A Bridge Through Time: Book 1 of The Thistle & Hive Series (8 page)

“Why don’t you just call the police or Scotland Yard for help?”

He was looking at her again, with that ‘what on earth are you talking about’ expression, but instead of questioning her he just said, “We dinnae need help.”

“I see.”

THIRTEEN

After hours of riding through the most beautiful countryside Ashley had ever seen, they crested the top of a hill and Cailin stopped. Ashley followed suit and was awestruck by the view. Below them, lay a beautiful green valley dotted here and there with small cottages, smoke rising from the chimneys. Cows and sheep were scattered across the green grassy fields. She breathed in sharply when she noticed the most amazing castle on the other side of the valley. It was breathtaking. Perched atop a rocky cliff, it was surrounded on three sides by water.

“Wow.” was all she managed to say.

Cailin smiled proudly as he looked down at his home. Ashley thought, for some reason, it was important to him what she thought of it.

“Do ye like it, lass?” he asked, confirming her suspicions.

“Yes. It’s beautiful.”

Looking around, Ashley realized there were no paved roads leading to the castle. All the castles she’d seen so far on her trip to Scotland had been tourist destinations. How did people get to this one? There were no cars, no tour buses visible and now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen or heard any planes overhead. Her mind started heading towards the place she didn’t want to go.

“Come, lass. They’ll be waiting.”

“Who’ll be waiting? How do they know we’re coming?”

“My family and my men. They’ve been expecting me back. They’ll see us as we approach.”

They rode down into the valley and people came out of their cottages to greet Cailin. As they approached the only entrance to the castle, someone called to Cailin from the walls above. Cailin waved and called back a greeting. The gates opened wide, to let them inside the thick walls.

The castle was even bigger than it had appeared from the hillside. They rode into a courtyard, filled with people dressed in medieval costumes. The men looked fierce, some wearing kilts, and others in tight fitting breeches. Every man was shirtless and engaged in some form of combat on an open patch of ground inside the walls. They didn’t seem to be hurting each other, so Ashley assumed it was just a show. They were probably practicing for when the tour buses arrived. The women’s clothing varied, from the simple dresses of those who appeared to be servants, to the intricately detailed gown of the woman approaching them at a run.

“Cailin! Yer hurt! Cormac!” she called. “Help yer brother!”

A man bearing a resemblance to Cailin came bounding across the courtyard, concern in his eyes. “Cailin, are ye well?”

“Aye. I’m fine.”

“What happened to ye?”

As Cailin explained everything, Ashley sat stock still on top of her horse. No one had noticed her yet, or so she thought, and she liked it that way. Looking around at the people and the castle, she felt very out of place. She was surrounded by high stone walls. She’d done some research on medieval castles, and she believed they were called the curtain walls. Ashley saw stables off to her right and more buildings off to the left. Directly in front of her, stood a five-story keep. It was incredibly authentic. Even though she knew it to be a medieval castle, it did not appear to be old. Maybe it was a replica, which had only been built recently.

Cailin had completed his story and raised his hand towards Ashley. “This be Ashley Moore. Ashley, this be me sister, Irene and me brother, Cormac. Irene is married to Robert MacKenzie, laird of Breaghacraig.”

“Thank ye, Ashley, for saving our brother. We’d nae want to lose him,” Irene said.

“Aye, ‘tis true.” Cormac added. He reached up and lifted her down from her horse, much to her surprise. Ashley noticed both Cormac and his sister were eyeing her curiously.

“Thank you, but you really didn’t need to help me,” Ashley said. “I could’ve dismounted on my own.”

With her back to the horse, Cailin, Irene and Cormac formed a wall around Ashley, much to her annoyance. She could see very little beyond the three of them and wanted to see more of her surroundings.

Irene took charge. “Cormac, take Cailin in and find Helene. Tell her what happened and see that she gathers everything Ann should need to care for his wound. I will find some appropriate clothing for Ashley to wear and introduce her to Robert and the children at the evening meal. He’ll wish to thank her for her assistance.”

“No need to worry about me,” Ashley blurted indignantly. “I’m fine with what I’m wearing.”

