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Abby couldn’t believe she was saying yes to marriage, saying yes to marriage with a laird of all things. But could she stay in eighteenth-century Scotland? Should she even be contemplating it? It was one thing to say yes to spending the rest of her life being loved by her Highlander, but quite another to live the rest of her days in what to her felt like prehistoric times.
She wanted to stay in his arms, but she knew she would have to face her siblings sooner or later. “Iain, can I have some time with my family? I think we need to talk.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Aye. I need to talk to my family also.”
Once he’d left, Max, Izzy, and Garrett all began to talk at once. Abby let them go on for a moment, and then said, “Be quiet and let me speak.”
Max stepped between Izzy and Garrett and hit them on their arms. “Let her speak.”
“Thanks,” Abby said, and went on to tell them all that had happened to her since arriving in eighteenth-century Scotland.
Once she’d finished, she said, “And I’m in love with Iain, and I want to stay and marry him.”
“No,” Garrett said, and they all stared at him. “You can’t stay here. You’ve seen the brutality of this time.” He waved a hand in the air. “And there’re other things to think about. Your health, for one. What if you get sick? Are you going to let them bleed you with leeches? Give you laudanum? For Pete’s sake, it’s bloody opium.”
Abby shushed him with her finger on her lips. “Keep your voice down. The whole castle will hear you.”
“I don’t want you to stay here,” Izzy said.
“Nor do I,” Max said.
“Good, then that’s settled,” Garrett said. “Grab the orb, Abby, and let’s go.”
Abby plonked down on the side of the bed and rubbed her face. “Don’t say anything else. Just let me think.”
Tears filled her eyes. What was she to do? She couldn’t just leave Iain moments after accepting his marriage proposal. A thought hit her, then. If he loved her as much as she did him, would he go back with her? But could she ask that of him? The thought of not having him in her life was just too much to bear, and she decided she could definitely ask him.
***
Iain sat at his writing and planning table in the solar, waiting for Jannet, Maeve, and his most trusted guards, Donal and Callum. They had to accept and protect Abigail if she stayed and married him.
His heart sank with the realization that Abigail’s family had come to take her away from him. They would be persuading and cajoling her into returning to their time with them right at that minute. Iain hoped she would tell him of her decision if it came to that and not just leave the castle, leave him.
Jannet arrived first, and she had a small box in her arms that she set down at the end of the table. “Och, ye have more guests.”
“How do ye know that?”
“I can hear.” She gave Iain a small smile and a look that said she knew a lot more than Iain had ever thought.
Iain frowned. Had she been listening at the bedroom door?
Maeve entered, with Donal and Callum a few steps behind her. All three eyed Jannet warily, and Iain had to choke back a laugh. He could almost hear their brains turning. Did Jannet tell him something they would have preferred him not to hear?
Iain stood up and went to the door and told the guard there to fetch wine and cups. Once they were filled and handed to his four guests, he took a cup, bid the guard leave with a nod, and returned to sit behind the desk.
He raised his chalet. “A toast.”
Everyone put their cups in the air.
Iain continued. “To the MacLarens and all others who abide here. May we survive the English onslaught and drive them from our lands.”
“Aye,” voices called out in unison.
Donal sat beside Iain, and Callum dragged a chair to the desk.
“Your lassie is a strange one,” Callum said.
“Aye,” Maeve said. “I have questions aboot that one.”
Iain raised his brows and shot a glance to Jannet. “Questions?”
“Aye. The servants are talking. They say she is like a witch.”
“She is not a witch. An angel, perhaps, but not a witch.”
“I said they say she is like a witch, but without a witch’s powers or standing.”
“Explain.”
“She speaks strangely.” At Iain’s opening of his mouth to say something, Maeve continued. “Yes, you said she was from the Americas, but I know people who have traveled there and back. They still speak as we speak mostly. I would not take them as not belonging in our world.”
“Our world?”
Donal coughed. “She means that if she were a witch, she would not be of our world but of some magical place.”
Smiling at Donal, Maeve placed her hand on Iain’s arm. “Aye. And she walks strangely. She looks like she has never worn skirts before. She is always hitching the hems up and letting her legs walk freely. She has a strange aspect. I don’t know what it is.” She tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Her skin is smooth, but there’s something aboot her eyes.” She let out an impatient huff. “Oh, I don’t know.”
“Aye,” Callum said. “It is her eyebrows. They are shaped strangely, are they not?”
“Aye,” Maeve said. “Callum has the right of it. They make her whole face, ah, not wrong . . . different.”
“Beautiful,” Donal said.
Callum nodded his head. “Aye.”
