by Jennae Vale
“Come sit for a moment.” She led him to a chair and he sat. “Can I get ye some warm tea?”
“Nae. I be fine. I only came to see if yer Da had come to his senses.” He wasn’t really fine, but he was determined not to show it. He sat up straighter in the chair and wiped the defeated expression from his face before Aisla noticed. His need to do the right thing seemed to be backfiring on him.
“Nae yet. Give him some time. He loves me and he’s angry with ye. Remember he doesnae ken that yer nae the babe’s Da.” Aisla placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“I understand and if ye were my daughter I’d surely feel the same. I should go before he comes home.” He had a sudden urge to bolt, but he never would. He’d made a promise to Aisla and he planned to keep it.
“Are ye sure ye wish to do this, Logan? I ken ye dinnae love me and I am grateful fer what yer doing, but it doesnae have to be this way. We can tell him the truth and ye can live yer life the way it was meant to be lived.”
“I wish to live it this way, Aisla. We are good friends. Many a marriage has been built on much less. We’ll have a good life together, ye’ll see.” He walked to the door, and then remembered he had something for her. He reached into his sporran and removed a piece of ginger. “Fer ye. To put in yer tea.”
“Yer so thoughtful, Logan.” Her soft doe eyes began to tear up and she quickly brushed at them with the back of her hand.
“I ken ye’ve been feeling sick with the babe growing inside of ye, so I took some from the kitchen at Breaghacraig to help soothe ye.”
“Thank ye. Yer a saint.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek.
“Take care of yerself and the babe. Send word to me when yer Da is ready to see me.” He turned and headed for the door, happy that he’d done at least one thing right this day.
“I will.”
“All will be well.” He squeezed her hand and said a silent prayer for the strength he knew he’d need to resist Sara.
By the time Sara made her way through the front door of Helene’s home, she was blubbering like a baby. Her hands went to her face to wipe away the tears that wouldn’t stop.
Helene rushed to her side. “Where have ye been, Sara? I’ve been so worried about ye. Are ye hurt?” Helene looked her over from head to toe.
Through sobs and sniffles, Sara managed to speak. “I’m such a fool. I shouldn’t have come.”
“Oh, my poor sweet Sara, come with me. Yer dress is filthy as are yer shoes.”
“I’m so sorry Helene. I’m making a mess in your nice clean house.”
“I’m nae worried about the mess. ’Tis ye I’m concerned about.” She led Sara upstairs to her room. “Let’s get ye out of those dirty clothes.”
Sara slumped down onto the bench at the foot of the bed. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Shhh… Dinnae cry, Sara.” Helene helped remove her dress. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get some warm water. Don’t move.”
She didn’t need to worry about that. Sara could barely feel her legs and feet. The cold and wet had seeped through her shoes and stockings, so she sat there, feeling like an ugly old lump. Helene returned with a damp cloth to gently wipe the tears from Sara’s face. When she was done, she placed Sara’s icy feet in the bowl of water. The warmth of the water felt so good she moaned aloud. While she soaked her feet, Helene brushed the knots from her hair, loosely braiding it when she was done.
“Give me your feet.” Helene rubbed them dry and then she helped Sara change out of her linen shift and into a comfy soft nightgown. She turned the bed down and helped Sara get in. Plumping the pillows behind Sara’s head and then sitting down beside her she said, “Tell me what happened.”
“While you were busy with Dougall, I went exploring. It started to rain and I got lost. I ended up at Aisla’s house. Do you know who she is?”
Helene nodded, “I do.”
To Sara’s eye, Helene appeared taken aback by this. She wondered why, but continued on with her story. “We talked and had tea. She was so sweet. I really like her. She even gave me a pouch of her homemade tea because I liked it so much.” The horrified look still hadn’t left Helene’s face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” Helene asked.
“You know what I mean. I’m not blind. You look shocked that I spent time with Aisla. Has she got some sort of contagious disease or something?” Sara was feeling confused, especially since Helene was acting so strange. Oh God, did she contract something terrible here?
