Read A Fall Through Time (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #1) Online

Authors: Rikki M Dyson

Tags: #Fantasy, #Time travel, #romance

A Fall Through Time (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #1) (18 page)

The fairs were always a joyous occasion.  Eric and Stacey always tried to made time to take the children to the ones in Leeds and York.  The children loved the county fairs most of all.  Stacey felt they were lucky to have such healthy, strong children in a time when children were vulnerable to diseases and sickness.  Stacey used her twenty-first century knowledge as much as possible.  Her children thought her strange but were always grateful for the comfort she brought to them. The children went through their childhood diseases of mumps, measles, whooping cough and chicken pox.  Stacey knew how to handle those and to make the children more comfortable.  There were times, when she was called upon to administer her healing powers and knowledge to help the village children.  One afternoon, Stacey and the girls had just left the village on their way back to the castle when Stacey heard a noise like the drone of an airplane. She stopped and put her hand above her eyes to shade them from the sun as she looked up into the blue sky. “What is it, Mother? What made that noise?” Cassie asked.

Surprised by the noise, Stacey said without thinking, “I don’t know, it sounded like an airplane.”

“What be an airplane Mother?” Jessie asked.

Stacey, realizing what she had said and tried to cover it up and said, “Oh, it’s a big bird that crosses the ocean. I haven’t seen one in years.”

Wanting to get the girls minds off what she had let slip, she suggested they stop by Janet’s school and visit for a bit. She was nervous over her slip of the tongue and wanted to replace it in her daughter’s minds.

Janet was always happy to have her ladyship stop by for a visit. She was very proud of her students. At the school, the girls were taught hygiene as well as reading and numbers.  Stacey learned early she could not push cleanliness and hygiene on the adults in the villages, but children were eager to learn. 

There was a class for girls to learn how to make scented soaps.  They would be the mothers of the future, therefore their knowledge would spear the way for coming generations.

Stacey was still concerned about her slip and that night in Eric’s arms, she confided her worry to him and the mystery of the noise. “Eric, I know it’s impossible, but when I heard the drone and looked up I was so sure I would see a plane and the strange thing was Cassie heard it too.” “Don’t worry sweetheart, I think you covered the incident well. The children have not mentioned it to me.”

Stacey lay quietly in Eric arms, but the incident was still on her mind. Reluctantly she asked, “Eric have you ever run into anyone strange, other than me of course, what I mean is do you think there could be a parallel universe or an opening or a time warp of some kind where people can, fall through time?”

“I’m sorry sweetheart; it be very difficult for me to rap my mind around this parallel universe ye mention. Ye learned people have no proof of this place, so let us not borrow trouble.”

“Okay, we won’t borrow trouble, but how do we know there are not more people caught in the past like me that may be masquerading the same as I am.”

Stacey was thinking of the Tinker and his wife that had sold their wares that spring so long ago. She wondered why they never came back to Dun-Raven.

“God’s teeth, I don’t know Stacey. We will be very careful and keep a close vigil on our children. We have been very careful not to include them in this strangeness.”

Eric and Stacey kept their family as close as possible. The children always enjoyed the adventure of riding to the coast to meet their friend Captain Ahab. The children still talk about the wonderful journey aboard the African Queen. They loved the smell of his boat and the wonderful spices, fruits, dried and fresh, carpets, silks and china from the Far East, crystal and glassware from Syria and Venice as well as many other beautiful things that he brought from the Middle East and India. Brandon had talked of little else. He most of all the children wanted to go sailing again.

In the winter of thirteen-ninety, the family rode to Hampton Hall when Lord Thomas died.  He was seventy-three and Lady Margaret was sixty-nine.  Rodric and Callie wanted her to come to Hampton keep and live with them and the children. Eric and Stacey also offered for her to live with them. She thanked them both but preferred to stay at Hampton hall that was her home.

One afternoon in the early fall of the following year, Stacey and the girls were visiting the Bennett family manor a few miles from Dun-Raven. Adult conversation and boredom had set in so the twins went riding, under the close supervision of Sir Gellman. They were riding down by the river when they heard a commotion of screaming, cursing and ridicule laughter. The sight they rode upon staggered the girls. Half a dozen men were standing around watching two other men that were ducking a woman in the river with her hands bound to a long board. Jessie yelled at them to stop their torment of this defenseless woman.

