Page 20 of A Bridge Through Time
"You'd do that for me?"
"Aye. I owe ye me life."
"Oh, thank you, thank you." Relief flooded through her and she sat back down to give him a hug.
Cailin wrapped her in his arms and breathed in the scent of her hair. He brushed his lips across the top of her head, just as Irene knocked on the door and peeked into the room. She tilted her head and with a raised eyebrow, gave her brother a disapproving look as he gently pushed Ashley up and out of his embrace.
"Come, Ashley, ‘tis time ye met the rest of the MacKenzie Clan."
Ashley stood up and gave Cailin a look of sheer desperation.
"I'd join ye if I could, lass, but Irene would have me head, if I dared to rise from me bed before she gave permission."
When she still didn't move, he said, "Ye'll be fine. Irene will see to ye, and me brother Cormac will be by yer side as well." He gave her an encouraging smile and she turned and left the room, with Irene leading the way.
FIFTEEN
Cailin thought about disobeying his sister's orders, but he knew better than to cross her. She was a gentle and kind woman to be sure, but not one ye wanted to rile. As he rested, he thought about the beautiful young woman he had brought home to Breaghacraig. Despite the fact that she was different from any woman he had ever known, Cailin found himself very attracted to her. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his thoughts since he had been ordered to stay abed. He didn’t know what to make of her being from the future, but it was true; she was certainly out of place here. He would talk to his sister about it, despite Ashley’s concerns. Irene would know how to handle the situation.
Whenever Cailin had suffered from woman troubles in the past, he had always sought Irene’s council. She gave him good advice and he usually followed it. He’d had his share of women over the years, but nothing had ever been serious and his more pressing concerns were usually avoiding an entanglement thatmight lead to marriage. Especially if the lass didn’t understand, that he wasn't offering marriage.
He wished he were downstairs, sitting next to Ashley as she met the rest of the clan. He could tell she was frightened to be without him, and while he enjoyed the thought that she needed him, he didn’t want her to be nervous. His brother, Cormac, would do his best to make her comfortable. Cailin scowled. That better be all he did. He hoped Cormac knew that Ashley was his woman. Cailin had known it from the moment he met her, and he would do everything he could, to convince her to stay at Breaghacraig with him. He didn’t want her to leave, of that he was sure.
***
Downstairs, Cormac met Irene and Ashley as they entered the great hall. There was a group of children waiting there for them, as well.
Irene introduced Ashley to her children. "This be wee Robert, Isobel, Fiona, and Brian."
"I'm very pleased to meet you." Ashley thought they were beautiful children and they seemed so well behaved. The oldest looked to be about nine years old and the youngest perhaps two.
"Have ye eaten?" Irene asked them.
"Aye, mother." They all chorused in unison.
"Ye've met our guest, now off to bed with ye. I'll be up later with your Da, to check on ye."
They all kissed their mother affectionately and dutifully marched up the stairs to their rooms.
"Lady Ashley, I'd be pleased to escort ye to yer seat.” Cormac gave her his arm and Ashley gratefully accepted it. As they walked towards the head table, Ashley made up her mind to try to relax and enjoy the experience. After all, how many peoplefrom her time could say they had experienced dinner in the sixteenth century? In her life in San Francisco, she had always loved the opportunity to put on a pretty gown for an event or party, and here she was, wearing the most beautiful gown she had ever seen. Heads turned as she walked by, some out of curiosity and some looked at her with appreciation for her beauty.
"Thank you, Cormac." She smiled up at him, as he held her chair out for her.
"‘Tis me pleasure, Lady Ashley."
Lady Ashley? Where did that come from? Just play along,she reminded herself. Cormac sat in the chair to her left and Irene sat on her right.
The room was filled with Highland warriors, each one seemingly taller and stronger than the next. There were women and older children here and there throughout the room, sitting amongst the men. She assumed they were the wives and families of these fearsome-looking warriors. Servants were busily moving among the tables, providing bowls of water for people to wash their hands. A bowl was placed in front of Ashley and she looked around to see what everyone else did with it. Following suit, she dipped her hands in and washed them. A cloth was presented to dry her hands, which she did. Handing the cloth back to the servant, she thanked him.
A very tall, very good-looking man entered the great hall. He had long dark brown hair, which fell past his broad shoulders. He was dressed very much like the other men in the room. He wore a plaid draped over his shoulder, fastened by a large gold brooch embedded with emerald stones in a Celtic design. The man strode towards Ashley and took her hand in his. "Ye must be Lady Ashley." He smiled warmly at her, with deep brown eyes and dimpled cheeks.Wow. They sure knew how to grow them in 16th century Scotland,Ashley mused.Every man she'dmet so far, with the exception of Thomas, had been stunningly handsome. She smiled back at this good-looking gentleman, as he continued with his introductions. "I be Robert MacKenzie, laird of our clan.”
"I'm pleased to meet you, Laird Robert."
He raised her hand to his lips. "Please, call me Robert. I hear we owe ye a debt of gratitude for saving our Cailin."
"Well, he saved me first, so I think we're even," she blushed.
"I thank ye, Lady Ashley."
