“Come on you big sap,” I choked out, pulling him free. As we broke free of the library doors, I turned to him, to see if he was looking back at his fans who adoringly watched from the windows. I found his eyes secured on only me. “You made some friends I see.”
“Friends? Och, no. They’re just curious lasses, is all. I think they liked my hair. They touched it all too much. Does it still fit your liking? Do I?”
I leaned in, pulling him closer and kissed him, hard. As we pulled away he said, “Aye, I think that you do.”
“I lost my job,” I confessed as we made our way to the car. “I have no job, and no library to conduct my travels. Which sucks, royally, but it isn’t the end of the world, I guess. But now I don’t know how to support myself.”
“Not sure what sucks means, lass, but it’s unfortunate. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. Another position will suit ye better, no doubt. You did a fine job in the kitchens.” Always the positive one.
“Well, that’s awfully nice of you, Eoin, but in this time you don’t make a lot of money working in the food industry. And as a Librarian, archiving is my life. It’s my future, too, so doing it for a job was helpful. It was a way to make money and do what I loved. Now, having a different job is going to throw a monkey wrench into the mix.”
He only looked at me funny, but then nodded like he understood.
“Would you like to try something delicious?” I asked him.
“Does it entail you and me alone?” he said, pulling me toward him by the waist. “I would find that very delicious.”
I laughed, “I would too, trust me. But this is something you eat.”
“Well, I would like to try that.” I shook my head and broke free from his grasp, even though I didn’t want to.
Ice cream was my go-to desert whenever I was having a bad day. Carmine’s Bakery and Ice Cream Shop was my favorite place to go for treats. It was a bit of a drive, farther than I would normally have driven, but today, Carmine’s was necessary. Eoin and I drove through the mountains of North Carolina, weaving in and out of the beautiful scenery around us.
I showed him where the mill was and how it was the top earning mill of our area. He had many questions about the mountains and their people and how the mill was run. I did my best to fill him in on that part of history, but his questions were unending. Eoin was much like a child in my time. He knew absolutely nothing about how the world worked and explaining it was a task. I realized I had only so much knowledge on the subject myself. I still had so much to learn if I was going to teach him anything before we went back.
Finally, we arrived at the little pink house that had been transformed into Carmine’s. Upon walking in I could smell chocolate and sweet caramel in the air. Eoin’s eyes went wide when the smell hit him.
“What is that?”
“I have one question, Eoin Walsh, do you trust me?”
He licked his lips and nodded his head. “With my heart, lass.”
“Good. Now go sit down and I’ll bring you heaven.”
I ordered the biggest most exquisite brownie sundae that Carmine’s sold. When the waitress brought it to our table, Eoin’s eyes bugged out of his head. His mind must have been going crazy trying to figure out what on earth it was. I grabbed a spoon and tapped his. “Pick that up and dig in.”
He watched me and then he did the same. When the ice cream hit his mouth, he squealed, and then moaned with delight. Who knew eating ice cream could be so sexy? I just laughed as each bite he took gave him a different facial expression.
“It’s so cold, but so sweet. How do they keep it cold?” he asked with a full mouth.
“Freezers,” I said, launching into a lesson on refrigeration. He nodded, fully intrigued and kept eating until he couldn’t eat any longer. He tossed the spoon on the table and sat back rubbing his belly.
“Full?”
“Oh, ye’ve no idea how full my belly feels right now. I loved every bite.”
I had succeeded in at least treating him to something wonderful before we left. I wasn’t sure what would happen when we went back to Scotland, but at least Eoin and I had a good time together. As brief as it was.
****
“Why do you have to travel again?” Jessa asked for the third time. And for the third time, I explained how going back to warn them was the best solution for everyone. A history where Iona and all of those lovely people were dead wasn’t one I wanted to keep written in the books. I pulled the book free of the satchel. The blue of the cover shone bright in the candle lit room we sat in.