“Ye may be fine, but the men willnae be,” Irene retorted sharply. She grabbed Ashley’s hand and started to pull her along, leaving the two men behind.

As they walked, Ashley noticed the men in the yard staring, looking her over from head to toe, elbowing, and commenting to one another. It was as if she were on display, as though she was walking around in her underwear. No one had ever paid much attention to her back home when she was out in her workout clothes.

Irene scolded the men. “Ye surely have other things to do! Put yer eyes back in yer heads and get back to it!”

The men shuffled uncomfortably, lowering their gazes as if they had been firmly put in their place, but Irene apparently wasn’t taking any chances, tugging at Ashley’s hand. “Quickly, Ashley, let’s get ye inside.”

*****

Once through the oversized wooden doors, Irene continued to bark out orders. “Margaret, prepare quarters for Lady Ashley. Get the boys to bring hot water for a bath, then go to my room and find a gown. Bring it to Lady Ashley’s room. I will help her dress.”

“You don’t have to go to so much trouble on my account. I can’t stay here, anyway,” Ashley protested.

Irene stopped dead in her tracks, and appeared perplexed by Ashley’s statement. “You can’t leave. ‘Twill be dark soon and ye would need an escort. Where did ye need to go?”

“I have to get back to Glendaloch. Mrs. Campbell will be worried about me. I should have gotten back from my hike last night.”

Irene frowned. “Glendaloch? I’ve never heard of a place bearing that name. Is it far away?”

This seemed more and more like an increasingly bad dream. “It’s back by the bridge, where Cailin found me.”

“That is a good distance from here, from what Cailin told us. I’m afraid ye may be here a while. We need to get Cailin well, and then there’s the problem of Sir Richard. Ye would not be safe out there.”

“I need to contact Mrs. Campbell and reassure her I’m okay. Do you have a phone I could use?”

Irene stared at her, as if she had grown another head.

“I guess not,” Ashley sighed in defeat.

Irene was right; she was going to need help to return to the inn. She’d seen for herself the kind of crazy people who lurked in the woods between here and Glendaloch. Besides, Mrs. Campbell was probably searching for her already, so it couldn’t be too long before they’d locate her and everything would be fine.

*****

Teddy raced into the inn, shouting urgently for Edna. His clothes were soaking wet and blood was dripping from his forehead..

Edna rushed across to him, searching his eyes anxiously. “Teddy, dear, what has happened to you?”

“I couldn’t stop her, Edna! She crossed the bridge when the fog was there. I tried to stop her, but the Highlander took her!”

“Calm yourself, Teddy! It’s all right, you tried,” Edna soothed.

“You told me to stop her if the fog was there! I tried, I really did.” Teddy was almost inconsolable.

“Teddy, dear, how did you get so wet and what happened to your head?” Edna questioned, drawing him gently towards the fireplace.

“The Highlander threw me over the bridge, straight into the stream. I slipped when I climbed up the bank and hit my head. And Ashley sprayed my eyes with something verra hot!”

“Oh, Teddy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. Come, let me take care of you.”

Angus joined them and silently questioned his wife about what had happened with a raised eyebrow.

“Ashley crossed the bridge,” Edna said quietly.

Angus Campbell simply shook his head and walked away.

FOURTEEN

Ashley knew she was losing it. She was too terrified of the answer, to ask Irene what year it was. She was sure she didn’t want to know, but with all signs pointing to medieval Scotland, she feared she was losing her mind. The castle was certainly authentic. The limestone walls and floors were covered with beautiful tapestries and rugs. The halls were lit with torches and the great room held an enormous candle-filled chandelier. There wasn’t a sign of electricity being available.

The choices were limited. Either this was an amazingly accurate replica of a medieval Scottish castle, or it was a
real
medieval Scottish castle. Ashley’s head seemed about to explode with the crazy thoughts she was thinking.

Irene showed Ashley to her room, which was easily four times the size of her bedroom in San Francisco. It might even be as big as her entire apartment. A deep tub had been placed in front of a roaring fireplace and a brigade of boys filled it with buckets full of hot water.

Ashley was utterly shell-shocked and from the expression of concern on Irene’s face, she could plainly see it.

