Time and Space (2 page)

“What a pleasure it is to meet Carter’s sister, Lady Cadence.” Fianna Ò Ciardha was leading her through the castle to a bedchamber near the one her brother, Fionn, shared with Carter and their children.

“It’s not necessary to call me ‘lady.’ Where I come from, we don’t use titles to address each other. Please call me Cadence.” Fionn’s sister was the most beautiful woman she’d ever met in her life. Her wavy blond hair reached the middle of her back and her large, sparkling blue eyes glittered like sapphires in sunshine. History told Fionn and Fianna were descended from Viking raiders which accounted for their corn silk blond hair, startling blue eyes and Fionn’s stature.

“Then you must call me Fianna. I am quite sure we are going to become fast friends.”

It surprised Cadence there wasn’t more information known about Fionn’s sister. Last night, while Carter had been researching the English invasion of Moone Castle, Cadence had been researching Fionn’s family and the people Carter mentioned meeting during his time in 1433. She had been able to find only a little information about Fianna and none about Donnall.

Unless women did something of great importance, like Joan of Arc, there was little mention of them throughout history. All that was known of Fianna was that she was Fionn’s sister and was one of the few people spared when the English sacked the castle. She was later married to William Longhurst, the Englishman who took possession of Moone Castle after it fell.  Fianna bore him five sons in five years before dying in childbirth shortly after the birth of a stillborn daughter. If Cadence had to guess, Fianna had not married the Englishman of her own accord.

“Your dress is beautiful.” Cadence reached out to rub her fingers against the cuff of Fianna’s woolen gown and was surprised at how soft the material felt against her fingers.

“It does not seem women of your time wear dresses any longer.” Fianna laughed

“Where I’m from, women are no longer required by men to wear dresses. We choose our own clothes.” She was wary of how much freedom women had in 2015 compared to century in which she found herself. She didn’t want to be seen as subversive by rocking the boat and putting ideas of women’s lib into Fianna’s head.

“Interesting. Carter has told us lots of wondrous stories about your time. Top among them is a tale of something to eat called pizza.”

Cadence laughed. Leave it to Carter to break the Prime Directive and tell medieval Irishmen about pizza. Come to think of it, when they watched
Star Trek: The Next Generation
, Carter always spent more time ogling Commander Riker’s ass in his Starfleet uniform rather than paying attention to the plot.

“Here we are.” Fianna opened the door and ushered Cadence inside the bedchamber.

It was a bright and airy, if chilly, room. Thick fur throw rugs were scattered around the chamber, and the largest lay in front of the large fireplace. The bed was set across the room from the fireplace and was covered with a thick quilt. “This is a wonderful room.” Cadence wandered over to the window and noticed it overlooked the small cottages occupied by Moone’s guard and Fairy Hill in the distance.

“Someone will be up shortly to light the fire. Would you like a bath as well?”

“No, thank you. I took one this morning before I…traveled,” she finished lamely.

Fianna picked up Cadence’s hand. “I will be back later with some dresses for you. In the meantime, why don’t you settle in and take a nap? I’m sure our brothers will spend the morning getting reacquainted with each other, but I will let Carter know which room I’ve given you.”

“Thank you, Fianna. It has been a long morning. I think I will take a nap.”

“I’m looking forward to having you here. It will be nice to have someone I can chat with.” Fianna gave her a quick hug and ducked out the door.

Walking over to the fireplace, Cadence looked for a way to light the fire. If she could figure it out herself, there would be no need for someone else to come up and light it for her. She spotted the small tinder box sitting on top of the hearth and opened it up. Inside was a piece of metal curled into the letter “C,” a sharp piece of flint and small squares of black cloth. She burst out laughing. It was obvious she should have spent more time researching how to become self-sufficient in the fifteenth century and less time looking for gossip on the people of Moone.

Moving away from the hearth and the fire starting tools she had no clue how to use, she sat on the cushioned window seat and stared out over the bailey of the castle. Everything that happened today seemed so fantastical. She was standing in a bed chamber of Moone Castle 582 years and 3,000 miles from her home in South Boston. Who knew a discovery made by her father twenty-five years ago would lead to this day?

Her father, Carlyle McCann, had been an Irish history scholar and studied abroad at Moone Castle in 1991. It was during that trip that he met the love of his life, Brigid O’Byrne, a local girl from Kildare, who was also working on an archaeological survey of Moone. By the time the trip ended, Brigid was engaged to marry Carlyle and she moved to America to start her married life.

