by Dena Garson
“I don’t suppose a transcript of the testimony was recorded, was it?”
“Actually it was.”
Katie perked up. “Where?”
“The lords have always kept journals whenever verdicts had to be rendered. Particularly if those verdicts involved criminal activity and punishment.”
“Any way I could see the one about Etain?”
“I’m afraid not. There was a fire in the late 1700s. A great many of those documents were destroyed.”
Katie’s heart sank once again. “Can you think of anything else that might give me clues into what happened to the man Etain supposedly killed?”
Alastar cocked his head. “Her journals might tell you something.”
“Her journals?” It was almost too much to hope for.
“Then again, she was quite mad. I’ve never read them, so they could be full of nonsense.”
“Where are they? And would they let me read them?”
“They are considered part of the family books and therefore kept in the family wing. Oddly enough, her journals were not discovered until some time after her death. They believe Lady Etain’s maid hid the books, knowing his lordship would have destroyed them.”
“So, can I see them?”
“You would have to ask Áine. She controls who is allowed to see the family pieces.”
“Ah. I see. Well, it’s worth a chance, right?”
“Depends on what you’re hoping to accomplish,” he said quietly.
“I hope to be able to give a man back his life.”
“That’s a noble quest.”
“Can you think of anything else that might help?”
“Only Etain herself.”
“So her spirit does linger?” Katie asked reluctantly.
He nodded. “And is probably more mad in death than she ever was in life.”
“Wonderful,” Katie mumbled. “Do you think I could ask her a few questions?”
“You could, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The slightest thing sends her into a frenzy. She has frightened more than one guest. Áine has banished Etain to the battlements for the safety of both guests and staff. There is no telling what she might do if you approached her.”
“I see,” Katie said. “I suppose that’s out then.”
“For your own safety, you shouldn’t.”
She nodded. “I appreciate your help, Alastar. Very much.”
“You are more than welcome, my dear. If there is anything else I can do, you can usually find me here.” He gestured to the rows of books and tables about the room.
“I will,” she said as she stood and gathered the books on the table. “Let me return these to the desk the librarian told me to use.”
“Would you do me a quick favor before you go, my dear?”
“If I can.”
“There is a book I’ve been wanting to read for some time, but no one ever leaves it out. I can manage to turn the pages, but getting the book off the shelf and in a comfortable place requires more energy than this old soul can spare some days. Would you mind retrieving it for me and leaving it open on the table?”
“I’d be happy to. Which book did you want?”
“Pride and Prejudice.”
Katie smiled approvingly. “That is one book no one should be denied the pleasure of reading.”
Chapter Nine
The next morning, Katie came out of the bathroom to find Seamus lounging on the bed. It was ridiculous how happy she was to see him.
“What would you like to see or do today?” he asked as she made her way across the room.
His eyes scanned her from her head down her bare legs to her toes and back up again, making Katie flush, despite the fact that she had a t-shirt and panties on. She stopped at the end of the bed.
“Would you take me to the wisewoman’s place? I’d like to meet her.”
His eyes skipped down to her thighs then back to her face again. “Very well.”
“You don’t want to know why?”
“Is there a reason you wish to share?”
Katie sighed then sat on the end of the bed and pulled her feet under her. “There’s something you should know.”
“If you’re needing to tell me something serious, you should put on a pair of trousers. Otherwise I’m not going to hear everything you have to say.”
“Huh?”
Seamus leaned closer. “You’re half naked. I know what you look like completely naked. I haven’t have sex in over three hundred years. You can’t expect me to pay more attention to what you’re saying than to your exposed body.”
She rolled her eyes. “All right.” She clambered off the bed. “Hang on a sec.” From the closet she grabbed a pair of clean jeans then stepped into them and pulled them up over her hips. When she turned around, she found Seamus watching her intently.
The appreciation in his gaze made her stomach flutter.
Somehow she managed to zip and button the jeans then calmly took a seat at the foot of the bed once again.
“Better?” she asked, unable to stop the grin flitting around her lips.
“Depends on how you’re looking at it,” Seamus mumbled.
“Okay. So I thought I should tell you something before we go.”
Seamus remained silent and waited for her to continue.
“I may be related to your local wisewoman,” Katie blurted, unsure what Seamus might think or how he’d react. Oddly what bothered her more was how much his reaction concerned her.
He showed no reaction for a moment, making Katie even more nervous.
“That would explain the resemblance,” he finally said.
“What resemblance?”
“When we met, you reminded me of someone, but I didn’t know who. Now that you’ve said it I see the resemblance.”
Katie sat up straighter. “You do?”
Seamus pointed to his own face, making a circling motion around his eye. “It’s your eyes, I think.”
“Really?” she asked, her voice breaking. “So, it might really be possible?”
He shrugged. “Riona will be able to tell you.”
