“Of course, it is you.” He sighed. “What is it, Hugh?” Cameron said.
Hugh looked at him and then looked at Maria over Cameron’s shoulder, giving Cameron a look of disapproval. “The MacDonalds have just approached the bridge.”
“The MacDonalds? They are not due to visit us,” Cameron said.
“I am aware of that. Which is why I came to look for you immediately, but you were not in your chambers or anywhere to be found in the castle. Then I thought to look here, which should have been my first stop,” Hugh said.
“I will come straight away just a moment,” Cameron said and closed the door. He turned back to Maria. “Stay here. Lock the door with your key. I have to attend to this. The MacDonalds have been rivals off and on, and we never know what to expect from them. I will have food brought to you later. But do not leave this room unless I come to get you myself,” Cameron said, worrying that there was to be trouble.
“Rivals? What do you mean? Are you in danger?” Maria said looking concerned.
“I do not know. Stay here as I said, so I can determine if there is to be trouble,” Cameron said and then gave her one more hard kiss. “Lock the door.” Then he turned and reopened the door, striding across the threshold. Hugh was leaning against the wall waiting for him. Cameron slammed the door behind him, but it did not help. He still felt frustrated.
Maria’s hand went to her lips, she was very confused. She walked back and forth in her room, not sure what to make of all of it. She was still reeling from the fact that her body had responded in such a way to Cameron. Then remember what he’d said, she rushed to lock the door. As she did, she heard shouts in the courtyard. She quickly moved to the window and watched as Cameron entered the courtyard followed by twenty of his armed men, some of them on horseback. On the turrets she noticed more men, standing with bows ready.
There was loud shouting, and Maria was growing quite nervous. She wished that she had her Glock with her, she didn't like feeling useless and she was a trained cop after all, good with a firearm, though these people wouldn't even know what that was at this time.
She had a hard time making out what was being said with the thick Scottish accents and what she could overhear were just a few words. Something about the MacDonalds requesting permission to approach the gates of the castle. They wanted an audience with Cameron.
Maria knew enough history to know that an audience with Cameron would take place in the Great Hall. She had to know what was going on.
Then she watched as Cameron and his men entered the castle again, and guards were sent to open the gates. It was obvious that Cameron had granted such a visit. She suddenly grew even more nervous. If there were this many armed guards it was because they thought that the MacDonalds were a threat to Cameron and she didn’t want to lose the only friend that she had made in this time. Without him she would definitely be lost, and he had captured her heart.
She waited and watched. A few minutes later the gates to the castle opened and a group of people arrived on horseback. She noticed they wore red and white colors, different than the blue and green she was used to seeing around the castle.
A man and a young woman dismounted from their horses, along with the group of five men behind them. Bran greeted them and then led them inside the castle.
“Oh, I can’t bear this,” Maria said. She quickly grabbed her key and unlocked her door. Quietly, she made her way down to the great hall. She did not stop until she was near an entryway but stayed hidden.
“Why have you come?” Cameron asked the man standing before him.
Maria observed that this man was of medium height with dark hair. She could see that his eyes were green, and he had a devilish grin on his face, which was unsettling to her.
Behind him stood a younger girl, only about nineteen or twenty years of age, very young, Maria thought. The girl seemed to be looking around at the grand hall as though trying to memorize it. Five armed men stood behind her and Maria could tell that they were MacDonald men because of the red and white plaid they wore.
“I, Jamie MacDonald, have been sent by my father Laird Duncan MacDonald as a diplomat,” the man said.
“I know who you are,” Cameron said annoyed.
“Yes, of course, old friend. I have been sent to discuss the trade routes across our land that border your land. There has been much upheaval at our home as our shipments have not been arriving, at all,” Jamie said.
“I see,” Cameron said. “And what proof do you have that this is a problem on our side?”
“I do not have any proof as to what or why shipments seem to come across trouble when approaching the border, but that is why I have come, so that together we may seek out the problem and deal with it. It is my father’s wish,” Jamie said.
Maria didn’t like this one bit, something was off with this. She watched as Bran whispered in Cameron’s ear and she wished she knew what was being said. She looked at the MacDonalds, including the armed men and didn’t like the look of them at all. They reminded her of street gangs in New York with the way they carried themselves and looked at Cameron’s men. They were heated and ready for a fight. Guys like that were not looking for peace and negotiations, they were looking for blood.
“You wish me to offer you residence here in my castle while you seek answers, though our clans have always been at odds?” Cameron asked.
“It is the right thing to do, is it not?” Jamie smiled.
Maria had a bad feeling about this. She knew Cameron to be an honorable man and that he would accept a request for hospitality because he had been so hospitable to her, an outsider and possible witch time traveler.
Then she recalled where she had heard the name MacDonald. In reading about the castle’s ownership, the MacDonalds were listed as a conquering clan. Meaning they had taken the castle at some point in time through violence. What year did that happen? What year am I in now? Why did I not think to ask? Maria’s mind started to race. Who was the Laird during that conquest? She could remember nothing. Booking her trip last minute meant she only briefly read some information on the plane about the castle and Skye. She mostly paid attention to the ghost stories and nothing more, since that was the purpose of the trip. Now she wished she had paid more attention to the guide’s information instead of falling asleep on the bus. Could this be the start of the MacDonald invasion? She had to warn Cameron!
