Love Beyond Compare (Book 5 of Morna’s Legacy Series) (2 page)

“Did Coop crash with you?”

Dark circles hung on the bottom of her eyes and I moved in to give her a hug. “Yes, he did. You look like crap, Grace.”

She groaned into my ear, allowing herself to relax against me. I had to lock my legs to keep us both up.
 

“Of course I look like crap. I think Violet is part bat. She’s more nocturnal than even Cooper. I was hoping that she’d start sleeping at night more after the first few months, but she’s nine months old now and she’s still so fussy at night.”

I glanced down at the small swell of Grace’s belly. “Well, hopefully this third baby will give you an easier time.”

Grace pulled away. I could tell she was about to cry. Exhaustion always did that to her, and understandably so. I knew she was excited for the next baby, due the end of May, but juggling a six year old, a nine month old, and being four months pregnant were a lot, especially when she refused to use the castle help that Eoghanan and the castle laird, Baodan, continually offered her. She’d raised Cooper with only Jeffrey’s help for years, and she was determined to raise her other children the same way.
 

“I sure hope so. Kathleen has Violet right now. I think I’m going to try and rest awhile.”

“That’s exactly what you should do, but before you go, do you know where Eoghanan is? I need to talk to him about something.”

“Uh…” She hesitated and I wondered if she was about to fall asleep where she stood. “I think he said something about rescuing Violet from Kathleen’s singing, so he may have the baby now. I’m really not sure.”

“Okay.” I patted her on the shoulder and turned her back in the direction she’d been headed. “Get some rest, Grace. I’ll find him.”

CHAPTER 2

I found Kathleen in the great hall, swinging baby Vi side to side while singing softly in a screechy, awful voice that could only be effective at keeping the baby awake longer. She stood a safe distance from the fire that burned in the corner of the room but close enough that both she and the baby were kept warm.

 
“You’re joking me, right? You know that you should just never, ever sing, especially if you want that baby to go to sleep.”

She looked up and twisted her lips together apologetically as she shrugged. “I know. It’s just a rather natural thing, isn’t it though? You hold a baby, you feel like you’re supposed to sing. I can’t help it, but I can tell by the look in her eyes, she’s saying, ‘for the love of God woman, shut up, please.’”

I laughed as I reached to run a thumb down the side of Violet’s cheek. “I doubt that is what she’s thinking but I know we’d all prefer it if you’d just lay off the sing-songs.”

“Gladly.”

 
“I guess you haven’t seen Eoghanan, have you?”

Kathleen shifted Violet around in her arms before turning to look up at me.
 

“No, I haven’t, but does that mean you’re going to ask him today? Have you said anything to Grace?”

I loved my sister. Besides Kathleen, I considered her to be my closest friend, but she was older and had a tendency to think any decision I ever made for myself was the wrong one. She was more than a little overprotective.

“No I haven’t, and I don’t plan to.”

The sound of footsteps reached us, and I faced the other side of the room to see Eoghanan approaching. Grace had been right about his desire to rescue his daughter, but now that I’d silenced the banshee-like singing, there was no need. I stepped toward him, grasping his arm to whisk him away before Kathleen could pass the baby to him.
 

“Eoghanan, how are you this morning? Did you sleep well?
 

He allowed me to steer him into the hallway, but regarded me skeptically, no doubt suspicious of my early morning chipperness.

“Aye, I slept like a wee babe, no my wee babe o’course, but a usual one that sleeps at nighttime, and the night of rest has placed me in a verra bad mood.”

“Oh. Why would that place you in a bad mood?”
 

“I doona wish to sleep so soundly, no when Grace is up with the babe, but once I drift to sleep, I canna hear a thing. Though I tell her to wake me, she never will.”
 

He stopped walking and turned to lean against a stone frame around one of the windows. He spoke again, but with the way he stared into nothing, I could tell he thought back on something else, reflecting more to himself than speaking to me.
 

“Before Grace, there was a time…a long time when I couldna sleep no more than a little each night. After Grace, I am no too easily woken after I drift asleep. She over-tires herself, and I doona care for it.”

I couldn’t argue with him. Grace needed to accept some help, but I knew her well enough to know that no one could ever convince her of that until she came to the same conclusion herself. Questionable mood aside, perhaps my request would be enough to distract Eoghanan from his worries over Grace for a little while and allow him to feel that he was at least helping someone.
 

“She does, but there’s not much you can do about it save drugging her so she’ll be forced to get some sleep. I don’t think she’d appreciate that very much.” I ignored his horrified expression and continued. “There is, however, something that you can do to help me out.”

“Is there? Well, ask and I will be at yer service, Jane.”

I grinned and moved to stand across from him, leaning against the opposite wall. “Are you sure? You may not want to ‘be at my service’ after I ask it.”

He crossed his arms and his brows pulled together. “I doona doubt that but aye, Jane, whatever ye ask, I’ll assist ye.”

“You swear? Anything?”

“For the last time, aye. Ye are family, Jane. ’Tis nothing I wouldna do for ye. Now get on with it.”

It was taking advantage of his chivalry to get him to give me his word before I told him what I needed but, truthfully, I didn’t care. I wasn’t sure he’d agree to help me otherwise.
 

“I need to get a job and I need your help to do it.”

He groaned, exhaling as he rubbed his palms over his face. It was a look of exasperation, one that allowed me to hear exactly what he was thinking–something along the lines of, I knew better than to agree to help this crazy fool.

“But ye doona need a job, Jane. ’Tis nothing that isna provided for ye here. Baodan makes sure of that. He wouldna allow it.”