“No. Dinnae be silly. She’s a lovely lass. I’m surprised that ye wandered so far in the rain, ’tis all. And I’m trying to understand what has upset ye so much.” Helene laid a comforting hand on Sara’s shoulder. “Did she say anything to upset ye?” Helene asked.
“No. I told you, she’s very nice.” She took a deep breath before blurting out, “I saw Logan. He doesn’t want me here. He told me to go back to San Francisco, that I don’t belong here. He wasn’t even happy to see me.” The tears began to flow again. Not having a hankie nearby, she wiped them away with the back of her hand
“I’m so sorry, Sara.” Helene handed Sara a cloth to wipe her eyes and nose. “I’m sure he didnae mean it.” It was obvious Helene was doing her best to reassure her.
“Oh, no. He meant it. I could tell by the way he was looking at me. The funny thing is that you told me he’s done nothing but talk about me since he’s been back. Were you just saying that for my benefit?” She stopped sniffling long enough to gaze straight into Helene’s eyes.
“Nae. I’d never lie to ye.” Helene seemed as upset as Sara.
“Well, then, something happened to make him change his mind.” If only she could figure out what it was.
“Mayhap it was the shock of seeing ye,” Helene offered.
“I thought that too at first, but he seemed so angry. I don’t get it. I can’t believe I convinced Edna to let me come here. I should have listened to her when she said it wasn’t a good idea for me to come. What was I thinking? I’m such an idiot.”
“Sara, I’ll nae hear ye talk about yerself that way,” Helene said.
“Well it’s true. If I had any brains in my head I would have stayed home and forgotten all about him. But no, I had to travel all the way to Scotland like some lovesick puppy only to be rejected within the first few seconds of seeing him.”
“Sara, I ken yer hurt and angry, but try nae to think on it anymore tonight.” She sat next to Sara, hugging her and rocking her. “Oh, my poor Sara, I’m so sorry. I wish I could make it all better fer ye.”
Sara felt like a forlorn little girl. “It’s okay, Helene.” It wasn’t really, but she didn’t want Helene to feel bad.
“I’ll bring some food up to yer room later. Dougall and I will let ye rest. How does that sound?” Helene stood and gazed at Sara with sadness in her eyes.
“Thanks, Helene. You’re the best. Even though things aren’t working out with Logan I’m still glad I came.” She reached out and grabbed Helene’s hand. “It’s been so worth it to spend time with you.”
“I’m happy yer here and I’m hoping ye’ll stay fer a while.” Her sweet, warm smile touched Sara’s heart.
“We’ll see. I don’t want to run into Logan again and I don’t know how easy it will be to avoid him.”
“It maynae be as hard as ye think. Dougall is usually gone all day, working with his men. And where Dougall is, Logan isnae far behind.”
“Helene, I’m sorry. You’re being so sweet to me. Of course, I’m going to stay. You’re important to me. I want to spend as much time with you as I can.” She meant it. She might not be here for too much longer, but while she was here, she was going to spend as much time with Helene as possible.
Helene seemed to brighten at Sara’s words. She straightened the room a bit, gathering the bowl, washcloth and Sara’s dirty clothes. “I’ll be right back.”
After Helene left the room, Sara pulled the covers up under he
r chin while the tears slowly flowed. She wasn’t the type of girl to sit around feeling sorry for herself after being dumped, but this was different. This one really hurt. How could Logan be so different than she remembered? He’d been so sweet and funny and gorgeous. She fell for him the minute she saw him stalking down the street towards the coffee shop. The gorgeous hadn’t changed, however he’d been anything but sweet or funny when she’d run into him today. The more she thought about it, the more questions she had. Helene would not have lied to her about Logan, so what happened that changed everything? She wasn’t done with him yet. She had to get to the bottom of this. For her own peace of mind, she had to know what had gone wrong.
