The first night they journeyed across Scotland, a nearly full moon hung above the shadowy ridges and valleys, and the thunder of more than a hundred horses carrying packs and heavily muscled men was deafening. The ground trembled as they galloped the hills. Cold despite the thick plaid covering her gown, she was awed by the miles of untouched, open country. Although her body ached after riding only a few hours, she would have ridden all night to savor the untamed vista.
She was of a far different mind the next morning, though, and wouldn’t have ridden at all had it been left to her discretion. She’d arrogantly thought she was in good condition, but riding a horse was quite different from rappelling or tumbling, and she quickly realized that her athletic skills had better trained her for falling off the horse properly than for staying on it with any degree of finesse.
The second thing that lingered in her mind was Circenn Brodie, who rode beside her the entire way, not speaking, but watching every move she made, every expression. She hid her discomfort well, determined not to reveal any weakness to the indefatigable warrior. Since leaving Dunnottar the man had scarcely uttered two words to her, had not so much as touched her to help her dismount; she could tell he was seething. He moved away from her side occasionally to talk with his men in low voices.
In every village they passed through, she noted the people heralded Circenn as befitted royalty, and he comported himself with regal reserve. If he appeared a bit detached, none of the villagers seemed to mind. Children gazed at him with awe; old men clapped him on the shoulder and smiled proudly; the gazes of young warriors followed him admiringly. It was clear that the man was a legend in his own time. With each admiring, flirtatious glance flashed by a woman beneath lowered lids, Lisa felt a surge of irritation. In more than one village, women found a reason to approach him and try to lure him off “to discuss a most private matter, milord.” She was relieved to see that none of them succeeded. However, she wasn’t certain if it was because he genuinely wasn’t interested or because they were riding so hard. They rarely slept more than a few hours each evening, but she was used to inadequate sleep from working two jobs.
The third thing that weighed upon her mind was the flask, which she now knew that Circenn had with him, because she’d caught a glimpse of it one night as he rummaged in his satchel. Unfortunately he was such a light sleeper that trying to get the flask while he was asleep would be a fool’s venture. Better to bide her time, waiting for the right moment.
It was the last night of their ride, however, that would live longest in her memory—the night they approached the perimeter of Castle Brodie. Throughout the physically punishing journey, Lisa had worried about Catherine, wondering who was taking care of her, weeping silently under cover of darkness. All the while Scotland was subtly invading her veins, and despite her fear and feelings of helplessness, she knew she was falling in love.
With a country.
It was too early for spring in the Highlands, but she could sense the dormant earth waiting to burst into bloom. Although she knew she must find a way home, part of her ached to remain in the past long enough to glimpse the valleys filled with heather, to watch the golden eagles fly above the mountains, to see the carpet of bracken and brush turn lush and bud with spring.
The final night of their journey, the weather warmed slightly. Due to exhaustion, her emotions bubbled dangerously near the surface, and in the past few hours she’d gone from euphoria over the beauty of the Highland night to utter terror at what her future might hold. Lisa wasn’t certain what she had expected of Castle Brodie but it wasn’t the elegant stone structure she’d caught glimpses of from the tops of distant hills, as she’d strained in her saddle to see as much as possible.
They descended into a valley, and the castle was again hidden from sight. The silence was broken only by the beat of hooves against the sod and the occasional sighs of men glad to be returning home. The sky was deep royal blue, minutes from becoming black—it was “gloaming,” their word for twilight. The path they were traveling climbed a ridge that stretched across the horizon, and beyond it lay Circenn’s home. As they topped the crest, her gaze swept up and she sighed at the sight that greeted her.
Castle Brodie was as magnificent as the man who owned the palatial structure. Brilliantly lit by torches, it seemed something from a dream. Beyond an arched gate that gleamed palely in the moonlight rose a structure of square towers and turrets, high spires, and low walkways connecting the various wings. A great wall encircled the estate, and with the gate shut, it would be an insurmountable fortress. Guards stalked the parapets and paced the perimeter. She could just imagine the dozens of servants and their families inside, scurrying to and fro, their children’s laughter filling the air. Safe. Warm and surrounded by clan, governed by a warlord who committed his life to protecting them.