During that trip to study abroad, Carlyle had found a moonstone medallion on the grounds of Moone Castle. It was about the size of a half-dollar and carved into the shape of a heart entwined in a Celtic knot. Instead of cataloguing it and turning it over to Dublin’s Natural History Museum, who had funded the dig, he’d kept the stone and wore it on a leather strap around his neck until the day he died. When she and Carter would ask why he’d kept it, his only reply was that something almost magnetic drew him to the stone. After their parents died tragically in a car accident when she was fourteen and Carter sixteen, her brother started wearing the medallion in their father’s honor.

It was the medallion that unbelievably made time-travel possible. While visiting the grave of Fionn Ò Ciardha, they had noticed the design of the moonstone was carved into his grave slab. Legend had it, Fionn’s Anam cara, his soul friend, would be revealed when he or she rubbed the marking on his grave. According to Carter, he rubbed the marking and the moonstone simultaneously and the combination sent him back to 1433.

She hadn’t believed Carter’s tale at first. He’d come back to their inn last night after being missing for three days and spun a wild tale about time-travel and saving Fionn’s life. Ultimately, it had been Carter’s detailed account of what had happened along with his month old beard that had convinced her Carter’s story was in fact true.

The final cherry on the sundae was Fionn and Donnall showing up in the Moone Castle cemetery where she had convinced Carter to return to see if the medallion would work one last time to send Carter back to Fionn. It was hard to deny proof that came in the shape of two enormous warriors who seemed to appear out of thin air.

One of Fionn’s former lovers bore him a child, making the issue of needing an heir moot and Carter had agreed to return to 1433 to raise the child with Fionn. When the time came for Carter to say goodbye to his sister, he’d surprised her by asking her to come back with him and Fionn. He didn’t want to start his new life in without her. What finally swayed her was Carter saying Fionn’s newborn son would need an Auntie. Now, here she was starting a new life half a millennium away from her old one.

True to her word, Fianna sent up several woolen gowns for Cadence to wear. To her surprise, all of the dresses would suit her pale, freckled complexion and strawberry-blond hair. Dressing in her favorite gown, in a gorgeous shade of sage green, she headed downstairs to explore the castle.

The main staircase brought her down to the great hall, which was where Donnall had left her in Fianna’s capable hands. It was the first time in several hours she’d even had time to think about the impossible barbarian. The sparks flying between them had been undeniable, but she wasn’t here for that kind of foolishness. Being left at the altar on her wedding day a week ago had cured her of men, possibly forever.

She wandered over to the large fireplace which she swore was big enough to accommodate the offensive line of the New England Patriots. Carved into the stone was the same Celtic knot and heart design featured on Carter’s moonstone and Fionn’s grave marker.

“It looks like you’ve settled in nicely. The green dress suits you.”

Cadence turned from the hypnotic dance of the fire to see Donnall standing behind her and holding a tankard. “Thank you. Well at least now I look the part. What have you been doing all day?” While she was here, she was going to take full advantage of her time and do as much research on Moone and her people as possible before it was time to go back home.

Donnall broke into a grin. “Did you know Fionn and I thought Carter was a spy?”

“He told me. What made you think that?” Her lips curled into a Cheshire cat grin.

“He asked Fionn the same question.” Donnall mirrored her smile.

Turning her attention back to the fireplace, she traced the heart carving and tried to slow her pounding heart. “I’m sure he was just interested in hearing Fionn talk with his sexy Irish brogue.”

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Donnall walked to the hearth, standing right next to Cadence. “You find Fionn appealing?”

“No, but Carter has a thing for sexy accents.” She was skirting his question entirely. Of course she found Fionn appealing. Who wouldn’t with his broad chest, corn silk blond hair and glowing blue eyes? But, she wasn’t about to tell Donnall what she thought. Neither was she going to tell him that he was far more handsome than her brother’s lover.

Why was Cadence not answering his question? It was of little consequence as Fionn only had eyes for Carter, but it still ate at him not knowing what she thought of his best and oldest friend. What was of consequence was what Cadence thought of him. Did she find him handsome and his dulled accent sexy? Donnall sighed. “I spent the day with Fionn’s warriors on the practice yard. I did not tell them anything about the coming invasion and would ask that you keep that knowledge to yourself until Fionn has a chance to address his men and then the entire castle.”

“Right. We wouldn’t want to start a panic. It’s better to make a plan of action so when it’s outlined the people of Moone will have jobs to do in preparation rather than time to worry.”

“Exactly.” Who was this strange lass? While it had seemed Carter had no idea how to form a plan of attack, his sister, on the other hand, spoke like she could lead the charge herself. Anxious to get off the topic of the coming battle, he changed the subject. “Have you seen much of the castle?”

