by Jennae Vale
“What is yer name? They didnae even tell me that.” His heart sank. How is it that he’d never, ever given a thought to one of the many women he’d been with having his bairn? Bethia was right. He was a daft fool.
“What have we here?” Cormac’s voice forced him to look up from the babe.
He found he was unable to speak.
Cailin, Logan, Robert and Dougall joined Cormac fresh from the practice field. He was surrounded by men he counted as his brothers, but he was too stunned to speak. A cry from the bundle drew all their eyes and he watched as each man realized what he was holding.
“Is the bairn yers?” Cailin asked.
“So I’ve been told,” he muttered. Donal had never shied away from sharing his conquests with them, but now he worried what they would think. He had been careless and now there was a bairn without a mother. It was all his fault and he didn’t know what these men would think of him. For the first time since arriving at the castle, he feared that they would turn him out. It was no less than he deserved.
“Who’s the mother and where is she?” Dougall asked.
Robert reached into the bundle and touched the bairn’s face, tracing her eye brows and down her nose. She immediately quieted and reached for his hand. “That would be my question as well,” he added.
Donal focused on the bairn, it was easier than looking up to see the disappointment he knew would be in their eyes. “She was a kitchen maid here. I didnae ken she was with child. She didnae tell me.” She must have understood what a poor excuse for a father he’d be and thought better of it. “She’s passed and her Ma and Da brought the bairn to me.”
They were silent and Donal felt the heaviness on his shoulders. He tried his best to remember what Sionaid looked like. If she was the lass he was thinking of, she was quite pretty with blonde locks and emerald green eyes. He was ashamed of himself. So wrapped up in his own conquests that he never thought this might happen. He hadn’t mean to hurt anyone. He had been so careless. What a sorry excuse for a man.
“I dinnae wish to say anything about yer skills in the Da department, but this wee one needs a Ma,” Robert said. “I’ll send condolences to her family. I’m hoping Mary kens who they are.”
“What will I do?” The helpless feeling in his gut was growing to the point where he thought he might be sick. He gazed at the screaming bairn in his arms.
“Ye must rock her a bit,” Cailin said, swaying back and forth. “Like this.”
Donal felt like a fool, but he did as Cailin suggested and was pleased that after a moment or two the babe quieted. They were not throwing him out and that small bit of reassurance allowed him to look up into their eyes.
“Here, wipe her tears and her nose,” Cormac said, handing him a kerchief.
Again, Donal did as he was told. “She’s a pretty wee one,” he said, a bit of pride slipping into his voice.
“Aye. She must take after her mother.” Dougall chuckled, placing a hand on Donal’s shoulder.
The group of Highlanders gathered around the wee lass, cooing at her and doing their best to make her smile. Donal wasn’t sure how he would manage, but knowing that his friends were by his side made him feel a wee bit better.
Wallace guided the wagon into the inner courtyard of Breaghacraig. The tall stone walls of the castle were formidable, stretching up high into the bright blue of the sky. Smaller buildings lined the walls of the courtyard, housing a blacksmith, stables and other things she couldn’t name. Tina was awestruck by the sight of it. She felt a bit overwhelmed as it reconfirmed that she was in the sixteenth-century. The people they passed nodded to Wallace as he brought the wagon to a stop in front of two large wooden doors.
“It seems we’ve arrived just in time,” Wallace said, nodding towards the group of men huddled together.
“What are they doing?” she asked. They appeared to be focused on something one of the men was holding. “Is that a baby?”
“I believe ’tis,” Wallace said.
She had no idea who the man was that she was supposed to meet, but the group she was seeing were all very handsome. “Is one of them the man I’m here for?”
“I dinnae ken, lass. Edna has told me verra little.” He got down from the wagon and came around to her side to help her down.
“So, she’s told you something,” Tina said hoping he’d divulge any information he may have.
Wallace rolled his eyes in his head. “She told me to bring ye here. ’Tis all I know.”
