The young boy jumped up from his seat almost immediately, quickly tugging on Callum’s chair to get him to stand.
“You heard the lady, switch me.”
Callum looked back at me over his shoulder, winked teasingly at me, and then did as Cooper bid. It amused him that I didn’t wish to sit next to him. For some reason, this playful side of him only made him more attractive to me, which in turn made me all the more aggravated.
Once Cooper was seated, I joined him, waiting until most everyone’s plate was filled before reaching in to do the same with my own. The moment I brought the first bite to my lips, Morna’s voice echoed from across the table.
“Ye are a fine cook, Sydney. I believe we are all pleased to have ye here. Do ye mind if I ask ye a few questions so that we may all get to know ye better?”
After my experience with Callum in the kitchen, I did mind very much, but of course, I meant to say that I didn’t mind at all. Much to my horror, it didn’t seem to matter what I meant. What I thought was what came out.
“Yes, actually, I do mind.”
Morna laughed, and her grin at my words made my stomach churn uncomfortably. She looked as if she expected my answer—like it pleased her.
“I’ll make them quick. Do ye believe in magic?”
I pulled my brows together and glanced around the table, expecting everyone to regard Morna with the same baffled expression as my own. Instead, everyone looked blankly in my direction, waiting for my response.
“No. I don’t think that I do. Why? That seems like a very strange question.”
No one else said a word, and I got the feeling that they were under orders not to. Morna was the only one that spoke.
“I suppose it does seem strange. Next question: Do ye or have ye ever known or had contact with the witch named Grier?”
It was the same name Jerry mentioned to me before.
“No, I definitely have not. Did you just say ‘witch’?”
“Aye, lass. I said witch. Ye will become quite familiar with the word this evening.”
“Your husband asked me about Grier, as well. Does she live here? I confess to being rather confused.”
“My husband? Jerry?”
For the first time since my entry into the dining hall, Morna’s expression looked less than calm. My words surprised her.
“Yes. When I helped him carry a plate of food up into his room, he asked me if I knew anyone named Grier. Should I?”
“No. You should not. I’m glad that ye doona. Back to Jerry—ye carried food to his room? I thought he dinna come down to dinner because he dinna feel well. Do ye know why he’s not here? Did he tell you?”
Any normal night I would have told her it was none of my business and she should ask him herself, but tonight, as per usual, I blurted out exactly what happened.
“He’s pissed at you, but he didn’t go into specifics. He did ask me about someone named Grier though, and then he told me that he was sorry if this dinner didn’t go well for me.”
Morna’s face grew pale, but the revelation didn’t slow down her interrogation of me.
“I’ve one last question for ye. Forgive me for its personal nature, but I need to make certain the spell worked.”
As the confused furrow on my face grew deeper, Callum spoke up to stop her.
“Morna, ye needn’t embarrass the lass. I assure ye I made certain the spell was still in effect only a few moments ago. I swear to ye, it is.”
I sat silently watching their exchange as my mind reeled from the oddity of it all.
“Ye dinna spell me Morna, so I’m under no obligation to tell ye what I asked her or her response.”
“Verra well.”
I could sense Morna’s words even before she said them.
“Sydney, what did Callum ask ye?”
In one brief moment of genius it occurred to me that silence wasn’t a lie. I could ignore her question. I could refuse to answer it without embarrassing myself further. I couldn’t make sense of what was happening with me or with this conversation, but I could at least hold on to that.
“You know what, I don’t want to be impolite on my first day here, but I think I’m done talking to you for now. Let’s let everyone finish the meal. I won’t be answering any more questions.”
Four seats down from me, the woman Anne had called Jane spoke up in my defense.
“Morna, don’t look so disappointed that she’s smart and figured out how to avoid your harassment of her. Surely she’s answered enough questions for all of us to be certain that she doesn’t know anything. If Callum says he’s certain the spell took, then I believe him. Look at her. I can’t even imagine what she has to be thinking about all of us after being asked about witches and us talking about spells. She’s not used to this.”
“What are you thinking?”
The question came from Cooper. As the attention turned to me once again, I decided not to ignore this particular question.
“Since I’ve apparently been slipped some sort of truth serum…” The bitter coffee flashed through my mind, and I paused and turned to glance down at Cooper.
“The coffee. It was the coffee, wasn’t it?”
He nodded and reached out to squeeze my arm apologetically.
“Yeah, but I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I promise I didn’t. I drank some of it too, remember? It’s been like the worst day ever. Usually when my little sister asks me to play dolls with her, I either lie and say yes and play, or I pretend I’m really tired or something. Today when she asked, I told her that I’d rather watch my favorite dinosaur toy get flushed down the toilet than play with her dolls. She cried for half an hour.”
