she couldn’t sleep out here so getting home was non-negotiable and she really didn’t want to get eaten by some furry creature creeping around in the woods.

  When Jaime was done eating she stood up and took a deep breath, ready to start again. She walked straight this time, only moving slightly to avoid running straight into a tree. Step by step she was sure she was getting closer to the house, though she knew she hadn’t been walking that long before she had tripped over the log. After about three hours Jaime stopped and looked up at the sky. The sun was no longer overhead and the sound of night creatures set her into a slight panic. She picked up the pace to where she was almost jogging through the woods. As the light started to fade, Jaime’s nerves unleashed and she picked her pace up to nearly a full out sprint.

  She weaved in and out of the trees, stopping momentarily to rub the scrape she just got from a looming limb. With the dimmed daylight, it was hard to see through the branches, and despair crept through her chest. People died all the time from getting lost in the woods, and no matter how many adventures her parents took her on as a kid, Jaime wasn’t prepared to go full survivor mode in the Scottish forest. She stopped in her tracks for just a minute to squint through the woods. From the edge, she thought she saw grasses, and she started running again, this time unaware of where she was stepping. As she reached the place where she expected to be covered in lush grasses, she found nothing more than a clearing in the woods.

  Jaime bent down to catch her breath, fighting back the tears of panic. The light was almost all gone now, and she didn’t want to stop yet. Still at a fast pace, but not quite a jog, Jaime moved through the woods searching for any sign of familiar surroundings. As she stepped forward, expecting to feel the soft earth beneath her feet, she screamed out, her body falling forward into the darkness. The wind rushed past her, and the sides of the dark hole began to move so quickly they looked like stars. She was falling faster and faster until her vision finally gave out and darkness overtook her.

  Chapter 3

  Alec, 1544

  The creaking sound of the cart’s wheels echoed across the waving grasses outside of Crieff. The horse’s hooves clapped slowly down the muddy path from Crieff back to Perth. Alec McDermont, soon to be laird of the McDermont clan, had brought his brother along to sell their black sheep to the merchants at the Tryst. Crieff was known to be a town of thieves and drunks, and though Alec stood six feet tall with muscles as big as two regular sized men, having backup seemed like a good idea. However, as they peddled along the path, Balloch complaining about every little thing, Alec was considering handing him over to the thieves for a bit of peace and quiet.

  “I donna understand why we didn’t press for that extra bag of potatoes,” Balloch went on about the unfair trade of sheep. “How are clans supposed to grow and prosper?”

  “They are not supposed to, Balloch, that’s the point,” Alec groaned, already tired of the conversation.

  “Well, then what are they s’posed to be doing then?” Balloch asked.

  “Look,” Alec snapped, stopping the horse and turning to his brother. Balloch was skinny and tall and had a habit of overthinking. “Do ye really believe Mary Queen of Scots wants clans growing and succeeding? They’ll take over. No, the royal stay royal and the farmers stay farmers, that’s how ‘tis.”

  “Well that’s ridiculous,” Balloch grumbled as he walked.

  “Okay, so we are reaching the Crieff’s Pass. We should go through there and save us some time,” Alec stated as he walked forward.

  “I think not — Crieff’s Pass is where all the murderers and thieves live,” Balloch responded with a shake in his voice.

  “Good,” Alec snuffed. “I’ll hand ye over to them and have a quiet trip home.”

  “We cannae just take the main road?” Balloch pleaded.

  “If we want to be trading with these farmers for fur and still make it back to Perth in a decent amount of time we need to cut through the Pass, so stop complainin’ and move,” Alec directed sternly.

  The path through Crieff’s Pass was no more than a worn-down lane through the woods. The sunlight streamed in between the arching branches of the canopy of trees, creating a false sense of comfort for those traveling through the woods. Alec walked slowly, his hand placed firmly on the handle of his sword while Balloch pranced happily as if walking through a fairytale world of magic and fairy dust. The ground was wet from recent storms and ice clung to the shadowy patches of moss. It was unseasonably warm for Scotland in November as the ground normally would have a light covering of snow by this point. However, even with the increased temperatures the cold breeze still bit at Alec’s bare upper body, only covered by the fur-lined cloak thrown over his shoulders.

  The two men paused as several deer pranced across the path, stopping only for a moment to gaze at the unusual travelers. Alec leaned over and pulled an apple from the cart and began eating it while walking, his eyes still roaming his surroundings. He had always been a cautious man, and unlike his brother, had grown up understanding he would one day become the Laird of the McDermont clan. This would be the last trip they would take to Crieff before the harsh winters buried them in, and it was imperative Alec protect their goods from the thieves looking to score their next bounty.

