My Laird's Love (My Laird's Castle Book 2) (26 page)

Apparently I had crossed through time, leaving a perfectly wonderful sunny Highland day to arrive in the middle of a rainstorm. I scrambled to my feet and clutched at my bag, still, thankfully, draped across my body.
 

What now? I shielded my eyes from the wind and rain and looked down at the now turbulent river.
 

There was no way I could make it to Castle Lochloon on my own. No way. I would have to fight my way through the storm to Gleannhaven. Shouldering my bag tightly, I thanked my lucky stars I wore jeans and athletic shoes instead of heavy skirts, and I set out to follow the trail along the river. Hadn’t I just made this trek only a few weeks ago?

I reached the woods in good time since I trotted most of the way, though my shoes, mired in mud, weighed a ton. I did my best to keep my bag under my arm and out of the rain, but suspected that Beth’s beautiful dress was probably damp at the least. I had packed the other small things in plastic, given the airline’s requirement for things in baggies, so I knew they’d be all right, especially the picture of my parents.

I emerged from the woods to see Gleannhaven loom up before me through the rain. I hurried toward it, banging on the door with my closed fist.
 

George pulled open the door, and I ran into the house without an invite.

“George!” I exclaimed, pushing my wet hair back out of my face. “Thank you!”

“Mistress Scott!” he exclaimed. “What foul weather. Ye never did travel alone, did ye?” He peered out the open door as if someone accompanied me.

“Yes! I’m alone. You can close the door.”

George did.

“Are his lairdship and ladyship home?” I stumbled over the words, wishing I could just ask for Colin and Beth, but knowing I shouldn’t.

“Aye, Mistress Scott, her ladyship is home. Laird Anderson has gone to Castle Lochloon. Come into the drawing room. Ye are chilled. I will set a fire and send for Lady Anderson.”

“No! Castle Lochloon?” My heart froze with the rest of me. What was Colin doing at Castle Lochloon? Oh, please, no!

“Why did Laird Anderson go to Castle Lochloon? Is Laird Livingstone all right?” My teeth chattered from cold and fear.

“I canna say, mistress. Perhaps her ladyship will ken.”

I followed him into the familiar drawing room decorated in rose and green. Rather than take a seat offered, I stood while George started a fire. My instinct was to run upstairs to see Beth, to find out about James right away, but I knew that would shock the butler, so I waited impatiently.
 

George, having finally set the fire to his satisfaction, left the room, murmuring something about returning with tea, and I dropped my bag onto the carpet and moved toward the warm fire.

The door behind me opened within minutes, and Beth rushed in.

“Maggie!” she screeched. “You’re back!”
 

I turned and found myself swept up in her enthusiastic embrace.
 

“Oh, Beth! Watch out! I’m soaked.”

“You’re back!” she repeated, taking a step away to look at me but keeping her hands on my shoulders. “Colin just went over to Castle Lochloon to see how James is doing.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” I exclaimed. “When I heard he’d gone over there from George, I was terrified something had happened to James.”

“Not that we know of,” she said. She looked me up and down. “I want to know everything, but first we need to get you out of those wet clothes. Run upstairs to your room and change and then come back, and we’ll have tea. I know George is getting used to seeing you in jeans by now, but I don’t want to overdo it.”

I smiled, grabbed my bag and hurried up to the room Beth had given me over a month ago. I shed my wet clothes and reached into the wardrobe for some of the undergarments she had loaned me. I found something that resembled my other pannier but was sewn slightly differently. It really hadn’t been that long ago that I’d first tried to figure the chemise, drawers, pannier and stockings out, but I felt like an old hand at dressing now. I retrieved my slippers from the bag, thankfully not too damp, and spread the forest-green dress out in front of the fire to dry, along with my jeans and blouse.
 

A soft blue-gray dress hung in the wardrobe, and I slipped it over my undergarments and trotted back downstairs, eagerly anticipating that cup of warm tea.

Beth, sitting on the velvet rose sofa, handed me a cup of tea, which I drank right away.

“Oh, you poor thing,” she said, pouring me another. “Tell me everything. Why did you come back? Did you have trouble traveling? Can you just jump back and forth?”

“How long have I been gone?” I asked. “And then I’ll tell you.”

“Three weeks,” she said.

I swallowed hard. “Oh, no! It’s only been two weeks in my time. So there’s no real way to control the time between traveling, is there?”

“No, I guess not,” Beth said with pursed lips. “I guess I was lucky I was able to return to warn Colin before he was killed.”

“And I was fortunate that I managed to get back with the medicine before James died of typhoid.”

“Oh, there’s so much to talk about! Colin said you met our descendants? That they helped you? But first, why did you come back? Or better yet, why did you leave? Tell me everything.”

For the next hour, I told Beth about her tenth great-grandchildren—Gordon and Beth. Then I tried to explain my feelings to her—about James, about living in the eighteenth century. She understood completely, of course. I knew she would.
 

“So I came back,” I said.
 

She chewed on her lip for a moment, and I held my breath. What was she about to say?

“Duncan came and told us you’d left, like you asked him to. We got a note from James two days later asking about you, whether we’d seen you, whether you had really returned home.” She eyed me for a moment. “He didn’t say much in his note, but I think he was devastated. At least, that’s what Colin told me. He rode over there to see how James was doing, but James wouldn’t let him in because of his illness. That’s why Colin went back again this morning. He probably got stuck in the rainstorm.”

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
 

Beth covered my hand with hers.

“Oh, no, Maggie, I know you didn’t. What could you have done? If you weren’t sure, you had to go back. Duncan said you couldn’t find paper and pen.”

