Love Beyond Time (Morna's Legacy Series) (22 page)

The thought terrified me, but I didn’t see how I had any choice. I knew myself well enough to know that the regret I would have over not taking the risk would be far more painful than the heartbreak I would feel if he didn’t want me in his life.

I loved him too much to leave him. Whether we had years to love or just days left, I would treasure my time with him forever.

I was unsure of where he was taking me tonight, but it would allow me the perfect opportunity to tell him I no longer wanted to go home.

With my mind set, I nervously made my way out of the spell room and went in search of Mary. I was going to be an anxious wreck all day, and I knew she would keep me busy. Plus, maybe she could help me find a sexier dress. I was going to need whatever I could manage to help me keep my cool.

* * *

Arran was already past his boiling point, and his anger over Eoin’s selfishness had him ready to spring on the first bastard unlucky enough to cross paths with him. Unfortunately for himself, it was Kip who he decided to unleash his anger on. He couldn’t have made a worse decision.

It was early afternoon when Arran stormed out of the castle, planning to get some fresh air. As he walked toward the stables, he saw Kip’s runaway walking casually in the direction of the village. It was the only excuse he needed.

Making as much noise as he could manage, he walked into the side door of the stables, knowing it would draw Kip’s attention. Kip held a pitchfork and was working on maneuvering hay around to the different stalls.

“Where the hell did ye let him go, Kip?”

He was rewarded with a smack right in the middle of his forehead as Kip brought the end of the wooden stick forward, slamming it into his face.

“Now, what did ye say, Arran? I do believe ye thought ye were talking to someone else for a moment.”

Rubbing the now red and tender spot in between his brows, Arran blushed with embarrassment at his behavior. “I’m sorry, Kip. I’m no in the best humor. Now, where is the lad off to? Do ye no need him today?”

“He said he had some errands he needed to attend to in the village, and I saw no harm in letting him go. I doona ever need him, I do a fine job running the stable all on me own.”

Arran poked his head around the stable door to make sure he could still see him off in the distance. “Do ye trust him, Kip?”

The old man stopped fussing with the hay and leaned against the stall door as he spoke to Arran. “The lad has given me no reason not to, and I think it’s best to let people prove ye wrong before ye go about mistrusting everybody.”

“Do ye? Well, I’m no so good a man as ye, Kip.” Arran turned and followed along on the path leading to the village. The runaway was up to nothing good. Arran could feel it, and he intended to find out what it was.

Chapter 33

“I’m no gonna cut the neckline any further. Do ye no want them to stay in the dress at all?”

I rolled my eyes as I glanced down at the very modest v-cut I’d spent the better half of the afternoon talking Mary into cutting into the gown. “It’s not even that low, Mary, but to answer your question, I’m not all that concerned with them staying in the dress very long.”

“Oh, hush, lass. Ye will make an old lady blush with such talk. I’m glad that ye have decided to stay, but ye doona need these alterations to entice Eoin into wanting ye around.”

“I’m not trying to entice him. I’m trying to make myself feel as pretty as I can so I feel confident before I tell him what I have to say. With no make-up or hair straightener, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do around here.”

“Fine, lass, but please tell me ye decided no to wear that strange object ye wear under yer shirt when in the spell room.”

I smiled and reached over to grab my bra off the top of the bed. “No, Mary. I’m definitely still going to wear my bra. He knows I’m not from here now, so it won’t be a huge surprise for him to see something odd on me. Besides, it lifts the girls up, and they’ll look better in the dress. Watch.”

I turned so that my back faced Mary, discreetly scooting the dress down off my shoulders so that my breasts sprang free and I could rope them into place with the bra. Reluctantly, Mary had washed all of my modern clothes for me. They’d started to get pretty ripe after weeks of not seeing a washing machine.

Slipping the dress back on, I faced her, triumphantly. My breasts filled in the new v-cut in the dress perfectly, and the cleavage was just enough to draw attention, without completely giving away the farm. “What do you think?”

Even Mary couldn’t hide her amazement at the difference it made. “Aye, lass. I regret what I said before. Do ye think we could make me one? I believe I underestimated the size of yer breasts, lass. They’re a good deal higher now.”

