Chapter 3
Catie didn’t have much to pack, just what she left Bridget’s yacht with, a few borrowed clothes and toiletries. Piper offered to try and find some more things for her in the huge stash of clothing that had been left behind at the castle over the years. Catie wondered mildly if some of those items might have actually belonged to Bridget. As usual, time travel made her head hurt.
“What’s going on with Oliver?” Mellie said, rousing her from her trance.
She stopped staring blankly at the wall and stared into her tea, embarrassed. Mellie had been a good friend to her the first time she visited, up until she started flirting with Oliver. It seemed Mellie had her own boyfriend now. Shane, the goatherd, who’d expressed some interest in Catie when she was last in this century, was now thoroughly Mellie’s.
“What do ye mean?” Catie asked, stalling.
She knew how she felt about Oliver now, but it was hard to put it into words. And she felt such a fool for not realizing it sooner, making Oliver put up with Quinn’s bullying just so he could be near her. She did love him, she was sure of it. But since they’d been on the run, he’d been nothing but brisk and businesslike. Perhaps she’d made him wait too long and when they got back to their proper time he’d go home to London.
Mellie pushed a plate of biscuits toward her. “You know what I mean. Have you finally reeled him in?” She paused and frowned. “Or have you cut him loose? It’s clear he still adores you.”
Catie’s head whipped up at that. “Is it clear?” she asked. “He’s been on edge these past days.”
“Well, from everything you’ve been through, of course he’s on edge.”
“I suppose,” Catie sighed. “I— my feelings for him were always so grateful and it seemed like I always loved him in a plodding kind of way.” She felt her cheeks heat up, remembering their passionate kisses on the yacht. “But now it’s so much more urgent.”
Mellie made a ridiculous wooing sound, making Catie feel like she would melt from embarrassment.
“So you’ve finally kissed him, then?” Mellie tucked into the biscuits Catie ignored. “I imagine he’d be a fine kisser. His lips are—”
“Goodness, Mel. How can ye say such things when ye’re so in love with Shane?”
It wasn’t only Shane’s sensibilities she felt the need to protect. It also made her bristle slightly that Mellie had such thoughts about her man.
Mellie smiled in triumph. “Ha! I can tell by the red rage climbing up your neck that you have kissed him. And liked it. You needn’t be jealous, I was only teasing. Like last time.”
Catie grumbled. Mel had admitted to pretending to be smitten with Oliver in the hopes it would ignite her jealousy and want to go back with him after that first convoluted visit. Her feelings had been all muddled back then. But she had been impressed at the lengths Oliver went to in order to be with her. She had no doubt if she had decided to stay in this time, he would have stayed as well.
“Ye’re right,” she admitted. “About everything. But I fear now that I know my own feelings, I may have waited too long. And I acted a terrible brat to him all that time he slaved away at the farm, trying to earn Quinn’s respect. And then I ran away, which I was ashamed for at first but now I think it was all meant to be, what with Piper’s ancestors in trouble. I hate to think it took a kiss to rattle some sense into me. But it was so…”
Before she could share the juicy details of her new kissing experience, Sam and Evie crowded through the door, each hauling a car seat with a baby in it. Sam and Evie had been wonderful to her the last time. When her pig-headed brother threatened to take away every last shred of her freedom, Evie had jumped to the rescue and let her stay with them.
Catie slid off her stool and ran to take the bigger car seat. “Oh, Mags, how ye’ve grown.”
She wrestled with the straps and hugged the wee little man. Evie beamed at her while Sam set the new little one on the counter for Catie to ooh and ah over.
“She’s a tiny tyrant,” Evie said. “Won’t let us get more than a few hours sleep each night.”
“Aye, I fell asleep at the shop yesterday,” Sam said, taking his turn to hug her. “Woke up in a puddle of drool. Ruined a perfectly good hardcover. I didn’t have the heart to put it on the shelf after that.”
“She’s a wee angel is what she is,” Catie said, marveling at the tiny pink baby. “She must be practically brand new.”