“I’ve never attempted to pick a certain spot and travel back to it, but Emme did. She told me how she went back to change how she met her subject once. She just went back to when they first met and started over. I can go back before the English arrive and warn them all. Eoin and I have it all planned out. We talked it over all afternoon, Jessa. And with you here, you can keep an eye out for me.”
She bit her lip, as if thinking it over, and then nodded. “Okay, but will you come back?” She asked me but looked at Eoin. “Or will you stay?”
Eoin shook his head firmly, “I learned much from my readings this afternoon. The history of Scotland is brutal. And I’ll not have Savannah going back to stay there. It’s much too dangerous a place for her. I’ll see to it that she is back here safely, Jessa.”
As he said that, it solidified any doubt I had of Eoin coming back to my time. He planned on staying and making sure only I got out. Which meant he would hang for his father’s crimes against the crown. Well, that may have been the fate he wanted, but I would make sure he was long gone before the English arrived. Maybe Eoin could escape with Lady Ainsley, and they could go into hiding somewhere the soldiers would never look.
But Eoin was going back. And I would come home a lost girl, once again.
Twenty
Not having the need to go to the village this time around gave Eoin and I time to head straight for the castle. We would arrive well before the English soldiers would, making sure they didn’t hurt any of our friends or burn the castle down. Eoin had changed back into his kilt before we left, which brought a huge smile to my face, and I back into the dress I had once worn.
The trip through the book was simple for me, but not for Eoin. He had a hard time with the shift of time and threw up once we landed firmly on Scottish soil. I helped him ease into the transition with breathing techniques that assisted me the first few times I traveled.
“I remember the feeling you’re having,” I told him, thinking back on my first time I traveled. “You feel a little off, but you’ll come around.”
“Thanks, lass. I think I’ll be fine,” he said, taking his hand and putting it firmly on mine. “We have work to do you and I.”
That we did. Without horses, we walked the rest of the way from where we landed, which was about a mile in a heavily wooded area.
The castle came into sight finally and upon seeing it standing and not burning I felt hopeful. This was all going to work out. The only hard part was going to be leaving Eoin behind. But I forced that down, deep down, and kept walking.
We reached the archway, which was still intact, and unharmed. Once out of it we saw children playing, and men working. Women in the field and Iona picking herbs. I ran to her, breaking free of Eoin’s sight for just a moment.
“Iona!” I called to her. She looked up at me and smiled.
“Ah, lass. Ye’ve come back. Did ye find what ye were looking for then?” Did I ever. I showed her my bracelet and she touched it gently admiring its beauty and originality.
“Oh Iona, I did. I found that and more. I think I found myself on that journey.” It was the first time I had admitted out loud how much that trip with Eoin had taught me. I had found my bracelet, a match for my soul, and who I was as a person. Most people are never that lucky, and it wasn
’t lost on me.
I wasn’t going to fight with my mother any longer. When I got back home I intended to mend our broken relationship any way I could. No more holding back and holding onto old history. She was my mother, and I would forgive her. Even if that meant nothing to her, I needed to at least say it to her.
I discovered that I was more than a Librarian. I was Savannah Preston, student, researcher, and history enthusiast. I would not only preserve books, but I would preserve friendships, relationships, and the love of life itself. The Librarian sect wasn’t my only destiny. I was young, yes, but old enough to learn that life didn’t revolve on one future. It was made up of a million possible options and a lifetime of discovery.
“I’m pleased for you dearie. Did you come back to work for us then?” A hopeful glee filled her face.
“I’m afraid not, Iona. But I promise to see you before I leave. First, Eoin and I must talk to Lady Ainsley. Do you know where she is?”
Iona told me that Ainsley could be found in the castle easily enough. Today was mending day and as Iona assured me, Ainsley would be involved in the tradition with her clan. Eoin and I found her just where Iona said she’d be, and we watched as she and the group of ladies mended shirts and dyed fabric for new ones to be made.