  It was already midday, and though they would make it to the cattleman for trade soon, Alec knew they would need to camp out on the other side of the Pass before beginning their journey back home to Perth. Alec’s father, up in years, had stayed home with his sisters. It was the first time he had to do so. Since Alec’s mother died, he had to make sure the house was taken care of. He’d taken his wife’s death hard. Some say she was killed by thieves and left to die on the side of the road. That subject, however, was up for debate with Alec. All that had been stolen was her ring, the one his father had given her on their wedding day years ago, when he’d taken her from his rival, Rory Gillie. His thoughts wavered from his current surroundings to his upcoming arranged marriage to the Gillie woman he despised and the clan he would rather see dead then attached to him by name. His father wanted peace, but Alec was sure the Gillies had ulterior motives.

  Alec stopped momentarily, shaken from his thoughts. He pulled the reins on the horse and shushed his brother before he spoke. Alec sat listening to the change in tone around him, looking for a sign of danger. He shifted slightly in his stance and waited for a response from the birds he had heard just moments before stopping. However, across the landscape of forest, for the first time this trip, there was nothing but silence. No birds, no insects, and no falling acorns from a traveling squirrel could be heard. He turned, ignoring the fearful look on Balloch’s face and searched the ground around them. There was no evidence that anyone was following them, yet the immediate silence of the forest was keeping him on edge. As Alec returned to his position next to the horses and readied himself to continue, a sound broke through the trees. The loud bang was followed by the snapping of limbs and ended with a thud on the ground.

  Alec, crouched down in reaction, turned his attention to the cloud of dust and leaves that blew up in the air across the forest bed. He stood and stepped carefully towards what looked like a body in the mud. With each step he looked to both sides, half expecting to be bombarded by a group of thieves. As he moved closer, he heard the sound of a woman groaning in pain. He squinted his eyes at the lump on the ground and saw the strawberry glimmer of flowing hair and the rosy cheeks of a maiden lying motionless in the soil. Immediately he picked up his pace and slid down on his knees at her side. He looked up, not understanding where she had come from. There were a few twigs broken beside her, but no tracks to or from
her in either direction. It was as if she had just appeared from the air.

  The girl, who looked not much younger than him, was wearing what looked to Alec to be men’s long underwear for the winter months and a strangely knitted blanket as a top. Her shoes were a strange, slick material that didn’t look as if they had come from any cattle he had ever seen. Still, laying in the leaves, mud splashed on her freckled cheeks, she was a sight to see. Her beautiful skin was pale and soft, and the blonde specks in her hair almost glittered in the sunlight. Her freckles were like a map across her nose, and something in Alec longed to reach out and trace them with his finger. He sat staring at her for a moment before moving back a bit as she started to awaken so as not to scare her. Her eyes opened, revealing a beautiful shade of green, and she looked up at the sky, still laying perfectly still.

  “Are you well, lass?” Alec asked, not wanting to scare her. “You seemed to have taken quite a fall.”

  “What?” The girl replied, her eyes darting towards Alec. “What happened? Where am I?”

  “I am unsure where you are from,” Alec said scratching his head. “But this is Crieff’s Pass.”

  She sat up, her elbows still shaking slightly from the disorientation. Alec put his hand behind her in case she was to fall backward again. She looked down at her muddy boots and then around the landscape of trees. Her face showed pure confusion as she checked the status of daylight.

  “Did I sleep here?” she asked, looking over at Alec. “I remember it was night, and I was lost. And then….”

  “And then what happened?” Alec asked, trying to help her connect the pieces.

  “I stepped in a hole, and I was falling. I just kept falling and falling,” she whispered to herself.

  “Here let’s get you on yer feet. You must have hit yer head and had a fright,” Alec said, putting his hands under her arms and lifting her to her feet. She was a bit off balance as leaned into him, the smell of lavender filling his nose. Her hair brushed against his bare chest.

  “Do you have a cell phone I can use? I could call my neighbor,” the girl asked, still looking around her in confusion.

  “A cell-phone?” Alec asked with curiosity.

  “Yes, a cell phone. Or iPhone? It’s 2017, I suppose everyone has an iPhone, even in Scotland,” the girl said.

  “2017?” Alec repeated, his brows furrowed. “What do you mean by this?”

  “The year, 2017?” she said, looking at him like he was daft.

  “Yer head must be quite affected. It is 1544, lass. It has been all year.”

  “1544?” the green-eyed girl said to herself as she eyed him up and down, taking in the kilt, his muscular legs, and his bare chest. “What kind of weird game are you playing? Is this one of those role-playing things?”

  “Let us sit and you can drink,” Alec said, firmly but with concern. “From what clan are ye? I’m Alec McDermont of Perth.”

  “Clan? Oh, I am Jaime Abernathy of…well…I don’t really know anymore,” she said with a bit of sadness in her voice. “Massachusetts I suppose, although Crieff at the moment.”

  They walked back over to where Balloch was standing, staring at Jaime in wonder. She smiled at him and took the canteen of water from Alec, running her hand down the side of the horse. Jaime handed the container back to Alec and put her hands on her hips, unsure of where to go now. Alec tried not to stare as blatantly as Balloch, but her legs were a sight in the underwear. He wanted to cover her with his tartan, but didn’t want to insult her.

