Page 72 of An Enchanted Spring

“Ah. Well, Emma, you’re amongst friends here. No need to spin this into something positive for the sake of saving face. I’ve known Reilly and Colin my whole life. Add in a MacWilliam who’s decided you need his protection…let’s just say I’m impressed you’re not babbling because you’ve lost your mind.”

Emma blinked at her frankness, then burst out laughing. “Wow. You really do have them pinned, don’t you?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Bri concurred.

A knock sounded, and Reilly allowed a line of chambermaids to enter and place trays of food around the room.

Bri added to Emma, “You’ll see that food trumps most anything.”

“Most?” Aidan asked innocently with a pointed look at Bri’s protruding stomach.

“MacWilliam,” Reilly warned, his voice harsh.

To Emma, Bri smirked and patted her pregnant belly. “Reilly can’t handle my married status, even when he’s the one who dropped me in Nioclas’s lap.” Bri blew Reilly a kiss and said to him, “Someday you’ll see that I’m all grown up, Ry. Since that’s not likely to happen today, come eat some food and sit with me. I’ve missed you greatly.”

“How many children does this make, Nick?”

Aidan’s question made Nioclas smile. “This will be our fourth. We have Rian, Austin, Claire, and now this little one.”

“Do you have names chosen?”

Brianagh smiled. “We’ve only agreed on a boy’s name. Aidan James.”

Aidan’s eyes misted, and he carefully gathered Brianagh into his arms. “You do me a great honor.”

“Stop or I’ll cry,” she sniffed, squeezing him tightly. “We thought it fitting.”

During breakfast, Emma noted how relaxed Bri made everyone feel. Her warmth radiated from her, a warmth stronger even than what Emma experienced at Colin’s home. Reilly adored her, although his were brotherly affections. Aidan conversed easily with her, as though they hadn’t spent years apart, and Nioclas was quiet, watching his wife with something close to worship in his eyes.

The wistful feeling that crept into Emma’s heart was unexpected, and she was stunned to realize it was envy. She’d never seen such a close family before, and she found that, for the first time in a long time, she wanted to feel that kind of connection with others.

Badly.

The three of them brought Bri and Nioclas up to speed as to the events that led them there as they feasted on a breakfast unlike any other Emma had experienced. The fare was delicious—another surprise. From all her research, Emma believed medieval palates were not so sophisticated as to use many flavors. But she tasted a light saffron flavor in her eggs, and wondered at how many other modern marvels Brianagh incorporated into her medieval life.

When the plates cleared, Aidan turned to Nioclas and got down to business. “I’m not sure how long Emma will need to stay.”

Emma froze.Don’t you meanwe?she wanted to ask, but held her tongue. Maybe that was unintentional.

Unless, of course, Aidan planned to remain in the past.

While gaping at the great hall, the trek through a very-much-used castle, and sitting across from Nioclas MacWilliam, who definitely had a strong resemblance to his brother and whose English was very good but not nearly as good as his medieval Gaelic, Emma knew she’d somehow done exactly as Aidan said; she time-traveled to the past.

Everything was too real to be her imagination or a bad dream—the fire, which was definitely peat, needed to be stoked every so often, and a chambermaid scurried in to do so. The benches, as she’d already noted, were made from stone, and were cold, though the cushions did help with the chill. Even the parchment on the desk in the corner sat in a slightly haphazard pile, as though someone recently used the quill in the ink pot for jotting down a letter.

A muffled clang sounded, and Nioclas rolled his eyes. “Monaghan. The man is not graceful.”

“Monaghan?” Aidan asked in surprise. “But his lands are on the other side of the country! What does he want from you?”

“Not me,” Nioclas replied. “My wife.”

“Awife,” Brianagh corrected. “I’ve promised to help him find one.”

Reilly snorted. “Don’t tell me you’ve made a name for yourself as a matchmaker here as well.”

“She certainly has,” Nioclas responded proudly. “She’s quite sought after. Monaghan is here for his son.”

“It keeps me busy,” Bri said modestly. “And we haven’t seen war since you left, Aidan. It’s been very peaceful.”

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