Page 67 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“I haven’t properly welcomed you back, Cormac,” Ashley said, hugging Cormac and planting a kiss on his cheek. “I missed you. Shame on you, for not telling us where you werereallygoing.”
“I wasreallygoing to go to Edinburgh to search for a wife, but Edna called to me and told me she knew the perfect lass for me.” He looked lovingly at Jenna, who deliberately turned away. He sighed heavily. “So, I made a detour and went where Edna directed me. She sent me to San Francisco and when I arrived, Jenna was the first person I saw.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about it at dinner,” Ashley smiled. “I want to know what you did, where you went… everything.”
“I will share it all with ye. I promise.” He offered Jenna his arm, but she walked right past him and into the massive dining room. Cormac rolled his eyes skyward, seeking divine intervention, but when none was forthcoming, he offered his arm to Ashley instead, and she walked with him towards the table.
“Where’s Cailin?” Ashley asked.
“He’ll be here shortly. He’s still upstairs.” Cormac guided Ashley to her seat and pulled out a chair for Jenna. He sat sandwiched between the two women. He was initially going to let Jenna sit next to Ashley, but he suspected he’d have a better chance of speaking with her if he didn’t. Watching her now, he wasn’t so sure his seating arrangement was going to work to his advantage because Jenna was deliberately avoiding looking in his direction.
Cailin joined them and sat on the opposite side of Ashley. He kissed her gently on the cheek as he sat down and held her hand as they waited for the food to arrive.
Cormac leaned in towards Jenna. “I’ll explain everything to you, don’t worry.”
“I know how to eat, Cormac. I really don’t think there’s anything you need to talk to me about,” she replied curtly.
For about the millionth time since he’d met this woman, Cormac questioned Edna’s choice and his own sanity. He wasn’t sure he wanted to spend his life with such an ill-tempered woman. He tried to remember those moments when she had been the total opposite. When she had been sweet and caring, but he had to question where that woman had gone. He caught a glimpse of Jenna out of the corner of his eye and realized that she must be feeling completely lost. He felt much the same way when he’d been in San Francisco. He knew he needed to be more understanding of her predicament. He would continue to try to contact Edna and when he did, he would take Jenna back to the bridge so she could return home. He didn’t want her to stay in Breaghacraig unless it was her own choice and at this stage that didn’t seem a likely outcome.
Food was placed on the table in front of them. It was really quite a feast. Cormac was starved and he was sure Jenna probably was, as well. They hadn’t had a decent meal since they left San Francisco. Everyone helped themselves, but Jenna sat stiffly, watching everyone else and eyeing the food suspiciously.
“Jenna, please, allow me to help ye,” Cormac said quietly. She didn’t respond and he took that as his answer. He picked up a platter of food and started placing various items on her plate. When he was done, he filled his own plate.
“Jenna, don’t worry, it’s not going to bite you,” Ashley laughed. “Just pretend you’re at some new restaurant in the city. Everyone’s been raving about it and you can’t wait to try it.”
Jenna glanced her way and made a face that had Ashley giggling. Cormac watched as Jenna took her first bite and then another.She’ll be fine,he thought to himself.
“Cormac, would you mind if we switched seats?” Ashley asked. “I’d like to speak with Jenna. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
“Of course,” Cormac was actually relieved to trade places. The icy way in which Jenna was ignoring him had left him looking for any excuse to get away from her. He moved Ashley’s plate and helped her into her new seat, before taking his own.
“So, brother, tell me all about yer adventure,” Cailin sounded excited to hear Cormac’s tale.
“’Twas amazing,” Cormac answered. “Everything about it was beyond belief. It is a world filled with magick.” Cormac had the attention of everyone at the table, with the exception of Ashley and Jenna. “Cailin, you’ve been there. You understand what I mean.”
“Aye. I do, brother. Did ye enjoy the food? What did ye eat?”
“The food was so different. Many fruits and vegetables that we do not have here. I had coffee, pizza, pasta and many other things I’d never heard of. Cailin was nodding his head and smiling at this announcement, obviously recalling his own adventure.
He settled in to telling his family all about the journey. They were full of questions and he answered every single one. Glancing towards Jenna, he noticed that she and Ashley were deep in conversation and he was happy to see Jenna looking more relaxed. He remembered what Dylan had told him and he hoped he was right. Mayhap by the morning, she would no longer be angry with him.
Chapter 22
The hall was a very lively place. Everyone was talking, eating, and generally having a good time. Jenna had been grateful to Cormac for switching seats with Ashley. She and her friend had a lot to catch up on and talking to Ashley was making her feel better. She could hear Cailin and Cormac trying to one up each other on the things they’d seen and done in the twenty-first century.
“So, does everyone here know about time travel?” Jenna wondered aloud.
“Not everyone, but the immediate family and a few others. We try to keep it to ourselves. It might cause problems if the wrong people knew,” Ashley explained quietly.
“Who are the few others? I don’t want to make any mistakes while I’m here. You know, say the wrong thing to the wrong person.”
“Sure. Well, Helene, she’s my ladies’ maid and her man, Dougall, they both know. You don’t have to worry about saying anything in front of them. That’s Helene and Dougall over there. Helene is the pretty blonde and Dougall is the handsome highlander sitting beside her.” She pointed in their direction and when Jenna looked across the room, she saw Helene waving and smiling at them. “Some of the men know, but not all of them. Those who do have been sworn to secrecy, but to be on the safe side you should just avoid speaking about it with anyone other than the family, or Helene and Dougall.”
“And they’re really okay with it? I just can’t imagine. I was a total nonbeliever when Cormac told me. I thought he was nuts.”
“I can imagine. What did Dylan think?”
“He believed Cormac right from the start, but then Dylan is a bit of a sci-fi geek and it was like a dream come true for him. I wasn’t on board until I found myself on my way to Breaghacraig.”
