Page 69 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“’Tis naught for ye to be concerned with. I’ve seen many a lady in this castle as naked as the day they were born.” Helene giggled as she assisted Jenna into the nightdress. “There, ye’ll be nice and warm now that the fire is blazing and ye have many beautiful furs to cover ye while ye sleep.”
“Thank you, Helene. It was very kind of you to help me.”
“As I said, ‘tis what I do. Good night.” Helene headed out through the door, closing it behind her.
Before climbing into bed, Jenna stood in front of the fire for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth and the flickering and crackling of the flames. She felt completely and totally alone. Jenna stretched and yawned as she got under the covers. This was a luxury she didn’t have at home. The furs were incredibly soft and would definitely keep her warm during the night. Lying in bed, she thought about Cormac. She wished she hadn’t been such aprickly thistle,as he liked to call her. She’d have to sleep alone because of her moodiness, and having his warmth and comfort would have made it easier to fall asleep, but she had been her own worst enemy once again and completely shut him out.One of these days, Jenna, you’re going to figure it out.Ashley’s mother used to tell Jenna regularly that ‘You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.’ Jenna had been nothing but vinegar today and Cormac had been nothing but a gentleman.You are such an idiot,she thought to herself.One of these times, he’s not going to forgive you.She snuggled down deeper into the furs and yawned again. She was exhausted. Maybe things would seem better tomorrow.
“Jenna…” a voice called out to her in the darkness.
“Who’s there?” Jenna searched the dark corners of the room, trying to locate the source of the voice.
“Jenna, it’s me… Edna.”
Jenna sat up in bed. “Edna? Where are you? I can’t see you.”
“No. You cannae see me, because I’m not there in Breaghacraig.”
“What do you want?” Jenna asked suspiciously.
“I want ye to know that I’m aware it was not yer choice to go to Breaghacraig. But ye have to understand, it was nae Cormac who brought ye. He was prepared to leave without ye, but I couldn’t let that happen. I knew ye’d eventually go to him and when ye did… well, that’s when the magick happened.”
“But, he held onto me! He wouldn’t let me go.”
“And it’s a good thing he did. Ye might have ended up even further back in time and all alone. Ye should be grateful to him, for saving ye from that fate.”
Jenna crossed her arms furiously. “How dare you! You knew I didn’t want to go with him and yet you forced me to! Edna, you should be really happy that you’re not standing in front of me right now.”
“I’m aware of that, my dear. Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?”
Jenna nodded, but wasn’t certain Edna could see her, so she spoke instead. “Okay, I guess. How do I get back home?”
“Well, for starters, ye are going to have to spend some time at Breaghacraig. Ye’ll get to know Cormac better, ye can visit with my dear sweet, Ashley, and ye can learn a little about life in sixteenth century Scotland. Cormac stayed in San Francisco for seven days and you will stay at Breaghacraig for seven days. I’ll contact ye again when it’s time to leave and Cormac will take ye to the bridge. From there, ye can go home, if that’s what ye decide.”
“Great! Torture me again. I guess it wasn’t bad enough the first time we had to say goodbye to each other.”
“Ye needed more time together and I’m a hopeless romantic. I think ye belong together. Seven days isnae verra long, but it will be long enough for ye to realize ye are exactly where ye need to be.”
“You’re crazy and manipulative. I am not staying here. Yeah, I’ll stay for the next seven days, but after that I’m going home and you can’t stop me.”
“Well, I think I could, but our agreement is seven days and seven days it will be. Tomorrow is day one. Make good use of yer time, Jenna. Take care now, my dear, and I’ll be in touch at the end of yer stay.”
Abruptly, all Jenna could hear was the crackling of the fire and any sign of Edna having been there disappeared. She was spooked by what had just happened, but she was not going to go wandering around the castle all alone, searching for Ashley. She’d talk to her about it tomorrow. Right now, she needed to sleep. This had been the weirdest two days of her life and it had taken a lot out of her.
Chapter 23
Alight tapping on the chamber door told Jenna she wasn’t completely alone. She had been awake for hours and though it was definitely morning, Jenna wasn’t sure what she should be doing. The room was freezing and she really didn’t want to get out of bed to get the fire burning again. Nothing but embers and ashes remained from the fire Helene had started the night before.
Another knock sounded, this time louder and Jenna realized that Helene must have returned to help her get dressed. “Come in,” she called.
The door opened and Cormac peeked his head inside. “Good morning,” he said quietly. “May I come in?”
“Sure.” She shivered and pulled the furs up more tightly around her chin. “The fire’s gone out and I was too cold to get up and start it again,” Jenna explained.
Cormac immediately went to the fireplace and started a fire with little effort. “There, that should warm the room quickly. Do ye need any help getting dressed?” he asked. “I’ll send for Helene.”
“No. Cormac I need to talk to you. Maybe you could help me get dressed while I tell you about what happened last night.”
Cormac looked a bit apprehensive. “Are ye sure ye want me to help ye?”