“A hot bath will work wonders for ye, Ashley. Take yer time and relax. I’ve left a cloth for ye to dry yourself with.” She handed Ashley a bar of soap, which smelled heavenly. “There is a gown on the bed. I’ll be back to help ye into it.”

“Thank you, Irene. I’m at a loss for words and if you knew me well enough, you’d know how unusual that is.”

Irene simply nodded as she headed for the door.

“Irene, before you go, is Cailin going to be okay?”

“I was just going to go check on him. I’ll let you know when I return.”

Irene left Ashley alone and staring at the tub in dismay. She never took baths at home, preferring a quick shower as it more suited her busy life.

“Well, I guess I’d better get in, before it cools off,” Ashley muttered. She removed her clothes and eased into the heavenly warm water, laying back and resting her head just below the rim. The water eased her mind and soothed her sore muscles. She was bruised and sore from the scuffles with Teddy and Thomas, and her backside and legs ached after hours in the saddle.

Ashley wondered if she’d hit her head at the bridge and was unconscious or even hallucinating; but deep down she knew that wasn’t the case and she’d somehow managed to transport herself back in time to the medieval period.

And what of Cailin, the man who had been haunting her for months now? It was him; she wasn’t crazy. She’d recognize those eyes anywhere. Was he her destiny and if so, why couldn’t she have met him in her time, rather than his? She certainly couldn’t stay here. How could she? What would Jenna think, when she found out Ashley had disappeared?
If
she found out. Ashley had told Jenna she might be incommunicado while she was travelling. Maybe it was better this way. She didn’t want Jenna to be worrying about her. Inhaling sharply, Ashley shook her head in denial. Well, she didn’t plan to be here long enough for Jenna to know anything. As soon as she could, Ashley would find her way back to the 21st century and that was all there was to that.

Determined that all would work out in her favor, Ashley used the washcloth and soap Irene had given her. The soap smelled of roses, one of her favorite flowers. Her mother had always kept the garden full of them and Ashley had loved sticking her nose into the many varieties, enjoying their uniquely different scents. She washed her hair, submerging her head beneath the water, to rinse the soap out. After soaking for a while, the water had started to cool telling her it was time to get out.

Ashley gazed into the fireplace as she dried herself off, her thoughts still swirling over how she could possibly be in medieval Scotland. A knock at the door startled her, and she turned to see Irene enter the room.

“Are ye ready to get dressed, Ashley?”

“Yes. I was just drying off.”

“Was the bath to yer liking?”

“It was wonderful. I was pretty sore from riding and from the fights with Teddy and Thomas.”

“Thomas?” Irene looked thoughtful and bit her lip apprehensively. “Tall, thin, but strong, dirty brown hair, rotten teeth?” she questioned.

“Yes, that’s him. Do you know him?”

“I’m afraid I do.”

Ashley noticed her shiver as she spoke of him, but then Irene shook herself and smiled. “Let’s get you dressed and fix yer hair.”

*****

Irene helped Ashley into the clothing she’d provided. First there was a simple linen shift and then the most beautiful green gown. The color was vibrant and the fabric soft and velvety. Thank goodness, Irene was there to help her because there was no way she could have laced up the back herself. Irene handed her some matching slippers, which actually fit very well.

“Let me fix yer hair.”

Ashley started to protest, but Irene wouldn’t hear it. She skillfully braided Ashley’s hair in the most intricate style Ashley had ever seen, weaving a matching green ribbon through the strands, and then securing it with another ribbon. When she was done, she stood back to admire her work.

“I don’t doubt ye’ll be turning heads tonight.”

Ashley blushed at the compliment.

“How is Cailin?” His was the only head she was interested in turning.

“He is well. He needs a good night’s rest and he should be out of bed tomorrow. He’s too stubborn to let an arrow keep him down for long. I ken what ye did for him and believe that’s why he is doing so well. He asked that ye stop in his chambers, before ye go down for the evening meal.”

Cailin’s request pleased Ashley immensely. She couldn’t wait to see him again. Being away from him, even just for this short time, made her realize she had developed feelings for him in the course of the last few days. She tried to convince herself it was only because they’d found themselves in a precarious situation and had needed to rely on each other to survive.