Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
~ Edgar Allan Poe, “A Dream Within a Dream”
“And then what happened?” Maggie asked, enthralled and frankly amazed by the story Shona and Grace were telling her. Shona shut the solar door, and she and Grace walked over to the window Maggie was peering out of. It overlooked the courtyard, and down below were Rhys, Reikart, Dermot, Deirdre, and Alastair, who was about to depart to try to discover, by finding a Court servant to bribe, whether Algien had fled to the English court. It seemed likely, given he’d not been with Donald and Nigel.
Deirdre was talking animatedly to Alastair, as she knew better than anyone else here where he could find a servant who would be willing to exchange information for coin. They needed to discover if Algien was there, what bedchamber he’d been assigned, and what his habits were when he came and went from the castle each day. The insight could be vital in aiding Deirdre and Reikart in procuring the cross.
“Well,” Shona said, looking down into the courtyard with Maggie, “after Grace helped me see that it could be a very good thing if Reikart fell in love with yer sister, we came up with a plan.”
Maggie smiled. Rhys had told her all about how much Shona had liked to matchmake when they were growing up, pairing the boys with “appropriate” girls, ones Rhys and his brothers had found old-fashioned, as he’d said. It seemed Shona’s desire had not changed. But Deirdre and Reikart? Maggie’s first reaction had been to think a possible match was ludicrous, but now, looking down at the two of them…
“I see what ye were talking about,” she said, pressing her fingertips to the cold glass of the window. Happiness at the thought that her sister could possibly find love with Rhys’s brother filled her. And if they were in love, then surely the two of them would come back through time with the rest of them if it were possible. “He’s standing verra close to her,” she murmured.
“Yes,” Shona agreed. “I know my son. Though he claims that he’s responsible for her simply because he promised ye, it’s more than that. If it was just that, he would relax now that she’s safe in her home.”
Maggie nodded. “And I know my sister. If she didn’t want Reikart at her back, she would have stepped to the side. Or more likely, she would simply snap at him to quit hovering.
Maggie turned away from the window and motioned toward the two large chairs near the fireplace. She and Rhys had sat there last night, talking of his time and hers, unsure which century they would live their lives in, raise children in, grow old together in. “Sit,” she said to Shona and Grace. “I doubt we have long before someone comes looking for us.”
The three of them had discreetly slipped away from the courtyard right after their party had returned, and no one seemed to notice they were gone yet. Well, except for Rhys. She’d caught his eye as she’d followed his mother, who’d indicated for her to do so. He’d frowned but shrugged, and she’d taken that as an indication that he was fine with her taking her leave. Between Dermot and Reikart talking about what had happened in the woods and what needed to be done, there had been enough commotion that departing had been easy.
The two women sat in the ornately carved chairs that had been a long-ago wedding gift from her father to her mother. Maggie took a seat on the bed she shared with Rhys and sank into the welcoming cushion. “So Donald and Nigel are dead,” she said, the latter man making her think of her brother, her sister, and the king’s death.
Both women nodded kindly again, not mentioning that they had already told her as much. So much was happening so quickly, it was overwhelming. But her sister? Her sister and Reikart? She would welcome that, but… “Rhys told me that Reikart has no interest in a real relationship with a woman,” Maggie said.
Shona and Grace frowned at her at once. Shona inhaled a long breath and spoke. “Of course he doesn’t. His heart was broken. He blames himself, so hethinkshe does not want love, just as your sister guards against it.” She paused, quirking her mouth. “I’ll admit I was irritated when I noticed the attraction at first. I feared if something developed, Reikart would want to stay here, but then I realized—”
Grace cleared her throat and gave Shona a pointed look, to which Shona smiled. “Then Grace made me realize that Reikart falling in love with your sister could be a very good thing. Surely, your sister would be willing to travel back through time with you. If she stays here, she would have no one.”
“Aye,” Maggie said slowly, “but just because the three of us want them to fall in love, it does nae mean they will.”
“Well, no, it doesn’t,” Shona said.
“And yer son is rather known for his bedding exploits,” Maggie said, frowning. “I do nae want my sister hurt.”
“I have a gut instinct that reputation is exaggerated,” Shona replied. “Which is why I wanted to talk to you. I have a proposal.”
“What it is?” Maggie asked.
“I’m suggesting we do all we can to lead them to each other.”
Maggie was certain she was missing some vital information. “But ye already said they told each other just how much they did nae wish to wed each other.”
“But it was the way they said it,” Grace finally chimed in.
Shona nodded. “Their words said one thing, but their eyes said another. There is a spark there. What I’m proposing—”
Grace cleared her throat as she’d done before.
