Fate had made the decision for her it seemed. She tried not to feel sad, wanting to keep hold of her recently acquired self confidence.
She didn’t manage it. He was marrying someone else. She knew it was likely to happen of course but there had always been a tiny part of her that thought he might come back for her. It wasn’t to be. She would just have to get used to living without him. She would have the memory of a single kiss and knowledge of a love so strong she would never feel it for anyone else for the rest of her life.
Some people never feel that, she told herself, starting to walk once more. She knew she should be grateful for the little time they had spent together but she couldn’t stop thinking about the wedding. He would stand opposite Nessa MacKay, smiling at her, their hands clasped together.
How different were wedding ceremonies back then? Would he put a ring on her finger? Recite vows? Go on honeymoon? The thought of it made her feel ill.
Steeling herself to keep moving she gritted her teeth. Fate had decided. If the cart was going to the wedding she was right to walk in the other direction. Any chance of happiness with Callum was long gone. All she could do was go home and try to be happy without him.
A tear fell from her eye but it was the only one she would allow herself. She had stamped on her emotions when she lived with Edward. She could do the same thing about Callum, shut down her feelings so she could continue to function.
What was that book? Feel the fear and do it anyway. She thought it needed a better title. Stamp on the fear so you can get on with it. Not as catchy but better fitting how she felt.
It was another day before she made it to the old hall. She had slept during the night in a tiny crumbling barn. It wasn’t warm but it kept the wind out and allowed her to feel protected for at least a couple of hours. She found a couple of carrots that had been missed by the farmer, a miserly breakfast but at least enough to stave off her hunger until she made it home.
When the hall came into view she stopped. It was little more than a burned out shell. The fire had long since been extinguished. There was little left of the hovels standing beside it. Some rebuilding had taken place. Charred wood had been piled together to one side and fresh stone was in another pile. Whoever was working on it was nowhere to be seen when she arrived. The place was deserted, looking much as if it had been abandoned forever.
She walked over to the door, seeing down the cleared corridor to the bedroom. The stones that made up the doorframe at the far end of the corridor were still there. At least that was something. The portal should still work. A few more yards and she would be home. Best of all there was no sign of Edward anywhere.
She walked into the hallway and down toward the bedroom. There it was, the portal. On the other side was the future.
She didn’t step through. She paused to think about everything that had happened to her since she arrived in the past. She had fallen in love and then lost him. Her ex had turned up and tried to force her to come home with him. She’d almost drowned. She had first hand knowledge of the medieval highlands and how the people lived back then. She could become a historian, writing the most vividly realistic books about the middle ages.
A half smile crossed her lips but it faded almost at once. She put a hand onto the stone doorway, feeling it vibrating softly. She hoped Callum would find happiness even if it wasn’t with her.
She took a step forward.
“Wait!”
The voice was so loud it sounded like it was right next to her. Who had said that?
Turning her head she looked out onto the grass. There was a man on the back of a horse. He was riding at full gallop toward her.
It was Callum.
She gasped, calling out his name. “Callum,” and running back outside. She had barely made it when two more horses appeared from the riverbank. Had they been hiding there?
On their backs were two men in black suits, their outfits looking completely out of place in the medieval highlands. They rode fast, getting between Callum and Kerry, riding full pelt toward her.
She screamed and ran, the two of them thundering after her, Callum close behind. She made it to the old hall, running into the hallway before skidding to a halt by the bedroom doorway.
“Go through,” one of the men shouted, bringing his horse to a stop by the front door. “Do it.”
“No,” Callum shouted, climbing down from his horse and running after them as they chased her down on foot.
“Do it. Go through Kerry.”
“How do you know who I am?” she asked, planting her feet squarely on the ground and refusing to move any further. “How do you know my name?”
Callum caught up with them, his sword held high. “Step aside.”
“You can’t do this,” one of the men replied, holding out his hands to try and keep the two of them apart.
“The devil we can’t,” Callum said, swinging his sword menacingly through the air. “If you try to keep us apart a moment longer I will run you both through.”
The older of the two men blanched. “Please, don’t kill us. Just turn around and go back to your home. That’s the way things are meant to go.”
Callum walked toward Kerry. The men were still in his way. He grabbed the nearer of the two, shoving him down to the ground. The man shrieked, landing with a thud.