Sitting in the darkness of her office, Edna couldn’t seem to shake the image of Sara from her mind. She’d warned her it would be difficult and that this may not be the right time, but ultimately the romantic in Edna had agreed to let Sara go across the bridge. She wondered for the hundredth time if she’d made a mistake. She hated seeing Sara so sad. She felt her pain and wished with all her heart that she could help.
Edna was a matchmaker by nature and a meddler at heart. Those two things had combined to create some great romances, but right from the start, they’d always, always been orchestrated by her. Sara’s romantic notions about Logan were news to Edna. Perhaps she should have paid closer attention when he visited San Francisco with Dougall. If she had, she could have begun the process of matching Logan and Sara, but it was too late now, Sara had already set things in motion and Edna could do nothing but watch. From what she’d seen in the glow of her fire, her worst fears for Sara were coming true.
Chapter 7
Determination was Sara’s middle name. And she was determined to get through to Logan and, at the very least, find out what had happened to make him change his mind about her.
“I’m needed at Breaghacraig today, yer welcome to join me, but truth be told, ye’ll be helping me get the hall ready fer tonight’s feast.”
“Feast? Are we invited?” She hoped so. It would be so much fun to attend a real medieval feast.
“Aye. We’re celebrating Lammas Day!” Helene said, gathering her things.
She’d never heard of Lammas Day before. “What’s that all about?”
“The first wheat harvest of the year. Ye’ll see. There’ll be food, drink and dancing. I’m looking forward to it.” Sara could feel Helene’s excitement.
“Oh, that sounds like fun,” she said. “Will Logan be there?”
Helene grimaced. “I imagine he will.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, but he might not be when I get through with him.” This would be a great opportunity to find out what had happened and why he was pushing her to go home.
“What do ye mean? What are ye planning to do?” Helene appeared worried.
“Don’t worry. I won’t embarrass anyone, but if I get a chance to speak with him alone, I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
“Are ye sure that’s wise?” Helene’s discomfort with the situation was written all over her face.
She didn’t want Helene to worry about her. She was going to be fine, no matter the outcome. “I have to, Helene. I can’t go back to my time not knowing why he lost interest in me so suddenly.” Sara knew her frustration was showing in her furrowed brow and the sound of her voice.
Helene tipped her head, giving one last quizzical look, before obviously resigning herself to Sara’s plan. “’Tis up to ye. I’ll nae interfere.” She headed for the door. “So, do ye wish to join me today?”
“I think I’ll go visit my new friend Aisla.” Again, Helene’s face became a road map of anxiety. “Don’t you like her?” Sara asked.
“I do. I like her verra much,” Helene replied.
“Then why do I get the feeling that you don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go see her.” Something was up, Sara could sense it.
“I was only hoping ye’d wish to spend the day with me. I’m being selfish, ye ken.”
“I’ll come by after I’m done visiting. I promise.” Helene didn’t look any more comfortable than she had a few minutes before, but that only made Sara more determined to go.
“I’ll see you later, then.” Heading for the door, Helene hesitated momentarily, glancing back over her shoulder at Sara.
“I promise. I won’t be long,” Sara replied, hoping it would put Helene at ease.
On the way to Aisla’s house, Sara wondered if she possibly knew anything about Logan. This was a little like a small town. She’d be willing to bet that everyone here knew everyone else and, also, their business. Maybe she’d be able to tell her what had been going on with him the last few months.
Aisla was outside in her garden when Sara approached.
“Hi!” Sara smiled brightly and waved to her.
“Sara! ’Tis good to see ye. I hope yer paying attention today. I dinnae wish ye to get lost again.”
Sara laughed. “I think I learned my lesson yesterday. I wanted to thank you for taking me in out of the rain.”
Aisla wiped the dirt from her hands and picked up her tools and a basket of vegetables. “Come inside. We’ll have some tea. Are ye hungry?”
