“Nae!ThatI would remember.” In spite of the direction of the conversation, he managed a quirky grin. “Believe me.”
She felt her face warm as memory flooded through her. Better move on for now, though. “The last thing I remember is that kiss. Then I woke up here at Castle Dounie.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “What I remember is dancing with ye and introducing ourselves afterward. Ye couldna find your friends and I think ye panicked, because ye swooned.” He took a deep breath. “There was nae a kiss.”
She pursed her lips. “Inmycentury there was.”
He studied her again. “What century was that?”
Now it was her turn to take a deep breath. “The twenty-first.”
“The twenty-first.”
His voice was flat, his expression neutral. He sat perfectly still and Charlotte wondered if he even considered believing her. More likely, he thought her completely mad and that she might suddenly become violent if he moved. She forced herself to remain still as well.
Finally, he spoke. “’Twould be three hundred years from now.”
“Not quite.” She took another deep breath. “I know this makes no sense, but I swear it is what happened. The reason I knew the Jacobites would return to Inverness is because I read it in a history book.” She searched her memory for what the army was going to do next and, thankfully, remembered. “Their next goal will be to take Fort George.”
Niall frowned. “That would be logical since it is near here in Inverness. Ye wouldna need a history book to figure that out.”
“Perhaps not.” She thought harder. “I think I also read that General Hawley will be replaced by the Duke of Cumberland.”
He started. “Cumberland? He’s in London with his brother, the king.”
“He was.” She tried to make her voice sound confident. “He’s on his way to Edinburgh and should arrive by the end of the month.”
Niall sat quietly for so long after that statement that Charlotte wondered if she’d put him into a catatonic state on the brink of madness himself. Finally, he seemed to revive. “If what ye say comes to pass, ye either have direct contact with King George—”
“I do not. I will swear that by anything you want me to.”
“Or…” he hesitated once more. “I will have to believe ye.”
“Fair enough. I didn’t expect you to just accept something thatseemsimpossible. It seems impossible to me too.” She rose. “May I leave now?”
“Aye. I’ve much to think over.”
She’d only gotten as far as the doorway when he called on her to wait. She turned. “Yes?”
“I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Will the Scots win this war?”
She felt tears suddenly well up in her eyes. “No, you will not.”
And then she turned and ran.
****
Niall wanted to jump up and run after her, but her terse reply had left him nonplussed. What had possessed him to even ask that question? Did he really think she was from the future? His brain was befuddled. An explanation could wait until he had time to think over what they’d just discussed. But…could she actually be telling the truth?
Greer appeared in the doorway. “I just saw Charlotte running through the hall, crying. She didn’t stop when I called to her. What happened?”
Niall thought fast. If there were one person in his family that might not think him completely barmy if he told the truth, it would be Greer. But Charlotte and he had agreed to a different story and they needed to stick to it. For now, anyway.
“I upset her by asking too many questions about her past.” That was true, although it had nothing to do with being confined to an imaginary asylum somewhere.
