Page 41 of A Bridge Through Time
They excused themselves from the table and followed Ashley upstairs to her chambers where she rummaged through the backpack to find the remaining aspirin. She offered two to each man, along with the pitcher of water from beside the bed.
“You need to wash them down with this. Hopefully it’ll make a difference soon. You must have had a lot to drink last night,” she commented mildly.
“Aye. I’m sorry I disappeared on ye like that. It was nae my intention to do so,” Cailin apologized.
“No worries. It was probably for the best.” Ashley made a show of fixing the bedding and straightening the pillows to hide her embarrassment.
***
Cailin glanced up at Ashley’s cryptic comment, not certain of her meaning. Despite the pain of his pounding head, he was certain there’d been a shift in her disposition since last night.
Cormac must have noticed it too and he spoke up, sounding sheepish. “’Twas my fault, Ashley. Gavin and I thought it would be like old times. Just the three of us, enjoying a drink together, ye ken?”
“It’s really not a problem, Cormac. I firmly believe everything happens for a reason, and it was good that the three of you enjoyed yourselves.”
Cailin looked at Cormac in disbelief. Most women they knew would have been furious at being left to fend for themselves, while their men were off with their friends drinking until the wee hours.
“We should get back downstairs,” Ashley announced quietly. Confused, Cailin followed sheepishly in her wake as she left her chambers. Cormac fell in behind him.
Two fast moving blurs of red hair sailed past them and down the hallway as they approached the stairs.
“Ranald, Rowan, wait for yer Ma!” Lena said breathlessly, as she reached the landing, where Ashley stood to one side to let her pass. “Ah, Ashley, I wonder if I might have a word with ye privately,” Lena gasped, pressing a hand to her chest.
“Of course,” Ashley replied.
“I’m going to attempt getting the boys down to sleep, and then I’d like to do the same fer an hour or two. I’ll look for ye a wee bit later, if that would be suitable.”
Ashley shrugged. “Sure. I’ll be around.”
The sound of multiple doors slamming further down the hallway drew Lena’s attention, and with a roll of her eyes, she resumed chasing after the boys.
Cailin chuckled along with Cormac, as they watched Lena depart. “They remind me of the two of us at that age,” Cailin admitted.
“Ma was always chasing after us, wasn’t she?” Cormac was grinning from ear to ear, obviously remembering what little imps they had been.
***
Ashley started down the stairs, thinking the two men must have been adorable and surely given their parents a run for their money when they were children. Her feet hit the last step and she was off, determined not to put herself in close proximity to the man who took her breath away, made her pulse quicken, gave her butterflies and generally turned her brain to mush.
“Ashley!” Cailin called after her.
“I’m going to check if Irene needs any help. I’ll see you later.” She didn’t look back. She knew doing so would be a mistake.
TWENTY-FOUR
Irene was pleased when Ashley spent the better part of the day with her, glad of the company. They sat by the fire and did some needlework to pass the time, while their visitors slept. As the noon hour approached, Irene brought up the topic of Ashley’s staying with them.
“Ashley, it has been such a pleasure having ye here with us, even though it’s only been for a few short days. I hope ye’ll think about staying for a good while longer.”
“That’s kind of you to say, Irene, but I really need to get home.”
“That may take a while yet, what with the risks of travelling with Sir Richard about,” Irene said. “I’ve enjoyed yer company, Ashley. I never had a sister, but if I did, I imagine she might have been much like ye.”
Ashley reached over and touched Irene’s hand. “Aww…that’s so sweet. I feel the same way.”
“See, we are sisters in spirit. I hope ye’ll give it some thought. I know I’m not the only one who would miss ye, if ye left us.”
***