Lisa felt a twinge of impossible longing. What a life this was. Someday he would wed in truth and carry his wife home to this magical place. This was his world—this magnificent castle shining pale gray in the moonlight, these men surrounding him who fought on his command and would lay down their lives for him. What an incredible world to be part of, she thought.
She felt torn. Her need to get back home battled an overwhelming desire to belong in a place like this, to be surrounded by family.
Exhausted beyond the ability to deceive herself any longer, Lisa confronted a truth she’d been trying desperately to avoid.
She knew she had no real future to look forward to in either place or time.
* * *
Circenn cornered Duncan and Galan in the stables of Castle Brodie. He backed them against a wall with the sheer force of his glare.
“I heard you laughing, Duncan,” he accused, a muscle twitching in his jaw. Circenn had been simmering for the past week, seeing the amused light in Duncan’s eyes, hearing his laughter, and unable to reprimand him in front of the Templars. Already his Templars had directed curious glances his way, puzzled by his sullen temper on the journey.
Duncan was the portrait of innocence. “If you mean on the trip here, Galan and I were merely reciting bawdy poems, nothing more.”
“Galan?” Circenn snorted disbelievingly. “Galan could not recite a bawdy poem if the outcome of a battle depended upon it.”
“I could,” Galan protested. “I am not quite as bad as you make me out to be.”
“Do you realize that I am utterly compromised? Do you realize that I made a pledge to Adam to kill her and to Robert to marry her?” Circenn demanded irritably.
Duncan’s amusement didn’t diminish one whit. “Considering that Adam isn’t allowed to visit you without invitation—that was part of your deal, if you recall—it sounds to me as if you’d better wed the lass. She could be long dead by the time Adam comes to bother you again. You said sometimes fifty years pass without him troubling you.”
Circenn stiffened. She could be dead. … He didn’t like the thought of her dead, either by his hand or by natural causes. Even if he never fulfilled his oath, she would die long before he would. As everything else, passing away before his eyes. As he would one day bury Duncan, whose hair would gray, bones would brittle, and eyes would fog by time. He would weep over the loss of such irreverence and enthusiasm for life, a heart so full of joy. And he would bury Galan, and Robert and his servants and maids. And his horses, and any pets he might be foolish enough to love.
For that reason, it had been centuries since he’d permitted himself to sleep with a favored wolfhound lying across the foot of his bed.
Unlike the mortal span most men lived, Circenn would encounter death not a dozen times, but a thousand, making him the greater fool if he cared about anything. Perhaps that was why Adam Black was so detached; after a thousand deaths he’d simply quit caring.
Circenn turned without another word, leaving his trusted advisers gaping after him.
* * *
Lisa stood in the middle of the courtyard, drinking in the sights. After a growled “Doona move,” Circe
nn had gone tearing off after Duncan and Galan the moment they’d come through the gate. She’d been perfectly content not to move, because it meant she could direct all her awed attention to the castle. Knights surged around her in waves, tending to their horses and unpacking gear, while she scanned the elegant lines of the medieval castle.
The rectangular estate was enclosed by a mighty stone wall. In the northeast corner, a chapel was situated amid a small grove of trees. In the northwest corner, near the main wall, in which the gate was located, was a series of low outbuildings she assumed garrisoned the soldiers. She couldn’t see past the castle, as it sprawled nearly the width of the walled estate. The perimeter wall tumbled up slopes and valleys, extending as far as she could see, intermittently set with guard towers every fifty yards or so.
When Circenn took her by the elbow, a few moments later, she started.
“Come,” he said quietly.
She looked at him sharply. Instead of looking angry as he had during the week-long ride, now he looked sad. And it bothered her that he looked sad. Anger she could deal with, but sadness brought out her nurturing instincts and tempted her to draw him aside, cradle his face gently, and ask what was wrong. Get to know him. Soothe him.
