Even though her heart was crushed, Katherine entered the hallway, wandered through the parlor, and into the kitchen, acting as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Fortunately, the word of Lord MacConnery’s visit had already spread through the estate and people were too busy getting ready for his arrival to pay her any mind. She slipped out the door unnoticed.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

Katherine spun around to face Cora. Not sure what to say, she glanced at the ground.

“I heard the news about Stirling and I am so sorry, lamb.” She tugged Katherine into a tight embrace.

Katherine eased free of Cora’s embrace. “Thank you, but we still do not know for sure if Ayden was killed. He may still be alive.”

“I hope so,” Cora said. “Are you going somewhere?”

“I just need some fresh air and a bit of space. I am going to go to the meadow for a bit, but will be back before Lord MacConnery arrives.” She hated to lie to Cora, but the less she knew the better it would be for her in the end.

“I understand. Take as long as you need. I’ll cover for you with your da until your return,” she said, then entered the cottage.

The amount of support she got from Warren, Lily, and Cora touched Katherine’s heart. It honestly felt like she had a real family again. If she ever found a way back to her own time, she’d miss them all deeply. But she had to get away from Glen Heather. She couldn’t face MacConnery, and she needed a place to think and decide what to do next.

 Getting away from Glen Heather was her first priority, so she sauntered to the edge of the forest, then ran until she arrived at the cave where she and Ayden had exchanged their vows and he claimed her for the first, and perhaps the last time. It had started to rain again and Katherine was drenched to the skin, her sodden hair plastered to her head, her slippers caked with mud, but she didn’t care.

As she reached the opening, she halted, unable to bring herself to enter. Not without Ayden. This was their place and it almost seemed like a sin to go there alone. Instead, she doubled over at the waist, drawing in one ragged gulp of air after another, then glanced toward the angry sky. “Why, God? Why did you bring us together only to rip us apart?” She dropped to her knees, sobbing.

“There now, lass. Thing happens as they are meant to happen, but are na always as bad as they seem,” Seonag said as she gently stroked Katherine’s back then helped her to her feet. “Come inside. We must get out of the rain.”

“What are you doing here?” She yanked free of the seer’s grasp and glared at her through tear-filled eyes. “Now it is too late. I searched for you after the feast, prayed that you’d come to me and finish explaining what’s happened and why I’m here.” She lowered her chin and dragged a shaky hand across her damp cheeks.

“I told you more than I should have at the feast. The rest you must figure out for yourself.”

Katherine’s head shot up. “I’ve tried to figure it out, but can’t. I should have told Ayden I was from the future before he left and that I knew the outcome of the battle at Stirling. I should have warned him that most of the Scots would perish and King Edward would be victorious. If I had, maybe he’d be here now.”

“It was not your place to tell him, any more that it is mine to explain all that has happened to you so far.” Seonag moved to the center of the cave and lit a small fire. “You are soaking wet from the rain and shivering like a leaf, lass. Come warm yourself. It willna due for you to get ill, nor is it good for the wean you carry.”

Blinking away the tears, Katherine stared at Seonag. “The wean?” Shocked by what was said, she rose and slid her hand over her belly. “Are you telling me I’m pregnant?” She moved closer to the heat, curious how the woman had started a fire without matches or tinder.

“Have you na been feeling poorly the last few days? And have your courses come of late?” Seonag asked.

“Well, no, I didn’t get my period last month and I have been tired and feeling very queasy. But I just figured it was from being worried and upset.”

Seonag grinned as she tossed some sticks on the burning pile of wood, then reached into a pouch at her side and took out what looked like some ground herbs. After mumbling a Gaelic prayer, she tossed them onto the fire.

A bright blue flame shot skyward, startling Katherine and causing her to take a step back. “I can’t believe I’m having a baby. How?”

“The usual way, I would suspect,” Seonag replied with a wide grin. “And if I am guessing correctly, I would wager Lord Ayden made certain his seed was planted more than once.”

Heat rose in her cheeks as she caressed her stomach and she couldn’t help but smile. She and Ayden had conceived a child, and the thought made her heart soar. But then reality took a nasty hold and her elation turned to sorrow. “A baby his or her father will never see.” She also wondered if she went back to her own time, would she still be pregnant. But first she had to deal with the here and now.