“I told you. And I bet you could fashion something that would work the same way. Just look at what you’ve done with this dress!” I spun, feeling dainty and beautiful, and my nerves subsided slightly until I heard a knock on the door.

“Ach, lass, there he is.” She paused and came to place a hand on each of my shoulders. “Doona worry, lass. If he tells ye anything other than what ye want to hear, then I doona know the lad as well as I think I do.” She gave me a brief hug and surprised me by giving me a quick swat on my bottom. “And ye look beautiful. Have a good time.”

With that I opened the door to him, and as he took my hand, I followed him outside.

* * *

Ach, the lass looked beautiful! But what had she done to the top of her dress? Did she want him to take her right in the middle of the hallway? Nay, he would not allow himself to have her until he’d told her all that he needed to, and she’d chosen him as her own.

If she rejected him, he would take her to do the spell tonight. He didn’t think he could bear to have her stay here even a moment longer if he knew she didn’t want him in the same way he longed to have her.

It was a long walk to the cave at the base of the shoreline, and he was anxious to get her there quickly. Each second of wondering was more torturous than the last. It was a chilly evening, but the small cave blocked the wind and provided a perfect place from which to watch the waves as the tide rolled.

As he led her onto the sand, he smiled as she paused to hike up her dress, gathering it in her arms and revealing the pale skin of her legs. He didn’t know of another lass who would so unashamedly expose her legs while walking, but he’d expect no less from his strange lass, and he loved every odd thing about her.

He could only hope she loved him in return. As he led her into the candlelit cave, he breathed in a deep ocean-filled breath for courage. It was time for the truth to be known.

* * *

Eoin said nothing as we walked away from the castle, and while I knew we were headed to the shore, he gave no clues as to where he was taking me.

He seemed nervous, and it did nothing to help my nerves. Part of me wondered if he was dragging me away to tell me privately just how ready he was for me to return home. It was easy for my mind to always drift to the worst scenario.

When we reached the sand I jerked loose from his grip, apologizing as I kicked off my shoes and gathered the bottom of my dress. I didn’t care how ridiculous I looked waddling through the sand with fabric gathered up in my arms; I wasn’t about to dirty this dress after all the work Mary had put into it. She would’ve killed me, no doubt.

It was getting darker along the beach, and I found myself hoping that we’d reach our intended destination soon. In a horror film, this was exactly the point in which the man would turn around and kill me, tossing my body into the approaching waves.

Eventually we made our way inside a narrow cave hiding along the rocky coast at the back of the beach. It was filled with candles, which illuminated the circular haven. And with an assortment of cushions and blankets lying on a rock ledge near the back, most of my fears subsided. It was a romantic setting, not the kind of place you would take someone before sending them away, and not the kind of place you would take someone before chunking their lifeless body into the ocean.

Inside the cave the ground was rocky, and without the fear of sand getting caught in the dress, I relaxed my arms and let it fall down to my feet once more. Eoin smiled and took my hand as he led me to the blankets at the back of the cave. Once I’d comfortably crawled on top and situated myself next to him, he turned to me to speak.

“Lass, I need to confess something to ye, but I’m no so sure I can bring myself to tell ye.”

Maybe I was wrong about this being romantic. Maybe he was about to tell me he loved someone else, and he was ready for me to go home so that he could get on with his life. A million thoughts ran through my mind as all the fear from earlier came rushing back, and I suddenly felt foolish for thinking I would be brave enough to tell him I loved him.

Instead, I squeezed his hand, encouraging him to just get whatever he wanted to say over with. “Alright. You have to tell me now. Just get on with it.”

He could see that I was shivering, from nerves more than cold, but he couldn’t tell the difference. He politely wrapped one of the blankets around my shoulder.

“Lass, I know that ye have been searching for the ring so that ye can go home. While, we were away, Arran found it.”

“He did?” Shocked, I tried to normalize my expression as he continued.

“Aye,” he paused to retrieve it and held it out to me, eventually setting it in between us when I didn’t reach out for it. “I almost threw it in the ocean.”