  “Ye must walk with us,” Alec said looking up at the trees. “A lady is not safe in these woods. We are almost to the clearing, where we will rest for the night.”

  Jaime nodded her head at Alec, and he smiled, pleased to get moving again. They walked along in silence for quite some time before reaching the edge of the woods. Alec was startled as they reached the field beyond the forest and Jaime ran past him and out into the wild grass. As he approached the clearing, he watched the strange girl standing in the middle of the field scratching her head with bewilderment over her face.

  “What in heaven’s name are ye doing?” Alec hollered out to her.

  “The house, it was right here,” she said looking back at him and pointing to an open field.

  Alec looked at Balloch, who shrugged his shoulders. He handed Alec the reins to the cart and walked over to him, leaning in close.

  “The girl is looney,” whispered Balloch. The two stared at the girl who had plopped down in the tall grasses, sitting there rummaging through her bag.

  “There is the main road. Go ahead and take it toward home,” Alec said in a low voice. “I will help this girl find home, and will be only a half of a day behind you. Can you handle that?”

  “What about the furs?” Balloch asked.

  “I’ll hunt extra next week and bring back some nice bear furs for winter,” Alec responded.

  Before Balloch could answer, Alec had walked off towards Jaime. Balloch shrugged his shoulders again, shaking his head at his brother, who had always been a sucker for a pretty face. This girl was daft, though. He turned the cart toward the road.

  Alec watched as Balloch disappeared around the corner before sitting down in the grass beside Jaime. She pulled a Danish from her bag and began to eat it, the bewildered look on her face still etched in stone. There was something very strange about this girl, but at the same time, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her. He glanced down at her small, fragile hands and saw she didn’t wear a ring, noting she wasn’t married to anyone. As he sat in the blowing grasses next to her, a wild idea came to him. The knock to her head must have taken away her memories. He didn’t know how long it would take her to get them back, but all he needed was some time to sort through his dilemma with the Gillies. He looked over to her wide-eyed stare wondering if, perhaps, she could be the saving grace to the McDermont clan; the fallen angel from Crieff’s Pass.

  Chapter 4

  Jaime

  Jaime had started eating the Danish for comfort food, but soon realized how hungry to actually was. She chewed the sweet treat and looked out at the field where her family home once stood…or would one day stand. Just that thought alone sent Jaime’s heart racing, and she didn’t know if she did, in fact, time travel or if she had finally lost her mind. All those years after her parents died, of people watching and waiting for her to finally crack, and this is what happens. She thinks she is lost in a familiar place, in an unfamiliar time period. Jaime shook the thoughts from her head and looked over at the large shirtless man next to her. Looking at him, she figured she must be dreaming. He was fascinating. He was tall and muscular, and she wanted to run her hands over the ab muscles that peeked out of his cloak. His brown hair had a reddish tinge and framed his handsome chiseled face. His cloak looked cumbersome and warm, which Jaime assumed was necessary since he was wearing a kilt and boots on the lower half of his body.

  He looked genuine and she couldn’t believe he was part of a practical joke being played on her, but she had to test him.

  “So, Alec….if this is 16th Century Scotland as you claim, who is the King?” Jaime asked.

  “We donnae ‘ave a King,” he replied, looking out at the horizon.

  “Aha! Every country had a leader, even in the 1500’s,” she retorted, pointing her finger at him.

  “Aye,” he said slowly turning towards her. “We have a Queen, Mary Queen of Scots, who took the throne only two years ago.”

  “Oh,” Jaime responded, slinking back down in disappointment. “So you mean to tell me you don’t know what these things are?”

  Jaime grabbed her bag and dumped the contents out into a pile. She started handing him items, one after another, watching his reaction. First was the iPod, then a pen, a compact of makeup, a toothbrush, a credit card, her tablet, a charger cord for her phone, and finally a brush. When the brush hit his hands, his eyes lit up, but before he could say anything, she rolled her eyes and grabbed the items back. Of course, he knew what a hairbrus
h was. She started to put things back into her bag when she heard his question.

  “What’s this?” he asked, holding up a wrapped tampon he’d picked up from the ground.

  “Uh, nothing. These won’t be invented for many years, unfortunately,” she responded, carefully taking it from him and putting it in her bag. “Wait, I know. We’re so close to the town. If you’re playing some trick on me, you’ll soon be foiled.”

  Jaime jumped up and started running towards where the road had led up to her family’s house. Alec sighed and chased after her, calling for her to slow. As she reached the top of the hill, she turned to Alec and put her hands out.

  “See? The modern world,” she said before turning towards the view. Her hands plopped to the side as she looked out over open fields and a small town in the distance. People were walking the dirt road into the town dressed in 16th Century attire, riding horses, and pulling carriages.

  “Well, hell,” she sighed plopping back down on the ground with her legs crossed.

  “Here, lass,” Alec said, kneeling down next to her. “Let us go into town, get you some… female clothing, and tomorrow we will head for my home right outside of Perth. It will take only one and one half days.”