“Right.” I glanced away from him and back to the group. “Anyway, as I was saying. Since I’ve been drugged—I refuse to say spelled since, let’s get real, that’s not a thing—I’m thinking that no matter how beautiful the castle, no matter how attractive the males are around here, that I’ve made a terrible mistake in coming here. As far as I can see it, there are only two possible scenarios here. The first being that this is some sort of initiation skit, and if that’s the case, it’s so juvenile I’m not sure I want to work in that sort of environment. The second is that there’s a gas leak somewhere in the castle, and it’s slowly been poisoning you all, and you’ve gone and lost your minds. Either way, I should be gathering my things.”
I took a deep breath as I finished. It was only through saying the words out loud that I realized how truly frightened I now was. I somehow justified my answers to Callum before by rationalizing that perhaps my subconscious had wanted me to answer him truthfully so maybe he would kiss me, but this? Morna was intentionally asking me strange questions because she believed I couldn’t lie to her. And the topic of conversation as a whole was the strangest thing I’d ever sat through in my life.
Morna surprised me by standing from her seat and walking the long distance around the table, only stopping when she stood directly behind me. She leaned in, placing both hands on my shoulders as she spoke quietly near my ear.
“I’m sorry for what I’ve done to ye, but I’m afraid I feel it more important that I speak with my husband than explain everything to ye. If he mentioned Grier to ye, then something I dinna intend has happened. The others will tell ye everything.”
She made it nearly to the doors before Callum stood and called out to her.
“Are ye convinced now, Morna? Can we end this and tell her so she’s no longer frightened and confused? Can ye promise me ye’ll treat her the same as ye do all of us now?”
Morna turned and smiled gently in my direction.
“Aye, Callum. Tell her everything. I believe her. I like her verra much. She’s as fiery as every lass I ever brought to ye bunch of rowdy men. I only wish I knew why Grier sent the email. The wondering of it is not good on my nerves, and now that Jerry knows, I only hope his heart can stand it. ”
“Morna. Wait.” The second voice was Cooper’s. I turned to see him climbing up so that
he stood in his chair. “Grier didn’t send the email.”
“How do ye know that, lad?”
I didn’t have a clue what any of them were talking about, but I could see the hope in her eyes.
“I know because I was the one who sent it.”
“You what?” The question was echoed by at least three other voices around the room.
“Yeah, I was playing on Anne’s computer in the office a few weeks ago, and I accidentally saw it and then my stomach growled, and I thought about eating more frozen pizza or another one of her meals, and I just thought maybe it would be a good idea to send it and see if she showed up. And she did, and her food is great so there’s no problem, right? I’m not in trouble?”
Morna ran over to the boy, scooped him up in her arms and planted kisses all over his face.
“Cooper, after what I put ye through today, I wouldna get on to ye about anything. I couldna be more pleased that it was ye and not Grier responsible for Sydney’s arrival.”
She set Cooper down on his feet and then came over and wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.
“I’m sorry, lass. I’m sorry for so many things. I hope with time ye’ll come to think differently than ye do of me right now. Welcome to Cagair Castle. If ye’ll open yer mind and yer heart, ye will find many special things here.”
CHAPTER 15
In the short moments following Morna’s departure from the dining hall, Callum watched Sydney closely. She didn’t appear frightened, but he knew she must be.
The entire room was silent, everyone waiting for her to speak. Eventually, rather than reward their silence, she stood and walked from the room without a word.
He waited a moment to give her time to get out of the dining hall then rose to follow her.
“Sydney, wait,” he called after her as she took the stairs upward to the castle’s second level two at a time. With his leg still tender, he would never be able to catch her. When she stopped and spun toward him, he exhaled in relief that he wouldn’t have to. He didn’t want her to see him limp or wonder why it took so long for him to follow.
“Callum, what is going on?”
They each walked in the direction of the other, and he didn’t answer until they met mid-way down the curved staircase in the main entryway.
“I’ll tell ye every bit of it, lass, and I swear every word will be true. I’m sorry for all of it. I’m sorry if it upset ye, if ye are frightened or confused. ’Tis something every lassie at that table has experienced in one way or another. It just seems to be the way of it.”
She pointed at him, stepping close enough that the tip of her finger lightly touched the center of his chest. Her hand trembled against him. He wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms to comfort her, but he refrained from doing so—she was too upset for that now.
“See? All of that strange stuff that you all keep saying—what does it mean? ‘Every lassie?’ Every girl at that table has been drugged and toyed with their first night here? If so, why the hell did they stay? I need answers Callum, lots of them.”
“I know ye do. Go and grab yer coat and come with me. I need to show ye something outside.”
He waited for her, and he hoped with every passing second that she would take all of it well. It was a difficult thing for all of them, but he found the men of his own time—a time where magic was often believed and sought—accepted it a little easier than all of the modern lassies he’d grown to know and love. In time though, they all adjusted. Surely, Sydney would do the same. He didn’t want her to take the second vial he held in his grasp, and he didn’t want her to leave the castle.
He wanted her to stay and to know and accept the truth of all of it. He wanted time to get to know her better.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”
She walked right past him when she returned, not waiting for his direction on where he meant for them to go. Once outside, she faced him.
“Okay. Spill.”
He reached for her arm, and he smiled when she allowed him to take it. Slowly, he walked her further away from the castle.
