Chapter 6

E meric did his best to choose the easiest route out of the bog, trying to keep to the ground where Plover's hooves wouldn't sink too far under the weight of his unexpected passenger. It was hard going, not least because he kept being distracted by thoughts of that unexpected passenger.

What was Anna Webster doing here? It made no sense. Only a few hours ago he'd been riding home, enjoying the peace and solitude. Then, with the force of a thunderclap, everything had been turned on its head. Firstly, he'd had a confusing conversation with Irene MacAskill and then he'd rescued a twenty-first century woman from a bog.

And not just any woman either, but Anna Webster, a woman who had haunted his dreams for the past several weeks, ever since he'd met her in the future when he'd attended his sword-brother, Oskar's, wedding.

He glanced over at Anna. Even through the mud and grime, she was as beautiful as he remembered. Deliciously curvy, with bright, intelligent eyes. They'd spent only one evening together, but that brief interaction had left a lasting impression. She was outgoing, brash and unashamedly flirtatious, more full of life than any woman he'd ever met. Oh aye, she'd left an impression on him all right .

But what was she doing here? And, more to the point, how had she gotten here?

Ye think ye can keep these hearts separate, live two lives in one. But ye canna. One will come who will show ye that.

Could Anna be the ‘one' Irene had been referring to? Surely not. This had to be coincidence. Right?

He glanced at her again. She was clinging tightly to the saddle horn, looking around with interest as they moved. Her gaze seemed to miss nothing, taking in the details of the terrain and storing it away. She didn't seem afraid. In fact, she hadn't seemed afraid at all, even when stuck in that bog. She'd seemed more annoyed than anything, as if outraged that it had dared get in her way.

She looked at him suddenly. "What?" she asked, examining herself. "What is it? I haven't gotten something in my hair have I?"

She had, actually. Bits of mud, twigs, and leaves, but it did nothing to detract from her attractiveness. In fact, it enhanced it.

"Well, let's just say a bath might be in order when we get to Dun Achmore."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you offering to scrub my back?"

"That's not what I meant! I meant...I meant..." Damn it! He should have remembered how she managed to tie his tongue in knots!

She gave a wicked little laugh. "Oh, relax. I know what you meant. And quite honestly, I'd sell one of my kidneys for a hot bath right now."

"I'm sure nothing quite so drastic will be required."

The marshland gradually receded behind them as he led Plover through the steadily worsening rain and up a gentle slope to higher ground. The damp earth gave way to rich moorland blanketed in a quilt of green and purple heather and finally they came in sight of their destination.

"There it is," Emeric said, raising a finger and pointing. "Dun Achmore."

It was almost dark and torches were being lit in the windows of the castle. The keep's towers were silhouetted against the last of the light in the west, and despite the obscuring rain, it was still an awesome sight. He felt a twinge inside.

Home.

"Wow," Anna whispered. "It's even more impressive close up. Your family must be rich."

Emeric looked at her quizzically. "Rich? Hardly. What would make ye say that?"

Anna gestured at the keep. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Who lives in a castle these days? Only royalty or very rich people. Unless you've turned it into a hotel? Is that what you've done? Or a wedding venue. A lot of castles up here have been converted, haven't they?"

Emeric stared at her. What was she talking about?

"Did I say something wrong?" Anna asked, seeing his expression. "What's the problem with converting old castles into hotels or wedding venues? Better than letting them fall to bits isn't it? There's this old house in Glasgow that someone wanted to develop into a community center. They got turned down because of its ‘historical significance' and now its crumbling to nothing. Total waste, if you ask me." She cocked her head as he continued to stare at her and cleared her throat. "Not that I'm saying your castle is like that, of course. I'm no expert on castles, but from what I can see it looks like a very lovely castle. No crumbling, I'm sure. Am I rambling? I'm rambling aren't I?"

Emeric gave a soft laugh. "Ah, Anna, it's good to see ye."

"It is?" She broke into a beaming smile that did strange things to Emeric's insides.

It was true. It was good to see her. The weeks that had passed since he'd met her at the wedding had not dimmed his attraction to her. In fact, the time had only enhanced it. When he'd met her the first time, she'd been like a force of nature and now, meeting her here, under these circumstances, only heightened that impression. Which raised the obvious question. Despite promising they'd sort all this out in the morning, he couldn't help asking.

"Anna," he said, meeting her gaze. "I still dinna understand how ye got here. I didnae realize anyone outside of the Order of the Osprey had access to time travel."

"Eh? What are you talking about? I drove, of course, like I told you. My car was low on fuel so I stopped at a farmhouse to ask directions and beg a phone charger. Then I spotted the castle. To be honest, I really should have made sure my phone was fully charged and the car was filled up but I kind of... forgot. Still, it all worked out in the end, didn't it? I mean, I would have preferred not to end up in that bog, but all's well that ends well, right? Oh. I'm rambling again aren't I? "

Emeric said nothing. He hadn't understood much of what she'd just told him but her words had sparked a dark suspicion. Carefully, he said, "Lass, what century is this?"

