Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

M ary was excited to be back in her real body, even if it was only going to last throughout the daylight hours. It was enough for now. The wagon rocked and she looked up to see Hamish climbing into the back with her. She looked at him curiously.

"I thought I might join you for the ride back, do you mind, lass?" he said hesitantly.

"No, I don't mind." She slid over on the seat so that he had room to join her on the bench.

Hamish sat down next to her, his large body taking up more than half of the bench and his leg pressed close to hers. It sent a little thrill through her at the feeling. She smiled up at him.

"I thought we might continue our conversation from last night. I'd like to hear a bit more about your life in Brooklyn."

"What do you want to know?" Mary asked as heat climbed her neck to her cheeks.

"Tell me more about the world you came from, what was it like?"

"Hmmm, can I? I mean is that going to cause some kind of Butterfly Effect?" she asked, looking over at Ivy as Leith set the wagon into motion with a flick of the reins.

Ivy grinned. She was riding next to the wagon on her own horse again. "We have no idea if the world we left is the same as this one, for all we know this is a parallel universe. However, we have also figured if we're here, then anything we do or say with the knowledge we have, was meant to happen."

"Hmmm, so it's safe to talk about, you think?" Mary glanced between Hamish and Ivy.

"Maybe not with everyone, but with Hamish and those here with us now, yes. I wouldn't if there were villagers around, they may think you a witch and want you hung. I'm not sure why they are so anti-witch when there are much scarier and more evil things around that could actually harm them. All the witches I've met have been believers in the three-fold rule so they stick to the light side."

Hamish looked at Ivy curiously. "What is the three-fold rule?"

"Oh, it means whatever they put out into the world, can come back on them, but three times as strong."

Hamish nodded, his expression thoughtful. He turned to Mary and said, "I do agree with Ivy. I wouldn't discuss any of your former life with the villagers, and probably not many of the servants at the Keep either. There are many who are aware of the fact you all are from another time and place, but not all. Best to error on the side of caution, lass."

Mary had no desire to discuss her past with anyone except Hamish and a few others anyway, so she didn't mind. "I understand. I won't."

"Now, tell me about these conveyances the people of your time ride. I believe I've heard them called carts?"

"Carts?" Mary looked at Ivy and then she realized what he meant. "Oh, you mean cars."

"Aye, those. Did you have one?"

"Yes, actually, I did. It wasn't fancy or anything, just a little Toyota Camry. It was blue and drove pretty good."

Hamish arched a brow. "That doesn't tell me anything, lass."

Mary giggled. "Oh, I suppose it doesn't. Hmmm, okay so the car is made of metal, has two cushioned seats in the front where the driver and a passenger can sit, and a long bench like cushioned seat in the back for another two passengers, three if one is a child. All cars in our time have an engine, um… a machine with gears and things to make it move. We put a liquid we call gasoline into it and that makes the machine work."

"But is it as fast as a horse?"

"My car was a four cylinder engine, and it had the power of like a hundred and fifty horses, if I remember correctly."

"A hundred and fifty!" Hamish exclaimed in wonder.

"Impossible," Leith said from the front of the wagon. "No one could control a hundred and fifty horses at once."

"In a car, you can, though they aren't the safest. When there is an accident, sometimes people get very hurt or die because the speed at which they can travel is just crazy."

"How fast do they travel then?" Leith asked.

"Let me think…" Mary contemplated as she tried to think of a way to explain it. "All right, well for example, Loch Ness is somewhat near Inverness, yes?"

"Aye, I suppose you could say it is the largest market town near us. It's about a half day's ride from here."

"Right, so that's about a hundred miles. In a car, that would take roughly about two hours."

"How do you know that?" Ivy asked, curiously.

Mary blushed. "I like history. I'm always reading up on various places and things. About a year ago, I was interested in the history of Mary Queen of Scots, so I got to reading about her, saw she'd visited Inverness and—" Mary stopped, her eyes widening. "Is Mary Queen of Scots the queen right now?"

Hamish shook his head, a look of disgust on his face. "No. Mary is currently being held at Fotheringhay Castle, in Northamptonshire by Queen Elizabeth."

"Ah, I see." Mary nodded.

"Why were you interested in her?" Hamish asked, curiously.

"Well, I had her confused with Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth's older sister, but then when I started looking, I saw they were cousins. She lived an interesting life for such a short period of time. Broken engagements, three marriages, a murdered husband, a notorious marriage three months after his death… it was very intriguing to read about."

"Sordid is what it is. The nobles had no choice but to call for her to abdicate the throne in favor of James. Of course, he is still just a child. The Earl of Morton is acting Regent until he comes of age," Leith said as the wagon turned onto the land bridge leading to the Keep.

Mary looked up at the castle and smiled. To see it in the daylight was a truly magnificent thing. She couldn't believe that she was actually here, actually seeing the things that she had learned about in books. She hoped one day she'd be able to travel and see more.

"It's beautiful," she murmured.

Hamish looked at her and smile. "Indeed, very beautiful," he said, not taking his eyes from her.

Mary bit her lip and blushed again. She got the feeling he wasn't talking about the castle, but her. He reached out a hand and brushed a loose piece of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. The look in his eyes said he wished to do more, but with others around, she knew he wouldn't.

