“Do ye have family ye left behind? Children?” Niall gave her a direct look. “A husband?”
Although he was looking at her steadily, she thought she saw a little bit of wariness in his eyes. After all the lies she’d told, she hoped he would believe her now.
She returned his look. “No husband and no children. I have never been married.” Something sparked in his eyes and disappeared. Relief? Or was it wishful thinking on her part?
“Ye have nae family, then?”
Was he wanting to know if she’d miss not returning to her own time? Not that it was exactly an option, since she’d found no portal. Still, if he were hoping she could be happy here… The thought sent a little tingle through her. She needed to be completely honest, though.
“I have family. My parents retired in Hawaii. I have a brother who lives in Colorado and a sister in California. I live in Texas.” As the words were spoken, she wondered if they even knew she’d disappeared. They probably thought she was still doing research for her next novel.
Niall and Greer looked at her blankly and she realized the places she’d mentioned were not yet known. “They all became states after the Revolution.”
“Revolution?” Greer asked.
Good lord. They didn’t know about the Revolution either. She almost smiled. “Yes. In 1776, the colonists decided they’d had enough of English rule too. We rebelled and…” She let her voice trail away, remembering that Scotland would have a different outcome.
“…and you won,” Niall finished.
She nodded reluctantly. “We did. We’re independent now.”
He thought that over and then sighed. “Prince Charlie has called for all troops to come to Inverness. And Cumberland has mustered his men.” He paused. “I saw the front lines on the road as I neared Aberdeen. They are coming.”
Silence filled the room. Charlotte tried to gather her thoughts as she looked from Niall to Greer and back.
“If you want to save your country, Prince Charlie must be stopped from going to Culloden Moor.”
****
“Ye have given me much to think about,” Niall told Charlotte the next morning as they rode into Inverness. It was an understatement. He’d not gotten any sleep mulling everything over.
Charlotte nodded. “It must all seem like fantasy to you.”
“But one I would like to share.”
She gave him a startled look. “Truly?”
“Och, lass. To visit the future? Who could ask for more?” He glanced at her. “Has it been hard for ye here, adjusting to this time?”
“Not really.” She lifted one shoulder, then let it drop. “The hardest part was convincing myself that I hadn’t lost my mind. That this was real.”
“Would ye go back if ye could?”
“I…I don’t know.”
‘Ye would be content to remain here?”
“I…think…that depends.”
“On what?”
She took a deep breath. “On you, I suppose.”
“What do ye mean?” When she hesitated, then chewed her lip and looked away, he pulled the horse to a stop. “Tell me what is troubling ye.” She took another deep breath, and he noticed her hands were trembling before she folded them tightly over each other. Then she lifted her chin and looked at him.
“Are you going to marry Fiona?”
He felt his eyes widen. He hadn’t expected that question, but perhaps he should have, given the way Fiona had acted. “Nae.”