One of the bedraggled, a toothless excuses of a man turned from tormenting the poor woman and said, “Ye best be getting along home little missy as this be none-a-ye business.”

“Well, we are making it our business,” Jessie said. “What has this poor creature done for ye to treat her so shabbily?”

“She be a fishwife, young miss,” the brute said, as if that alone was an answer.

Jackie had been quiet until now. She moved her horse next to Jessie’s and said, “Ye sir, will release this woman immediately or ye will answer to our father.”

With a cocky attitude the rogue said, “Be that right and who be ye father, girl?”

Sir Gellman, who was the twins chaperone for the day mover his horse forward and informed the

riffraff, “These young ladies be the daughters of the Earl of Dun-Raven and they be under my protection.”

“Well, now that be fine with me as we don’t plan on accosting the young ladies, but the hag here ain’t under ye protection and she be the law breaker,” the naive said.

The woman on the board was trembling in fright of further ducking in the cold river water again. “Help me please, young miss,” the woman pleaded.

With a nod from Jessie, Jackie turned her horse and galloped away. Jessie hoped to keep the vigilante group occupied until help arrived.  “Sir, what law has this poor woman broken? I doubt it could warrant this treatment.”

“Now that be where ye be mistaken miss. This hag be a fishwife,” a man from the crowd said.

“That’s neither here nor there,” Jessie said. “Release this woman immediately. Can ye not see she be freezing?”

Jessie and Sir Gellman kept the group talking until Jackie brought her mother from the manor house. When Stacey arrived and saw the atrocity of what was happening she told the men to unbound the woman post hast.

The other man holding the board said, “Ye ladyship, this woman has broke the law and she must be punished.”

Stacey looked the mob over and asked, “Which of ye men be the sheriff?”

Most of the men hung their heads low and shuffled their feet. The lout said, “The sheriff ain’t rightly here, ye ladyship. He be in his sickbed and we be dispensing justice.”

Stacey was appalled at the injustice of the situation and said, “Release the woman. My husband will settle this matter.”

The big mouth lout didn’t want to lose his moment of glory, but when he saw riders approaching, he lost his nerve. When some of the men started moving away and grumbling, Stacey said, “Stay where ye be, we not be finished here yet.”

When riders from the manor house arrived, the Squire looked the situation over and asked, “Who be in charge here?” The lout with the big mouth kept quiet. “Well, speak up men, I am sure ye were all full of fire and brimstone before the countess arrived.”

After the woman was untied, she spoke up for the first time and said, “I surely be grateful to ye master. I am a poor widowed wretch with three sons. My oldest be sick and cannot ply the trade so I have no choice, I must sell me fish if I am to feed me bairns.”

She looked at the group of men with disgust and pointed her boney finger at them, “This scum be span of the devil, they have no Christian soul in them to want to drown a poor widow for trying to feed her family.”

The Squire turned to the countess and asked, “Well, countess, what do ye think would be fair justice for these brave, upright, law abiding citizens?”

“Well, Thomas, I’ve always heard what’s good for the goose be good for the gander. A good bath might be just the thing to cool their furor down and baptize their pagan souls.”

As the countess, the twins and Sir Gellman rode away, they could hear the yells and cursing of the perpetrators as they were dunked three times each in the cold river water. Later at the manor house the countess of Dun-Raven arranged for the widow and her three sons to move to Dun-Raven where there was always work for willing hands.

The next year, thirteen-ninety-one, Shane was knighted.  The whole family trooped to London to see the ceremony.  First, they went to Hampton hall to see the children’s grandmother.  Eric and his mother were still very close.  She was delighted to see her son, along with Stacey and the grandchildren.  They were all so grown up now.  Shane was twenty, the twins seventeen, Brandon was fourteen and Cassandra was eleven. Stacey had an understanding with Jessie and Jackie that they were to wait until they were at least eighteen before thinking of getting married.  They would not be betrothed to a much older man nor someone they didn’t know.  Stacey wanted them to marry for love.  The girls complained that they were going to be old maids.

“Old maids my foot, I was twenty-one when I married your father,” their mother told them.