I shrugged, tears slipping down my cheeks.

“Stupid, isn’t it? No, I couldn’t even write a decent note, not that I would have known what to say. I just had to go. It was like a crazy obsession to go home before I got sucked into life here. I needed to think clearly, and I couldn’t do that here. I couldn’t do that around James.”

Beth nodded. “I do understand, Maggie.”

“I need to go there now,” I said.

Beth blinked. “Now? In this rain?” She rose and crossed to the window. “Well, it’s stopped for now, but it still looks pretty wet. Are you sure you want to go out in this?”

I came to stand by her side and looked out the window before turning to her with a nod. “I need to see him.”

She sighed. “Okay, well, I’m not going to stand in the way of love. Colin rode over on horseback, so the wagon is still here. I’ll get one of the boys to take you over. You’ll have to bundle up. I’ll give you my cloak.”

“Thank you!”
 

Within half an hour, the wagon awaited me out front, and George stood by the open door. Beth hugged me.
 

“You’ll probably see Colin on the way unless James let him stay the night.”

“I’m sure James isn’t infectious anymore.”

Beth nodded. “No, I’m sure he isn’t. Colin doesn’t like to leave me alone too long during the pregnancy.”

“Pregnancy becomes you,” I said. Her stomach still appeared slight, but she now tied her bodice loosely, like I did. “You’re glowing.”

“Sweating, probably.” Beth pushed me toward the door. “Go now before the weather gets worse.”

The dark-haired boy, who looked to be about eighteen, helped me up into the wagon. Beth waved good-bye from the doorway.

The path was soggy and muddy, and the ride bumpy as the wheels sunk into ruts. The boy, wearing a cap and thick coat, said nothing, and I was too keyed up in anticipation of seeing James to start a conversation. I watched the horses’ ears twitch rhythmically as we traveled.

Somewhere along the way, I pulled my phone out of my bag to check the time, but without satellites, the clock had stopped. Soon, the battery would die, and that would be that.

We reached Duncan’s cabin hours later, though I had no idea how much time had passed. The rain clouds had dispersed, and a late-afternoon sun had dried much of the landscape up. Duncan and his boy came out of the cabin. For once, the tide was out, and Duncan, after greeting me, told us to drive directly onto the island.

“Laird Colin Anderson is already there,” he said.

I turned to look at the castle, glowing a rich golden brown in the sun. The lake shone silvery blue in the distance, its tranquility mirroring the soft blue-green hills surrounding it.

The boy drove over a previously submerged causeway supported by crushed stones, and I directed him to pull the wagon up to the stairs at the castle.

From somewhere in the near distance, I heard the sound of piping, and my heart, which had been racing for some time in anticipation of seeing James, now thumped erratically in my chest. James? Was James playing his bagpipe?
 

I climbed down from the carriage, wondering if I was destined to ride back to Gleannhaven Castle with the boy in short order.

I looked up at the windows of the castle but could see no one. On shaking knees, I climbed the stairs, pressing a hand to the castle wall for support. I reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the heavy wooden door.

I didn’t know what to expect. Bracken, probably. But beyond that, I had no idea. The piping stopped, and I thought my heart did as well.

Male voices from somewhere behind me caught my attention, and I turned and looked down toward the bottom of the stairs. Colin and James came into view, the pair of them taking my breath away. Dressed in kilts and loose white shirts, the two men epitomized every woman’s Highland dream. I could do nothing but admire them. James carried his bagpipe under his arm.
 

Robbie and Laddie cavorted behind them.

James saw the wagon first and swung his head upward. Catching sight of me, he took the first few steps of the stairs quickly before stopping to stare. I stared back, my knees trembling. He looked thinner than I remembered, but not as pale. His cheeks held a healthy color.

Behind him, Colin raised a hand in greeting, and I waved back. He motioned for the dogs to stay when they would have followed James up the stairs.
 

I returned my attention to James. Would he come to me? Would I go to him?

He took a few more steps toward me, and I descended the stairs to meet him halfway.

“Maggie,” he said in a husky voice. “Ye have come back.”
 

I nodded, the knot in my throat keeping me from speaking. I put out a hand to touch his face, but dropped it quickly at the closed look in his eyes. A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he didn’t smile.
 

I fought against tears that threatened to slip down my cheeks. Had I ruined everything? I had to say something. It was up to me. What was he supposed to say?

“Can you forgive me?” I finally asked.
 

I heard James draw in a sharp breath, and his face softened.
 

“Aye, of course I forgive ye, Maggie, if such a thing is necessary. I love ye. I ken why ye left, but I am ever so grateful that ye came back.”

He pulled me into his arms, and I melted against him, burying my face against his chest.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Colin, with a wide grin, pass us on his way up the stairs. He disappeared into the castle, both dogs at his side.

James placed a gentle finger under my chin to lift my head. He searched my face for a moment before speaking. I wiped away an errant tear and gave him a shaky smile.
 

“Does this mean ye’ll marry me, lass?” James whispered. Blue eyes clung to mine.

Unable to speak with the knot in my throat, I could only nod.
 

James released a deep sigh and lowered his face to mine. His kiss, sweet and tender, told me that I was where I needed to be, where I wanted to be...in his arms.

We came up for air, and James held me from him to search my face once again.

“Are ye certain, Maggie?” he asked.
 

“Yes, I’m sure, my laird. I’m finally sure.”

I didn’t know what the rest of my life was going to be like, but for now, it would be wonderful, safe in my laird’s love.

Books by Bess McBride

Time Travel Romance

My Laird’s Castle

(Book One of the My Laird’s Castle series)