Page 54 of Love Beyond Time
“I know it may no be customary. My parents kept separate bedchambers throughout their marriage, but how would ye feel about moving into my bedchamber? I doona like the thought of ye being so far away. I want to fall asleep each night with ye next to me, wrapped in my arms.”
I stood and pulled him toward the doorway. “I would love to. I’d already asked Mary this morning if she would have someone move my belongings across the hall. In my time, it would be uncustomary for us not to share a room. Besides, I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Chapter 35
Kinnaird Castle
“What does the lad want with me?” Ramsay marched from his bedchamber, furious that someone would dare have the nerve to arrive unannounced.
“I doona know, sir. All he said was that he must see ye straight away. He had an item to give ye.”
“The damned fool had better be bringing me Eoin Conall’s head on a spike if he’s to wake me at this hour.” Ramsay burst through the doors of the study where the father of his two stable lads stood uncomfortably at the end of the room. “Well, what do ye possibly have that ye think is warranted to disturb me?”
“I . . . I met with the man ye sent to Conall Castle. He gave me this ring to give to ye. Said it’s the signet of the late Alasdair Conall, and he believed it could be of some use to ye since Eoin has asked that the MacChristy clan gather at the castle as well.”
“Give it to me.” Ramsay thrust his hand eagerly in the man’s direction. He knew he’d done right by sending the man. The lad was a quick thinker, and he’d just proven that he was worth more than Ramsay had previously expected. He studied the ring, recognizing Alasdair’s signet immediately. “Thank ye, lad. Now, get out.”
The man’s face dropped, obviously disappointed at a lack of reward, but he retreated quickly, leaving Ramsay alone with one of his messengers in the study.
“Dress in the colors of the Conalls and take this ring to MacChristy Castle at once. Doona give this ring to anyone but Donal, do ye understand? Ye will have no trouble gaining an audience. Donal will welcome any Conall. Once ye have given him the ring, tell him that Eoin no longer requires his men or his presence for the battle. The situation has been taken care of, and there is no going to be an attack.”
“Aye. O’ course, sir.”
With one less clan to worry about, Ramsay was certain his plan to annihilate the Conalls would succeed. In three days’ time, he would gather his men and everyone at the castle. Together they would march to the aide of the Conalls, gladly assisting them in their bloody deaths.
* * *
Conall Castle
“I assure ye, lad, I’m in no hurry. I’ll gladly spend as many nights down here with ye as ye wish. But we willna be leaving until ye tell me what it was that ye gave to the stranger in town and where ye got it from.” Arran threw a fist into the stomach of the man who was now strung up by both wrists in the center of the dungeon.
The runaway groaned painfully as one of his ribs snapped at the impact of Arran’s fist. “I already told ye. The man was my uncle, and I was only returning an item I borrowed from him.”
“Ye lie. The man was no old enough to be yer uncle, and ye had no such item when ye arrived here.”
“I did so. I keep it in my bag. Ye dinna search me when I arrived. I’ve had it with me all along.”
Arran thrust another fist forward, this time hitting the man’s other side. “What was the item ye borrowed from him?”
“Only . . .” the man paused as a cough racked his chest, sending blood spewing out onto the dungeon floor. “It was only a coin.”
Arran shook his head at the runaway’s pathetic attempt to lie, this time sending his fist for the man’s jaw. He wrung out his hand as the runaway spit up a few of his teeth. “Like I said. Doona expect to see daylight until ye tell me truth.”
Chapter 36
The days following my decision to remain here passed by in a blur of hurried activity, with everyone in the castle and village rushing to make preparations for the arrival of the MacChristys and Kinnairds as well as preparing for the upcoming battle.
It was the night before the expected attack, and while both Eoin and Arran seemed confident all would be well, I found my anxiety building. They’d not seen the devastating ruins of our home, as I had. And while I knew that having two clans join us for the fight increased our chances, knowing what happened before made me uneasy and it made me wonder why there were still ruins on Mom’s side of time, if we were going to succeed in battle.
Mom had responded to my message the following morning, playing it upbeat as always, but I could see the tear stains on the parchment where she’d cried. She was happy that I was happy, but she was as heartbroken as I was at our separation from one another. We’d written back and forth over the days leading up to the battle as I did my best to assure her that the fate of the Conalls would no longer stay the same now that we had reinforcements headed our way.
I wondered how it would affect everything on the other side of history if we succeeded. I hoped that I would still be able to use the book to communicate with my mother if the castle never ended up being destroyed. If we were defeated, it didn’t really matter.
Dusk had long since crept over the castle, and with each passing hour the tension throughout the castle heightened. Both the MacChristys and the Kinnairds should have arrived at the castle by now, and, although Eoin was trying his hardest to remain calm, I could tell that my hovering, nervous energy was doing nothing to help the situation.
I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder as he sat in one of the studies on the main floor staring out the window for any sign of the clans’ arrival. “Would you like me to leave you alone for a while?”
He reached up, latched onto my hand, and pulled me down onto his lap. “Aye, lass. It’s no that I doona want ye here. But there’s no need for ye to stay up so late worrying with me. I’m sure they were only delayed and will arrive sometime during the night. Go on up to bed, lass, and I’ll join ye once both clans have been settled around the castle. It will calm me to know that ye are soundly asleep.”