“Only what I saw as Fianna led me upstairs to my bedchamber.”

“As I seem to have some time on my hands, I would show you our home. Where would you like to begin?”

“In the kitchens, please.”

“Why would a lady such as yourself wish to see the kitchens?” Cadence should be waited on hand and foot, not by him of course, but by servants.

“Donnall, do you think the world five hundred years in the future works as it does today?”

He puzzled over her question. “I don’t see any reason why it would not.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t. In my time, I am self-sufficient. Carter, our sister Bree and I share a home together and we all clean, cook meals and wash clothes. In addition to that I have a job.”

It did not surprise him in the slightest to hear of women doing domestic tasks. What surprised him was that Carter also did these chores. Why was he not out hunting food for his family? “What job do you have?”

“I work for the same college I attend. I teach classes and grade papers.”

Donnall snorted and started to laugh. It all made sense now why Fionn and Carter were constantly bickering. Fionn didn’t understand a word Carter was saying. Seeing anger flash across Cadence’s face, he reached out for her hand. “I do not mean to laugh at you, my beauty. I did not understand any of what you just said. I laughed because I assume that is the reason Fionn and your brother always seem to be at crossed swords.”

“How did you learn how to wield a sword?”

“Fionn’s father taught all the men of Moone how to fight.”

Cadence tried to pull her hand from Donnall but he wasn’t letting her go. “That’s what I do. I’m a teacher, although I am not instructing swordplay.”

“What is it you teach?” Her hand was warm and soft clutched in his.

“The history of Ireland. We talk about wars, religion, advances in technology.”

“That is why you know so much of what is to come with the English?”

“Yes, but talking about my job is boring. I want to hear all about the squabbles between Fionn and Carter.”She smiled and tried to tug her hand free again.

Cadence could smell fresh bread baking before she and Donnall reached the kitchens. The smell instantly reminded her of her mother. Sunday mornings were for church and baking bread. When mass was over, she and her mother would start baking while Carter and their father would head off to Boston College so Carlyle could work on his lectures and Carter could explore the library.

Annoyingly, Donnall was still holding her hand. His hand was so large, it practically swallowed hers. As much as she hated to admit it, his rough, calloused skin was a comfort. Although she had Carter, she was still in a new place surrounded by strangers. Donnall was the only lifeline she had at the moment. Squeezing his hand, she gave him a small smile.

“And here we are my beauty, the kitchens.”

Work stopped at the sound of Donnall’s voice. “Who’ve you brought us, lad?” an older woman asked.

“This is Cadence McCann, Carter’s sister.” He dropped her hand and gave her a tiny shove forward into the room.

“Carter’s home?” a young woman kneading dough asked excitedly.

“We’ll have to make his favorite meal to welcome him back,” another woman added.

“And you’ve come back with him, lass? I’m Aggie.”

Cadence was awe-struck. She hadn’t realized how many people here loved her brother. “Yes, he asked me to come back here with him.”

Aggie pulled Cadence in for a tight hug, flour dust showering down around them. “Let me introduce you to the other girls.”

Donnall watched while Aggie walked Cadence around the kitchen. She had a warm hug and a smile for everyone and seemed to be asking a lot of questions, which puzzled him. It was one thing to be interested in what the kitchen wenches did, but it seemed she was asking questions about how the food was prepared. A lady had no place in the kitchens.

“Really, mi’lady, you want to come down here and work in the kitchens?” Aggie sounded excited and skeptical all at the same time.

“WHAT?” Donnall roared. “You will not be working in the kitchens, Cadence.”

Cadence turned at Donnall’s bellow, an eyebrow raised in challenge. “I will work wherever I damn well please, you irritating barbarian.”

The kitchen staff, now standing behind Cadence in solidarity laughed into their hands.

“I grew up baking bread with my mother. I may not have many skills suited to life in the fifteenth century, but this is one of them. Are you trying to deny me the opportunity to earn my keep?”

Before he could stop himself, his lips quirked into a brief smile over Cadence’s show of temper. Her mossy eyes had gone hard, now glittering like emeralds, and her hands were fisted on her hips. His cock twitched in his pants, the need to reach out and touch her was overwhelming.

As much as he hated to admit it, Cadence had a point. He well remembered Carter feeling the same way when he first arrived, wanting to be a productive member of the castle. It didn’t matter that he thought baking bread beneath the fiery lass, what mattered was she was taking a step to make Moone Castle her home. “No, my beauty, I would not deny you this opportunity.” At this moment, he wouldn’t deny her anything.  Not wanting to stick his foot in his mouth again, he turned to leave, the tinkling laughter of women following him out.