Page 17 of Here in Your Arms
Emmy jumped up, rushing toward Rose. “No. Jesus, no! No, not at all,” she assured her, taking her hand, rubbing the back of it. “No, Rose. Nothing like that. It’s just...oh, shit—there’s just so much superstition here in this time. It’s not something that can be overlooked,” she continued, looking genuinely distressed herself now. “You don’t understand. People herebelievein signs, in omens, in fate. If you so much as say the wrong thing at the wrong time, someone will start whispering about curses. Some believe that the deadcanreturn—not as ghosts, but in flesh.”
A cold chill passed through Rose that had nothing to do with the draft in the stone chamber.
“That’s ridiculous,” she whispered.
Emmy tilted her head at Rose. “Is it, though? Is it as ridiculous as time-travel?” She challenged.
Rose gasped again, but this time with some accusation, for Emmy throwing that in there.
“Fine, it’s ridiculous,” Emmy conceded. “To us.But to them?” She sighed. “Rose, I know how crazy this all sounds. But I’m telling you now—Brody won’t rest until we go to Druimlach and get answers.”
Rose opened her mouth, then closed it while that slow, uneasy sensation that had started creeping over her a moment ago turned into full-blown dread.
Emmy let out a sharp breath. “For the record, I think it’s a bad idea as well. At the very least, it’s too soon. Christ, let the man grieve. But I do agree with Brody in that it can’t be ignored. Rose, Brody is not a fanciful person, he’s not dramatic, doesn’t go looking for trouble, or to make something out of nothing, but I’m telling you, hebelievesthis is important.”
Rose swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. “But why? What does he expect to happen? What, exactly, are we supposed to find at Druimlach?”
Emmy hesitated before answering. “I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice quieter now. “But I know Brody, and I know that look in his eyes when he’s certain about something. He’s convinced that you’re the key to...something.Whether it’s a warning, an omen, or just an impossible coincidence, he doesn’t think this can be ignored.”
Rose rubbed her temples. “This is insane,” she muttered. “I mean, Iknowthis is insane, and yet....”
Andyet, here she stood, listening to a beautiful woman from 2019 warn her about omens and ghosts and superstitious men who thought she was some long-dead bride returned, whilst standing in the middle of the fourteenth century. Rose exhaled sharply and met Emmy’s gaze. “And if I refuse?”
Emmy didn’t hesitate. “Then we deal with that. Ultimately, it’syourchoice, Rose. But Brody’s right about one thing—thisisn’t going to go away. Not for you or for us if...if there is something to it.”
Rose inhaled sharply and dragged her hands through her hair. “Shit.”
“Rose,” Emmy prodded gently, “wouldn’t you rather have answers than not?”
Rose did not hesitate. “No,” she said firmly. And then she dropped her head, jamming her fingers into the flesh between her eyebrows. “Fine, yes. I would rather have answers.”
First time travel. Now reincarnation theories. What the hell had she fallen into?
For the first time since arriving, frustration—stronger now than fear—took hold of her.
What? She was supposedly some dead woman brought back to life?
What next?
Chapter Five
The journey to Druimlach was cold, the kind of sharp, biting chill that seeped into Rose’s bones no matter how tightly she pulled her borrowed cloak around her. The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction, rolling hills fading into thick patches of forest, the earth damp with the lingering grip of winter despite the rain of the last two days. She had spent months in Scotland before all of this—before the impossible had happened—but she had barely seen anything of the country beyond the university, the archives, and the occasional sightseeing trip to castles and historic landmarks. Now, here she was, not in 1978 but in 1304, and seeing Scotland in its truest, wildest form. No modern roads. No streetlights. Just endless land stretching before her, untamed and breathtaking.
She didn’t know what to think or expect of this visit to someplace called Druimlach, but she was nervous all the same. Truthfully, however, she might have been filled with more dread if not for Emmy’s company.
Emmy chattered almost non-stop—pointedly, purposefully, Rose was sure—about everything but their destination and what they might expect to encounter. And honestly, it was fine. At this point, Rose was sick and tired of being anxious.
At one point, Brody sidled up next to Emmy and Rose on the sleek black mare.
“Go on,” Emmy said with mock severity to her husband, striking a rigid pose. “Rose is not talking to you at the moment—you are persona non grata for dragging her out into the cold for...for whatever this is going to be.”
Brody actually grinned at this, a rare expression that softened the harshness of his features.
It was fleeting, but Rose caught sight of it.
“Ye’ve a sharp tongue, wife,” Brody remarked, his tone dry, but there was no heat behind it.
Emmy smirked, dropping the stern façade. “It’s why you love me.”
