Master of the Highlands
Page 9

Lily tried to keep her composure. “ Could you share with the rest of the class please?”
The blond turned to her, appearing almost perplexed that Lily would speak unsolicited, and declared in a peremptory tone, “If you would but please to let us think.”
The black-haired warrior whom Lily now realized was named Ewen looked at her distractedly. “Tell no one what you have just told me.”
“What did I tell … ?”
Ewen didn ’t let her finish. “Hush, lass! The year is 1654. ”
That shut her up. Clearly she was dealing with some very unstable people. The lodgings were on the rugged side and they were wearing some peculiar costumes, but that only further proved that she was dealing with men who had only one foot in reality.
A snippet of Gram’s song popped into her head, and Lily thought of that fey lad who claimed to come from a future grand. The lyrics were simple, but who knew, maybe there were people out there who would actually believe a ballad about time travel when they heard it, and she ’d stumbled into a couple of frustrated historical reenactors hoping to get whisked back for real. Either way, Lily had to figure out how to get out of there.
Looking around the room, she saw no modern appointments, though she figured that much of Europe was charming old estates and stained glass anyway. She knew that unlike Americans, most people in the world didn ’t have forced central air and a television in every room.
The blond leaned toward her and whispered almost frantically, “That maze is a doorway of some kind. I was but fifteen when it took me. ”
He turned to Ewen and continued, “If you do the calculations, it’s clear that the years do not map correctly. The only explanation is that traveling is based on the stars. It would stand to reason that to voyage through time is indeed to voyage through the stars. Oh truly, Lochiel, a fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi! ”
Lily gaped at the dandily dressed man who was now spouting Latin.
He amended, “That is to say in more vulgar terms, you are betwixt a rock and a hard place, my dear foster brother, if you had harbored hopes of returning this anonymous woman to her own place and time. ”
Lily’s nervousness blossomed into full -fledged panic.
“Och, I know the Latin, Robbie. A precipice in front and wolves behind, aye? Don’t be daft. Sometimes you can’t see past the page to the life in front of you. Your Latin is of no use to me. I ’d have action, not adages. ” Ewen paused. “Tell me, did you burn her clothes as I asked?”
Lily screeched, “You did what?” She was now terrified. Neither man seemed to notice her, though. The blond nodded, “My apologies, Ewen, I suppose I can be a bit of a helluo librorum, a true glutton for books am I!”
The laird merely glared .
Robert added hastily, “The sweater and shawl were acceptable. The breeches, though”—he sighed wistfully “those I was forced to surrender to the smithy ’— s fire and a true shame it was. I ’ve never laid eyes on such finely crafted material. Breeches cut for a woman—who would imagine?”
That did it. So these men thought that all women should wear only dresses. Weird historical reenactments are one thing, but burning her Levi 501s was entirely another issue. Adrenalin pumped through her. She tried to appear casual while she searched the room for clothing and an easy exit. She prayed that there were other people in the house and not just these wackos. The nightgown must belong to someone—if there were another woman in the house, Lily thought, she might be sympathetic and offer help.
She had seen a few men on horses just before she passed out and imagined in horror that she had stumbled into some sort of bizarre anachronistic Scottish man-cult with a penchant for damsels in distress.
Lily shut her eyes to fight off the wave of nausea that washed over her at that thought. Keep it together, Lily, she thought. You ’ve seen enough news magazine shows to know that you have to play along with nuts like this. You just need time to think. If only there weren ’t a hammer pounding away in your skull.
She mustered her best captive-girl voice and asked sweetly, “Do you have any Advil or aspirin? My head is killing me.”
Wrong question. That set Ewen off. “You silly lass! You ’ll be taken for either a witch or a lunatic unless you keep your mouth shut. Only three people know who you are. My grandfather took Robert as his ward after he fell through that cursed maze. And now Robbie, my uncle, and I remain the only ones who know the truth of it.”
His voice held a note of admiration as he continued, “It was only the wisdom of my grandfather what spared him. A lad near grown, and a stranger at that, kything out of the sky and onto a glen in Letterfinlay.”
Robert also had a run-in with that hideous maze? Gram’s lullaby popped once again into her head. “Upon Letterfinlay soil he did land, Claiming he came from a future grand…” She didn’t understand what was going on. Did they actually know that song? For a fleeting moment, Lily thought maybe she was going crazy, or that she had found herself in the past, or had even been there all along. She shook her head—time travel was a thing of fantasy. These men were clearly deluded and apparently had the money to pursue their fetish.
