by Jennae Vale
“Nick! Nick!” The crowd parted and a group of people who were obviously his family came running towards him. A woman, possibly his mother, began to cry as she spied him and ran into his arms.
“Ma,” Nick choked out, obviously overcome with emotion. He held her tightly, “I dinnae wish to let ye go. I’ve missed ye so.”
“Where have ye been, son? I’ve thought of ye every day since ye’ve been gone.” She wiped her tear-filled eyes on her sleeve.
“’Tis a long story, and I’ll be happy to tell ye all about it, but first I want to say hello to everyone.” Kat watched as Nick reluctantly let his mother go and turned to what she assumed were his brothers and sisters. The men were beaming and the women sniffling. “I’ve longed to see ye all. I’m so happy to be home.”
“’Tis good yer back, brother. Ye’ve been missed. We thought we’d lost ye fer good,” the brother closest to Nick said, as he wrapped him in a bear hug. The crowd started moving towards the doors of the castle and Kat found herself being left behind. She trailed along after them not sure what to do, when Nick, who along with his brothers was at least a head taller than all the rest, turned in her direction. “Katriona, join us. Make room,” he called to those around him and she found a path opened for her directly to him. “This is Katriona Hughes.” Nick introduced her to everyone. “She is in need of our help and that is another story we’ll share with ye.”
Smiling faces greeted her and she felt the arms of Nick’s mother wrap around her in a hug. “We’re pleased to meet ye, Katriona. Welcome to our home. I’m Lettice, Nick’s Ma. You can call me Lettie.”
“Thank you. I’m happy to be here and happy to meet you.” Although she was feeling a bit overwhelmed, she felt the warmth directed towards her and she smiled brightly. Perhaps she would be safe here with Nick’s family.
Lettie Mackall took her hand and drew her alongside of the family. “If my Nick has brought ye home with him, ye’ll be welcomed as part of the family.”
Kat wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Did they think she was with him in a love kind of way, or did they understand she was only here because he had rescued her? Either way, she’d set them straight after she’d had a chance to get to know them and tell them her story. Speaking of which, could she tell them her true story, or would she be forced to continue the lie she’d created for Nick. It was probably best to go with the latter. No one here would ever believe she’d come from the future. That would cause her nothing but trouble and here in this strange place surrounded by unfamiliar people, it could be a death sentence for her.
Nick’s mother led her inside to the home of the Mackalls. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, perhaps she thought it would be just like Laird Calhoun’s castle - cold, sparsely furnished and completely uninviting. And so, she was completely taken aback at the warmth of this large stone fortress. She could see that everything had been done to create a homey atmosphere - rugs, tapestries, intricately carved furniture. She couldn’t help but stare in complete awe at what she was seeing. As part of her job, she spent much time on archeological sites where she was required to authenticate artifacts found there. This was a complete treasure trove of authentic medieval craftsmanship. It was five hundred years old, but in this time everything was fairly new. There were some things that had obviously been here for a long time, but still relatively speaking, they were not artifacts. They were just everyday items that made life bearable here in this time.
“What do ye think, lass?” Nick put an arm around her shoulder. “This is my home. How I’ve missed it.” Nick took in a deep breath, as if savoring the familiar smells of his home.
“Why were you away for so long? You never told me.” Katriona was curious to hear his story and she gazed up at him expectantly.
“You’ll hear soon enough. Me mother is planning a huge feast to welcome me home and I’ll surely be called upon to tell everyone my tale.” Eyeing him curiously, Kat couldn’t help but think he seemed a bit nervous about that. Based on the man she’d gotten to know in the past few days, she didn’t think public speaking something that would be difficult for him. What could it be?
“Nick, are ye going to introduce us to yer lady fair,” Rory asked.
Nick laughed. “She’s not my lady, but she is quite fair. This is Katriona Hughes. Katriona these be me brothers, Rory, Duncan, Lockie and Aidan.” They were a handsome bunch, but none were quite as handsome as Nicholas Mackall. At least not in her opinion.
