***
“My father spoke of ye often,” Robert said, after Angus and Alec had been introduced to him, Irene and their children.
“As did mine,” Irene added.
“They told of your unmatched bravery in battle and of how the three of ye fought side-by-side, on more than one occasion. They were heartbroken when ye disappeared,” Robert said.
“Yer fathers were good men,” Angus said. “I’m sorry I caused them such heartache. I had no way to let anyone know what had happened and that I was alright.”
Robert nodded his acceptance and understanding, as did Irene.
“I met the woman I’d always hoped to meet, my Edna, and there was no way I could leave her behind to return. I wanted to spend the rest of my days with her and I haven’t regretted my decision for a moment.” Angus glanced around at the other men, who were all holding their wives just a wee bit tighter.
Maggie was once again reminded of the one thing lacking in her life. Love. It’s what she wanted, what she dreamed of and what she hoped to have with Dylan, if she wasn’t already too late.
“There she is!” Robert suddenly shouted. “Maggie, yer Uncle Angus has arrived.”
Everyone turned to the doors and watched as an obviously startled Brielle recovered her cool demeanor and reaching behind her pulled Dylan into the room. She made sure to cozy right up next to him, which had the real Maggie seeing red. Brielle scanned the faces in the room and settled her gaze on Maggie, in her disguise as Alec. She offered Maggie a withering stare before she focused her attention on Angus. With a bright smile, she spoke. “Uncle Angus, what brings ye here to Breaghacraig? I hope all is well at home.” She came forward to hug Angus, looking extremely uncomfortable in the process.
“Aye. ’Tis indeed, my dear niece, but yer Auntie Edna would like ye to come home with me. She is in need of yer help.”
“Cannae it wait, Uncle? I’ve come to see Dylan and I wish to spend more time with him.” Brielle had a temperamental pouton her lips, which was very uncharacteristic for the real Maggie, as she snuggled closer to Dylan.
“We dinnae need to leave in a hurry. We can stay for a bit longer if ye like,” Angus said. Maggie could tell he was carefully wording his responses. There was no way that Brielle could not know that Angus was on to her, but she kept up the pretense of being Maggie without batting an eye. An awkward silence followed his answer and the others in the room watched this exchange with curiosity.
“Angus, it’s good to see you again,” Dylan chimed in, breaking the quiet filling the room. He left Brielle’s side and reached out a hand in greeting.
“It’s good to see ye again, lad,” Angus said. “How have you fared since yer arrival?”
“Great. I love it here. I’ve been enjoying it more than I would have imagined.” Dylan glanced at the others and then his eyes landed on Alec.
This is it. He’s going to recognize me now.Maggie smiled brightly at Dylan, forgetting for a moment that she was in disguise. Her stomach was doing flip-flops and her heart was racing as she waited for him to say something.
“Hi, I’m Dylan.” He reached out his hand to shake Maggie’s and she visibly deflated. He didn’t recognize her. Shouldn’t he? How could he look her in the eyes and not know who she was?
“I be Alec,” Maggie replied, grasping his hand. She didn’t know if he could feel it, but when she touched Dylan she began to shake.This would not be a good time to lose it, Maggie.She made an effort to stand up taller and look as unaffected by their encounter as possible. For his part, Dylan simply turned away from her and went back to Brielle’s side.Damn it all,Maggie thought. She glared at Brielle and there was a palpable tension in the air. Energy shifted back and forth between them, causing Maggie to feel nauseous and wobbly. She grasped the back ofa nearby chair to steady herself and with a good deal of effort broke contact with Brielle’s eyes.She’s a strong one. This will not be easy.
“Alec,” Angus sounded concerned. “Are ye alright, lad? Mayhap ye need to sit for a moment.”
“Ye must be hungry,” Irene said. “It’s time for the noon meal. Why dinnae we all sit and eat?” Irene showed Angus and Alec to their seats and everyone else sat down as well. Soon servants carrying trays filled with food were streaming from the kitchen to the tables and everyone was helping themselves.
Maggie was a bit hesitant, but Angus handed her a platter and said, “Alec, put some food on yer trencher. I ken ye be hungry.”
“Aye,” Maggie said. “I am.” She started plucking things off the platter and onto her trencher, not caring what it might be that she was grabbing. Brielle caught Maggie gazing in Dylan’s direction and gave her the evil eye.I’m going to need to protect myself from that witch.She no sooner had the thought than her throat began to tighten and she was having a hard time breathing. She immediately started running through the list of spells she’d been taught. Surely, Edna had given her one to protect herself? She was panicking now and that was never a good thing. She could feel her thoughts running in a million different directions.Deep breaths, calm yerself.After a moment or two, the spell came to her and she quietly recited it in her head. When she was done, the panic had left her and Brielle was left looking disappointed and angry. Maggie avoided looking in her direction for the remainder of the meal. She noticed that Angus had spoken more today than she had ever heard him do so before. He was usually the strong silent type, but for some reason, he was babbling on about life in Glendaloch, The Thistle & Hive and Edna. No one else seemed to notice, and Maggie knew that he was trying to distract their attention from what had been happening between her and Brielle. The meal couldn’tbe over soon enough for her taste. She had been uncomfortably aware of Dylan at the other end of the table and acutely aware of her enemy, Brielle, at his side. As soon as it was polite, Maggie excused herself and practically bolted from the room. Once outside, she gulped in a huge lung full of the crisp, fresh air. She leaned against the stone walls of the castle, which were warm from the sun shining directly upon them. It felt good to Maggie and calmed her frazzled nerves.What a mess! How am I going to succeed? She’s so much stronger and better at this than I am.Maggie shielded her eyes with her hands. No one in the courtyard had noticed her. Apparently, there was nothing remarkable about her for anyone to take note of. That was a good thing, she imagined. That way she could go about undetected by the others. She still wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do to defeat Brielle, she just hoped she wasn’t going to die trying.
Angus walked out the doors with Dylan at his side. She hardened her heart just a little in order to dull the pain she felt at the sight of him.
“There ye are, Alec. Come along. Dylan is going to show us to our room. We’ll be staying in the soldier’s barracks, but we’ll have our own private room,” Angus said, motioning towards the other side of the courtyard.
Maggie didn’t respond, instead falling into step behind the two men. And silently plotting her revenge against Dylan, for forgetting her so quickly. Who was she kidding? As much as she might like to see him fall flat on his face, she could never do anything to hurt him, no matter how angry she might be.
They entered the soldiers’ barracks and Maggie was relieved to find they were empty. “Where is everyone?” she asked.
“They’re all out tending to their daily duties, or they may even be out on the practice field.” Dylan shrugged his broad shoulders and Maggie found him absolutely adorable. To her eyes, he looked very fit and his body appeared more sculptedthan she remembered. His muscular chest was straining against the fabric of his shirt and Maggie had to look away before he noticed the effect he was having on her. “Your chamber is right in here. I’m staying in the room right next to you while Maggie’s here, so if you need anything, just give a holler.”
“Thank ye, Dylan, ye’ve been ever so kind,” Angus said.
Maggie made a weird grunting noise in response and escaped into their chamber, where she tried to melt into the corner.At least he’s not staying in the same room with Brielle,she thought.