“Ah, if it isn’t my weary travelers. How did the trip south go? I suppose ye didn’t run into any trouble.” She put her hands into a bucket of dye and pulled out a garment that was stained a beautiful blue along with her hands.
“Mistress, may we speak, alone?” Eoin asked, bowing to one knee.
Ainsley’s happy face faded. “Eoin surely you can speak freely in front of friends, no? Ye see I’m busy lad. What is it?”
He looked to me and then back to her, worrying his lower lip. “We come with warning, Savannah, er, Mollie and I. We know a great danger that is to befall the castle. You must escape as soon as you can milady. The English are on their way here. They mean to burn down the castle and kill us all. They know my father’s dead, milady. Please, I urge ye all to flee.”
Ainsley’s concerned face quickly turned to fright as she threw the garment down and stood fast. Her eyes held contempt and anger. I had never seen this before from her. Seeing the side of her that showed her abilities was completely different from what I saw now.
“How dare you come in here and whisper such lies, Eoin. What proof do ye have of such news?”
I was confused. How could she not take heed our warning? What on earth would make her think Eoin would lie about such a thing? Perhaps it was because he mentioned Sir Malcolm’s death.
“He’s telling the truth Mistress Ainsley. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. They are not far away. You have time though. Time to get everyone out, safely.”
“Oh do I?”
I nodded, and then realized, she was mocking me.
“We are telling the truth.”
“Ye’ve seen it? Seen what?” She eyeballed me and I realized my mistake. Telling her I had seen what was going to happen was making things worse now. The Scottish held true to their fairy lore and they were a highly suspicious people. Even though she claimed to be some sort of psychic, she didn’t like the fact that Eoin and I knew something she didn’t.
“I mean, we saw the English,” I lied. “They make their way here, now.”
“Eoin,” she said, facing him. “How do you know they saw your father? Eh? Did they tell you that? Are you in league with them now? So set on destroying not only my marriage to the only man I’ll ever love that now you tell the bloody English bastards where we are. Do ye hate me that much?” She spat on the ground near his feet. He backed up a step, shaking his head.
“No, lady. Hate ye I do not. I only wish to find a place in this world. I never intended to harm your marriage. I didn’t ask to be born. He didn’t even love me, ye know?”
She laughed wickedly and shook her head. What happened to the lovely lady I had spoken with just a few nights back? This was not the outcome I had hoped for. In fact, it was going much worse.
“Are you in league with the fairies then? Is that it? Or are ye a witch? I did find it odd how you just arrived in our castle, clear out of the blue sky. Like you dropped here. Did you come to bring the cursed English our way, then?” she asked, looking at me.
“Oh, absolutely not. I’m not a witch. I’m a friend,” I urged. But before I could plead my case, I was grabbed up by two of Sir Malcolm’s finest fighters. Ainsley ordered them to take me to the keep, which was where they held the prisoners. I had arrived here a friend and was now being thrown in a cell as foe.
As they pulled me away I could hear Eoin beg Ainsley for mercy, pleading with her for my very life. She wouldn’t have it. And once I reached the corner, I heard her order him locked up in the tower. We were to be kept separate and there was no way I could help him.
Once the men threw me in the cell, I realized I wasn’t totally out of luck. I had my bracelet still, and with any hope, the book would pull me back. I’d have accomplished nothing though. My trip would have caused nothing more than havoc. Eoin was locked up and the English soldiers were on their way. The fire would engulf this whole structure and this time, it would cause death to someone else I held dear.
The door slammed behind me and I didn’t fight back or bang on it. There wasn’t anything I could say that would change their minds. I had to figure out what to do.
I sat down on the floor, noticing that the keep wasn’t as awful as I thought. My perception of a cell was dark and dank, but this was just a room, with a heavily bolted door. There were windows with bars, and that was awful, but they let in plenty of light. Knowing what I had to do to get out of this sticky situation seemed to calm my frayed nerves. The fact that Ainsley was so stubborn, angered me beyond belief. At least she knew they were coming, even if she did think we played a part in it.