Kat greeted the group of smiling highlanders, “I’m please to meet you.”
“As are we.” Rory spoke for the brothers. “Welcome to Dunaill. I can see by yer face that yer entranced by our home.”
“I am. It’s very beautiful.”
“I’d be happy to show ye the rest of it, if ye’d like.” Rory had taken her by the hand and his smile had changed from the welcoming one of a few moments ago to a flirtier smile.
“I can do that, Rory. No need to trouble yerself.” Nick made it clear that Rory should back off.
“’Tis no trouble at all, brother. Ye must be tired from yer long journey and ’tis clear Katriona has an appreciation of beautiful things.”
Kat could see a sibling rivalry taking place. “Maybe later, Rory. I’m quite tired myself.”
“Later then. Perhaps ye’d like to come sit by the fire with…” Rory hesitated as Nick glared in his direction. “I’ll leave ye then. Ye appear to be in quite capable hands.”
Kat smiled in amusement at the two brothers. Nick possessively placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her through the now crowded room to a seat near the fire. “Are ye still cold, lass?”
She nodded and rubbed her arms to warm herself.
“I’ll get ye something to fix that.” Nick moved away from her and she felt suddenly quite alone in this room full of strangers. His presence had become a comfort to her and she watched as he made his way through the crowd and then returned back to her with an oddly shaped wooden cup in hand. “Here ye are. Drink this. ’Twill help.”
She put the cup to her lips, expecting tea and was surprised as a fiery liquid hit her mouth and then her throat, causing her to cough and sputter.
Nick laughed. “I’m sorry. Mayhap I should have warned ye of what ye were about to drink. I thought ye’d ken it was whiskey being as it’s in a quaich.”
“It’s all right,” she croaked out. “I was just surprised is all. Once I got past the initial taste, it felt good on the way down.” She smiled up at him to let him know she was fine. “You called it a quake? Is that right?”
Nick looked confused. “Aye. A quaich, for drinking whiskey. Do ye nae drink whiskey, lass?”
Kat shook her head. “Go visit with your friends and family. I’m fine here.” She didn’t want to raise suspicions about where she might really be from.
“I won’t be long, lass.” Nick left her and headed to a group of men who immediately engulfed him in hugs and pats on the back. The sounds of their voices as they happily greeted Nick were a balm to her shattered spirit. These were the first happy people she’d met since she arrived in this time. The people at Laird Calhoun’s castle never smiled. They cowered whenever they were around their laird. She couldn’t imagine living such a miserable life and was reminded why she could not be caught and returned to him. While her life had not been ideal in the twenty-first century, it had certainly been happier than what she’d experienced at the hands of Bearach Calhoun. The thought of it had her clutching her cup so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She realized she was no longer alone. Her gaze came up to meet Nick’s mother and sisters.
“Are ye well, dear. Yer face is nae a happy one.” Lettice Mackall observed.
“I’m fine, really. Just tired and cold.” She hoped that would suffice.
“Come. We’ll show ye to yer chambers and we’ll get ye a nice warm bath. That should help.” Nick’s mother took her by the hand and pulled her up from her seat. “I don’t think ye’ve met my daughters yet. This is Is
la and this is Merry. The young women were lovely, both with long dark hair and those same tawny-colored eyes that Nick possessed. The Mackalls were a beautiful bunch. She hadn’t heard word of Nick’s father, so she assumed he was either not present or he had passed away. Kat didn’t feel it was her place to ask, so she kept that question to herself.
They left the great hall and headed down a passageway that led them to a narrow spiral stairway. The family chambers are up these stairs,” Lettie explained, leading the way.