“Are you going to leave me? I don’t know what to do.” Panic crept into her voice at the thought of navigating her way here in this foreign land and ancient time. She must have been out of her mind thinking she could do this. This was no vacation. This was real.
“Don’t worry. There are many here who will help ye,” Wallace assured her, holding her hands. His kind eyes held her gaze almost willing her to relax.
One of the handsome men was walking towards them. He was quite tall with long black hair and even from a distance she could see his amazing blue eyes. She straightened her dress and checked her hair as he approached. “Wallace, welcome! I see ye’ve brought us another lass. I assume she’s been sent by Edna.”
“Ye assume correctly, sir. This is Tina. She is the sister to Elle.” He released one hand as he presented her to this gorgeous man. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to speak.
“Ah. Ye do resemble her. How is our Hamish?” the man asked.
“He’s great,” Tina said, finally finding her voice.
“Pardon my rudeness, I should introduce myself. I be Robert Mackenzie, laird of the clan. We’ve many a lass from yer time here with us. I imagine ye’ll be wanting to speak with them.”
“I’d like that,” Tina responded.
“Well, come with me, lass.” He held his arm out for her to take. “Thank ye, Wallace. Mary will be pleased to see ye.”
Wallace bowed to Robert and turned to Tina. “Good luck to ye, lass.”
“Thank you, Wallace. You were wonderful company,” she said, truly meaning every word of it.
He turned and walked away leaving her feeling a bit awkward and nervous. How lucky was she? Robert wasn’t only handsome, he was the laird.
“Shall we?” Robert asked.
She blushed and nodded. Robert led her through the heavy doors and into an expansive room, which she imagined was the great hall Edna had told her about. A beautiful dark-haired woman met them and Robert introduced her.
“This is me wife, Irene,” he said.
Tina’s heart sank. She’d been mistaken. Robert was already taken. “Tina,” she said, holding her hand out to Irene.
Irene took her hand and patted it as she held it. “Welcome to Breaghacraig,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“Irene, Edna sent her. She’s Elle’s sister,” Robert explained.
She hadn’t even been here five minutes and she was already back to being Elle’s sister. Some things never changed.
“Will ye get Ashley? She’s with the children upstairs,” Irene said.
“Of course,” Robert said, leaving Tina’s side. “I’ll send her right down.”
“Come, sit,” Irene said
Tina was too nervous to sit right away, so she took a moment to ground herself by looking around the room. The hearth was larger than any she’d ever seen in her life. The opening was as tall as she was. Over the top was a beautiful tapestry of mostly greens and golds, but with many other colors throughout. It depicted the castle in the center surrounded by water on one side and trees on the other. Birds were sprinkled here and there in the sky over the water and seated in the trees. Several ornate wooden chairs were placed in a semi-circle around the hearth, where a small fire burned. She tried to keep her mind from wandering to how crazy this all was. Maybe she’d made a mistake. It might not be too late to find Wallace and have him take her back to the bridge.
“Are ye hungry?” Irene asked, interrupting her muddled thoughts.
&nbs
p; “No. Wallace and I ate not too long ago. He’s very nice,” she felt herself beginning to babble and tried to get a grip on herself. “How many women from my time are there here?”
“Let’s see. There’s Ashley, Jenna, Sophia, and Sara. I think that’s all of them,” she laughed. Tina spun in her seat to look at her, surely she didn’t hear her right. That many modern women had chosen to live in the past?
“Are they all married to men they met here?” she asked.
“Aye. They’ll tell ye all about it. Ye seem nervous,” Irene observed.
“I guess I’m not doing a very good job of hiding it, am I.” She rested her hand on her belly, feeling sick.
“If I were in yer shoes, I’d be much the same,” Irene assured her.
Tina took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. She glanced around the hall. “This is so beautiful,” she said. “I feel like I’m in a museum.”
“Hmmm…” Irene responded seeming unsure of what Tina was saying.
“I mean, I know it’s not a museum, but it’s just so perfect.”