Maria watched as Cameron looked to Bran and then nodded his head. Bran seemed very disappointed in it.
“Very well. You Jamie MacDonald and your wife may have accommodations in the castle. Your men however must stay in the castle ground barracks among my own men. They will have food and beds, but not within these walls. Then you and I may discuss these problems with the trade paths together at length until we come to a plan,” Cameron said.
“I thank you kindly, Laird of Dunscaith. I only want peace and solutions,” Jamie said with a bow.
“As do I. You will be seen to your accommodations,” Cameron said.
Cameron nodded to his men who then escorted the MacDonalds.
Maria watched growing more and more nervous by the second as these treacherous men of this rival clan were now staying on castle grounds. This wouldn’t be good.
Chapter 15
Maria moved down the corridor, hoping that no one would see that she had been spying on the meeting. She didn't need to be looked at as any more suspicious than they already were looking at her. As she walked, she was trying to remember everything she could about the information she read about the MacDonalds taking over the castle at some point. But she couldn't remember. She realized just how much she took for granted having access to the internet in her own life when she needed to look up information in order to help solve a crime. Now she had to rely on her memories, and so far it wasn't helping.
“What are ye doing in this part of the castle, witch?” The voice was deep and startling.
Maria had been lost in her own thoughts while she was walking back to her r
oom and didn't realize that she took a wrong turn. She looked around, seeing Bran coming down the corridor toward her. She stood up straight, she had faced New York City criminals and she was not going to let this Scottish man who didn't even have a gun intimidate her. She put her chin up high as she looked at the walls.
“I was on my way back to my room and I think I got turned around. That’s all,” she said turning her back to him, in order to retrace her steps. But she felt his hand around her wrist, stopping her.
“I do not believe ye. What are ye really doing in this part? Are ye looking for the bed chambers of the Laird in order to seduce him and kill him in his sleep? I will not allow it,” Bran said.
Maria narrowed her eyes at him. “No I’m not looking for his bed chambers. But I do wish to speak with him. The MacDonalds are not to be trusted.”
“And how exactly would ye know that? How would an outsider know that? Are ye working with the MacDonalds as well? Is that why ye are here? They sent ye ahead of their clan in order to make yer plans. Perhaps ye've been signaling them from yer window high in the tower?” he accused.
As he continued to make his suspicions about her known, she realized just how much his thoughts seemed plausible. First she showed up out of nowhere before the MacDonalds, and now she was trying to give them warnings about them. But how would she know anything about the MacDonalds at all if she were a true outsider as she said she was. Still she was not going to allow Bran to make her feel terrified.
“No. I’m not working for the MacDonalds. I work for no one. All I know is that they are dangerous to keep here and that is something I think your Laird should know.”
“And I believe ye should leave yer mad ravings to yerself. Ye will cause an all-out war between us and the MacDonald Clan with yer ridiculousness,” Bran said as he tightened his grip on her wrist and dragged her down the corridor.
Maria was struggling to get loose, but this Scottish man was very strong. “Let go of me, you brute.”
“Ye are lucky that I am only dragging ye back to yer room and not to the dungeon where I think that ye belong.”
“I do not belong in the dungeon. I belong back home. I just want to go home and I'm only doing you a favor by warning you about the MacDonalds,” Maria said to him.
However, Bran was not going to listen, and she knew it. He opened her door and pushed her inside. She nearly fell on the floor as she stumbled across the room, catching herself with the table because he had flung her so hard. She turned to him and gave him an angry look.
“Stay in yer room, witch. And stay out of this. And I order ye to stop trying to manipulate the Laird with yer sweet tongue and honey words,” Bran said and then slammed her door.
Maria let out a very frustrated groan. “Ugh! You jerk!”
She moved to the window and watched as the MacDonalds men were led through the courtyard and out the gates. She assumed they would be staying just outside the gates where there were several long halls of barracks. At least they wouldn't be in the castle where any of them could possibly assassinate Cameron at any moment.
She found that she was very worried for his safety, especially after they had shared such a heated and passionate kiss, one that suddenly came back to her as she thought about it. They had been interrupted by Bran in that moment, warning them of the arrivals and things have escalated from there. So she hadn’t had a moment to reflect on how delicious that moment was. She turned around and looked at the bed where they had lay before, kissing and touching. She wanted more of it and she felt guilty about that.
After giving orders to Hugh to keep an eye on the MacDonald men out in the barracks, Cameron made sure to put other precautions into place now that Jamie MacDonald would be staying in the castle. He would need a guard outside his door, as well as one posted outside Maria's door. He walked through the castle giving orders, setting everything into place so that they were ready for the unexpected. Then he decided that he would visit Maria and tell her that she would be dining in the Great Hall with him in order to welcome their guests.