Real medieval stairs, in a real medieval castle. They weren’t in a crumbling building, unsafe to climb and they weren’t being dug up from beneath the earth. Her hands ran over the walls as she climbed, thinking of all the things she had learned about medieval castles and all the things she could learn while she was here. The stairs curved in a clockwise direction for protection during a battle that might be waged on the stairs. The person above had the upper hand, as the attacking forces were typically right handed and at a disadvantage when attacking from below. Of course, there were always exceptions to this rule, but this castle was true to form in that regard. She was going to drink in this experience and bring it back to her own time, if she ever got there. The more she knew the better her chances of actually leading an archeological dig. She would drink it all in, everything from armor and fighting equipment to pottery and furniture. As they reached the landing, Lettie pointed to a door at the far end of the hall and to the right. That will be yer chambers, dear. They passed other doors and Kat assumed they belonged to other members of the family. As they reached the door, Kat noted another stairway going up to the next level.
“Where is Nick’s room?” she asked and then realized that may not have been the best question.
His mother gave her a knowing glance and his sisters giggled. “He’s across the hall from ye.” She pointed to a door opposite hers.
“Oh…” She wasn’t sure what to say now that she had suitably embarrassed herself.
Nick’s sister opened the door for her and she entered a lovely room with a canopied bed, a fireplace, and two small windows that were shuttered against the cold. Heavy drapes fell from the ceiling and could be drawn over the windows for added protection from the cold. There was a lovely carved wooden bench at the foot of the bed and some chairs and a small table near the windows. The room was cold. It was a guest room after all and probably not in use most of the time. The girls got a fire started and the room warmed quickly. There was a knock at the door and an oblong tub was brought in and set in front of the fire.
“The water should be along shortly. Do ye have any other clothes to wear?” Lettie gazed at the torn and dirty dress Kat was wearing and shook her head. “Ye’ll need something a bit more presentable. I’m sure between the three of us,” she waved at the girls with her outstretched hand, “we should be able to come up with something for ye, but first we’ll get ye situated in the bath.”
There was another knock at the door and a string of servants carried in large buckets of steaming water, which they placed in the tub. The last girl carried some towels unlike any Kat had ever seen. She wasn’t sure how good they’d be at drying her off, but there weren’t any of the big fluffy kind she kept at home, so she’d have to go with these. The girl put them down on the bench and Kat noted there was a bar of soap, the sweet scent of which carried across the room. Were those roses she smelled?
The ladies wasted no time at all in removing her clothes. Kat was doing her best to keep them on, she’d never taken a bath in front of a group of women before and she was quite embarrassed. They, however, didn’t seem fazed in the least by her modesty. As they removed the last bits of her clothing, all three seemed to notice her bruises at the same time. Isla covered her mouth, while Merry gasped at the sight of them.
“Who did that to ye, lass?” Lettie asked. “I hope they’re no longer alive to tell the tale.” She reached her hand out and touched the obvious finger marks around Kat’s throat.
“My husband,” Kat whispered, remembering the horrid scene on her wedding night. “Unfortunately, he’s still alive and he’s searching for me.”
“Well, yer safe here. We’ll nae allow the brute to get to ye. Let’s get ye in the tub before ye freeze.”
“Don’t you want to know what happened?” Kat couldn’t believe they weren’t peppering her with questions.
“Ye can tell us if ye like, but I understand if ’tis too painful for ye to speak of.” She took Kat’s hand as she helped her step into the tub.
“Mmm… that feels so wonderful,” Kat sank deeply into the tub, the water covering her completely. She did her best to make herself even smaller so that the water came up to her chin. She closed her eyes and smiled as she lay her head back against the tub.
The Mackalls didn’t appear to be leaving. The sisters sat in the chairs and Lettie Mackall got the soap and a cloth and began to gently rub the dirt from Kat’s skin.
“You don’t have to go to all that trouble,” Kat said, again feeling embarrassed. “I can do it.”
“Nae. Ye rest yerself. ’Tis nothing I wouldnae do fer any of my lot.” She brushed the cloth across Kat’s shoulders, being careful not to press too hard on her bruises, but managing to get her clean just the same.
