Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) (14 page)

“But…?” Callum knew she wasn’t finished. If she was, she wouldn’t be pacing around the tower nervously.
 

She stopped moving and grinned at him. “Ye know me too well. I shouldna say what I’m about to, but I shall. I was simply going to say that Jerry made me swear
I
will stop worrying about Grier and stop preparing spells to use against her. I willna break my word, but I gave him no promise that anyone else should stop. Will ye look for her, Callum? I’ll not do anything myself, and I’ll not show Jerry my worry, but I canna bear not knowing what she wants.”

Callum very much wanted to find Grier himself, not just for Morna, but for the sake of his own potent curiosity. Ever since the day of the fire, he’d not stopped wondering about her. But with so much time already passed since he saw her, he doubted his ability to track her down. If she didn’t want to be found, he didn’t imagine she would be. He would look for her to be certain, but he thought it best Morna remain ignorant of his searching. He didn’t want her wondering and worrying about Grier unless he succeeded.
 

“Why, ye have changed yer tune, have ye not, Morna? Only a few days ago, ye warned me that she planned to interfere with me life, and that I shouldna dare her to do so.”

“Callum.” She looked at him as if she thought him dense. “She already has. Can ye not tell by now?”

Surely, Morna still didn’t mean Sydney. There was no reason for it.
 

“Doona tell me ye are still suspicious of Sydney?”
 

“No, I’ve no concern over the lass at all, but that does not mean that Grier has not already interfered. ’Tis no coincidence that Cooper emailed the woman ye saw so many months ago. I’ve not told anyone this, but ’twas Grier who first gave me a taste for matching others with their mates, though this one is not my doing.”

“Ye think Grier means to match Sydney and I? If so, it seems a harmless way to interfere with my life. I like her verra much. I think perhaps Jerry is right. We shouldna think of Grier another moment. I’m sorry, but no, I will not go look for her. Not now. If something else occurs that gives us cause to, I will consider yer request then.”

“Verra well. Perhaps ’tis for the best. I willna press ye.”

She stood and left him without another word. Only once he heard Morna greet someone inside the stairwell did he realize why she accepted his denial of her request so easily. She didn’t want to be overheard. If not for the approaching visitor, she would have given him a much harder time about it.
 

He stood waiting to see who approached and smiled when Anne appeared in the doorway. Save Jane, Morna, and Jerry, Anne was Callum’s closest friend at the castle.
 

“Callum, can I ask you about something? Gillian and I have been talking. We have an idea.”

Nothing made him more anxious than the thought of one of Anne’s “ideas.” While well meaning, it was sure to mean more work and time for everyone.

“I suppose ye can, Anne, but I doona know why ye would. I am but a guest in the Cagair of this time. Anything ye and Gillian decide is fine for ’tis your castle.”

“I know, but this will affect you more than most of the things we decide. We’ve been working on it for a while now actually. A party of sorts.”

“A party?” Everything in him churned uncomfortably at the thought. It would mean much more work indeed.
 

“Yes, a party. I don’t know if you realize it, but tomorrow will be six months to the day since the castle fire. Everyone’s been working so hard. I think we all could use an excuse to relax and have a good time. There’s been very little happening other than work these past months, and I’ve heard several of you talk of how your men at Cagair are always asking if they can travel forward to see what it’s like here. It would be the perfect excuse to give them all a thrill.”
 

He couldn’t deny that all who sacrificed so much in service of him were due a good time. On second thought, perhaps that wasn’t the only reason a dance wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It might give him the perfect opportunity to seek out Grier.
 

Morna once told him that she didn’t believe Grier would travel forward, but as far as Callum could tell, Grier wasn’t interested in anyone that traveled into the past daily. If she was, he would have seen her since the fire. No, if she remained close to Cagair Castle, it was for Morna, and Callum knew Morna was dead set against ever returning to the time in which she’d been born. If Morna wouldn’t come to her, why was it so farfetched to believe that if they gave her the opportunity, that Grier might come to Morna? Callum truly believed none of them would find peace until whatever it was between the two witches was settled.
 

It would be difficult for the witch to travel forward without being noticed on most days, but if they held a party, perhaps she would be tempted to come hidden among the other workers and their families.
 

It wasn’t a bad idea. More than that—it was the only idea he could think of that might actually work.
 

“Hello? You there? Did you hear a thing I said?”

Anne’s irritated voice pulled him from his thoughts.
 

“Ach, sorry. Aye, I did hear ye. I think it a grand idea. I believe I’ll wait to tell my men until the end of work today, though. Otherwise, they willna get a thing done.”

CHAPTER 19

“How was your run? I must say, I was very surprised to see you up so early. You looked so tired when you arrived yesterday. I planned to leave breakfast outside your room.”

I stepped in the front door of the castle to the warm greeting of Anne. I still wore her husband’s task light and sheepishly took it off my head and extended it in her direction.
 

“It was great. Here you go. I should have asked someone before taking it, but everyone was still asleep. I didn’t want to wake anyone. It was laying right by the back exit door, and it seemed a pretty good idea.”

Anne laughed and waved a dismissive hand before stepping to our left, indicating that I should follow.
 

“It was a brilliant idea. Truly. You have no idea how many holes there are out there. We get so much rain that it’s a big problem. That’s the sort of the task we’ve left for last. Within the next few weeks, someone will be out to work on the road leading to the castle. Aiden won’t mind at all that you borrowed it. Feel free to take it with you each day.”