Jessie and Jackie were identical twins. They had their father’s dark hair and eyes.  They were mischievous and liked to play tricks on people. They were tall, slim and vivacious. Many young knights looked their way, but were more excited about following their king to fight in Ireland.

After the knighting ceremony, they were all at Hampton hall when Shane broke the news that he was going to Ireland to fight the Irish. “Why Shane?” his mother asked. “What has the Irish ever done to you?” 

“Mother, ye are a woman, what do ye know of warfare?” Shane said.

Stacey was ready to let loose. She stood up, walked towards her son and said, “Let me tell you of warfare my darling.  Warfare, you could not even begin to imagine in your most horrible dreams.”

Eric knew hell was about to break loose.  He walked over to Stacey, took her in his arms and said, “Don’t sweetheart, not after all these years.  Please don’t.” Eric, using her English helped Stacey to calm down.  Of course, he was right.  After all these years, one slip could be fatal.

Stacey said to her son, “Yes, you’re a man of your time.  I can see the house of York has had more influence on you than I have.”  Stacey went to her son, put her arms around him kissed him and said, “Stay safe my darling, because the Irish are gonna’ whip your arse.”

She told everyone goodnight and went to bed. Once again, Shane turned to his father looking for answers and understanding. “Papa, why can not Mother understand I have an obligation to my king, therefore I must serve him when I am summoned?”

“Ye mother understands this Shane, however, she hates war and be fearful of losing ye,” Eric said, as he put his arm around his son’s shoulder. “Ye be a man now my son.  Ye must make ye own decisions, but always remember that mine and ye mother’s love rides with ye.”

Stacey and Eric worried about their son. They had heard the war in Ireland was going badly. King Richard II, returned looking for funds to future wage his war on Ireland. Shane was back within a year, badly wounded and was slowly getting around.  When they rode in, Stacey could not get to her son fast enough.  Shane hugged her and said, “I told my friends here, just get me home to my mother.  She will work her magic and make me fit again.” 

Stacey held her son tight and said, “That I will my darling that I will.”

The earl asked the two young knights to stay.  They were quite happy to do so.  It felt good to be safe inside strong walls again.  Shane had a severe leg wound that was not healing well. Stacey coated the wound with honey to kill the bacteria and then mixed her yogurt and mushroom concoction and fed it to him to help stop the infection.

Shane asked, “Be this the same thing ye gave us when we were little and had chest pains?” 

“Yes it is,” his mother said. “It’s good for many things.” 

Shane took her hand and said, “Mother, I think I should get married so ye can help us keep our children healthy.”

“Who is she darling?” his mother asked.

Shane smiled and said, “Mayhap I was joking.”

“Then again, mayhap you were not,” his mother said. And asked again, “Who is she my love?” 

Shane watched his mother’s face as he said, “Anne Barr, the Duke’s illegitimate daughter.”  Shane was fearful Anne would not be acceptable even though she was the daughter of the Duke of York because of the circumstance of her birth.

“Do you love her?” 

“Yes, I believe I do.” 

“Does she love you?”

Shane replied with a grin on his handsome face, “She says she does.”

“Why don’t we invite her here to help you get well?” his mother suggested.

With a smile on his handsome face, Shane said, “Thank ye, Mother that would be grand. I should have known ye would not let the circumstance of her birth sway ye.” Shane watched his mother for a bit, then said, “By the by, Mother, how did ye know we would lose in Ireland?”

In an innocent voice his mother asked, “Is the battle over? You came home I thought, because you were wounded.  Rest now my love, I’ll be back later.”

Stacey spoke with Eric and told him about the Duke’s daughter. With a smile on his face, the Earl sent a letter to the Duke inviting his daughter to Dun-Raven. Two weeks later, a lovely young woman arrived and romance was in the air.  The two young knights asked the Earl of Dun-Raven could he use their services.

The earl was happy to receive their service. He was acquainted with the uncle of Colin Ashworth and had great respect for him. James Howard seemed like a fine young man too. Eric was not blind. He had noticed both Colin and James had eyes for his lovely twin daughters. “The fact that we have two very lovely daughters surely has nothing to do with their decision,” Eric laughingly told Stacey.

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