“Do you know for certain Ayden is dead?” Seonag placed her hand on Katherine’s shoulder. “As I have mentioned before, things are na always as they seem.”

“Are you saying Ayden is alive?” Katherine spun around and grasped the seer by both shoulders. “Tell me.”

“I canna tell you that which I dinna know for certain. However, I do know there are things yet to happen that will affect you both. One canna change the past, but they can change their future. Right the wrong and all will be revealed to you.”

Upon hearing the words again, she released her hold on Seonag and wrapped her arms around her middle. “I don’t know how.” She lowered her gaze. “And what happens if and when I go back to my own time? I never bargained on any of this, especially not a baby.”

“You will find a way, Catriona. You must have faith in your love for Ayden, a power so strong, it can transcend time and last forever and beyond,” Seonag quoted the inscription on her ring.

“How did you know what it said inside my ring?” Katherine asked, but her words trailed off when she realized Seonag was gone, and she was very much alone.

Sitting on a log near the fire, Katherine warmed her hands over the flames. It wouldn’t be long before her absence was noticed, if Laird Grant hadn’t already sent out a search party to drag her home. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t go back to Glen Heather and she could never marry Lord MacConnery. She carried Ayden’s child and shuddered to think what her betrothed would do when he found out.

But that wasn’t her only concern. She had to find out if Ayden was dead. And the only people who might know for certain where his parents. She’d been forbidden to leave the estate without Lord Grant’s permission, and he certainly would not approve of her reasons for the visit to MacAndrews’ keep. In fact, if he found out she was even thinking about it, he’d likely have her kept under lock and key until her wedding day.

Her mind made up, Katherine left the cave, surprised to see the sun was shining. Perceiving this as a good omen, she hoped it meant her luck was about to change for the better.

But as she reached what she thought was the border of the Grant estate, she hesitated. Not only had Lord Grant forbade her to leave the estate, but when she read her aunt’s will, she was warned not to go outside the boundaries. After taking a minute to think about her decision, she stepped over the imaginary line dividing the estates. She’d go mad if she did not find out about Ayden.

~ * ~

The farther down the path Katherine traveled, the thicker the brush and foliage became. She’d not ventured beyond the stream at the edge of the Grant estate before now, and had no idea how far it was to the MacAndrews’ castle. She knew the night Ayden rode for the friar and returned, it took him less than an hour, but he was on horseback and she was on foot. Her only choice was to trudge onward and hope it wasn’t too far, or that her father’s men didn’t intercept her before she got there. Once she arrived at the keep, she could find out what happened to Ayden and beg for sanctuary. Surely they’d not turn away their son’s widow and bairn.

As the trees thinned out, replaced by smaller bushes and thickets of brambles, she notices the rays of sunlight peeking through the once dense canopy of leaves above her head. She could hear what sounded like water rushing over rocks in the distance, and as she entered a clearing, she beheld a large open field skirted by thistles, the grassy areas in the center like a floral tapestry of heather, bluebells and snow drops.

Her eyes focused on the falls, crystal clear water from the stream, splashing up and creating a fine mist as it crashed over smooth boulders. After making her way to the edge of the crag, she peered over and her breath caught. The drop had to be at least fifty feet if not more, straight down to the churning water and jagged rocks below. Her stomach clenched as a feeling of familiarity all but swamped her senses. She gulped at the air, trying to fill her lungs as she slowly backed away. She’d been here before and something told her it did not end in a good way. Was this the cliff from which Catriona threw herself?

She pondered the idea for a moment. Given the elation she felt upon finding out she carried Ayden’s child and the option to run away rather than marry MacConnery, a niggling in her belly told her that Catriona would not have jumped. True, she loved Ayden — Katherine felt that — but she also felt the joy of carrying their child and the determination to protect it and bring it into the world, to make sure he or she knew how wonderful their father was. Were she to stay here or go back to her time, she would welcome Ayden’s child, love and cherish the gift.

