“I’ll see you around,” Dylan said as he walked away.
“Are ye alright, lass?” Angus asked, after it seemed he had looked up and down the corridor one hundred times to be sure no one would hear him.
“I’m fine, Uncle,” Maggie’s head was pounding, her heart was racing and she was definitely hyperventilating, but she wasn’t about to let Angus know that. He was already stressed out enough over their situation.
“What did she do to ye in there?” Angus raked his big hands through his salt and pepper hair, leaving it standing on end in the process.
“I’m nae sure. She was staring me down and the next thing I knew, I couldn’t breathe. I used one of the spells Auntie taught me, and it worked, but it made her verra angry.”
“I don’t like this one bit. Edna shouldnae have sent ye. Yer just a wee slip of a thing and much too kind hearted for this kind of work.” Angus paced back and forth across the small bedchamber. He was so angry Maggie could practically see the steam coming off him.
“Uncle, dinnae worry about me. Auntie wouldnae have sent me if she didnae think I could do it. I must try.” Maggie knew she needed to calm things down in her own mind if she were going to be successful against Brielle. “She knows who I am andshe thinks I’m afraid of her, so in her mind, she’s already won. I know that now and I won’t let her get the best of me again.”
“If she hurts even one hair on yer head…” Angus started.
“Don’t, Uncle. She’ll not harm me. I’m a grown woman. Icanhandle this and I will.” Maggie had made up her mind. She would not cower in front of that witch again. She’d fight her with everything she had. Edna had taught her well and shecoulddo this. She had to do this—for the MacKenzies and for Dylan. “I just wish I understood exactly what it is that I am supposed to do.”
“It will reveal itself, lass. I’m here for ye and I will protect ye as best I can.” Angus reached out and pulled her to him, hugging her tight to his chest. “Dinnae fear, all will be well.” Maggie didn’t think he sounded very convincing.
Chapter 5
Doubts were still whirling through Dylan’s mind. He was having a hard time locating the strong connection he had felt when he met Maggie for the first time back in Glendaloch. Never having been in a committed relationship, he was at a loss as to how the Maggie he remembered had changed so much. He wasn’t a quitter though, he was still crazily attracted to her, and he was determined to figure out the problems between them and make her his.Where is she?Dylan had been searching for Maggie for the past hour and hadn’t found her anywhere. Not much had changed in her behavior since his last conversation with her, but he could see that she was trying to make an effort, so he decided to give it more time.
His next area to search was the kitchen, where he found his cousin, Jenna, Mary, the castle cook, and Sophia - a girl from twenty first century San Francisco, who found herself unwillingly brought back to medieval Breaghacraig by Jenna’s crazy ex-husband. Mary was teaching Sophia how to heat up thebread oven, by starting a fire inside it first with small pieces of kindling, and then adding bigger pieces of firewood.
“Once the bread oven is good and hot, ye’ll sweep the burning embers out into the hearth and then place the bread inside to bake,” he heard Mary explaining.
Cooking in medieval times was a challenge and since marrying Cormac, Jenna had made it her mission to try and help Mary find ways to make her job easier. She also wanted to try to replicate some of the dishes they all missed from the twenty first century. Mary had been skeptical at first, but eventually she had warmed to Jenna and they had developed a friendship of sorts. Dylan had been surprised at how well Jenna fit in at Breaghacraig. She had always been a take-charge kind of girl when they lived in San Francisco, which tended to rub some people the wrong way. She had been quite the accomplished chef herself—not a professional, but Dylan had always suspected she could have been if she’d wanted. Jenna had been responsible for running her parents charitable foundation, arranging for the collection of excess food from local restaurants, which was then distributed to the homeless shelter. Consequently, Jenna was generally busy all of the time and had been searching for things to keep her equally busy in medieval Scotland.
“Hey, Jenna… Sophia,” Dylan greeted them as he entered the kitchen. “How are you today, Mary?”
“I be fine, Sir. Jenna is trying to teach me to makepasta.” Mary screwed up her face and pronounced the word with something close to disgust.
“Mary, we have to try. Cormac loves it and I want to make it for him,” Jenna said.
Dylan laughed at Mary’s comical expression. “It’s very good, Mary. I think you’d like it. Of course, I’m not sure Jenna will be able to get all the ingredients she needs to make it.”
“I’m improvising,” Jenna said. “We’ll work with what we’ve got here.” She examined the ingredients she had set out on the table and he could see her calculating in her head just how she was going to manage this task.
“Have any of you seen Maggie?” Dylan asked.
Three heads bobbed up to stare at him and Mary spoke. “Have ye looked behind ye?”
Dylan turned to find Maggie standing there, smiling at him. “How long have you been there?”
“Not long,” Maggie replied.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. Where were you?” Dylan couldn’t seem to read Maggie’s mood. She was smiling at him, but he didn’t think it was a genuine smile.
“Oh, wandering about. No place special. I just needed some breathing room.” Maggie surveyed the room and its occupants. “Do ye mind if I sit down for a bit?”
“Nae. Of course not, lass. Please join us.” Mary said, as she began kneading some bread dough. She had several loaves set out and waiting to go in the oven. “Sophia, is the oven ready yet?”
“I’ll check for you,” Sophia responded.
“Sophia,” Maggie said, and she sounded as if she were testing the sound of the name on her lips. “You arrived here around the same time as Jenna and Dylan, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.” Sophia was bent over the bread oven and nodded, seeming satisfied with the heat. “Mary, I think it might be ready now. Do you want to check it to be sure?”