“Do not disregard Gormshuil,” Robert said. “She too has a comprehensive knowledge of my tale. ”
“Aye lad” exasperation flickered a moment in Ewen ’ — s eyes “the witch Gormshuil knows your story as well. ”— He once again pinned Lily with that dark blue gaze. “Now lass, listen to me. You’re no longer in your own time, and I don’t know what we’re to do with you, and with that strange accent. ”
“Look who’s talking,” Lily mumbled. Her joke to herself was rewarded with a viselike grip on the chin.
“Mind me,” he snarled. “You must remain quiet until we can figure out how to explain you. First, where are you from? What languages do you speak?”
“Get your hand off me. ” Lily jerked her chin away. “Would you like a list of my hobbies and interests as well?
Turn-ons: walks in the park, turn-offs: mean people. ” She shot him a pointed look.
“Look, I appreciate your help, but really, I ’m fine now. I’d just like to get back to my cottage. ”
The men glowered in silence, so Lily answered the original question. “I ’m from California. I studied a bit of French in high school, does that count?”
“You mean to tell me that you don ’t speak any other languages?”
“Surely you’ve studied Latin,” Robert interjected.
Ewen cut him off. “You’re from …where?”
“You know, the United States. America. The US of A. ”
The silence continued.
“Oh, I get it, would you rather I refer to them as the colonies?”
“Ah. ” Understanding registered on Ewen’s face. “But I fear that won ’t do. You’ll have to be from France, then. A horrible accident befell you on your journey and impaired your memory. That will gain us some time. And, if you run across one with the French tongue, well, we’ll just have to claim you as a wee daft in the head. ”
Lily’s fury didn ’t have time to manifest itself before she heard a quiet scratching at the door. He turned to her, “Quick lass, what ’s your name?”
“Lily. Lily Hamlin. ”
“No. From this day forward, you ’re Lily Cameron. And keep your silence.”
The men regained their composure and, in his sweetest voice, the blond said, “Come.” Lily could’ve sworn she caught Ewen rolling his eyes.
The door creaked open to reveal a small, hunched woman in a long, bibbed skirt and bonnet carrying a tray of food. Lily’s stomach rejoiced at the thought of some nourishment. She didn’t know how many meals she’d missed, and she would need energy if she was to figure out how to get the hell out of there.
She studied the woman with the tray. As she approached, Lily realized that she must only be in her late forties, even though at first glance she ’d looked much older and more haggard. Lily hoped that she wouldn’t be expected to wear a ridiculous costume like this woman ’s. Her long, tan -colored skirt was made of a coarse material and looked
the worse for wear. A yellow and blue tartan shawl was cinched around the woman’s shoulders and more than compensated for the dull color of the skirt. Lily could see bare feet peeking out from underneath and thought despairingly that it would be hard to make an escape wearing such a long skirt.
“Lochiel, Master Robert, I came to check on the miss and brought a spot of food. ”
So the blond’s name is Robert, Lily thought. And “Lochiel” must be a term of address for the one named Ewen.
Though she spoke to Ewen, the old woman at the door seemed to be addressing Lily. The servant was looking at her expectantly, and Lily realized that she must be quite the curiosity, having been secreted up to the house unconscious. Remembering her orders to be silent, Lily merely smiled weakly at the woman. This satisfied her, for she bustled right over, put the tray down at Lily’s bedside, turned to Ewen, and said, “Aye, well, you’ll let me know when you need more of me. ”
“Thank you, Kat, you may go. ”
Kat bobbed deeply to Ewen and slipped out through the closing door. Lily noticed that the maid acted much more deferential to him than to Robert. Though, considering
Ewen ’s fearsome demeanor and looks, she couldn ’t blame the woman.
“Well then and where are our manners?” Robert sat forward in his chair and, placing hands on knees, managed to make his already straight posture even more perfect. “Introductions are in order. ”
Ewen scowled at Robert’s nonchalance and the suggestion that all matters were somehow settled. Lily had to admit she felt like scowling too. A lot more than introductions were in order, as far as she was concerned.
“Lily, may I present my brother—or shall I say foster brother?—the formidable Ewen Cameron, seventeenth captain and chief of Clan Cameron. ”