I followed along behind her slowly, taking deep breaths to slow my heartrate with each new step.
 

“Thank you. It really helped. I fear I would’ve twisted an ankle without it. This is truly a stunning property, Anne.”
 

By this time, we stood at the top of the stairs leading to the kitchen. Anne hurried down them, pulling me along behind her. When we reached the bottom, I was shocked to see the pastries I’d placed in the oven before my run out on the counter, dusted with powdered sugar just perfectly.
 

“Did you do that?”

Anne reached for one of the sugary treats and jumped up so that she sat on the edge of the counter. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she’d landed right in a pile of scattered sugar. I figured she would find that out for herself once she stood.
 

She spoke in between mouthfuls of food. “No, Morna did it. It seems a lot of us rose early this morning. I think she’s trying to make up for everything she put you through yesterday.”
 

I gave my hands a quick wash and reached for a pastry, which I held in one hand while I worked to wipe down the messy counters with the other.
 

“Well, remind me to thank her the next time I see her.”

“Sure. Speaking of Morna and everything else…how are you doing?”

I knew right away what her real question was. She was testing me to see if I remembered anything. She wanted to know if I took the potion.

“I’m pretty good. It’s not everyday a girl learns she’s staying in a magical castle and that witches exist.”

Anne’s smile was contagious.
 

“Oh, I’m so glad you didn’t take it! It will be great not to have to tiptoe around you, and I wasn’t really sure how all of that was going to work anyway with all of the men going back and forth every day. You would catch on pretty fast.”

“Yes. I suppose I would. It seemed pretty pointless to forget something that I would only have to learn of eventually anyway. I know it’s only my second day here, but I hope to stay a long time. I think I’m really going to love it. I suppose it’s best that I get used to the new normal of my life sooner rather than later, yes?”

“Absolutely. I’ve not actually ever been back in time myself, but it’s been my experience watching everyone else that the magic has a way of only letting people who can handle it learn of it. All of us modern women have adjusted pretty well to the oddity of it all.”

Taking the wet, crumb-filled rag over to the sink, I rinsed it and continued our conversation.
 

“You really have. Why haven’t you gone back?”

She shrugged. “Maybe I will someday. I’ve adjusted, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t freak me out a little. I’d rather not travel to a place that doesn’t give me immediate access to a flushable toilet. Besides, Aiden is here. He’s not from the past like the rest of them. I’m just happy to be where he is. What did you think of it?”

“It was hard to see much of anything, it was so dark. But I could certainly see enough to know that you all were telling me the truth. Callum sort of rushed us back. He didn’t seem to want me there very long.”

“I’m not surprised. With Laird Macaslan still missing, Callum is very protective over all of us. He likes there to be great numbers of people present there at all times. In fact, that’s the main reason I expected him to say no to the idea of a party. I still can’t believe he said yes.”

“Party?” Anne knew that she’d not told me about it, but I didn’t care that she was fishing for me to ask her more.
 

“Yes. I was a little nervous to tell you since you just started and everything. But don’t worry, Morna promised me that she will help. She’s quite a good cook herself. I should’ve allowed her to take over the kitchen a long time ago, but I just have too much pride I suppose.
 

“Anyway, we’re having a big party here tomorrow night to bring some joy and life back into this place. It’s been too filled with work and stress. Gillian and I decided that the food and dress will remain traditional so as not to completely take everyone that will be attending out of their comfort zone, but we will leave the use of all modern conveniences available for our guests to explore.”

It was difficult for me to tell if Anne was vague on purpose or if her mind just moved so quickly that she often left out details when explaining things to others.
 

“So, I’m assuming theses guests will not be from this time period then?”

She smiled and slid off the counter, dragging a dusting of sugar down onto the floor. I quickly moved to get the broom.

“No, that’s the best part. Callum’s agreed to let his workers and their families attend. Shortly after the fire, when all the clans arrived and Callum could see that he would need plenty of men to help him, he shared news of the magic with his village. So they all know. They’ve been begging him to let them see for themselves ever since.”

“That seems like a risky thing to do. What if news of the magic spreads to someone it shouldn’t?”

Anne didn’t seem to share my concern.
 

“If the fire showed Callum anything, it’s that he can trust his people. And you have to understand that things are very different there than they are here. It doesn’t even come as that much of a surprise to them. Many believe in magic and have witnessed it for themselves.”

It all seemed so strange—that all of this could be discussed so easily as if it were commonplace for everyone. I wondered then how it would change my life outside of my work here. Would I ever look at anything the same way again? With every strange occurrence or happenchance strike of luck, would I wonder if some unseen magic was involved? Would I ever be able to tell my own family? If not, could I learn to accept the burden of keeping such a secret from them?
 

All of them would love it—my mom, my sister, my Dad most of all. I could just see his amusement with it all. I could almost hear how embarrassing his words would be, how he would quote movie lines and don a kilt with such glee that everyone near him would think him crazy.
 

Learning of the magic was just the first bit of it, I supposed. Living with it and moving forward was another. There was still much I would have to sort out in my own mind and heart before all of this seemed normal.
 

“So, what kind of menu do I need to draw up for this party? And how many do I need to feed?”

She bared her teeth apprehensively at me.
 

“I’m going to leave the menu up to you, but keep it simple. Meat, potatoes, wine, ale—everyone is really just going to want to come for the dancing. As far as the number, at least one hundred.”
I swallowed so the brief moment of panic wouldn’t show in my voice. I could handle it, but I wouldn’t be able to come up for air until the start of the party.