“Now that you speak of it. Yes, I am.” She’d forgotten all about eating breakfast this morning and Helene had been in such a rush that she hadn’t noticed.
“Good. I am as well.”
Sara followed Aisla inside and watched as she put some water on to boil then put together a platter of cheese, fruit and some bread. She set it in front of Sara.
“I hope this will do. I’ve nae much on hand at the moment.”
Sara hadn’t thought much about where the food would be coming from. If she was hungry she picked up the phone and ordered something, or she went to the grocery store for staples. That wasn’t an option here. Aisla grew her own vegetables and made her own bread. She imagined other things were purchased on market day.
Aisla made them some tea and Sara noticed that while she had received the same tea blend she’d had yesterday, Aisla had something different.
“Are those pieces of ginger in your hot water?” Sara asked.
“Aye. I’ve had a sick stomach of late and this helps to settle it.”
“Oh. I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling well. Do you know what’s wrong?” Sara was concerned for her new friend. If she could help in any way, she would.
Aisla appeared embarrassed by the question.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Sara realized she may have stumbled onto a sensitive subject.
“Everyone will know soon enough,” Aisla said. “There’s nae harm in telling ye.” She drew in a deep breath before speaking again. “I’m with child.”
“That’s wonderful, Aisla. You and your husband must be so excited,” Sara gushed.
“Aye.”
Sara noted Aisla seemed anything but excited. She couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t be, but it wasn’t her business. If Aisla wanted her to know, she’d tell her. “I won’t say anything. It’ll be our secret until you tell me otherwise,” she reassured her.
“You’re verra kind.”
“Can I tell you something? I mean, you’ve shared with me, so I’ve got something to share as well.”
“Of course.”
“I’ve got a little problem and I don’t know what to do about it.” Sara fidgeted a little in her chair.
“Maybe I can help.” Aisla’s mood brightened at this.
“Do you know Logan McPhail?”
“I do.” Aisla suddenly seemed very interested in the piece of cheese she’d just taken, examining it as she turned it this way and that.
“Well, I came here to see him, but I don’t think he wants to have anything to do with me. I don’t know what happened and I thought maybe if you knew him, you might have heard something.”
“I don’t know if I can help ye.” She stood and walked away from the table, keeping her back to Sara.
“Is everything alrigh
t? Did I say or do something to upset you?” Something was up. She was acting oddly.
Aisla came back to the table. “Sara, there’s more to my story than I’ve told ye. I’m nae married.”
Sara reached out and took Aisla’s hand. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” She was embarrassed. She had assumed because Aisla was pregnant that she would have a husband.
“You couldn’t have known,” she said
The seriousness of Aisla’s situation became very apparent to Sara. She didn’t know for sure, but she imagined that an unwed mother in these times was not a good thing. She didn’t want to go poking her nose into her new friend’s business, but she had so many questions. Where was the father? Was the sex consensual? What would happen to her when everyone found out? But instead she asked, “What will you do?”
“Sara, I dinnae wish ye to worry about me. I ken ye’ve a kind heart and I’m so happy to have someone to share this with.”
“I’m happy to listen if you’d like to tell me more.” Sara hoped she felt comfortable enough to do so.
“Aye. I must tell someone. Keeping it inside isnae good for the babe.” She gazed down at her hands. “There was a man who came to visit the MacKenzies a few months back. His name is nae important.” She peeked at Sara, who nodded for her to continue. “He was so handsome and kind.” Her face lit up as she spoke. “I’d never been in love before, but there was something about him… I felt so safe in his arms. Things…went further than they should have. No one knew we were sneaking around to see each other. I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t care. And then one day without notice, he told me he was leaving. He promised he’d be back for me and I believed him, but I’ve nae heard from him since.”
The sadness in Aisla’s voice was too much for Sara. She reached out to touch Aisla’s hand. To let her know she was there for her. Sara understood the rejection and heartache she must be feeling, because she was feeling very much the same way. “Is there anything I can do to help?”