She looked up, her face bruised and puffy. Morag crouched beside her. “There’s an alternative to that.”
“You said you couldn’t be my mom.”
“Maybe I changed my mind.” She held out a hand and Caroline took it. “Come on,” she added. “I’ve got something to show you. Just don’t freak out, okay?”
She walked through the door and as she did so, Rachel stepped back, watching them both in silence. “Is this your apartment?” Caroline asked, looking around the room with her eyes wide. “It looks so old.”
“It’s the Middle Ages,” Rachel said. “And you’re welcome to stay if you want.”
“That’s my Mom,” Morag added. “Look back through that door.”
Caroline did, seeing the corridor of the apartment block.
“You can walk back through there and stay there if you want or you can come and live here with me but-”
“With you,” Caroline said, pushing the door closed. It opened a second later, the Laird walking in. Outside, here was only the corridor of the castle in view. “Where did it go? What happened?”
“It’s gone,” Rachel said. “The key has done its job.”
The Laird looked at Caroline in surprise, taking in her clothes and her face before turning to Morag. “I think you should go and talk to Eddard. He’s in the courtyard.”
She looked around at the faces looking back at her before turning to Caroline. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here,” Caroline replied.
Morag ran for the stairs, going down them two at a time. Eddard was standing over by the well, his arms folded. He stood up straight when he saw her, taking a step in her direction. “I didnae ken if you’d gone,” he said.
“I thought you might have left without saying goodbye,” she replied.
“Are you not going back to your time?”
“This is my time,” she said with a laugh. “I never realized but I am their daughter. I went to the future when I was little but now I’m back and I’m staying. If you’ll have me.”
He didn’t smile. “I only brought you here so I could get into the treasury and get my money back.”
“That’s not true,” she said with a shake of her head. “You’re more than that. You wanted to get rid of Ronald so the clan would be free.”
“Aye, well, maybe you’re right.”
“And what do you want now that’s done?”
“The one thing neither your parents nor the King could give me.”
“And what’s that?”
“Someone who’s infuriating and feisty and funny and beautiful and smarter than any woman I ken. A woman who doesnae need a man tae run her life but can run her own just fine.”
“What if I want a man to run my life with me?”
“There are lots out there to choose from.”
“What if the one I want is standing in front of me right now and all I want is for him to take me in his arms and kiss me?”
“Then I better do this.” He threw his arms around her and planted a kiss on her lips.
It was a kiss like no other. Last time their lips touched she was filled with doubt and confusion as to his motives but this time it was very different.
The feel of him against her as the embrace deepened sent shivers through her. She barely heard the cheering coming from the keep.