She shook her head at her own idiocy. This was one man who clearly did not need her tenderness and nurturing.
They entered the main door of the castle and he moved away from her again, into the midst of servants, quietly giving orders. Lisa stood in the Greathall, pivoting slowly, her mouth open. Wow. Over the past week, she’d begun assimilating some of their archaic expressions, but under some circumstances, only a thoroughly modern “wow” would do. Dunnottar had been a ruin; Castle Brodie was a medieval castle at its finest. The Greathall was vast, with a high ceiling and five hearths—two each on the east and west walls of the room, and a central hearth that looked as if it had long been inactive. The walls were hung with enormous tapestries, and a long, ornately carved table with dozens of chairs was positioned near one of the hearths.
She looked down, eager to see a rush-covered floor firsthand, but was disappointed to discover that the floor was of scrubbed pale-gray stone. There was an abundance of light in the room, and she recognized the “rushlights”—candles of wax and tallow impaled on vertical spikes in an iron candlestick with a tripod base. In the Cincinnati Museum, they’d had two authentic rushlights. Here, many were supported on wall brackets, while others sat on the tables scattered through the hall. Still others were set in iron loops, carried over the arms of servants.
“Your mouth is ajar,” Circenn said beside her ear.
She blinked. “Yours would be too, if you suddenly found yourself in my home.” He would certainly gawk over television, the radio, the Internet.
“Is it to your liking?” he asked stiffly.
“It’s lovely,” she breathed.
He permitted himself a small smile. “Come, they’ve prepared a chamber for you.”
“During the past two minutes?” How efficient was his staff?
“I sent a scouting troop ahead, lass, and since they expect you to be my wife”—he grimaced—“they may have made quite a fuss. Doona mistake that for my doing. I could hardly deny my servants their … enthusiasm. They are likely beside themselves with pleasure that I am handfasted,” he muttered dryly.
Without thinking, she laid a hand on his forearm, plagued by curiosity, her animosity temporarily forgotten. “Why haven’t you wed before now?”
He glanced down at her hand on his arm. His gaze lingered overlong on her fingers. “What? Have you suddenly become interested in me?” he asked, with a mocking lift of a dark brow.
“I suppose when I saw you at Dunnottar, I saw you merely as a warrior, but here I see you—”
“As a man?” he finished for her, in a dangerous tone. “How intriguing,” he murmured. “Foolish, but intriguing.”
“Why is that foolish? You are a man. This is your home,” she said. “Your men give you their trust and loyalty, your servants are pleased to see you return. This is a spacious castle, and you must be at least thirty or thirty-five. How old are you?” Her brow furrowed as she realized that she knew very little about this man.
Circenn regarded her impassively.
Impatiently she barreled on. “Have you never been married? Surely you intend to be someday, don’t you? Don’t you want children? Do you have brothers and sisters, or are you as solitary as you make yourself out to be?”
His eyes narrowed. “Lass, I am weary from the journey. Fabricate your own answers as they may please you. For the now, let me see you to your chamber, so I might get on with my other duties. If you would like to turn your mind to a puzzle, puzzle a way out of a formal wedding in less than three moons.”
“I guess that means you can’t kill me, doesn’t it?” she said, half jesting.
He scowled. “Correct.” Then, close to her ear so no one could overhear, he said, “How could I kill a royal cousin? How could I dispose of you when the Bruce has given you to me in marriage? We’re handfasted now. We’re nearly as good as wed. Killing you now would cause more problems for me than failing to fulfill my vow ever would have.”
“So your oath—”
“Is well and truly broken,” he finished bitterly.
“Is that why you’ve been looking so angry?”
“Stop asking questions!” he thundered.
“Sorry,” Lisa said defensively.
He propelled her up the staircase by her elbow and deposited her at the entrance to her chamber, in the east wing.
“I’ll have hot water sent up so you may refresh yourself. Stay in your room for the duration of the night, lass, or I may have to kill you anyway.”