“Practically, yes. Three months tomorrow,” Evie said proudly. “You wouldn’t want to babysit for us again while you’re here? We won’t even leave the house. Just want to get some sleep.”
“There’ll be no time for that,” Lachlan said. As usual for him, he ruined their lovely reunion with his scowl. “This irresponsible princess here has got herself in a load of trouble. We must be off at once to save Piper from not being born.”
“Again?” Evie shrieked. “How? What happened?”
“It isna my fault at all,” Catie argued. “I just happened to end up in a time to find out about it. In fact, I still think ye should be thanking me,” she said, sticking out her lip at her brother. She immediately pulled it back in, remembering her promise to herself to stop being bratty. “It’s fate I ended up there or ye’d be sore miserable, all alone at the farm, thinking ye were supposed to have a great love but never knowing for certain.”
“It’s a really long story, Evie,” Piper said, hoisting a rucksack that was about to burst at the seams. She wore a beautiful dove gray dress with dangling beads sewn around the hips and a long pearl necklace. “And we should probably be off.” She held up her hands and grinned. “I don’t want to start disappearing.”
“You need to take these things more seriously,” Evie chided. She looked at her children rather regretfully. “I wish I could go with you.”
“No you don’t,” Piper said. “You hate time travel. And you can’t leave these precious angels.” She gave Magnus a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek, making him laugh delightedly. Then she gave tiny Marigold a peck on her sweet, round cheek. “See you soon, babies. We’ll be back before you know it.”
“You’d better be,” Sam said, gripping Evie around the shoulders so she wouldn’t cry. “Don’t get lost in time travel limbo again and miss Magnus’ second birthday.”
Evie gasped. “How could I have forgot about that?” Her already crumpled face crumpled more and a tear rolled down her cheek. “When will it ever stop?” she demanded.
Lachlan shook his head. “I wish I could answer that,” he said. “Indeed I do. I dinna like what I’ve heard so far about this particular case.”
“You can’t go,” Evie pleaded. “Not without telling me exactly what’s going on. Do you think I can live without knowing the whole story?”
Piper laughed, seeming far less concerned than Lachlan about her possibly winking out of existence. Catie knew she’d be so scared she might not be able to move.
“I’ll fill you in,” Mellie said. “And Piper’s right, they’ll be back before we know it.” Her voice cracked on the last word and Catie felt herself welling up.
“Stop it, or I shall be wailing,” Catie said.
“Aye, we must be on our way if we intend to get back before anyone knows anything.” Lachlan shouldered his own rucksack and nodded grimly to Catie.
“Where’s Oliver?” she asked.
She knew Lachlan could do the spell, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to keep Oliver close. She had a sudden worry that he wasn’t going with them. Had he washed his hands of her, heading back on his own?
“Dinna fret, he’s only gone ahead to the woods. We’ll meet him there. And no one say ye’re sorry to miss him, because, remember. We’ll be back—”
“Before we know it,” Evie finished dutifully. “But tell him hello from us. Or goodbye?”
Catie let a nervous giggle escape at the blatant stalling and after another round of hugs, Lachlan dragged her and Piper away. She followed them in a daze, getting into the wee cart and clinging for dear life as Piper sped them to the woods. Oliver waited at the edge of the trees, waving. She felt a warmth growing in her middle to see him, realizing she missed him after only an hour or so apart. She’d been with him practically nonstop the last few weeks and had grown used to his comforting presence.
“Are we ready?” he asked with forced cheer.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Piper said. She made a quick call to tell Shane where she’d left the cart, then put her phone on the front seat. “Let’s do this, people. One lost great-great grandfather, here we come.”
Catie admired her bravado. Of course, she’d been back and forth in time many more times than Catie had. Lachlan looked grim, but after he spread out the herbs and they’d all cut themselves to sprinkle a bit of blood on them, he turned to her with a smile. The first smile she’d seen on him in a long, long time.
“Thank ye, lass, for coming all this way to help Piper. I know ye didna have to, so I appreciate your selflessness.”
