“—will visit you and punish you,” Ewan finished sternly. “Also, every time you’re tempted to kiss a woman, you must first offer her three heartfelt compliments. You’ll wet yourself otherwise.”
“Oh, Ewan,” Derrick said in disgust.
Ewan looked over his shoulder, winked, then turned back to his business. Mairead watched as her cousin blinked suddenly, as if he’d just woken up from a deep sleep. He looked at Ewan and his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell off his rock.
“Well,” Oliver said, rubbing his hands together, “that’s that. Let’s cut him loose and shove him through the gate, but first let me find something.” He walked over and retrieved the half of the book Kenneth had dropped in his terror. “Mairead, let me give this to you for safekeeping. It’s been a lovely afternoon, lads, but—”
He stopped speaking. She took a step backward instinctively, then found herself pulled behind him. She peeked around him and could scarce believe what she was seeing, but there was no denying it.
Her uncle Lachlan had come through the faery ring and was currently shaking Jamie’s hand.
“Well met, nephew,” Jamie said, smiling pleasantly.
“It’s been too long, James,” Lachlan said with an answering smile. “I see we have a bit of a situation to account for here.”
“Any suggestions, Lachlan?”
“A few more tales of faeries and bogles in the forest should be sufficient,” Lachlan said with a thoughtful frown, “though I’m not sure that will be enough for the young ones of the clan, though. They’re too adventuresome by half.”
Mairead found her uncle looking at her pointedly and all she could do was smile weakly in return.
“I think we’ll need to close this gate,” Jamie said, stroking his chin.
“There are always others,” Lachlan offered.
Jamie smiled. “Indeed, there are.”
Mairead had to admit she’d become somewhat accustomed to feeling as if she weren’t quite settled into her poor form, but the sight of her uncle chatting companionably with her grandfather was something else entirely. She decided that perhaps ‘twas best to simply watch events unfold in front of her and not try to put them in a sort of reasonable order.
She first listened to Oliver approach her father’s brother, flatter him effusively, then ask very politely if he might have her hand in marriage. She suspected the horse was already out of the barn on that, but decided to keep that to herself. There was tradition and a proper schedule about that sort of thing.
Her uncle then bestowed not only his permission but hearty felicitations on her handfasted husband, then walked over to her to pull her into a fatherly embrace. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled at her.
“He’s a good lad.”
She nodded. “He is.”
“And you love him?”
“Desperately.”
“Remind him that I have a very sharp sword and am not afraid to come find him and use it on him if he neglects his duties toward you. And perhaps we’ll meet again someday and discuss faeries and bogles to our satisfaction over an order of fish and chips.”
She found absolutely nothing to say that would equal the otherworldly nature of that statement, so she settled for a nod and what she was certain was a very weak smile.
She watched as he and Jamie and Oliver carried first her brother, then Master James through the gate and laid them in the meadow in the past. She then stood with Oliver as her uncle picked Deirdre up in his arms.
“Come along, Kenneth,” he said sternly. “You can hie yourself through this wee spot in the grass all on your own.”
Mairead watched her cousin heave himself to his feet to do just that—
Only to pull the knife from her uncle’s belt and lunge at her. She wrenched out of his way, but realized immediately that stabbing her hadn’t been his intention.
Cutting off her braid, though, certain had.
Oliver snatched the knife from him, stuck it back into Lachlan’s belt, then turned Kenneth to face him. Mairead watched her husband repay her cousin for a bit of the grief he’d caused her, then shove him so hard through the gate that he stumbled and went sprawling. Lachlan thanked him, exchanged another pleasant farewell with Jamie, then walked through the gate.
It shut behind him with a firm click.
