“Ye cannae do this to me! Ye’ll regret it,” Brielle shrieked. Cailin and Cormac each grabbed one of her arms. Briellestruggled to no avail. Her frustration at being unable to break Maggie’s spell was evident in her expression.
“Lock her up, lads,” Robert ordered, as Brielle was dragged from the room. “We dinnae want her to escape.”
Chester wriggled out of his hiding spot beneath the table and ran to Dylan, practically turning himself inside out in his excitement. He hadn’t gone near Dylan since Brielle was around.
“Hello, Chester,” Maggie said, reaching her hand out to pet him. “’Tis good to see you again.”
“There, we have further proof! Chester hasnae left Cormac’s side since ye’ve been spending all yer time with Brielle. I understand why, now.” Robert smiled as he watched the dog wriggling every which way, as Maggie and Dylan showered him with attention.
“Well, I for one, am very relieved,” Irene said. “I havenae had many good thoughts for that woman. Something about her set me on edge, from the very moment I met her.”
“I knew there was something odd about her. She had no idea who I was when she first arrived and I was pretty sure after spending a few days with her in Glendaloch that she would remember me,” Jenna agreed.
Maggie left Dylan’s side and walked across to Jenna. “I’m sorry she deceived ye in my name. I couldnae forget ye—or ye, Ashley.” She hugged both women, one after the other before turning to Irene. “Irene, I’m so glad to meet ye. I’ve always wanted to visit Breaghacraig; I just never thought it would be under these circumstances.”
“Now we must decide what we’re to do with Brielle,” Angus announced. “Edna didnae make her intentions clear to us and I believe things have moved far more quickly than she anticipated.”
“Maggie, why did ye nae tell us who ye were right from the start?” Robert asked.
“Aye. I was wondering the same,” Cailin added.
“When Edna told me she wanted me to come to Breaghacraig to rid ye of Brielle, she said it was important that I be in disguise. I wasnae certain why. The only ones who knew my true identity were Edna, Angus and Brielle,” Maggie explained. “I’m sorry to have fooled ye fer so long, but I believe that Edna was trying to avoid the confusion that was sure to set in when ye had two Maggie’s in yer presence. Brielle may have reacted badly and done more damage if she had been found out sooner.” Maggie anxiously twirled her fingers through her hair. “We managed to surprise her today, and that worked to our advantage.”
“Are we safe from her now? Or can she harm us from her cell below stairs?” Robert asked.
“I hope so, but I’m not sure what she is truly capable of. So far I’ve been able to stop her from doing any real harm, but she is a powerful witch and I don’t believe we’ve seen the worst of what she can do. I have cast a spell on her that will temporarily keep her from mischief. I will need to find a more permanent solution, though. I would like to speak with her first, if someone can show me the way.”
Maggie observed the others in the room. They all still appeared to be stunned by the events of the past few minutes and it took another minute before anyone responded.
Robert spoke. “Of course, as soon as Cormac and Cailin come back, I’ll have one of them escort ye down to see her. Why do ye nae sit and eat a bite first? Ye must be verra hungry after that long sleep ye had.”
“Aye. Uncle Angus brought me some food, but in our hurry to come and explain things to ye, I’m afraid I didn’t eat much,” Maggie smiled. “And I didn’t eat more than a bannock and a pear yesterday.” Her eyes surveyed all the warm and welcoming faces of the MacKenzie’s and she suddenly felt very much at home.
“How do ye feel this morn?” Irene asked. “We were all quite worried about ye when ye wouldnae wake yesterday.”
“I’m fine. Aunt Edna helped me escape from the spell Brielle cast, and then I slept peacefully throughout the rest of the night.”
It seemed to Maggie as if she were on display for the next few minutes. She and Dylan helped themselves to some food and Maggie looked up to discover everyone else watching her intently as she ate.
Angus cleared his throat and their attention turned to him. “Mayhap we should let these two have their breakfast in peace.”
“Aye. I’ll see where Cailin and Cormac have gone off to and I’ll send one of them back for ye, Maggie,” Robert said as he turned to leave the room.
“Thank ye,” she agreed, around a mouthful of bannocks.
The group turned in unison and filed out of the hall, leaving Maggie and Dylan alone. As soon as they were gone, Dylan sat back in his chair and put an arm around Maggie’s shoulders. “I’m so happy you’re really here now.”
Her heart sang when she heard his words. Maggie was beyond elated to be seated next to him, the warmth of his touch making its way through her clothing and flowing deep inside. How could she have doubted him? “I’ve been here all along, Dylan.” She thought for a moment before she continued. “I was wondering why ye continued to kiss Brielle, if ye didnae enjoy it?” Maggie asked the question as casually as possible shovelling food around on her trencher in hopes that her jealousy wouldn’t be revealed.
Dylan cleared his throat and when Maggie looked up, he smiled, melting her heart. “Maggie, I kissed her because I was trying to recapture what I’d felt between us. When I first met you back at the inn, I felt an immediate connection. It was something I’d never experienced before and I knew it was somethingspecial. So, when Brielle showed up here, disguised as you, I had no idea she was someone else trying to trick us. Those feelings I had for you were suddenly gone and I didn’t understand why. I guess I kept hoping that things would settle down between us, that maybe because we’d been separated for a while, we had to get to know one another again, maybe that would help to find it. I thought if I kissed Brielle, because I thought shewasyou, it would eventually come back, but it didn’t.”
“So you didn’t enjoy kissing her at all?” Maggie questioned.
Dylan shook his head. “Not in the slightest.”
“Not even one tiny bit?” Maggie asked.
“Not even one tiny bit.” Dylan lifted her chin with his fingertips and gazed into her eyes. “Come, sit here with me.”