Iain let out a growl at their enraptured faces. “That is enough, ye two.” He rubbed his now clean-shaven chin, missing the feel of his beard’s bristles. Studying his sister and the two men he had known since they were all babes in arms—the two men he trusted above all others—he wondered if he should tell them. His gaze drifted to Jannet. She nodded in encouragement. Iain returned his attention to the three he loved above all else. Perhaps they could dispel the gossip.
Donal and Callum exchanged glances over the rims of their cups.
Maeve narrowed her eyes. “What is it that is so secret you have to tell us behind closed doors?”
Iain steepled his hands under his chin. “What I am aboot to tell you will not leave this room.” Maeve bit her cheek, as she was wont to do when asked to do something she didn’t like. “You are not to tell a soul, Maeve, not even your maidservant.”
“But Leah and I are friends. We share all together.”
“Not this time, love. Please give me your word.”
She glanced at Donal, who gave a slight nod. Iain stopped the smile from forming on his lips. Donal had always been the eldest, the one Maeve would call if she couldn’t get her way with Iain. He would champion her side more times than not.
Plopping back on the settee, Maeve nodded. “Aye, you have my word.”
Iain stood up and walked around to the front of the table. “Abigail is not from our time. Wait. No talking until I am finished.” He waited until they had stopped gazing at one another with skeptical faces. “She is from the future. That is why she talks, walks, and appears different.”
Maeve folded her arms across her chest and humphed. “That is the silliest thing I have ever heard.”
Donal rose and placed his arm on Iain’s shoulder. “Ye really believe that?”
“Aye. I’ve been with her for weeks . . .” He frowned. “I am not sure, it could have been months. I was dying, and she saved my life. If it weren’t for her, I would still be on the battlefield, dead.”
He went on and explained about her time device. Fielding questions, he answered what he could about her time, but suggested if they had any questions, they should ask her themselves. “But make certain ye are no’ overheard,” he said.
Letting out a laugh, Donal said, “If she is from the future, she knows how we fare in the next battle.”
“No. She knows history, but not all battles were written aboot, and much of Scotland’s ballads and tales were never written. Also, remember, if Abigail hadn’t appeared on the moors that day, I would have died, and Sir Thomas and his army would not have known I was alive. With her arrival, the future was already changed.”
After he finished, Callum threw back his head and laughed, nearly choking on his own mirth. “Perhaps, then, she should not have saved your skin, and then the keep and lands here would have been safe from the hands of the Sassenachs.”
Leaping to her feet and thumping Callum on his head, Maeve snarled, “How can ye say such a thing? Ye would prefer to see Iain dead? For him not to have come back to us?” Tears filled her eyes as she turned to Iain. “I will try to get to know your future lass.” She threw herself into his arms. “I am thankful she brought ye home, brother of mine.”
Callum got up, and both he and Donal slapped Iain on the back. “Aye,” Callum said. “I am looking forward to killing the beasts who tried to kill our laird. You have my loyalty in this thing and in any battle.”
“Thank you, Callum. I know I do.” Iain grinned.
“But,” Callum said, “I cannae believe the lass is from the future. Mayhap she is, ah . . .”
“Ye mean mad?” Donal said. “Aye, my laird, I know ye have been smitten with the lass, but she cannae be from the future. ’Tis impossible.”
“Not impossible,” Jannet said.
Everyone watched her stand up and move to the desk as if they had forgotten she was even there.
She pulled a framed picture out of the box. It was an image of Mark and Dianne. “Do ye remember these people?”
Donal and Callum nodded.
“I do,” Maeve said. “They were Father’s dearest friends.” She tilted her head and gazed at the picture and smiled. “Dianne always had wee sweet treats for me.” She looked at Jannet. “They were different too.”
“Aye,” Jannet said. “They were from the future too. In fact, they were Abigail’s parents.”
Donal asked, “Were?”
“Aye.” Jannet gazed at the picture, tears filling her eyes. “They willna be returning to Dorpol again.”
Maeve put her hand over her mouth. “They are dead?” Jannet nodded. “Does Abigail know this?”
“Aye,” Iain said.
Maeve frowned.
“What?” Iain asked.
“I remember Mark and Dianne. They were wonderful people and made Mother and Father happy whenever they visited. Looking back on their visits, their strange ways, I can believe they were not of our time. Can ye believe, Callum and Donal?”
“Aye,” Donal said slowly, as if remembering another time. “We trusted Dianne and Mark as Laird MacLaren did, and another thing. I remember our laird telling us they had great secrets that he would tell us one day.” He shook his head as if trying not to weep. “But he never got the chance.”