“Well, let’s go then.” She jumped up and headed to the armoire to finish getting dressed. Butterflies replaced the frisson of heat in her stomach. “Is it very far to her house?”
“The cottage sits on the far side of Tullamore land, so it will be a bit of stroll.”
“That’s okay, I don’t mind the walk.”
“It’s not the walk that you have to worry about.”
Katie stopped digging for socks. “What do I need to worry about?”
“During the day, probably nothing.”
“What about at night?”
“There are unusual creatures to be found in the night,” he said cryptically.
“Uh huh. So I need to make sure I’m not out walking at night.”
“That would be best.”
Katie grabbed her raincoat then pulled on her boots. Her room key and cell phone went into her pockets.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she said breathlessly.
“Do you want to ask if someone will drive you to the cottage?” Seamus asked as he glided to the entrance.
“No. As long as it’s not raining, I’d rather walk.” She pulled the suite door closed behind them. “It won’t be a problem to get back before dark, will it?”
“Wouldn’t that depend on how much the two of you talk?”
Katie chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”
They descended the steps and strolled through the lobby in silence. Seamus must have finally understood her need to not draw attention to herself and her gift. As soon as they were out of the hotel and Katie saw no one else about, she asked, “What do you know of the Mac au Bhaird family?”
“Very little.”
“You said you knew the local wisewoman a long time ago, right? The one who tried to help you find out what Etain did to you.”
“Heloise.”
“I assume she was from t
he same family line?”
“That was my understanding.”
“Did she tell you anything of her family?”
“Only when she had to. Remember, these women, while revered by some, were feared by those who did not understand them. They have lived quiet, solitary lives, largely keeping to themselves. Most of what I know of them came from my ma or from listening to talk around Tullamore.”
Katie certainly understood the women’s reluctance to disclose any gifts they might have. Particularly back when they could have easily been persecuted for being “different”.
“Áine sometimes calls upon Riona for assistance with issues around the castle. I think Riona also supplies one of the gift shops with soaps and perfumes and other stuff women like.”
As they talked, Katie realized they were following a path that appeared to run around the formal gardens and skirted the edge of a small forest. She tried to remember what she had seen in the hotel brochure about the layout of the estate. There were cliffs overlooking the beach on the other side of the forested area.
Something about the forest made her think of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. She wondered if the wolf was lurking in the shadows, waiting to follow her to grandma’s house.
“Nothing is going to jump out of there and grab you,” Seamus said. “Not during the day anyway.”
He must have noticed her repeated glances at the woods.
“I don’t know why but I get the strangest feeling I’m being watched.” She quickly added, “And I don’t mean by you or in a good way either. I mean the creepy, I’m-not-sure-it’s-safe way.”
Seamus looked into the dark and eerily quiet woods. “As long as you remain on the trail you’ll be fine. I can go take a look if it would make you feel better.”
“No, that’s okay. If you think it’s safe, I’d rather keep moving.” It was sweet of him to offer. “Thank you though.”
In order to focus on something else she asked, “Tullamore has ghosts and obviously they have a local witch. More than once you’ve alluded to other things around the estate. What else can I expect to see in the next couple of weeks? Trolls? Little fairies flitting about?”
“I wouldn’t talk about the wee ones.” He lowered his voice. “You never know who might be listening.”
Katie turned and looked at Seamus in disbelief. Was he implying there might be fairies? Surely he was just teasing. “But no trolls,” she asked with a hint of sarcasm.
“I haven’t heard of any moving into the area. Áine would pitch a fit if one did. They’re hell on the landscaping.”
Katie stopped walking and stared at Seamus. “You must be joking.”
He paused and looked back at her. “About trolls being destructive? No, actually, I’m not.”
“You’re saying trolls are real.”
“Certainly.”
“You’ve seen one?”
“Once, before I was cursed.” He motioned her to keep walking. As soon as she caught up to him, he continued. “When I was returning to Kilmorny, after getting supplies in Stonebriar, I came upon one. He ran a mill and rented rooms to passing travelers. At first glance, you would think him simply a short, ugly man.
“After dinner, I offered to help him move a few bags of grain. As we finished restacking the bags, he tripped over something and his hat fell off. Before he could put it back on, I noticed his ears. They were tall and pointed.”
“That doesn’t make him a troll,” Katie said with a frown.
“He also had a tail. It slipped out before he could right himself.”
“A tail?”
He nodded.
Unsure what to believe, she asked, “What did you do?”
“I turned away and pretended I hadn’t seen anything.” At her questioning expression he added, “I didn’t want to lose a warm, clean and inexpensive place to stay. But I didn’t forget.”
“I’m sure you didn’t.”
“It wasn’t until some time later that I learned the mill owner had been a troll.”
“Wow. You’re serious.”
“Of course.”
Katie fell silent as she absorbed the story. She barely noticed the path they followed and didn’t realize the dark forest was now behind them.