“Thank ye.” Irene took her by the arm and led her to a chair. “Sit. Helene!” she called.
A moment later a very pregnant blonde woman entered the hall. “Aye. Ye called?”
“Helene, this is Tina. She’s Elle’s sister. Edna has sent her to us and I think she needs a dram.”
Helene tipped her head examining Tina, who was feeling uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
“I believe ’tis so,” Helene said. She left the room and returned only a moment later carrying an oddly shaped vessel.
“What’s this?” Tina asked.
“A wee bit of whisky. It settles the nerves. Drink,” Helene said.
She wasn’t sure she wanted a drink, but then again, her nerves were starting to get the better of her and if these two ladies who didn’t even know her could tell, then she should probably take the drink. She took the vessel in her hands. It had two flat handles on either side of a small wooden cup. Before she could give it too much thought, she downed the entire contents of the cup. It burned as it headed down to her belly, but the warmth once it got there was soothing.
Irene and Helene exchanged amused looks and then glanced back to Tina. “Better?” Irene asked.
“I think so,” she answered.
“Hello.” A very pretty, petite woman entered the hall and made her way right to Tina. “I’m Ashley. Tina, right?”
“Yes. I’m so happy to meet you,” Tina gushed.
“I’m sure you’ve got lots of questions. Don’t worry. I’ve got most of the answers,” she smiled warmly putting Tina at ease.
“I’ll go see that her chamber is ready,” Helene said.
“Thank ye, Helene,” Irene said. “I’ll leave ye both. Ye’ll have much to speak of.”
“It was lovely meeting you, Irene,” Tina said as Irene left the room. She wasn’t even out of the room when a commotion at the entrance drew their attention. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Let’s find out,” Ashley said.
They were about to head to the doors when the group of men she’d seen outside entered.
“Cailin, what’s going on?” she asked.
“Donal is a father,” Cailin said.
“What?” She seemed quite shocked by this pronouncement.
“Aye. The babe’s grandda and granny brought her.”
The apparent father stood in the center of the men a shocked expression on his face.
“This is my husband, Cailin,” Ashley said, introducing her. “This is Tina. She’s Elle’s sister.”
The one holding the baby perked up. “Hamish,” he said.
“Yes. Elle is married to Hamish,” Tina said. She wasn’t sure what was going on or why this man had a baby he obviously didn’t know what to do with, but that wasn’t any of her concern. She was here to find a husband and he definitely wasn’t it.
“Is he well?” the man asked.
“Well and happy,” she answered, looking at the other three men with him. She knew Cailin was taken, so trying not to be too obvious, she snuck a peek at each of them.
Ashley must have read her like a book. “This is Dougall,” she said pointing to the blonde man. “He’s Helene’s husband. Cormac is Cailin’s brother, he’s married to Jenna and Logan is married to Sara.”
So, they were all spoken for, except the one holding the baby.
“And this is Donal,” she said, a note of disapproval in her voice.
“Ashley, would ye like to hold the wee lass?” he asked, holding the baby out to her. There was something in his voice that almost sounded like pleading.
“What’s her name?” Ashley wondered.
“I dinnae ken it. They didnae tell me. She was put in me arms and they walked away. Can ye believe it?” He placed the baby into Ashley’s outstretched arms, seeming relieved to hand her off to someone else.
The poor guy’s in shock, Tina thought. It tore at her heart that this baby was just abandoned like that. What kind of place was this?
“What’s her mother’s name?” Ashley asked.
“Her Ma has passed, but her name was Sionaid.”
“Then that’s what ye should call her.” She tickled the child under her chin, smiling at her. “Would ye like that, sweetie? She looks to be about ten months old.”
Donal shrugged. He apparently knew nothing, which didn’t bode well for this little one.
“Of course, if ye have another name you prefer, you could call her that,” Ashley said.
“I’ve not one.” He looked at Tina. “Not yet.”
“Well, think on it. And, Donal, don’t worry. We’ll help ye care for her. None of this is her fault.”