“Which is exactly why I didn’t ask Baodan. And I might not need a job financially, but I do need a job in order to keep my sanity. Surely, you can understand that. I have nothing to do here. None of the castle help will allow me to help with anything. At least Grace and Mitsy busy themselves with the running of the castle and with their children. And Jeffrey allows Kathleen to help him all of the time. He’s not as absurdly backward as the rest of you. But me…there’s nothing to keep me occupied here.”

I stopped, realizing that my voice had escalated and I’d started pacing around the corridor rather restlessly. My chest ached with how badly I wanted to be out of these stone walls. My frustrated rant exhausted me so I returned to my place against the wall opposite Eoghanan. He stared hard in my direction, saying nothing until I quieted completely.
 

“Did ye just call me backwards, lass? That doesna seem wise if ye wish me to help ye.”

My mouth could get me in trouble quicker than almost anything so I did my best to backtrack. “I didn’t mean you, in particular. You’re better than most. It’s just men of this time all seem to think that women shouldn’t do anything other than make babies and look pretty.”

“I doona think that at all, ’tis only that there are certain appearances that should be kept up since Baodan is laird. I am no so verra concerned with them myself, but we must make sure they are kept for his sake.”

Excitement replaced my frustration and I stepped toward him to speak in an elated whisper. “Does that mean that you’ll help?”

Eoghanan turned away from the window and took off at a brisk pace down the hallway. I lifted the bottom of my dress so that I could run to keep up.
 

“Aye, mayhap, if the man I have in mind is willing. Go and find yerself a warm coat and meet me at the stables.”

CHAPTER 3

Eoghanan waited until we were far away from the castle to explain anything. While I appreciated his discretion, I couldn’t help but find his behavior a bit overly cautious. I didn’t imagine that the same little fairies that Cooper believed took his socks would snitch to anyone in or around the castle.
 

Eventually, once we’d ridden into the trees and were well along the trail that would lead us into the village, he spoke.
 

“Have ye ever eaten at the inn here, Jane?”

Since travelling into the seventeenth century and deciding to stay, I’d only been into the village a grand total of once.
 

“No. The only other time I’ve been through the village was when we were headed to Cagair Castle with Jeffrey and Kathleen.”

His horse rode ahead of mine but he twisted so that he could look back at me, disbelief in his eyes.

“That’s truly the only time, lass? No wonder ye feel ye may go mad. Ye should have said something before now. Ye are no a prisoner.”

I said nothing, giving him a moment to continue his explanation.

“There is a man there that I grew up with. His mother worked at the castle when we were young lads. He owns and runs the inn with his wife now. Only she’s fallen ill and is no able to help as much as she once could. I know he can use someone else to help, especially if the help comes from someone willing to work for verra little pay.”

The matter of payment hadn’t really even crossed my mind. “Oh, that’s fine. He doesn’t have to pay me at all if he doesn’t want to.”

“If I know him at all, he will insist on paying ye something, but ’twill comfort him to know that ye doona really need it, and he will keep our secret. ’Twill be easy to do since ye willna be seen by patrons.”

As we approached the village, I saw the inn sign hanging in the distance. I’d not often been housekeeper for myself, but I was sure it was something I could learn.
 

“Because I’ll be cleaning the rooms while they’re away, you mean? Once they’ve left in the morning?”

Eoghanan laughed and slowed his horse’s pace so that he rode next to me. “Ye willna be cleaning rooms, Jane. ’Tis Gregor’s job. ’Tis his wife, Isobel, who prepares the food. Ye shall work as cook.”

Panic is the only thing I felt at Eoghanan’s words–no longer nerves or excitement, just pure panic at the thought of being responsible for such a task. Truthfully, I knew I was unprepared for just about any job, but this I feared, would be impossible.
 

“Hang on. Have you ever had anything I’ve ever cooked, Eoghanan?”

“No, I havena, but ye canna be that bad.”

He had no idea. Every time Cooper stayed with me as a toddler, I worried he would starve to death by the end of the weekend. I couldn’t even get him to eat a PB&J prepared by my very, very ill-equipped hands.
 

 
“Oh, I am. He’s never going to want me, Eoghanan. You need to find something else for me to do.”

He shook his head. We’d arrived at the location of my soon-to-be humiliation and Eoghanan dismounted, looking completely unworried as he came to help me with my horse. “There is no other work that I am willing to help ye acquire, Jane. ’Tis this or ye can return to the castle and find madness. I trust Gregor and Isobel to watch over ye and to no spread it about that the laird’s kin is working like a common villager. Ye may no be able to cook now, but ye can learn. Now come.”

He stepped inside before I had a chance to protest further. I knew I should be grateful for his help, but I also knew that this could only end one way…in disaster.

CHAPTER 4

Cagair Castle

1648

“Adwen, unless ye wish Da to come up and see ye tupping the two of them, I suggest ye dress yerself at once. Ye know he needs to speak to ye.”

The lass beneath him moved to squirm away, her expression turning from one of ecstasy to disgust in an instant at his brother’s suggestion.
 

He shook his head in denial, placing his palm gently on the side of the nameless woman’s cheek as he raised his voice to answer his brother.
 

“There is no two of them for Da to see. Only one.”

“Oh, a change for ye then. Are ye saying that ye wish for him to see? Fine. I’ll send him up.”

Adwen MacChristy groaned in a mixture of frustration and unreleased wanting, leaning in to kiss the lass briefly before whispering in her ear. “Callum is a liar. Ye are more than enough for me in bed, I doona need two lassies. Just give me a moment.”

He rolled off of her and made his way to the door, not bothering to cover himself. He wished for the lass to see all that awaited her.
 

Hardening his face, Adwen threw open the door, reaching his fist out to grab his brother’s shoulder. “What is the matter with ye, man? Doona ye know better than to stop a man in the middle of…’tis no good for a man to go unfinished.”