Finally Seamus spoke up. “Riona’s cottage is just over that hill.” He stopped where the path made a sharp turn to the right and pointed across the meadow that lay before them. “We’ll have to find our own way from here.”
“I thought you said it was safe as long as we stayed on the path. Why are we stepping off?”
“As we passed the forest, that’s true. This continues on to Kilmorny, but the way we’re going, once we cross through the wards we’ll be on protected land.”
“Protected? Protected by whom?”
“By the women who have aided and protected this land and the people on it for hundreds of years.”
“Riona?”
He nodded. “And those who came before her.”
Seamus stepped off the path then turned and waited for her.
Katie hesitated long enough to debate her choices. She shrugged inwardly. In for a penny, in for a pound. As soon as her foot sank into the grass she heard a buzzing in her ears and all the hair on her arms stood on end. The feeling only lasted a few seconds but troubled her.
“Why do I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole?” she asked when she reached Seamus.
He looked at the ground around her feet. “The rabbit hole?”
“Alice in Wonderland?”
Seamus’ expression remained unchanged.
“It’s a book.” She waved away the thought. “Never mind. So where are we going?”
“This way.”
Katie followed Seamus through the meadow and over one small hill. It was an easy hike despite the damp grass they were marching through. Clouds kept the temperature down, so even after walking what felt like more than a mile, she wasn’t sweating.
Finally she saw a small house in the distance. “Is that it?” Katie asked.
“That’s the cottage.”
As they got closer Katie noticed smoke coming from the chimney. A warm fire and a cup of coffee sounded really good.
“Do you think she will be able to tell me more about my mother’s family?”
“There is only one way to find out.”
A woman came out of the cottage. She watched them for a moment then walked to the gate of the short fence that surrounded the area in front.
“Is that Riona?” Katie asked.
“It is.”
Katie’s heart beat heavily in her chest.
“Worry not, Little Katie. She will like you.”
“I’m not worried.”
“You are. I can tell.”
Katie looked at Seamus questioningly.
“As soon as you saw Riona, your hands curled and you started fidgeting with the ring on your thumb.”
She opened her mouth to deny what he said but realized it was pointless and settled for a noncommittal grunt.
“I’m willing to bet your heart is beating faster too.” He looked at her with a mischievous leer. “It’s too bad I can’t stick my hand under your shirt to find out.”
Katie’s eyes widened and she stumbled over something.
“Ooooh, you are a devil, aren’t you?” she asked when she regained her footing.
“Not at all.”
“Harrumph.”
“It took your mind off meeting Riona, didn’t it?”
Katie tried to hold back the smile that played about her lips. “Maybe.”
“I bet it did,” he teased.
“Even if it did, I wouldn’t admit it to you.”
They bantered back and forth until they reached the yard.
“Good morning,” the woman called out in greeting.
“Good morning. Are you Riona?”
“Some know me by that name.”
Katie pasted a smile on her face and approached the gate. Riona was of similar bu
ild to herself. Average height, perhaps an inch taller than Katie. Her hair was darker than Katie’s with coppery strands. Even though Riona tied it at the back of her neck, Katie could tell it was long and somewhat wavy, like hers.
Katie extended her hand. “My name is Katie Ward, I’m a guest at Tullamore.”
Riona hesitated before placing her hand in Katie’s.
“I heard about you and wanted to meet you.”
When their hands touched, Riona’s eyes widened in surprise. She mumbled something in a language Katie didn’t understand.
“I’m sorry, but what did you say?” Katie asked.
“You are family. How can this be?” Riona asked as she clasped her other hand over their joined ones.
“Do you know someone by the name of Deirdre Aideen Ward, er, I mean Mac au Bhaird?”
Once again Riona’s eyes widened in surprise but then narrowed. “I haven’t heard that name in many years. Who is she to you?”
Katie sensed Seamus move closer then noticed Riona’s eyes flickered in his direction. She took a deep breath. “She was my mother.”
Riona’s voice dropped. “Was?”
“She died about three years ago.”
“I am very sorry to hear that.” Riona released Katie’s hand. She unlatched the gate then stepped back, opening it as she moved. “You are welcome in my home, cousin.” Her eyes moved to Seamus. “Your spirit guide as well.”
Chapter Ten
“Are you really my cousin?” Katie looked at Seamus. “And can you really see him?” She wasn’t sure which she was more surprised by.
Seamus looked equally surprised.
Riona smiled. “Yes and somewhat. I see a shadowy figure but it is light, not dark.”
“Thank you,” Seamus mumbled as he followed Katie through the gate.
“Are you able to hear him too?”
“Not clearly.”
“Oh.” Katie wasn’t sure if she was disappointed for Seamus’ sake or so she would feel less freakish with her gift. “I feel a little silly introducing someone you can’t really see or hear, but this,” she gestured to Seamus, “is Seamus MacDonhnaill.”