Lisa shook her head and began to turn toward the door.
“Give me your hands, lass.”
She turned back toward him. “What?”
He extended his hands. “Place your hands in mine.” It was not a request.
Lisa held out her hands warily.
Circenn closed them in his and locked his gaze with hers. He used his body, as was his way—a subtle leaning, a slight shifting, an unspoken dominance—to press her back against the stone wall beside the door, holding her gaze. Fascinated, she couldn’t tear her eyes away him.
When he stretched her hands above her head, she sucked in a worried breath.
He moved so slowly that, lulled by a false sense of security, she didn’t utter a word. Gently, he brushed his lips against hers. It was incredibly intimate, being kissed so slowly and tenderly. Had he kissed her heatedly, it wouldn’t have been nearly as devastating.
With excruciating leisure, he kissed her so slowly that she could hear a dozen of her own heartbeats between each slight alteration in the caress of his lips. She dropped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, lost in the butterfly-light friction of his lips brushing hers as if he had all the time in the world. The castle suddenly seemed unnaturally silent, her breath uncommonly loud. If it was five minutes or fifteen that he kissed her in such a fashion, she had no way of knowing. She would have held still forever.
He captured her wrists with one hand and, with the other, he traced the contour of her cheekbone. Her heart sank as she realized how close she was to being utterly seduced by his tantalizingly slow and delicious touches.
His fingers pressed at the corner of her mouth and her lips parted on a sigh of pleasure. He continued kissing her, but did not offer his tongue, and it was driving her mad. Slowly. Gently. With intimacy so prolonged that it made her aware of every nuance of what he was doing. He drew back, his gaze dark, and ran his finger across her lower lip. Instinctively, she touched his finger with her tongue.
With a husky groan, he cradled her head in his hands, closed his mouth over hers, and slipped a long velvety stroke of his tongue against hers. The moment she melted against him, he drew back sharply, spun on his heel, and stalked away.
Her lips tingled, and she touched the tips of her fingers to her mou
th as he walked down the corridor. At the end of the hallway, he glanced back over his shoulder, and when he saw her standing there with her fingers pressed to her mouth, he flashed her a smile of masculine satisfaction. He knew the effect he had on her.
She stepped into her chamber and slammed the door shut.
* * *
Something had changed between them, she realized, during the ride from Dunnottar to Brodie. Or perhaps shortly after they’d arrived, when he’d left her side looking so angry and come back looking sad. He seemed more … human, less the ruthless savage. Or was she beginning to trust him, driven by the dawning realization that she had no one else to turn to?
Yawning and eager to stretch out on something besides the hard ground, she looked around the chamber. It was beautiful, the walls hung with palls of silk and tapestries that looked as if they’d been stolen from England. The thought amused her greatly, that Circenn decorated his castle with stolen English goods. Her bed, canopied with curtains of sheer ivory and covered with dozens of pillows, was so wide she could lie across it without her legs sticking off the edge. The headboard was a wonder of drawers and cubbyholes, and the maids had sprinkled the nooks and crannies with herbs and dried flowers.
Of course, they’d gone to such pains to make her chamber welcoming and bright because they thought she was going to be mistress of this castle, but she knew better. There was no way she would still be in the fourteenth century three months from now. It was simply not an option. Come tomorrow, she resolved sleepily, lulled by the wine she’d drunk and the gently burning fire, she would track down the flask and get back to her own time. She drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Lisa was running as fast as she could, chasing her mother through the halls of the hospital. She’d be able to catch up with her if the doctors would just quit pushing her bed so fast! Didn’t they understand that Catherine needed her?
But if they did, they didn’t care. They wound down one hallway and up the next, turned right and circled around, almost as if they were purposefully trying to elude her. The entire time she chased them, her mother was struggling to sit up, holding her hand out, reaching imploringly for her. Several times Lisa came within inches of grasping that fragile hand, only to lose it when the doctors picked up a sudden burst of speed.