“You what?” The pitch of my voice was oddly high and screechy, making me sound angry rather than shocked.

“Aye, lass. I’m verra sorry, but I dinna want to give ye the ring. I know that I canna keep it from ye, but I’d like to ask ye something before I let ye have it.”

“Of course.” My heart restarted as hope began to crawl through the fear rooted in my stomach.

“Doona go, lass.” He squeezed my hands tightly in between his own, and I was sure my heart was going to burst with happiness. “I’ve fallen in love with ye, Bri, and I doona wish to be parted from ye. If ye doona love me, I shall give ye the ring, but I could no let ye leave without telling ye.”

My voice cracked as I spoke to him, and a tear broke free from my left eye. “No.”

He didn’t give me a chance to finish. “I’m so verra sorry for keeping the ring from ye, lass. I just wasna ready to let ye go.”

I pried my hands loose and reached up to grab hold of his face. “No, listen. Let me finish.”

He stopped talking, pursing his lips awkwardly like a fish, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Its no so funny, lass. Ye’re breaking my heart. I only ask that ye do it swiftly.”

“Hush. It is funny. Your face looks ridiculous. I meant, ‘no,’ I’m not mad at you. I had something to tell you tonight as well.”

“Aye?”

“I was going to tell you that I wanted to stop looking for the ring. I can’t leave here. This is my home now and I’ve fallen in love with everyone. Mary, Kip, Arran, Griffin, even you.” I winked at him before continuing, “Before, I only thought I had to go back because of my mother and Blaire. She deserved the chance to return to her home, but she doesn’t want it.

“How do ye know, lass?”

“It’s the spell book. We can write messages to one another that cross over through time. My mother knows I’m safe here, and as long as she knows that, she’ll be okay with my decision. And Blaire, she said she wants to stay. That means I’m free, Eoin. I’m free to stay with you. If you’ll have me?”

“Have ye, lass? Did ye no just hear what I said to ye? I’ll have ye and ye alone.”

We fell into each other then, our lips meeting with a sort of elation that comes with knowing your feelings are matched with the one you love.

He undressed me slowly, marveling at my bra as he took in the lacy, blue material.

“Ach, lass! I dinna think it possible for a lass’s breast to look so wonderful, while covered. Is it expected that ye wear such material in yer time?”

“Yes, but for goodness sakes, just get it off of me now.”

“As ye wish, love.”

And as he took me in his arms, we rocked our bodies together against the stones in a motion that mimicked the crashing of the water against the sand, expressing our love for one another through the night.

Chapter 34

Arran squatted behind the first building on the edge of the village, peering around the corner as he watched the runaway wait for someone to join him outside the ale house. The lad reached into a small bag he carried around his shoulder and removed an item which he’d wrapped in a cloth.

Arran knew he’d been right to follow him. The lad had been given no chance to acquire anything for trade, unless he’d stolen it from Kip or some other area of the castle.

Only a few moments passed before a man Arran had never seen before walked out of the ale house and extended a hand in the runaway’s direction. He watched as they spoke quietly for a few moments, ending their conversation when the runaway patted the stranger and handed the unknown item over to him.

Arran couldn’t make sense of the strange transaction, but he knew he’d just witnessed the runaway betray them.

As he watched the runaway turn to head back toward the castle, Arran pulled his head back around the corner, out of sight from anyone walking by. He waited until the lad moved past him, then quickly ran up behind him, ramming his fist over the back of the runaway’s head. Arran caught the man around the middle, shrugging his unconscious body over his shoulder.

He’d take the betrayer to the dungeon, and he’d get the truth out of the lying bastard by whatever means necessary.

* * *

I moved about the spell room, putting away books and materials for what I hoped would be the last time. With my mind made up that I would be staying, and now knowing the location of the ring, I saw no reason to leave the room in such a state of dishevelment.

With each lift of a book, I was reminded of my activities the night before. I knew my back was covered in bruises from being pounded against the rocky surface of the cave, and every muscle in my body was sore from our nightly acrobatics. I’d never been so happy to be so uncomfortable.