The wagon pulled through the gate. And Mary looked around in wonder at the courtyard which was busy with activity. Ivy rode up ahead, dismounted and was hugged by a man that Mary assumed was her husband. It made her smile.

"I was wondering if you would like to take a walk around the castle with me, lass, now that you are back to your normal self for a bit."

Mary looked and Hamish and saw the hopefulness in his gaze. It made butterflies gather in her stomach and she could help but feel excited by the prospect of some alone time with the handsome man. "I'd like that very much."

Leith directed the wagon toward the stables and when it stopped, Hamish climbed down and then turned to help her. As her feet touched the ground, he continued to hold her waist for a moment longer than necessary as he smiled at her.

"So your trip was a success?" a voice asked from behind Mary.

Mary spun around and noticed the Laird striding toward them. "Oh, um, hello?"

The Laird smiled. "Good morning, I take it you are Mary Cahill?"

"Yes, I am. I'm back in my true body, at least for now," she replied with a frown. She didn't want to lie to the Laird."

"The counterspell Maggie and the coven performed was not as successful as we hoped it would be. They only managed to break the spell in half."

The Laird narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

"It means that while the sun is up, I'm me. A normal human, no special powers or anything. But when the sun sets, I'll go back to goblin form with all that entails." Mary looked down, afraid of what she'd see on the Laird's face.

"Hmmm. Not what we hoped for when you set off, but better than it not working at all. Is there hope to break it completely?" he asked.

"If we can track down the goblin and get her to remove it, or kill her, Maggie said that could break it completely. Oh there is one other bit of good news. The spell won't progress and turn her completely goblin, she'll still be herself inside, when she's in that form." Hamish placed a gentle hand on her lower back in comfort.

Mary looked up at him, grateful for his support and comfort. "But I will still have to work to keep my emotions in check during the nighttime hours. During the day I don't have to worry about it though."

"I see." The Laird nodded. "Would you be opposed to us locking you in your room at night?"

Mary's shoulders drooped. "No. If that is what you need to do, I don't mind. I planned to stay in my room every night anyway. I don't want to scare anyone here. You've been very kind in letting me stay even though you weren't sure I was actually human. I do appreciate that."

"And Maggie and the coven are working to find another way to break the spell as well," Hamish added.

"That is good to hear. And I do thank you, Mary. As Laird, I have all of my people to care for and I cannot take chances. I hope you understand."

"I do. If I didn't have to look at myself in that form, I wouldn't want to either."

The Laird nodded. "I can't imagine it is a pleasant feeling being in that form. If there is anything you need prior to sunset, please, let us know. I am aware that you may need food in the middle of the night, being that the goblin tends to eat much more than humans. If you need additional food, we can make that happen."

"Thank you, Laird, I appreciate that."

He smiled. "Well, since you have a minimal amount of hours to enjoy the Keep, I will let you get to it. I'm sure Hamish here would be happy to escort you."

"Aye, we have already arranged to go for a walk." Hamish grinned.

"Then I shall let you get to it," the Laird said before turning and heading back to the steps of the castle.

Hamish shifted and offered Mary his arm. "Shall we?"

Mary took his arm, delighted that he was now treating her more like a prospective date. They began to traverse the courtyard as he pointed out various things. Everything was so interesting to her and she had many questions, which he answered with enthusiasm. After touring the courtyard, he led her inside the castle and showed her around the main floor.

Mary watched the cooks in the kitchen for a few minutes with amazement. It was like a well-choreographed dance as they all worked together to get the afternoon meal prepared. From there he showed her the dining hall, several of the various other rooms, including the Laird's office, not that they entered, just pointed out the door. Then they went upstairs and he showed her to the library, which was where numerous scholars busied themselves writing and researching about various Fae. She made a note to visit it again soon. From there she saw the floors where most of the main family had rooms, there were so many rooms as the family was quite large.

"Single men like me have rooms in the lower part of the castle. Married men either have rooms up here, or they live outside of the castle in the local village. If you continue taking the road past Maggie's for another ten to fifteen minutes, you'll enter the village. We'll have to visit it one day."

"I'd like that, Hamish."

"And I like you, Mary, lass."

Mary blushed. "Do you? Even though when we met I was a goblin and I still am at night?"

Hamish nodded. "I do. Once I could see beyond the goblin exterior, I began to notice you, your soul. You're a lovely woman, Mary," Hamish said as he pushed open the door to the roof of the castle.

"I'm glad you think so, because I think you are a very handsome man and I find myself quite attracted to you. I hope you don't think that too forward of me. I know things in this time aren't quite as advanced as they are in mine." Mary fretted. She wanted to kiss him, but she was afraid of scaring him off.

"Perhaps they aren't as far off as you think," he murmured as he turned her into his chest and brought a hand up to her cheek, caressing it. He watched her eyes, as though he was waiting for her to pull back, but when she didn't he gently placed his lips against hers.

Mary melted into him, her hands sliding up his chest as he pulled her even closer. His tongue stroked across her lips and she parted them. A moment later his tongue swept against hers and their kiss became even more passionate. His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her face at the perfect angle for him to devour her lips. And Mary couldn't get enough of him. She wanted this man. Every inch of him.

