Jenna laughed. “I’ll tell him you said that.”
Arran gave a lopsided smile. “Too late. I tell him all the time.”
They fell silent, both watching the proceedings in the hall. Jenna took another sip of mead.
“I know this must be difficult for ye, lass,” Arran said at last. “And everything must seem strange, but it willnae be for long. Tomorrow, after ye have fixed the magic, I will take ye home.”
Jenna choked on her mead, spraying it all over her lap. “I’m sorry? Did you just say tomorrow?”
Despite the amount of mead he’d drunk, Arran seemed not in the least affected by it. His gaze was still as piercing, his posture still as rigidly in control. The firelight reflected off his hair, making it look like burnished gold as he stared at her.
“Aye. Once ye’ve restored the magic, we can use the tide pool to take ye home again.”
“Just like that? Do you think I can just click my fingers and fix everything? It’s a little more complicated than that!”
His eyes narrowed. “But ye said—”
“I know what I said! And I’ll do everything I can to help you, but it’s not as simple as you seem to think. I can’t just wave a magic wand. It will take time. There are things I need before I can even begin.”
Annoyance flashed in his bright blue gaze. “Like what?”
“Like figuring out how the magic was made in the first place. Like learning everything I can about the spellweavers who created it. Like figuring out why it failed and what I need to do to revive it. Do you know the first thing about what you’re asking?”
“Nay,” he growled. “I dinna. Which is why I’m payingyehandsomely to know about it instead. Are ye saying ye canna do what’s needed after all?”
“Are you listening?” Jenna snapped. “What I’m saying is that I’m going to need sometimeand you are going to have to be patient. I would love to waggle my fingers, say ‘abracadabra’, and then be on my merry way, but that’s not how this works.” She jabbed a finger in his direction. “So I’m afraid you’re going to be stuck with me a while longer. Okay?”
Arran glared at her. He opened his mouth as though for an angry retort but before he could speak, Jenna spotted Rosaline out of the corner of her eye. She was giving her son a stern look of disapproval. Arran glanced between Jenna and his mother and then snapped his mouth shut.
“My apologies,” he said, not sounding apologetic at all. “Of course ye shall have everything ye need. We have a library here at Dun Tabor, and I will ask Brother Merrick to find everything he can on the MacFinnan spellweavers. Tomorrow, I will show ye the island.” Rosaline caught his eye again and Arran coughed. “That is, I will show ye the island if that is agreeable to ye.”
Jenna nodded. “Fine. So now that’s sorted, pass me that jug of mead will you?”
Chapter Six
“My lady?”
“Go ’way,” Jenna mumbled, turning over and burying her head in the pillow.
“My lady, it’s time to get up.”
Jenna ignored the voice. Perhaps it would go away. But then she heard the sound of the drapes being pulled back and light flooded the room, spearing into Jenna’s brain like jagged shards of glass.
“Aargh! Are you trying to kill me?”
She pried her eyes open and found herself staring up at the underside of her bed canopy. Damn it. So yesterday hadn’t been a dream then? She really was here in fifteenth century Scotland?
With an effort, she struggled into a sitting position. Her head pounded like someone was whacking it with a rolled-up newspaper, and her mouth tasted like something had crawled into it and died. Jeez. How much mead had she drunk last night? Too much, if her pounding head, grainy eyes, and roiling stomach were anything to go by.
A red-haired young woman who she guessed must be a maid hovered by the bed, wringing her hands and looking nervous.
“What time is it?” Jenna groaned.
“Past dawn, my lady.”
The way she said the words suggested she considered this to belate, but “past dawn” was still the middle of the night as far as Jenna was concerned. Outside, the sky still held the pink blush of sunrise. Oh, hell. Did people always get up at this hour here?
Jenna flopped back down onto the pillows. “Wake me in a few hours.”