“Jessa,” I called out, hoping beyond hope that somehow through our bond, she could hear me. “I need to be pulled back. I’m in trouble.”
Waiting and being patient was something I found hard to do. I was stubborn, and I wanted out of this predicament.
“Please, Jessa! Hear me. Hear me.” I waited, and still nothing. Sitting back against the wall, I decided to wait. Eventually the book would pull me back, right?
It had to. A Librarian is guaranteed almost certain safety when danger arrived upon their missions as long as they had their tether. That’s why we were given protectors who watched over us as we traveled. As I recorded the history, it was being rewritten word for word onto the blank pages of the book. When we get a mission, our book is blank, it’s our journey and experiences that fill up those pages. But, since that part had already been rewritten when Eoin and I were here the first time, I wasn’t sure if my coming back and trying again would alter it somehow. Would it all be word for word on the pages for Jessa to read? Or would it not show up, since I was breaking the rules? All I could hope was that Jessa was seeing it in real time, keeping me safe.
“Mollie.” A whisper came suddenly from the door. “Are ya faring well in there?”
It was Iona. Of course she’d come to see if I was okay.
I leaned on the door, placing my hand atop it. “I’m all right. How’s Eoin?”
“Fine, fine. I believe ye, dear. I don’t believe you bring us ill will. Mistress Ainsley isn’t well. She’s not been sleeping and I fear that the death of Sir Malcolm has disturbed her mind. It’s placed an evil rot into it.”
“How do you know he’s dead?” I asked. I thought it was a secret that Ainsley held dear to her, never letting it slip.
She scoffed. “Most of us servants can hear many things in this castle, dear. I’ve known ever since Eoin arrived. He’s the look of his father, he does. We’ve got to get you free of this room. I’ve brought help. But you need to be quick on yer feet. Can you do that?”
I n
odded, lamely, and then said, “Yes.”
The door burst open revealing Graham, the horsemaster, and a worried looking Iona. She pulled me into a quick hug, even though I’d only been locked up for a mere half an hour.
“What’s the plan now?” Graham asked, trusting me.
“You need to warn as many as will listen that the English are on their way. They will kill us all. Be ready to fight and help those that can’t to escape.”
Iona thought a moment and then said, “I know just the place for them to escape to. There is a cave hidden beneath the falls of Fare Glen. It can hold all the women and children. I shall get them ready.” If she was talking about the falls Eoin and I went to, then she was right. The women and children could fit in their safely until we got the English away. I silently prayed that it would work.
“And I’ll get the men on the right side of the battle,” Malcolm said, sternly. “We’re not going down without a proper fight.”
Twenty-One
Iona helped lead me through the castle as quietly as possible. Before rounding corners, we listened for any sounds of threat against our plans. We could hear absolutely nothing this deep in the castles interior. She was leading me through a part of the castle that only servants had entry to. It was how they stayed behind the scenes, doing all the chores necessary to keep the castle running. In history texts they don’t talk nearly enough about the importance of servants. They really were the hidden figures of history. Without them the castle would be in disarray. The rich spoiled women like Ainsley would be lost without someone to heat water for her daily baths. I silently laughed at the visual of Ainsley heating her own water. What a thought. She’d probably have a heart attack if she had to cook her own food. I wondered how Ainsley went so wrong in life. Was it the death of Sir Malcolm that disturbed her mind, or was she like that all the time? Perhaps that’s why Malcolm fell in love with Eoin’s mom. His wife was mad and he fell for the beautiful lass on the edge of the wood. I didn’t blame him in that case. It wasn’t like divorce was legal. What did a man or woman do when their spouse was batshit crazy?
The Archivist (The Librarian Chronicles Book 2) Page 13