She scrunched up her nose and scowled at him. "What is this? National poke-fun-at-Anna day? Okay, I know I've done some stupid things today but I didn't whack my head in that bog you know? It's the twenty-first century!"

A sensation of cold dread washed over Emeric as he cast his gaze away from her, staring instead at the looming outline of Dun Achmore.

Oh no .

"No," he replied, his voice hoarse. "It isnae the twenty-first century. It's... it's the fifteenth."

Anna burst into laughter. "Oh, you're a funny man, Emeric. You nearly had me there." She shook her head, her laughter tapering off into soft chuckles. "Really, you should take up acting."

"This is no jest, lass."

She snorted. "Right, and I suppose next you'll tell me it's 1492 and Christopher Columbus is about to discover America."

"Actually, it's 1497."

Her eyes flicked over his plaid, his horse, his bow and quiver strapped to the saddle. He could see her thoughts churning, piecing it all together. She gave a tremulous little laugh.

"1497, huh? Yeah, sure...and the earth is flat too, I suppose? "

Emeric sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He felt an odd mix of relief that she didn't outright panic and frustration that she didn't believe him.

He understood her skepticism, though. He'd known that the Order of the Osprey was somehow tangled up in time travel but he'd never quite believed it until he'd traveled through time himself, to the future to attend Oskar and Lily's wedding.

"I know it's difficult to believe, but it's the truth."

"All right," she said, her tone placating, as though she were speaking to a child with an overactive imagination. "Let's pretend I believe you. So you're telling me I've traveled back in time like in those sci-fi flicks?"

"I dinna know what a sci-fi flick is, but aye, ye have traveled back in time."

Anna regarded him shrewdly. "And let me guess," she countered, tapping her lip in thought. "You're the lord of this ‘castle' and I'm to be your lady fair." She swept out her arm for added dramatic effect.

"No," he said. "I'm not the lord of the castle." He huffed out a breath in frustration. This was getting them nowhere. It was almost dark and arguing about it in the rain was not helping matters. "Look, let's just get to the keep. We'll talk about this when we're dry."

"Good idea," Anna agreed. She swept her arms out in a grand gesture. "Prithee, lead on then, my lord," she said in a ridiculous approximation of his accent.

He sighed. Taking hold of the reins, he clucked to Plover and they set out towards the lights beckoning in the distance.

ANNA CLUNG TO THE SADDLE , trying her best not to fall off. She must be a comical sight. Here she was, plastered in mud, bits of god-knows-what sticking out of her hair, clinging onto the saddle like a limpet, whilst being led by a man who looked like he belonged in some medieval saga.

Yes, it must be comical all right, but Anna wasn't laughing.

She might have shrugged off Emeric's tales of time travel with her usual light-hearted banter, but she wasn't so much of an idiot that she could kid herself so easily. Her stomach was tight with unease, and despite Emeric's reassuring presence, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking into something she didn't understand.

This whole thing had felt off since the moment she'd pulled up at that ruined farmhouse. But time travel? No, that was just insane.

She shifted in the saddle, trying to ease her cramping muscles. The horse snorted in protest, and Emeric looked up at her.

"Everything all right, lass?"

"Fine," she murmured, wriggling around a little. "Except my backside has gone so numb I can't feel it anymore."

They journeyed on and the rhythm of the horse's hoofbeats echoed through the rain, a steady pulse that was strangely soothing. Anna felt her eyelids drooping. She was tired. So tired .

Eventually, the soft thump of the damp ground was replaced by a hard ‘clip clop' as if they were traveling over a paved road. The air turned crisper, its chill seeping through the fibers of Anna's damp clothing and numbing her skin. She shivered, shrinking into herself for warmth.

She began to drowse, and only dimly registered that they were passing through an echoing tunnel and coming out into a wide area that echoed with the clip of the horse's hooves. It wasn't until they came to a halt that Anna raised her head and blinked, looking around groggily. They were in a square courtyard surrounded on all sides by high walls. Some of those walls had windows in them and she could see light burning inside.

"We're here?" she murmured.

"Aye, lass," Emeric said. "Welcome to Dun Achmore."

In the darkness, she couldn't make out much of the place beyond the high walls and the silhouettes of towers reaching into the sky. She couldn't see the car park or any signs saying which way reception lay, but she was sure Emeric would know his way around.

A warm bed and sleep beckoned her. Now all she had to do was get off this damned horse. She leaned forward and managed to swing her leg over the horse's back and groaned as she slid ungracefully to the ground. Her entire body ached with stiffness and was not helped by the numbing chill that bit through her clothing.

"This way, lass."

Emeric flipped the reins over a post by the wall, then took Anna's elbow and steered her across the courtyard to a set of doors. They were high and wide, made of solid oak, and looked to have seen better days. They also stood forbiddingly closed.

Wordlessly, Emeric pulled out a thong from around his neck that carried an iron key, old and heavy. There was something comfortingly solid about it as he applied it to the old door lock. With a turn and a push that challenged his strength, the doors creaked open with a groan that echoed around the courtyard.

Anna found herself being led into a shadowy hallway. A single candle burning in a sconce gave the only light.

A candle? she thought dimly. Have they had a power cut?