Catie gaped at him as Piper patted his arm approvingly. She must have prompted him to say it, but the fact that the words actually came out stunned her. Her brother had truly changed. She knew she’d made the right decision and smiled back at him. He’d clearly had enough emotion and started the chant. Moments later, everything went black.
***
Oliver looked around after the dizziness passed. At least he didn’t get violently ill anymore. He pointed at the bit of cloth he’d attached to a nearby shrub.
“We made it,” he said. After inspecting the cloth more and seeing it wasn’t dirty or damp, he grinned. “I think it might be the same day we left or very close to it. Well done, Lachlan. I mean Mr. Ferguson, er Laird— my lord.” He stopped before he bowed and kissed Lachlan’s ring. Catie chortled laughter at him.
“Lachlan’s fine, lad,” her brother said, kindly trying to hold in his own laughter.
“Where’s Piper?” he asked, looking around. His stomach dropped when both Catie and Lachlan turned pale.
“Piper!” Lachlan bellowed.
Catie winced. “Hush, someone from the house might hear ye.”
He ignored her, panic gleaming in his eyes, and yelled for his wife again. Oliver scrambled around in the bushes, wondering if it had actually happened. Were they too late?
“I’m here, just fell over and knocked myself out.” Piper emerged from a big growth of ferns, rubbing the back of her head. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” she asked, trying to smile. “That trip seemed really hard. Did we make it, do you think?”
Lachlan hurried to her side and checked her over. “There’s no blood. Are ye all right to walk, love? According to Oliver we made it to the same day they left.”
“I think I’m all right.” she said, blinking hard a few times. “What do we do now? Mosey up to the back door and explain the situation?”
“When has that ever been a good idea?” Catie asked, then they both laughed.
Oliver thought it must be nerves. His own were stretched taut. His heart still pounded from the scare of losing Piper.
“We could go into the village and see if anyone’s seen Bridget or heard if she’s been back.”
Catie gave him a scathing look. “She’s under suspicion for murder, Oliver. Do ye really think she’d go round to the shops?”
He glared back at her and shook his head. Could he hope Lachlan and Piper hadn’t heard her slip of the tongue? By the looks on their faces, he knew he could not.
“What’s this about murder?” Lachlan asked, terrifyingly calm.
“God, seriously. Are all my Glen relatives just horrible people?” Piper despaired.
“A bit, yes, love,” Lachlan said, patting her shoulder. “Ye know I’d never hold it against ye, though.”
“Bridget’s not horrible,” Catie said when Oliver couldn’t find it in him to defend her. She shook her head at him in disappointment, but he wasn’t sure enough to vouch for her. “It’s only that her husband, Albert’s his name by the way, disappeared while they were in the middle of the sea. And they had a drunken row that same night.”
Lachlan laughed but there wasn’t a bit of humor in it. “Ye say we’re here to hunt for a dead man?”
“He canna be dead, can he?” Catie said, completely reasonable. “Piper’s still here which means there’s still a chance he’ll be found.”
“That makes sense,” Piper said, still looking disturbed that her great-great grandmother was possibly a drunken murderer. “What’s your opinion, Oliver? You’re being awfully quiet.”
Lachlan laughed again, more bitter sounding than the last. “Aye, what have ye to say about Miss Bridget Glen’s innocence?”
“She did have two crew members vouch for her going to her room while the husband was still on deck. Er, alive, I mean. But they retracted that when she was arrested in Blackpool.”
“Cowards!” Catie exclaimed. “And probably paid off by Albert’s wicked parents.”
“Ah, there’s wicked in-laws now, is there?” Lachlan pinched the bridge of his nose, something that must run in the family. Oliver often saw Quinn do it. Right before he lost his temper.
“All we really know for certain is that the husband is missing,” Oliver said, hoping to defuse the rising tension.
“Aye, that’s true,” Catie hurried to agree, casting him an apologetic glance for letting it slip in the first place.
