“We’ve travelled a great distance to be here. Can ye tell us the year kind sir?” Dougall knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it. The reality of all that had happened over the past weeks weighed heavily on him and he needed the acknowledgement that he had survived it all and arrived right back from where he’d left.
“’Tis 1516, as ye should well know.” The man furrowed his brow and clucked to his horse to get him moving.
“Ye are correct, sir and thank ye,” Dougall said.
The man seemed suspicious of them and he hurried his horse to move on across the bridge. He was headed in the opposite direction of the way they would go and Logan laughed. “We’re here. I can hardly believe it.”
“’Tis nae hard to believe if ye believe we’ve just spent time in the future.” The future – where Helene remained. He was sick at the thought of it. How did all of this get so out of hand. If only he hadn’t left her alone with his father, perhaps none of this would have happened. If only he hadn’t pushed her to make a choice – stay in San Francisco or come home with him. If only he had listened to Sara, perhaps things would be different. Perhaps she’d be at his side now instead of somewhere in a time and place far away from him.
“I wish Sara had come with us.” Logan said, obviously unaware of Dougall’s pain.
“Ye didnae ask her,” Dougall growled.
“I wish I had.”
“Too late now.” Dougall had little patience for Logan’s lament, he had enough of his own regrets.
“Maybe Edna will help me.” Logan sounded hopeful to Dougall’s ear.
“Ye’d have to ask her and I’m nae so sure she’d help ye.”
“Why not?” Logan’s puzzled expression was almost comical, but the last thing Dougall felt like doing was laughing. All the joy had been drained out of his life and he doubted it would ever return.
“She doesnae ken who ye be,” Dougall said.
“Does she ken ye?”
“Aye. She does.” Dougall left it at that. He didn’t bother to tell Logan that he hadn’t officially met Edna, but had seen her when he was with the MacKenzies after Ashley’s arrival. Dougall wasn’t sure why Edna had helped him. In any case, it hadn’t worked. Here he was back in his own time and without Helene. “We should ride to Castle Treun. I must speak with me Da.” Dougall spurred his horse forward and Logan followed.
“Why are ye in such a hurry?” Logan questioned.
“I wish to get this over with.”
“Edna!” Zeke called into the fireplace. “I feel like a fool talking to my hearth, especially since she’s not answering.”
“She may nae wish to help.” Helene was wringing her hands, pacing back and forth. It was sweet of Zeke to try to help her, but she knew from everything she’d heard that Edna had her own reasons for when and how she helped. “Mayhap she doesnae wish me to be with Dougall.”
“Why would you think that.” Zeke turned away from the fireplace to face Helene.
“Because she’s a matchmaker.”
“So you think the fact that Dougall left without you is because Edna planned it that way.”
“Aye.”
“I disagree. It was a timing issue. We were late.”
“I was late. ’Twas me. I couldnae make up me mind and now I’m stuck.”
Zeke went to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “Don’t blame yourself. Let’s just say it was poor timing.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll keep trying. Sooner or later she’s going to answer me. If all else fails, we can fly to Scotland and see her in person.”
“Fly to Scotland! Do ye really think we could do it?” She had no idea that people of the future could fly.
“Sure.”
“I don’t think so, Zeke.” Sara came down the stairs to join them. “She needs a passport. Where are you going to get her one of those?”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” he said.