“Where are ye going? Have ye set guards in place? What do you think it is that Jamie really wants?” Bran said coming around the corner and meeting up with Cameron in the corridor.
“I do not know. Either it truly is a visit regarding the trade routes, or he is up to something else. I suspect both. The guards are in place,” Cameron said.
“And where are ye going now?” Bran asked. Bran turned and looked down the hallway toward Maria's room. “Do not let that woman bewitch ye, Cameron. Ye are becoming infatuated with her and when that happens ye do not think clearly. We have all seen it before and now is not a good time. Leave her in her room, see that she is fed and taken care of but do not visit her until this thing with Jamie is done and he is gone from this Castle. I advise ye of this as your Tanist.”
“That is advice that I did not ask for,” Cameron said.
“Then why make me yer trusted Tanist if ye are not going to heed my advice and warnings?”
“Because I thought it would make you feel good,” Cameron said giving him a grin and punching him lightly on the shoulder.
Bran looked incredibly annoyed. “I am only looking out for yer best interest,” he muttered.
Cameron stood outside Maria's door, remembering what had happened right before they were interrupted. He wanted more of it, but as his body responded to that memory he knew that he had to listen to Bran in some capacity. Bran was right, this woman would cloud his judgment. Therefore, he could not step into her room. He knocked on the door.
“What happened? Is everything all right?” Maria said opening the door.
“Everything is fine. We will have guests at the castle, members of the MacDonald Clan. The Laird MacDonald’s son. I have come to ask you to join us for dinner, and I expect you to keep your journey here private. We cannot trust these people. My people do as I say, and if I tell them you are not a witch, then they will not spread such information. But the MacDonalds on the other hand, well they could find out that information and do what they please with it after they leave. I don't need an entire mob from the countryside showing up at the castle gates to demand your head. But if they find out that you are staying here and were locked up in your room, then that will only create more suspicions. Therefore, I ask that you dress, and come to dinner, but say nothing of where you come from. Is that understood?” he demanded.
Maria narrowed her eyes at him. His asking was really more a polite demand, and he knew it. He could tell that he did not like being told what to do. Though he hoped she understood his need for her to do as he said in this particular situation.
“Fine. I will come to dinner and say nothing. Is that all you have to say to me?” she said, her voice filled with anger.
Cameron looked at her and could see the fire in her eyes. It only served to make him want her more. He restrained himself to not push inside the room and kiss her angry lips. Instead he took a step backwards. “That is all. Heigl will come to you with a change of clothes. I will see you at dinner.”
Then he turned on his heels and walked away from her door. He knew that he could not stay near her any longer or he would have kissed her and then he would not be able to stop there. He would lose the entire night to her bedchamber.
Maria watched the tall Scot walk away. She had wanted to give him the same warning that she had told Bran about the MacDonalds, but he had made her angry and she forgot that she wanted to mention it. She closed the door and locked it behind her with the key. Maria plopped down on the bed feeling a little annoyed. Only a few hours before Cameron had been amorous, and had touched her gently with a passionate kiss, and now he was being aloof and controlling.
“I guess men haven't changed that much since the old days,” she said rolling her eyes as she compared her interaction with Cameron to dating in modern New York City.
An hour later, Heigl showed up at her door with a very nice dress that she hadn’t seen before. It was quite elegant, and somethi
ng told her it was because of the guests staying at the castle.
“I think this might be too elegant and lavish for me, Heigl,” she said as Heigl held up the gown.
“It might be more than what you are used to wearing, but that is because the MacDonald Clan is here. It is customary to show the other clans that your own clan is in good standing with good wealth, and not weak. If the MacLeod Clan would show up to dinner looking disheveled and poor, it would give the visiting clan reason to think they were weak and would want to invade and conquer. These things are known, lass,” Heigl said.
“Oh, I guess that makes sense. But I’m not part of the MacLeod Clan,” Maria said.
“No, you are not. But you are a guest that is being taken care of by the MacLeod Clan and that means that you will be treated with the utmost respect and good material offerings. If the MacLeod Clan is able to show that people who stay with them are treated lavishly, then it not only shows that the MacLeod Clan has class, but also riches to spare. Is it not so where you are from, lass?” Heigl asked confused.
“Yes, I suppose it is. I just never thought of it that way,” Maria said. The only thing she could think of that was close to it was how people bragged about what they had on social media.
“There, don't you look a sight,” Heigl said putting her hands on Maria's hips and turning her toward the mirror she’d had brought in. Maria was stunned by her own reflection.
“Oh my,” she murmured looking at her form in the mirror that seemed to carry the heavy folds of fabric and V waisted dress very well. Her blue black hair was done up with curls pinned to her head, which dangled down with ribbons as though they themselves were jewelry. The entire ensemble was blue, dark blue and light blue in places, and it went to show that the MacLeod Clan had ownership over her of some sort. She smiled a wide smile.
“Yes. that smile is appropriate, for you look quite bonny, lass. Now, let's get you downstairs to the hall. It is about time for supper to be served.”
Love A Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (A Highlander Across Time Book 1) Page 10