Before she could think about this further, something caught her eye, a flame bobbing towards them out of the gloom. As it drew closer, the flame resolved itself into another candle—this time in a holder clasped in the hand of a middle-aged woman who emerged out of the shadows.

She wore a long dress of deep burgundy, her graying hair pinned up in a knot, and her green eyes held an eerie similarity to Emeric's. Her eyes flicked over Emeric, then Anna, then back to Emeric.

"Ye are late," she stated flatly, her voice ringing with authority and warmth in equal measure.

Emeric broke into a boyish grin. He strode over to the woman and enveloped her in a warm hug. "Mother," he greeted. "Ye didnae have to wait up for me."

"Of course I did!" she replied, pushing him to arm's length and looking him over critically. "My only son coming home after Heaven-knows-how long and I'm supposed to just go to bed when he's late getting here? Dinna ye know how much I worry about ye? "

"Mother," Emeric said, raising his eyebrow. "I'm not ten years old anymore."

"What has that got to do with it? Why are ye so late, anyway? Ye should have been here hours ago!"

"The journey was more...eventful than I anticipated." He turned to Anna. "Mother, this is Anna Webster. She ran afoul of the bog along the eastern border. I said she could stay for the night."

Anna gave a sheepish smile. "Hi. Nice to meet you. Um. Sorry about all this."

"Sorry?" Emeric's mother said, sweeping over. "There's naught to be sorry for, my dear. Those swamps can catch out even the most experienced of travelers. Of course ye shall stay here tonight, and for as long as ye need to. I'll have someone show ye to a guest room and have hot water brought right away."

"Thank you," Anna managed to choke out. "I appreciate it, Mrs. Mackintosh."

"Pah! It's naught. And call me Hildie." She turned and shouted, and a moment later, a yawning young woman dressed in a rough-spun brown dress came down the corridor, knuckling her eyes.

"Aye, mistress?"

"Show our guest to one of the best rooms and see she has fresh clothing and hot water to wash with, Maisie."

The young woman nodded. "If ye would come with me, miss?"

Anna glanced at Emeric.

"Maisie will take good care of ye," he said. "We'll talk in the morning. "

Anna nodded. In the morning. That sounded good. She could sort everything out then. Right now, all she wanted was sleep.

She smiled at Maisie and followed the girl down the hallway. Maisie led her up a winding staircase that corkscrewed through the heart of the building. The narrow path was lit by flickering torches set into the wall, casting shadows that danced like ghostly specters. Reaching the top, Maisie ushered her through a heavy wooden door into a comfortably appointed bedroom.

A large four-poster bed took center stage, draped with heavy, velvet curtains of deepest blue. The sheets were of the finest linen, looking as soft as clouds and just as inviting.

Now this was more like it. If Emeric's family hadn't turned this place into a hotel yet, then perhaps they should if this was an example of what they could offer. Tourists would snap their hands off to stay in a place like this.

"There are night clothes in the chest, miss," Maisie said. "I'll be back shortly with some hot water."

She left, leaving Anna alone. She wanted nothing more than to sink into the sheets and sleep for a week, but she was still covered in mud and it had stiffened in the cold night air, becoming hard and uncomfortable.

Gingerly, she began stripping out of her sodden clothes, placing them in as neat a pile as she could manage so they didn't get mud all over the floor. The door opened as Maisie returned. The young woman was carrying a large pottery jug with steam coming out of the top. She crossed to a bowl on a dresser in the corner of the room and poured the water into the bowl, putting two large folded cloths next to it .

"Would ye like me to help ye bathe?" she asked.

"What? Er...no, I'll do just fine," Anna replied. "Um. Thank you, by the way. You've been very kind."

Maisie smiled. "Ye are most welcome, miss. Well, if there is naught else I can help ye with, I will leave ye. Sleep well, miss."

"Oh, I intend to."

Maisie smiled and let herself out. The door closed behind her with a click that sounded oddly final.

Anna crossed to the bowl. The water was steaming hot but there was a second jug full of cold water so she poured in some of this until the temperature was just about perfect, then dunked a cloth in and began eagerly wiping the mud and grime from her body. She would have preferred a shower of course—or even better, a nice long bath—but it was very late and she didn't want to go looking for the bathroom. This would serve until morning.

Finally, she leaned over the bowl and used the jug to pour water over her hair, doing what she could to wash out the detritus that had taken up residence in it. When she was finished, the water was so dirty it looked like chocolate milkshake and had twigs and bits of leaves floating in it, but Anna was clean for the first time in hours.

It felt amazing. Leaving the dirty water in the basin as she had no way to get rid of it, she crossed to the large wooden chest in the corner. Inside, she found a nightgown along with some other folded clothes. She curled her lip at the nightdress. It was the kind of thing her grandma would wear! It was made of white linen, long enough to fall to her ankles and arms that reached all the way to her wrists. Still, she was beyond caring. Pulling it over her head, Anna blew out the candle Maisie had left—there seemed to be no light switches that Anna could see—climbed into bed, pulled the soft covers over her head, and closed her eyes.

She was asleep in seconds.