Again, Tina noted the tone Ashley was using with him and she wondered why this woman didn’t care for him.
“Cailin, he’ll need to sleep somewhere other than the soldier’s barracks. We can’t have this sweet little one sleeping with all those smelly men, can we?”
“We’ll find ye a room here in the castle for now. Ye’ll need a cottage of yer own so ye can raise her proper,” Cailin added.
Donal looked as if he might collapse right there on the spot. “He looks like he needs to sit down,” Tina noted.
“I’d have to agree,” Ashley said. “Donal, here, sit.”
“Thank ye, Lady Ashley.” Tina couldn’t believe that the grandparents would just leave a baby here like this. Tina’s mother and father would never have done that. She took a good look at the little one for the first time. “Hi, sweetie,” she said, placing her finger in the baby’s hand. “I’m so sorry about your mother.” She received a giggle for her efforts. “Aren’t you adorable?”
“Would you mind holding her for a minute?” Ashley asked.
“You don’t have to ask twice,” Tina took the baby and cradled her like a pro. “My brother has kids and Elle’s expecting.”
“Hamish will be a Da?” Donal said, a certain amount of astonishment in his voice.
“He will. Like you.” Tina’s heart ached for Donal. He’d lost his wife and now he found himself with a child to care for. He seemed ill-equipped. “This must be hard for you,” Tina said. “Losing your wife and all.” She had no idea how things worked here. She guessed because he was a soldier that he didn’t live at home with his wife. Maybe it was one of those arranged marriages she had read about. He looked so lost, her heart went out to him.
Chapter 4
Donal’s luck hadn’t been the best of late, but it seemed things might be changing a wee bit in his favor. This lass could be the answer to his as yet unsaid prayers. She seemed to know something about bairns and was quite sympathetic to his plight. Perhaps he could convince her to take the wee lass she held in her arms. A twinge of guilt hit him as he rose from the chair and approached Tina, but he couldn’t let that stop him. It was what would be best for the wee one and for himself.
“What would ye name her?” he asked, inhaling an unfamiliar perfumed scent
as he lowered his head so it was right next to hers. He gazed down at the babe. He’d never paid much attention to bairns before, so it was with some surprise that he noticed how small she was. His large hand seemed almost too big to touch her wee face, but instead he reached out one finger as he’d observed Robert doing and traced her forehead, nose and cheeks down to her sweet, wee chin.
“Hmmm… I’d have to think about it. You don’t want to name her after her mother?”
The question was laced with pity and he thought it possible to use it to his advantage. “I couldnae possibly name her after her Ma, ’twould hurt too much to say her name.” He hitched his breath as if holding back a sob.
He glanced around at the others who were all looking at him with varying degrees of disbelief. Luckily the lass hadn’t noticed.
“You poor thing,” she turned her head to see his face and he was so close her lips almost touched his. She pulled back away from him. “I’m sorry.”
“Dinnae apologize. ’Twas my fault. I was standing too close. ’Tis that I wished to see the wee bairn so content in yer arms.” The lass smiled, revealing sweet dimples. She was quite lovely.
Cailin cleared his throat and once he had Donal’s attention, shook his head at him, before speaking. “Ye stay here with yer daughter, Donal. The rest of us have things to attend to.” Cailin turned to Ashley. “I’ll be back for the evening meal.” He took her chin in his hand and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Ashley took Cailin’s hand in hers and they walked to the door followed by Dougall, Cormac and Logan.
“Ye seem quite motherly, lass.” He wasn’t lying to soften her heart. He meant it. She seemed quite at ease with the wee one, but she was a lass, of course she would be.
“I love little ones,” she replied, smiling down at the bairn. “You look like you could use a bath and some clean clothes,” she cooed to the baby.
“I’ve got some things upstairs she can wear,” Ashley said, joining them. “I’ll go get them and I’ll arrange to have some water warmed for a bath. I’ll be right back.”