“Good. Listen, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
He interrupted her with a kiss. The relief at finding her in good health combined with the relief of pushing back the attacking army had left it impossible for him to keep control of himself any longer.
This time he did not pull back. He pressed his lips to hers, his hands wrapping around her back. She kissed him back, her eyes closing as she did so.
As their embrace deepened he felt a heat rising inside him. His hands moved up her back until she suddenly jerked away from him.
“Wait,” she said. “I need to tell you something. It’s about Keir”
“Gavin,” a voice called from the entrance to the great hall. “Another attack is imminent.”
“I hear nothing.”
“Trust me.” She smiled, tapping her heart with a finger. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“Will you listen to me?” Heather asked. “Keir’s been talking to the rebels.”
“I ken that,” Gavin snapped. “I have more important matters to attend to right now.”
“I will look after her,” Tanya said, taking Heather’s arm as Gavin marched away. “Heather, come with me. It is time we talked.”
13
Heather felt like kicking herself as she followed Tanya. All she had to do was tell Gavin about Keir and somehow she hadn’t been able to do it. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t this meek, was she? She could concentrate, couldn’t she? If only he hadn’t kissed her again.
The first time, she’d been able to convince herself he hadn’t meant it. There was no way of telling herself he didn’t mean the kiss that had just taken place.
She could still feel it on her lips long after he’d left. Even as Tanya motioned for her to sit down she was still feeling it. She didn’t walk over to the nearest bench, she floated.
It was only as she sat down that reality began to come back to her. She hadn’t told him about Keir, about the fact that he was a traitor working with Jimmy the Snout to undermine the MacGregors.
“Tell me about yourself,” Tanya said.
Heather looked up. Tanya was older than her by about five years, her hair hidden under a pillbox hat, ribbon tied under her chin.
Her skin was pale but her eyes were warm. She looked as if she had known some hard times but those times were long in the past. She was smiling at Heather as if they were old friends.
“I’m not sure what you want to know,” Heather said, her eyes moving down to take in Tanya’s clothing. She wore a similar dress to hers but it looked so much better on her. Was there any doubt as to why Gavin had been talking to Tanya? Another flare of jealousy rose up, this one more bitter than the last. The kiss was almost forgotten in her anger.
Why had she thought she even had a chance with him?
“What year have you come from?”
Heather looked up, seeing that Tanya’s eyes had become piercing, reading her swiftly, seeing the panic that covered her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you’ve come from a time far in the future.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Why lie about it?”
“I’m not lying.”
“So you’re telling me that you’re from the year 1300. What year were you born?”
“Nineteen-ninety-” She stopped herself. “I mean Twelve-ninety. Twelve-ninety.”
So you’re ten years old?”
“Twelve-eighty.”
“Who’s king at the moment?”
“Erm, I don’t know.”
“Stop the charade, Heather. I know.”
“What? What do you know?”
Tanya stood up and crossed to the fire, picking up the poker and prodding the flames with it, bringing them back to life. “The thing I miss most is central heating.”
Heather looked at her back, starting to wonder. “What’s that?”
Tanya turned around again, looking suddenly deadly serious. “Susanne showed me your cellphone.”
Heather stiffened. “Oh. I-”
“It’s fine. Look, I wanted to get you on your own. We have a few things we need to talk about.”
“Yeah, like how come you know what a cellphone is.”
“Let me start at the beginning. Shall we move into the solar? We might as well be comfortable. This could take a while.”
Heather followed her through a door in the back of the great hall. The next room was smaller but more cozy. A couple of armchairs had been placed on either side of the fire.
A half completed tapestry in a frame was in the corner by the window. A large sheepskin rug covered the bare floorboards. “Sit,” Tanya said.
Heather tried to relax but she felt more on edge than she had since first arriving in the past. “Did you travel back in time too?”
“I’ll explain everything. Do you know anything about the silver key that brought you here?”
Heather shook her head, feeling for the hidden bag containing it, suddenly sure that it wouldn’t be there anymore. It was. “Not much. Hang on though, I just need to wrap my head around this. You know I’m from the future?”
Tanya nodded. “Don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone. It’ll be up to you if you want to share.”
“Thank you.” She felt a strange sense of relief washing over her, like she’d been keeping a horrible secret and now she was able to let it go. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Just listen for a little while and I’ll explain as much as I can. There are six silver keys that unlock doors between times. From what I’ve been able to work out, they were forged a long time ago, before the highlands even had clans to roam them. Made by druids after a great battle.
“I’m not sure what is true and what is myth but the story goes that the ancient druids were engaged in a war with a figure known only as the barefoot man. The battle raged for a long time, the fight half physical and half magical until at last the druids won. The barefoot man was not killed though, he faded into the background of time.”