Someone cleared their throat nearby and Hamish broke the kiss. Mary secretly cursed them for ruining the moment, but when she saw it was Ivy, she smiled. "Uh, hi?" she murmured.

Ivy giggled. "I thought I'd invite you to sit with me for lunch and meet some of the other ladies from our time?"

"Oh, yes I'd like that, but…" she looked up at Hamish, "we were in the middle of?—"

"Yes, I saw what you were in the middle of," Ivy said with another giggle.

Hamish raised a hand and ran it through his hair, seemingly embarrassed at having been caught acting in such a way where anyone could see them. "Perhaps you should go with Lady Ivy and enjoy some lunch. I need to speak with the Captain of the Guard and get some sleep before tonight's patrol."

Mary felt a twinge of disappointment. "All right, will I see you before… before the sunsets?" she asked hesitantly.

"Aye, I will find you before sunset, if only to wish you goodnight."

"Okay then, bye for now," Mary said with a smile.

Hamish gave her a nod and then Ivy one before heading back through the door.

"Did you even get a look at the view from up here before you started making out with him?"

Mary felt her face heat. "No."

Ivy giggled. "We've got a minute, come look. You can see for miles from up here. It's amazing."

Mary followed her to the ledge of the roof and looked out over the Loch. "It's so beautiful here."

"It really is. I love it and can't imagine living anywhere else anymore."

"Did you like Chicago? Do you miss it?" she asked.

Ivy shrugged. "Sometimes. More that I miss some of the conveniences. Like running water and TV and real bathrooms and deep dish pizza. There are days I'd kill for a deep dish pizza. But you get used to not having those things here, and every day is like a new adventure, so it evens out."

"That's good to know."

"Ready to meet the others?"

Mary nodded. "As I'll ever be." Together they headed back in and down to the dining hall.

Mary met most of the women but couldn't really tell who was who or who each was married to. What surprised her was that all of them had come from various parts of the United States and had all left that life within the last couple of years, though Anna, who she knew was married to the Laird and had been the first to arrive, had been here for a number of years. Mary found that to be odd. Like time here moved faster than the time she'd left. It made her want to savor every single moment she could, but soon it was getting late and she knew the sun would be setting soon.

She fretted that Hamish wouldn't find her to say goodnight, but she worried for nothing. He strode into the dining hall just as she was rising to head up to her room with the extra bundle of food Blair had brought to her along with a bottle of wine.

"I see you have provisions for later." Hamish smiled and took the bottle from her. "Do you have a cup?"

Mary nodded. "Yes, it's bundled in this with the food. It's just some bread and meat and cheese. Oh and some of Blair's shortbread too."

"Then allow me to walk you up to your room?"

"I would like that." Mary turned and waved to Ivy and the others. "It was so nice meeting all of you and getting to talk with you. I hope we can do it again, sometime."

"Sleep well, Mary," Ivy called as she waggled her fingers at her.

As they walked up the stairs together, Hamish asked, "Do they know what's going on? Why you needed these provisions?"

"Not all of them. Ivy said that Anna knows, and one or two of the others, but that is all. I wish they didn't know. It's embarrassing enough as it is." Mary hung her head.

"Lass, there is nothing to be ashamed of. You've done nothing wrong. And everything will come right in the end." He opened her bedroom door, allowing her to enter first.

"Thank you, Hamish." She set the bundle down on her table.

Hamish placed the wine next to her bundle and took her in his arms. "I can't stay. Will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine," Mary answered, but her tone was filled with sadness as she struggled to keep the tears she felt building from bursting forth. She didn't want to cry in front of him again. Besides, she needed to start controlling her emotions as it was getting extremely close to sun set.

Hamish leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I'll come by in the morning and see you."

Mary nodded. "Thank you, Hamish, for everything."

"It is my pleasure, lass." He stroked her cheek and then turned for the door. "If you need anything, Shaw will be out here making sure no one disturbs you."

"Okay. I hate that you are down a man because of me," she whispered, becoming more depressed by each passing second.

"We will make do, lass, we often patrol with less men, someone is usually off for the night."

"But now they won't get a night off," Mary exclaimed.

"Perhaps not, but they will be fine. I must go."

"Take care, Hamish. Be safe." Mary felt her heart fill with worry for him, knowing what was out there in the night now.

"I will, lass. No need to worry your beautiful head about me." He smiled and then stepped through the door, closing it behind him.

Mary sat down on the bed as depression filled her. She wasn't at all tired, and yet, she could feel the goblin side of her begin to stir. She glanced toward the window and noticed the sun was beginning to set.

There was a knock at the door. "Lady Mary? It is Shaw. If you need anything, just call out to me. I'll be right by your door."

"Thank you, Shaw," Mary said, struggling to maintain her human voice now. "Will you lock the door?"

"Aye, I will take care of it, my lady. Sleep well."

Mary felt her body begin to tingle and quickly removed her dress, not wanting to ruin it in anyway. As soon as she had it off, her limbs began to transform and suddenly she was once again a goblin.