“I want ye to see the whole castle, every bit of it, so ye can see the difference between this time and the last easily.”
“Oh, for the love of God, can you people quit it with the strange references to things that don’t make any sense?”
“Sydney,” he paused and reached to pull her chin upward to him so that she looked him right in the eyes, “ye’ll understand all of it in a moment, but ye must stop going on about it first. Just listen.”
She huffed and pulled away from him, crossing her arms as they stared up at the castle together. The full moon shone brightly behind it, illuminating the silhouette of every tower and peak.
“Okay, Callum. I won’t say another word if you start talking now. I promise. What are we looking at?”
He knew it would be a miracle if she truly stayed silent long enough for him to tell her what he needed to. She wouldn’t believe a thing until he took her to his own time.
“I want ye to take notice of everything. Ye see the tower in the back? ’Tis full and not crumbling. The lights in front are electric. The cars in front many. Aye?”
He grinned to himself as she nodded. Even after asking a question, she stayed true to her promise.
“Earlier, when Cooper told ye what ye thought was a story—his talk of the magic, Morna’s witchcraft, the staircase leading to the past—’tis all true. In the year sixteen hundred and fifty, Cagair Castle belongs to me. Many that ye dined with this evening were born and live in that time, as well.”
Her face remained unchanged at his words. If anything, he thought she looked bored.
“Sydney, did ye not hear what I just said?”
“I did hear. I’m just trying to figure out how far and long I will have to run until I get to the nearest town and can escape you crazies. I’m sure it’s far, but I’m a great runner. Truly, even if it’s thirty miles away, I can make it.”
He laughed, making certain to keep hold of her arm lest she truly try to run.
“I’ve no doubt of it. Ye are tight as a bow string, and ye’ve not an ounce of stuffing on ye. Do ye wish to see proof that I’m not mad? I’ll take ye to my time if ye will allow it.”
“Please, do take me. But if we get near that staircase and it ends up being some sort of cage or trap, you should know that I’ve taken self-defense classes. It doesn’t matter that you are nearly three times my size, I swear I will kick your ass. Got it?”
Every new thing that came out of her mouth made him like her more.
“Aye, lass. I have most assuredly ‘got it.’ Come this way.”
The lamps around the castle illuminated the path. When they reached the top of the staircase, enough light exposed the steps so they could both see the stone wall at the bottom. He knew it would be difficult to get her to enter.
“It’s stone, Callum. I’m not walking down those steps just to walk straight into a wall of stone. Is this all for you to get a good laugh? Are you trying to see how gullible I am? Because I’m not. At this point, I’m just placating you while I try to figure out a plan of escape.”
“Ye are not a prisoner here. If ye wish to leave, ye are free to do so. I hope that ye will not.”
He gauged her reaction carefully. He didn’t think she would run, but it was difficult to tell with the way she kept continually glancing back over her shoulder.
“You have to go first. If you walk to the bottom and don’t smack your nose right up against that wall, I will follow you.”
He didn’t know if she would actually follow him, but he didn’t plan to haul her down the staircase against her will. If she wanted to come, she would have to do so on her own. The decision would be hers.
“Fine. Ye’ll see me disappear. When ye do, walk down the steps and doona hesitate to walk straight through. Ye’ll find no resistance at the bottom of the stairs.”
“Right. I’m sure that I won’t.”
Her
voice was filled with disbelief, but he thought her eyes reflected more wonder than skepticism. It caused hope to rise within him. Surely once she saw everything with her own eyes, her resistance and fear would fade.
Callum gave Sydney a quick smile then took the steps downward, turning his head as he stepped through to watch her eyes as he disappeared before her.
The shock was evident. He knew with all certainty she would follow him.
CHAPTER 16
1650
I only allowed a handful of seconds to pass after Callum disappeared at the bottom of the stairwell before I ran down the steps after him. I intended to stop short of the wall, to reach out and touch it slowly, but my proximity must have been too close for it pulled me through with force.
When I opened my eyes in the same spot I’d stood a moment before, the first difference I noticed was the darkness. My logical mind still demanded I deny the possibility of truth here, but it was undeniably dark in the stairwell. The same moon still shone, but no traces of electricity illuminated my path.
I felt my way upward, looking up to see Callum’s hand reaching downward to guide me out of the cellar-like entrance.
“Let’s go to the front of the castle.”
It was the first thing I wanted to see. After all, it was the whole reason he’d made me look at its silhouette only moments ago. He wanted me to see the difference.
Within ten feet, while I kept moving my feet forward, I knew I didn’t need to see the front to know that all of it was somehow remarkably true. The cars were gone, the lamp posts non-existent, and the silence in the air was almost eerie in its palpability.
“All right, lass. Turn around.”
I did as he asked. I enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapping around my back, although I knew he only did so to point ahead of me and draw my attention to the shape of the castle.
Sure enough, it was very different. The tower at the back was only half there.
I twisted in his arms, and he took a half step away from me. I was no longer angry, no longer scared, just immensely curious and intrigued.
Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) Page 8