Heather nodded. “Gavin mentioned a barefoot man but I’m sure he said he was defeated only recently.”
“The druids forged the keys so they could help the highlands if the barefoot man were to emerge from hiding. They would bring those who were needed to the time where they could help.”
“How? How is that even possible?”
Tanya shrugged. “That I don’t know. What I do know is that those who came back are linked to the original druids. If you came back to this time using a silver key, it’s because you are one of the descendants of one of those six druids. You have their magical blood running through your veins.”
“But magic’s not real.”
“Isn’t it? Explain how you came back in time using a silver key then.”
“I…”
“You can’t but that doesn’t matter. What matters is what you do next.”
“Look, just stop a minute. Who are you? Did you come back with one of these keys?”
“I didn’t but my mom did. Adoptive mom really but still.”
“I don’t understand.”
Tanya sighed. “Gavin’s mother, Natalie, came back with one of the keys. She was the fourth woman from our time to come back to help the MacGregors. I could get dizzy trying to wrap my head around it all but a woman called Rachel was the first. That was four generations ago. You’re the fifth one to be brought back.
“The line becomes stronger all the time. The druids knew what they were doing. Each generation brought back has strengthened the MacGregor bloodline, combining the six druids into one clan. That is why the barefoot man was finally defeated and that is why you will help defeat his mother.”
“What? Wait, hang on. What did you say?”
“The old crone with no name. She is older than the barefoot man. She has walked this earth since before the druids even knew what they were fighting. She is out there right now massing the forces of our enemies. You will help defeat her.”
/> “Let me get this straight. There is a woman outside the castle who is hundreds if not thousands of years old and all she wants to do is defeat the MacGregors and take over their castle? Shouldn’t she set her sights a little higher? World domination maybe? Destruction of mankind? Why take on one little clan?”
Tanya leaned forward, warming her hands by the fire. “It is the key she is after, the key you brought back with you. It is the fifth key of the six that were forged.”
“The key? What does she want the key for?”
“To unlock the door that holds her husband captive.”
“She’s married? Yikes.”
“Married to a creature the earth should fear more than any other. The druids captured him. They imprisoned him using the keys. Any one of the six keys can free him. You must not let her get that key.”
“I don’t intend to.” Heather thought about her plans, taking the knife, returning to her own time. Good luck to the old crone finding the key when it was seven hundred years in the future.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Tanya said, drawing her attention back from her plans. “The old crone will bide her time and come to you in your time if you go. There is no hiding from one such as her. You must help Gavin.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I have spent the years here reading all the old books I could find. Learning Latin is not easy by the way but it was worth it. It all comes down to the keys.”
“Why do you care so much?”
“I have an interest in the MacGregors.”
“I can tell that.” She thought about seeing Tanya talking to Gavin outside and jealousy flared inside her once again.
“It is not what you think. Gavin is a brother to me. He is in love with you. You must remain in this time and help him no matter how tempted you are to return to your own time. I know you’re afraid. Natalie was afraid too but she stayed with Wallace and that’s why you’re here. If she gave in to her fear, she would have returned home and Gavin would never have been born. He is the fifth laird to be brought into the world because of the keys. The key you have is the key to saving this castle and this clan. You must not go home.”
Heather got to her feet, shaking her head. “You don’t know what I’m planning. For all you know, I’m going to spend the rest of my life here.”
“I can read people, Heather. I’ve spent years learning the skills the witches used in this time. You are scared and that’s fine. I’d be scared in your position.”
“If you know what I’m thinking so well, what am I planning to do next?”
“I cannot say for sure but I know you want to go home. Am I wrong?”
Heather said nothing.
Tanya got to her feet as well, crossing to the window and looking out. “If you fail, the only sound will be the screams of the dying. Tell me something, why are you here?”
Heather thought for a moment. Tell the truth or lie? Something in Tanya’s expression convinced her she could be trusted. “I’m supposed to take something back to my time.”
“Let me guess. Gavin’s knife.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because that knife was supposed to change history. Don’t look so surprised. I read history books before I came to this time. You think stealing his knife will stop him killing Mungo Frazer. You think that will stop the war that follows, save a lot of lives. That’s why you’re doing this, right?”
Heather nodded slowly, thinking that was true but it wasn’t the whole truth. She wanted her family history changed for the better. That was the real reason for doing this.
“Taking the knife might save lives or it might cost more. Fate has a way of adjusting things. All we can do is make decisions to the best of our abilities. Heather, I want to offer you a piece of advice before you go.”
“What?”