Giving her head a shake, she tried to get her mind off the cliff and back on to the task at hand. She needed to get to the MacAndrews’ keep and find out once and for all if Ayden was alive. Upon noticing the opening to another path, leading into the forest and located on the opposite side of the clearing, she decided to take it. A short jaunt later, she stepped into another clearing and immediately caught sight of a tall stone structure looming on the horizon. As she approached what she assumed was the MacAndrews castle in the distance, she quickened her pace.

“Hello,” she shouted and waved when she arrived at the portcullis. The small castle was surrounded by forest on two sides, and the river gorge leading back to the falls ran behind it.

“Halt and state your purpose,” a guard yelled from atop the curtain wall.

Cupping a hand over her eyes in order to block the sun’s rays, she peered up at him. “I am Lady Catriona Grant, from the estate of Lord Rowland Grant, your neighbor. Please, I would like to see Laird and Lady MacAndrews if I may. It is very important that I speak to them.”

“The Laird isna here,” the guard said. “He and several of his men have gone to collect the bodies of our clansmen slain at Stirling.”

“Have you the names of those who perished?”

“Nay, lass, only the laird knows and he has gone for the bodies,” the guard replied.

“What of Lady MacAndrews? Is she here?”

“As a result of her grief, Lady MacAndrews has retired to her chamber until her husband returns. The healer has given her something to help her rest and she isna to be disturbed,” he explained. “However, if you wish to pay your respects, you are welcomed to wait inside the castle, along with several other mourners who arrived last evening.”

“I thought the Scots had a powerful army and figured to defeat Longshanks,” she said. “Lord Ayden told me the number of Highlanders on the way to aid Lord Oliphant would be enough to clinch the victory and drive the English out of Scotland.”

“Aye, they did have high hopes. But one of the men who managed to escape the slaughter, said that King Edward knew about the reinforcements and was prepared when they arrived. Most were killed before they got inside the castle walls. The rest perished when Longshanks stormed the castle without mercy.”

“But how did he know they were coming? Unless someone betrayed them.” She swallowed against the bile rising in her throat. Ewan MacConnery immediately came to mind. He had the information and the time to get to Stirling ahead of the Highland reinforcements. And from what she’d heard, he’d sell his own mother for wealth and power. At the feast he mentioned he had recently taken part in things that would advance his status and wealth that some would deem inappropriate. There were just too many coincidences for it not to be him. She even wondered if her father was also involved. He hadn’t sent any men, and Warren had stayed behind? But she dismissed the thought. She didn’t believe Warren would ever betray Ayden. He was a good man and she trusted him.

“Do they have any idea who it was?”

“I’m na sure. But the fellow who returned from the battle, said they believed it was a Scottish lord who betrayed them,” the guard said. “Shall I open the gate so you may enter, Lady Grant?”

“Nay.” Slowly she climbed to her feet. “I will come back once the laird returns.” She couldn’t bear the thought of being alone in Ayden’s home, waiting for his body to arrive. Instead, she wandered aimlessly down the path toward the falls. She couldn’t go back to Glen Heather and face the lord’s wrath, nor could she stomach the idea of seeing Lord MacConnery again. Now that she suspected he was a traitor and to blame for the deaths of his fellow Scotsmen, if left alone with the blackguard, she’d be hard pressed to keep from plunging a dagger into his heart. That was if the man in fact had a heart.

With her head hung low, sorrow and despair battling for possession of her heart, she entered the clearing. The falls called to her, and she moved toward them as if she no longer had a will of her own. At the edge of the cliff, she once again peered over at the roiling water below and the walls of jagged rocks on either side of the canyon.

Without Ayden, her life was forever changed, empty. It would be so easy to take just one more step and join her beloved, thus ending the need to decide what to do and where to go next. She teetered on the edge for a moment, then took a step back and slid her hand over her belly. She carried his baby, and no matter how much her heart ached, she could never do anything to harm their child. She cupped her belly. If Ayden was dead, this baby was the only thing she had left of their love and she owed it to him to see that his babe lived and was protected.

“It is a lovely view, but I would be carful if I were you, my dear,” a deep voice rumbled. “The ledge is fragile and has been known to give way without warning. Might I suggest you step back?”

Katherine spun around to face Lord MacConnery. “What are you doing here?”