Piper clapped her hands briskly. “Either way, we’re here now. We can go up to the castle and explain everything and hope they believe us, go up to the castle under some pretense and try and sniff around, or go to the inn and think some more.”
“Inn,” the three of them said in unison.
Lachlan took Piper’s hand and they marched away through the woods. Oliver trusted Lachlan’s keen senses to take them in the right direction and he lagged behind with Catie. As soon as they were a good distance behind, she started in.
“Why do ye get so flustered around Lachlan? Did you actually call him your lord?”
He stared at her woefully, thinking it pretty unbelievable that she brought up his blunder. But it struck him funny how he must have sounded and laughed even as his face burned.
“I can’t help it,” he admitted. “I’m used to Quinn, and I think he actually looks rather favorably on me now. But Lachlan is just…”
“Lachlan,” she finished. “Still, ye must stand up to him once in a while.” She tentatively took his hand. “He did say I should marry ye so ye can go home again. Perhaps I should, when this is over?”
“I think he was being sarcastic, Catie. And please don’t do me any favors.”
He shook free of her hand and sped up, not sure why he was so upset. Well, yes he was, he just didn’t like to admit it. He felt he must not only be a joke to Catie’s brothers— the one bossing him around, the other trying and succeeding to scare the beans out of him— but now that Lachlan viewed him like a pitiful fish thrashing on a line it stung his pride. And he thought he’d all but given up his pride where Catie was concerned.
He risked a look back at her. She looked absolutely gutted. His heart turned over but he was tired from the travel, worried that Quinn was tearing up the countryside trying to find her. And if word had got back to his mother that he was missing, she would be out of her mind, making herself sick with nerves. Catie’s selfishness had affected too many people and unfortunately he’d had the entire train ride up to the Highlands to mull it over while she slept. He was at his wit’s end.
At the road, Piper looked left and right. “Should we wait for someone to pass and try and hitch a ride?”
“There aren’t so many automobiles now,” Oliver said. “Especially not up here. I only saw a few from the train, and none at the station when we arrived.”
“Did you walk all the way from Inverness?” Piper asked, appalled. “Goodness, we should have let them get a night’s rest at least, Lachlan.”
“We got a ride on a hay wagon for most of it,” Catie said.
Oliver had wanted to bask in the compassion for a bit as every minute he grew more exhausted. He’d been too anxious to sleep a wink on the train and thought it was a good idea to keep a lookout as well. He wasn’t sure who might have seen them with Bridget while they were all having a grand old time in Blackpool. If the police were questioning people, someone might have described them.
“A few miles more,” Piper said encouragingly. “Then we’ll have a nice meal and get some sleep, start fresh in the morning.” She pulled some coins and a few bills from her bag and sighed. “I couldn’t find much money from this year or before. But I brought some trinkets we can sell if we need to. I have no idea what anything costs in this time.”
She brightened as they made their way down the country lane. It was a rutted track in Oliver’s time and a smoothly paved road in Piper’s. He could tell she was marveling at being in yet another time. It was a fine summer day and even Lachlan had to smile and lift his face to the sun.
“I wonder what we shall see in this time, love,” he said, taking her hand.
They were in a world of their own for the moment and Oliver felt a tug of envy at their loving partnership.
“The roaring twenties,” Piper said. “It’s so exciting.” She shimmied so the beads on her dress danced and caught the sunlight. “I’m probably overdressed.”
“I suppose it does roar at that,” Catie said. She kept trying to catch Oliver’s eye but he studiously ignored her. He knew it was childish and didn’t care. “That roller coaster at Blackpool certainly roared.”
Thankfully, a wagon pulled by an ancient team of horses trundled up to them so Lachlan couldn’t get upset about their supposedly wasting time in Blackpool again. The farmer offered them a ride, staring agog at Piper’s dress, confirming she was indeed too fine for a country stroll.
They climbed aboard and as the cart rolled heavily along the lane, he was reminded of being on the first ship when it was rocked by the storm. It actually seemed like a good memory now. He nestled in between some sacks of flour and within minutes, he was fast asleep.