“Aye,” Callum said. “The laird was always taunting us with the things he could tell us about them, but never even giving us a small clue. I for one would never have thought they were from the future, but now that ye say it, I can see it is so.” He wagged his head. “It all fits into the puzzle now.”
Maeve went to Iain, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I can see Abigail means a lot to ye, Brother. Ye have succumbed to her charms and are now embroiled in her fate. What will happen to ye if she decides to leave us and return to her time?”
Iain’s chest tightened at the thought. He didn’t want her to go back. He wanted her to stay with him—to wed—and to have his bairns.
Rising onto her toes, Maeve kissed his cheek. “I can see I have caused you pain.”
“Abigail’s family have come to take her home.”
Maeve jumped back. “What? Now? We cannae allow that. Where are they?”
Iain hesitated. He didn’t want a fight to break out between his family and hers. He didn’t even know if he could ask Abigail to stay with him, to share the trials of what to her was the past.
He must have waited too long, because Jannet spoke up. “She is in her rooms.”
Maeve spun on her heels and headed out the door.
“Wait,” Iain said.
Pausing on the threshold, Maeve looked over her shoulder and raised her brows. “Do ye want her to go?”
“Nay but let me go first. I dinnae want ye to scare them into leaving.” He looked at his old nanny. “Jannet?”
She got up, and Donal and Callum moved to join her.
“Nay,” Iain said to Donal. “Ye and Callum wait here.”
He didn’t want the two brutes standing over Abigail’s family. They would scare them more than his sister ever could.
Iain strode ahead of Maeve and Jannet, knocked on the door, and opened it without waiting for an answer.
“Iain,” Abigail said as soon as he stepped into the solar.
He ignored her family’s piercing gazes and pulled her into his arms, kissing her as if he would never taste her sweet lips again.
When they parted, Iain said, “I love ye. Would ye stay with me? Stay in my time?”
“I love you too. But would you come with me? We’d be safe in my time.”
Iain bent his head and shook it. “My duty is here. My honor would be lost if I were to forsake my sister and my people. My oaths bind me to my lands and people.”
“Then we’re at what they call an impasse, then.”
“Aye.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and his heart ached at her forlorn look.
Had he done the right thing? He looked at his sister, who sent him a thankful smile. But Donal would make a good laird, and he would look after her. Would she hate him if he left her?
“Come on, Abby, we have to go,” Garrett said.
Iain put his arm around Abigail’s waist, not wanting to let her go.
“Not yet we don’t,” Maxine said, looking at the two Scottish women. She smiled. “Hi, we’re Abby’s family. I’m Maxine, this is Elizabeth, and the grumpy man is Garrett.”
“I am Iain’s sister, Maeve MacLaren, and”—she flicked her hand for Jannet to come forward—“Jannet here was our nanny, our parents’ friend, and now, our guiding hand.”
Jannet laughed. “Aye, I guide, and you go the other way.”
“Not all the time,” Maeve said. “I am here, am I not?” She turned to Maxine and Elizabeth. “I am glad to meet ye and would love to hear stories of the future.”
“You know?” Maxine asked.
“Aye, Jannet convinced us that it is true. Jannet, do ye want to show them their parents?”
“What?” Elizabeth spluttered. “You knew our parents?”
Jannet stepped forward and held out the picture. “Aye, they were constant guests of the late laird.”
As Maxine took the picture and gasped, Abigail hurried to look.
Elizabeth stroked her fingers over the images. “It is Mom and Dad.”
“They were here?” Abigail said.
“Looks like it,” Maxine said.
Garrett snatched the frame out of the women’s hands. “Let me have a look.” He eyed Jannet. “Where did you get this?”
“Yer parents gave it to Laird MacLaren a week before he passed to the other world. I was there at the time, and they and the laird entrusted me to keep it safe for when ye came here.”
“They knew we would come here?” Garrett kept his eyes narrowed.
“Aye.”
That was all Jannet said, but Iain had a feeling she knew more.
And Garrett must have sensed the same, because he said, “What aren’t you saying? What did they say about us?”
Flitting a glance in Abigail’s direction, Jannet said, “That is all ye need to know right now.”
***
Abby wondered if her parents had visited the MacLaren Keep after the old laird died. Were they somewhere in Dorpol right at that moment? She jogged to the window and peered down at the inner building of the castle. “What if they’re here right now?”
“They can’t be,” Izzy said. “If they were, they’d let us know.”
“Not necessarily,” Max said. “If they had visited at a later date, then they would know how this little problem turns out, and they wouldn’t want their presence affecting the decisions Iain and Abby made today.”
