Rhys’s belief in her, his words wrapped around Maggie like a circle of safety, and suddenly, Shona stepped toward them. She kissed Rhys on the cheek and gave him an astonished look. “Ye’re in love.”
Rhys nodded as he looked to Maggie, squeezed her hand once more, and then released her as his grandfather came to stand before him. “Ye are a fine lad,” his grandfather said gruffly.
“Father,” Rhys’s mom whispered, though no one else in the courtyard was close enough to hear. “He’s a man.”
“Aye,” his grandfather agreed. “And a wedded one at that. My grandson,” he said in a low voice.
The pride in his tone, the acceptance of the truth Rhys’s mom had clearly told her father, filled Maggie with happiness for her new husband.
“Ellen, we must talk,” Rhys said. Maggie bit her lip, knowing he had to tell them Grace had gone with Yeager.Please God let her be here.
“Is Aunt Grace here?”
“Missing,” his mom answered, her tone solemn, and when her gaze strayed to Maggie, Maggie cringed. “We already know that she was last seen with yer brother headed toward our home, but they never arrived here, and we have learned that yer brother is now at the English court.”
“I’m sorry,” Maggie said.
“Don’t be sorry for something ye had no hand in, Maggie,” Shona said. “Rhys, do ye happen to have the cross with ye?” she asked casually, though Maggie knew the question was anything but.
When Rhys’s shoulders slumped, and he shook his head, tears filled his mother’s eyes. Maggie’s heart ached for Rhys and his mom. Shona nodded. “Come. Let us go to the solar to speak freely.” She linked one arm with Rhys, and then to Maggie’s surprise, Shona held out her other elbow to Maggie.
Maggie intertwined their arms, and Rhys’s mom turned to look at her, a smile on her face. “I never thought he’d meet anyone he was willing to risk his heart for. After he saw me so sick, well…” Her words trailed off.
Rhys looked surprised that his mom had known he’d not allowed anyone truly in, but Maggie wasn’t surprised. Shona had raised an amazing man, so she must have been a wonderful mother. Maggie smiled at her then looked to Rhys. She’d never thought she’d find such unimaginable love, but that was one confession she’d wait to whisper to Rhys when they were alone tonight lost in their own time.
Epilogue
Not all those who wander are lost.
~ J. R. R. Tolkien,“The Lord of the Rings”
The Past
Three Months Later
The Scottish-English Border
Not three days after Maggie and Rhys had arrived at Castle Hightower, his aunt Grace was brought home by a neighboring allied clan, the Murrays. Grace had escaped Yearger, but in so doing, had lost the second cross the fae had made her. Yearger had snatched it from her as she attempted to strike him with it. She’d twisted her ankle while fleeing and fallen down a steep hill where she’d lain for a day and night, but luckily, she’d been discovered by the Murrays.
Unless the cross could somehow be recovered from Yearger, which seemed doubtful, the likelihood of any of them ever being able to return to the future was not good. The fae had told Grace unconditionally that they would not forge another time-traveling cross for her. She’d used the two wishes she’d been granted from them for saving a fae and her child, and by their laws, they could grant her no more. The night that Grace returned to her family’s hold, Rhys held Maggie in bed and told her that the only way he’d ever return to his time—if the cross Grace had lost was ever found—was if Maggie too wished to go. She, in turn, told Rhys that she would go anywhere to any time that he desired, as her place was by his side.
It took weeks of late-night talks in the great hall with Rhys’s family for him and his mother to outline, as carefully as they could for everyone else, the terrible history that would unfold before them if they could not stop or alter King Edward’s plan to take the Scottish throne.
Once the history was known by Rhys’s uncles who were present at the castle—Dermot and Alastair—as well as Rhys’s grandfather, his aunt Grace, and Maggie, they began to plan what needed to be done when and by whom. Shona was to stay at Castle Hightower with Grace on the chance that any of her other sons came through time and somehow made their way to her home. Laird MacKinnish was to return to Robert the Bruce’s side. Armed now with his new knowledge of what would come to pass, he was going to try to change history.
Two months after Maggie and Rhys had arrived at the MacKinnish stronghold they, along with his uncle Dermot and Alistair, began the long journey to Castle Lochlavine with a hundred MacKinnish warriors to take back Maggie and Rhys’s new home from Algien Bellecote, who was now Baron Bellecote since his father had been killed. Word had reached them at Castle Hightower that Deirdre had been betrothed to Algien by order of the queen’s council to assuage the English for Maggie fleeing Kinghorn and, therefore, ruining her betrothal to Algien’s father. The council and Queen had apparently ordered Castle Lochlavine to be given to Deirdre so Algien Bellecote would inherit it on their wedding day, which was to be at the English court in September. Luckily, Rhys’s grandfather had the ear of the Guardians of Scotland, and he was able to convince them that the Bellecote had deceived them. In turn, they returned Castle Lochlavine to Rhys and Maggie, which left the MacKinnish clan with the task of seizing Lochlavine from Bellecote and his men.
Maggie was anxious to return to her home, but more out of a need to be reunited with her sister than to take back Lochlavine, though she did want that, as well. She had to hear from Deirdre’s own lips whether she had betrayed Maggie and King Alexander or not, or if Deirdre too had been a victim of their brother. She was horribly worried for how Deirdre might be faring at Algien’s hands, as well. Maggie had heard rumors that Algien Bellecote’s character was even worse than his father’s, but she took comfort in the fact that Deirdre was wickedly clever and a born survivor.
Their journey had led them tonight to the Cony and Cross. A young girl with a cherubic face and curly, brown hair had sashayed over to the table to serve them, and she gawked at Rhys, as many woman seemed to do. Maggie tried to squelch her jealousy, but alas, she was in no mood for squelching anything. She was in the mood for being alone with her husband and enjoying one of those long nights of slow loving that had been so infrequent over the past month, given the company they rode with and how they often slept in a room full of other men.
Maggie arched her eyebrows at the gaping girl, catching and then ignoring Rhys’s amused look. “Do ye see something ye like?” she demanded.
“I, well, aye, but ’tis nae that,” the woman said.
Maggie frowned. This approach to get her husband’s attention was one she’d never seen.
“Ye look like a man who was here recently,” she continued. “Ye have the same shape of the eyes and the same dark hair.”
