Page 14 of The Empire and the Wolf King

We weren’t even the right people for this. James would havelovedto be here in one of these costumes. I just wanted to steal this dude’s musket and run —after the meal, of course.I picked up my cup of tea and sipped, holding it in front of my lips to block my laughs. We looked Amish, it was ridiculous. Magnus looked like George Washington, I looked like I would sew a flag, but alas, the joke was on these people: I didn’t know how to sew! Or how to can fruits and vegetables, or make candles, what would women even do in this time?

What if Magnus and I were forced to join the revolutionary cause? I had no skills!

I bit my lip as suppressed laughter caused my shoulders to shake, the tea cup clattering as I put it down.

Calm down. Calm down, Kaitlyn, calm down. We had to get out of here, we were waylaid, we had to rescue our kids, our family, our kingdom, our world, but now I needed to not upset our host, and laughing was not okay. I drew in a deep long breath, then exhaled, dabbed my eyes, and passed the napkin back to Magnus.

Madame Siddall, with a pointed expression, asked, “Madame Campbell, thou art well?”

“Of course, yes, yes, well.” My mind raced for an answer. I couldn’t say that I was ‘laughing at our predicament,’ it sounded insane.

Magnus said, “Madame Campbell was just overcome, she greatly misses our bairns, and it has been a long journey.”

She nodded. “Wilt thou be reunited with them promptly?”

Magnus nodded. “Aye, as soon as we can manage it.”

Everyone continued eating quietly.

I picked up my fork again, dinner went back to normal, and Magnus squeezed my hand under the table.

CHAPTER 6 - KAITLYN

NIGHT AT SIDDALL’S FARM - 1775

After dinner in the waning light of dusk, one of the Siddall sons, carrying a pile of blankets in his arms, led us out to the barn. The door was flung open and the scent of animals wafted over us. My nose wrinkled, I thought,Oh, great, keeps getting better.

We were directed up a ladder to the hayloft.

Magnus grabbed the blankets, said, “Thank ye,” and we were left to climb the ladder in the darkness. I climbed first, no easy feat because I was exhausted, was wearing big skirts, and was unpracticed. I made it into the loft.

There were piles of hay and a small open window keeping the air cool and fairly fresh. I crawled around spreading hay with my arm, as the ladder creaked and groaned under Magnus’s weight. Before he emerged he tossed the blankets up, and I started spreading one out over the hay while he hefted himself off the ladder into the loft, like a walrus flopping onto a dock.

He pulled himself to the blanket and collapsed. “I am asleep already.”

I bit my lips. “Uh oh.”

“Why?” He raised his head.

“I have to pee.”

“Och nae.” He laughed.

“Don’t you worry about it, I will be right back.” I swung my leg over and began climbing down the ladder, but my foot slid off the rung five from the bottom and I slid, “Whoa!” down three, catching hold with my hands and thumping my chin on one of the bottom rungs.Ow.

Magnus called down. “Ye okay, mo reul-iuil?”

“Yes, just not… ow, bumped my chin, that’s gonna bruise — another bruise, great.” I rubbed it. “…just not very good with this whole ladder thing. Back in a minute.”

I stalked over to the barn doors, pulled up the wood crossbar, and looked back at our hayloft. Magnus’s head was over the side, looking down. He said, “I daena like the idea of ye out of m’sight.”

“It’s fine, we’re in the middle of Colonial Virginia and I’m going to use the outhouse. No problem.”

He groaned, hefted himself up, and started climbing down the ladder.

“You don’t need to come, my love, I got this.”

“Nae, I must, I can think of twenty-seven different ways ye can come intae trouble in Colonial Virginia at dusk on the way tae the outhouse.”

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