Kat resigned herself to the fact that she was being treated as she would expect the queen to be treated by this lovely family. They were all being so kind to her, something she wasn’t used to even in her life in the future. It felt odd, but she tried to let go of that and just be grateful they were so kind.
Once Lettie got her body all cleaned, she started in on Kat’s hair. Yer hair is such a lovely golden color dear. Once we get all the dust and dirt out of it, it will shine like the sun. She vigorously scrubbed Kat’s scalp, which felt wonderful to her and when she was done, she rinsed all the soap out.
“Would ye like to stay in there longer, I think the water is cooling quickly and we don’t want ye to get a chill.” She tipped her head around to see Kat’s reaction.
“I’ll get out now, thank you.” Kat stood and was immediately enveloped in a large drying cloth. The women vigorously rubbed her arms and legs, making Kat uncomfortable with their fussing over her.
“Thank you for your help, but there’s really no need. I can dry myself.” She didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but she had never been one who appreciated people fussing over her. When she was a child, she always wanted to do everything herself. From picking her own outfits to brushing her hair, Kat was very independent even during her childhood.
“Isla please go see what dresses ye can find fer Katriona to wear. She looks to be about yer size.” And then to Kat, “I’ll have this one cleaned fer ye.”
For some inexplicable reason, tears stung at Kat’s eyes and she rubbed them away with the back of her hand.
“Why are ye crying, lass? We’re not here to harm ye.” Lettie rubbed Kat’s shoulder to comfort her.
“I’m sorry. I know you won’t hurt me. I don’t really know why I’m crying. I was just overcome with emotion. Please excuse me.”
“There’s nothing to excuse. Ye’ve been through a horrible ordeal and now that yer here and safe, I imagine it’s the first time ye’ve had a chance to allow yerself to feel.”
Kat was astonished at how perceptive Lettie was. She and the sisters continued to tut-tut over her.
Isla left the room in search of clothing for Kat and the other two women cleaned up around the tub. Wiping water off of the floor and placing the soap on the tray it came on.
A knock at the door sent three heads flying up to glance in the direction of the entryway. “Who’s there?” Lettie asked.
“Nick,” was the reply. “Is Katriona with ye? I didn’t see her downstairs and I worried.”
“Yes, dear, she’s here. We’re getting her cleaned up and finding some clothes for her to wear. She’s fine. We’ll be back down soon.”
“I’ll see ye in the great hall, Kat,” Nick called through the door.
Kat d
idn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing. Nick must have waited by the door for her reply and when he heard none, she noted the sound of his receding footsteps as he made his way back to the stairs. “You must all be so happy to have Nick back home. He told me he’s been gone for two years.”
“Aye. It’s been a sad time here without him. He’s the eldest and to be laird, ye ken. We thought him dead. ’Twas a shock to see him in the courtyard, but a good shock. My heart is singing happily at his return.”
Kat felt guilty for keeping her from her son. “Lettie, you should be with Nick and not up here with me. Really, I can take care of myself. I can imagine ye’ll have many questions for him.”
“Aye. I will. But ’tis here I wish to be. We’ll get ye dressed and we’ll be with him in no time, ye’ll see.”
Chapter 7
Nick was concerned when he hadn’t seen Katriona seated where he’d left her. He hoped she hadn’t decided to run away again. That would be a very poor choice on her part. Somehow he didn’t think she would, but he had decided to head upstairs to the guest chambers to see if she was there.
A smile lit his lips at the sound of his mother’s voice telling him everything was fine and they were helping her bathe. He hoped Katriona was enjoying all the attention they were lavishing on her. He didn’t know her well, but after the ordeal she’d just been through, he imagined she could use some mothering.
After heading back downstairs to join the others, Nick’s thoughts kept wandering to Katriona. Laird Calhoun had best hope he never crossed paths with him, or he would be a verra sorry bastard. He deserved to receive some of the same treatment he had meted out to Katriona. Nick had always been taught to respect and care for women and he had never strayed from that. Two years in San Francisco hadn’t changed him and he doubted anything ever would.