“Don’t think you can fix one problem by causing another. Maybe the problem you think you’re fixing isn’t a problem at all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You can tell Gavin the truth and share his fate. Fight the old crone together, save us all from destruction. Or you can save yourself from danger, go home, put all this behind you. You might be safe if you do that. For a while at least. But fate will come for you. It can’t be shut out forever. And when it does, you can look it in the eye and know you did the right thing or the wrong thing. It is all up to you. Give Gavin the key to his castle and his clan or keep it for yourself and see what happens.”
“No pressure then.”
“I wish it wasn’t like this. If there was time for you to spend with Gavin alone that would be wonderful but the old crone has changed things. She is organizing the outlaws, she is controlling Mungo Frazer, your ancestor. You must decide where your heart lies. With the Frazers in your time. Or with the MacGregors in this time. No one else can make that choice for you.”
“Look, you care about all this so much. What if I go home but leave you the key?”
“It would not work. I do not have druid blood coursing through my veins, you do. You are the one, Heather. The fate of us all is in your hands. I just pray you will make the right choice.”
“Thanks. Thanks a lot.”
A voice coughed behind them. Heather turned to find Gavin in the doorway, sweat pouring off him. “We have repelled them again,” he said. “I think they’re falling back. We should be safe. For now at least.”
“Can I talk to you?” Heather asked, crossing the room and grabbing his hand, pulling him into the great hall. Tanya closed the door on both of them, remaining in the solar.
“Who is she?” Heather asked. “That woman?”
“Tanya? My half sister. Why? Are you all right? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’m absolutely fine. I’ve just been told a few things I’d rather have not known. That’s all.”
Gavin frowned. “What did she tell you?”
“Never mind that. There’s something I need to know first.”
“Which is?”
“Why did you kiss me?”
14
Gavin was thrown by the question. He had spent twenty minutes repelling a fierce attempt at assaulting the castle. Then all of a sudden they just stopped.
Those who were on the ladders retreated as if at a hidden signal. The dead were left where they fell. Gavin counted the number of wounded on his side. Only five, no deaths.
He was suspicious even as his men celebrated the victory. Were they testing the defenses? That was certainly a distinct possibility. The Frazers had yet to join in the attack. They merely stood observing in the distance.
His mind still on the battle, he headed for the keep to tell the clan they were safe to emerge again.
It was unlike the besieging army to attack in such a way. Far more common was to just sit out there and try and starve the defenders out. That was the definition of a siege. Perhaps an assault when you thought the defending army was weakened from hunger and disease. Nothing about this made sense.
It did not take as long to find Heather. He found her talking to Tanya in the solar off the great hall. The late fall sun was streaming in through the window, illuminating Heather perfectly.
Once again, he was reminded of an angel. She had been sent from God, he thought out of nowhere. He smiled at the very idea.
He was still thinking about that when she asked him why he’d kissed her. For a moment he was silent. What possible explanation could he give for once again kissing her?
“I was relieved you were alive and well,” he said at last after running through numerous possibilities.
“Is that all?”
She was looking at him closely, her eyes wide. What answer should he give?
He could lie of course, tell her that was all it was. Or he could tell her the truth. Where would that leave them? He thought of the dead and dying in the infirmary, the fact that they might not survive the day. Could he die knowing he hadn’t told her how he fe
lt?
“No,” he said at last. “That is not all. I…I like you, Heather Frazer. If this were not a time of siege, I would consider asking for your hand in marriage.”
Heather took a step back as if a strong gust of wind had caught her from nowhere. “You want to marry me?”
“Is that idea so shocking?”
“No, it’s just…unexpected.”
“You don’t look happy to hear that. Do you not wish to wed a laird?”
“It’s not that. It’s just…” She stopped, her cheeks turning pale. She glanced at the floor and then up at him. “There’s something you need to know about me first. I’ve not been honest with you.”
“What about?”
“You know when you asked me where I was from and I said far away?”
“Aye.”
“I meant far far away.” She reached into the folds of her dress and brought out a small bag. Gavin watched her rummage inside it, bringing out the silver key he’d seen before. “It’s about this key.”
“I know about the silver keys.”
“What? What do you know about them?”
“I know it was a silver key that brought my mother to my father from another time and place. They described the key well. That is its brother or I am an Englishman.”
“So you know what the key does?”
“I think so but I do not know where truth ends and the stories begin.”
“What do the stories say about these keys?”
He took it from her, turning it over in his hand, feeling its power pulsating like a heartbeat. “It opens a door to another time. I have my doubts, of course, but that is what the stories say.”
She sighed, turning away from him and muttering to herself. When she turned back, she looked worried.
“What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to tell you something now but please don’t say anything until I’m done. Can you do that?”
“I think so.”
“This key brought me back to this time so that I could steal your knife.”
“My knife? Why?”
“Please, let me finish.”
The Key to His Castle: A Clean Time Travel Romance (Clan MacGregor Book 5) Page 14