Clearing his throat, Garrett gazed at the picture. “And if they have seen or know of us being here, then they know they’re dead. How else would we have come into possession of the orb? Actually, if they’re here right now, that means two white orbs are in existence in the same place. We shouldn’t be here. Fooling around with time could be dangerous.” He nodded his head as if coming to a decision. “We have to go before we run into them. Now!”
Max placed her hand on his arm. “You’re right, but our parents would know that, so they probably have gone back already, and we’re all sitting around the table eating dinner sometime in the future as we speak here.”
Garrett frowned at her. “You don’t know that.”
“No, not for sure, but I know our parents, and I think they would have guessed we would put two and two together, and they wouldn’t take a chance on fudging around with our timelines.”
“I agree with Max,” Izzy said.
“Me too,” Abby said, wondering if the picture was telling her she could stay, could marry Iain, could live happily in the eighteenth century.
He studied the picture as if he were trying to read their minds. “I suppose you’re right.”
Izzy nudged Abby. “What are you thinking?”
Abby tried not to smile, but her mouth had its own mind.
She gave Abby’s shoulder a little slap. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking of staying here, aren’t you? Listen, Abby, I can see how much Iain loves you, but he can’t be with you twenty-four seven. We’ve just found one another again, and I don’t want to lose you.” She gazed at Max. “You don’t want to lose her, either, do you, Max? Who else will listen to you when you go into command mode? I won’t, and I know Garrett won’t, either. You need her.”
Max eyed Abby, who sent her a pleading look.
Max laughed. “Actually, I think if Abby wants to stay, she should.”
Nearly choking, Garrett spluttered, “What? You’ve got to be joking. I thought you had more sense than that, Max.”
“I guess it isn’t that different from falling in love in the modern world, is it, Abs?” She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “For better or worse, right?”
Nodding, Abby beamed at her sister.
Max’s gaze took in her brother and sister. “It’s crazy to me, and it does feel irresponsible to let Abby stay, but what choice do we really have when that’s what she wants? I can say that she needs to come back to reality, but this is her reality now. It’s insane and no one would believe it, but it would be pretty difficult to separate her from it now.”
Garrett crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. “I don’t like it.”
With tears in her eyes, Izzy said, “Max is right.” She turned to Abby. “I don’t want to lose you again, but I understand, and I can see you love Iain.” She took Abby’s hands in hers. “I’m really happy for you. I really am.”
Once Izzy dropped Abby’s hands, Iain moved to Abby’s side, put his arm around her waist and smiled down into her eyes.
She smiled back and rested her head on his shoulder for a few seconds before realizing that her staying there didn’t have to be goodbye. She snapped her head back up and widened her eyes at her siblings.
“Hey, just because I choose to live here doesn’t mean you can’t visit.” Abby eyed the orb in Garrett’s hand. “You could come back here anytime, right?”
Garrett studied the orb. “I have no idea. I don’t even know how it brought us here this time.”
“But it did, didn’t it? So, it could do it again,” Abby said to all three, her smile radiant and her heart filled with love for all of them.
“I think we all need some time to digest all this.” Izzy turned to Maeve. “Can we stay here a bit longer? Have a look around?”
Maeve looked to her brother, who said, “Aye, but we need ye to change yer clothes.”
Izzy clapped her hands. “Great.”
Maeve grinned at Iain and took Izzy’s and Max’s hands. “Come with us. Jannet will find ye something to wear.” She looked Garrett up and down. “Donal should have something that will fit ye.”
Abby knew full well Maeve was getting them all out so she and Iain could have some alone time.
She looked from sister to sister to brother. They were adults and had their own lives to live, and those lives didn’t really include her. Of course, if she went back, they would see one another every now and then, but they wouldn’t be living together. They would all be forging ahead with their own futures, futures that probably included marriage and children one day. But Abby knew in her heart she would never find a love like Iain again, and she couldn’t for the life of her imagine marrying anyone else.
“Have fun,” she called out after them. “And try to keep out of the limelight.”
“Limelight?” Iain asked.
“Yeah, I don’t want them becoming the center of attention. I don’t think you’d like to answer all the questions your people would have about them.”
As she spoke, Iain took her into his arms. Abby sighed. It felt so right being there with him, feeling his strong arms encircled around her, holding her. She hadn’t thought she was lonely in her time, but being with Iain, she realized how alone she had become, that she’d never felt at home in any of the places she’d lived. Even her family home had become just another place to meet up with her siblings. But at that moment, in Iain’s arms, she felt like she would never be alone again. She felt like she was at home.
Iain nuzzled her ear. “Are ye really staying?”
Tilting her head back, Abby grinned. “Aye, if ye still want me to stay.”
His whole face brightened, and he brushed his lips against hers. “Now and forever, my angel. Now and forever.”