‘Right.’ Careless of whoever I was walking through, I marched up to the castle doors and on up the stairs. The earl was pacing the floor of the office while a grey-faced young man propped up against the wall waved his hands and muttered.
George saw me and stopped pacing. ‘Oh no, not again!’
‘I beg pardon, my lord?’ Grey-faced man was obviously trying hard to stay upright.
‘Nothing.’ The earl sighed deeply. ‘You go down to the kitchens, get them to give you a hot meal and a bed. We ride tomorrow.’
‘Aye, my lord.’ With great effort the young man dragged himself from the room and George looked at me.
‘Well?’
‘I’ve come to try to persuade you again not to go.’
‘Have you, now?’ George shook his head. ‘I told you, I ride to fight for James, for the honour of the McKells.’
‘But there won’tbeany honour! I’ve seen what happens…’ This was a slight fib, I was still a little bit hazy on the outcome of the battle of Sheriffmuir, but I certainlyhadhad what happened afterwards drummed into me repeatedly by Dad: the McKells losing everything. ‘Don’t you want your son to inherit all this?’
George jerked his head. ‘My son? I have no son. Just the two wee girls.’
‘But what if you go back to your wife now, and – well… you know? There couldbesons.’ I cleared my throat. I wasn’t clear on how inheritance worked, but I did know that even if one of his daughters inherited then the land would pass into her husband’sfamily when she married. ‘The castle should stay in the McKell name…’ I trailed off rather sulkily.
‘Are you telling me that I will die in the coming battle?’ He shifted slightly in his chair. ‘Arrangements are made. I am not afraid to die.’
‘Even if youdon’tdie, do you think King George would let you keep all this?’ I swept an arm around to indicate the walls. ‘You will have everything taken away from you. If you… die, your wife will remarry and it will be as though you never existed, and if you live everything the McKells ever had, or were, will be gone! This lovely castle will become a muddy little headland falling quietly into the sea, piece by piece.’
George took a deep breath. ‘A son,’ he said. ‘Who will inherit all this? You are certain?’
‘Well, I’m a McKell, and we think I must be a direct relation because you can see me.’
‘Youare a McKell?’ He almost laughed now. ‘Truly?’
‘We don’t come out of the womb in battle armour and waving a flag, you know,’ I snapped, because his amusement scratched at nerve endings already raw from the need to make him understand. ‘So you must have a son, otherwise I wouldn’t be here, would I? And we know that the castle passes out of the family hands…’ I let the end of the sentence hang so he could do the work. The possibility of paradoxes were stacking up and I half expected something dramatic to happen – a roll of thunder, a cracking of stones. There was nothing more than the noise of two dogs scrapping on the staircase and someone laughing down in the hall below.
I didn’t let my mind dwell on the thought that had suddenly struck me, that if George died, if there were no sons,what would happen to me? Would I and my entire family stop existing? Would we simply never have been?
‘A son,’ George said again, almost wonderingly. ‘I was beginning to think Isobel could only bear me girls.’ Then he glanced at my face. ‘Not that there is anything wrong with girls, of course,’ he added hastily. ‘I love my daughters as much as I would a son. But – the name… Would that I could see the name continue.’
‘Well, then.’ I thought I had him then. ‘Isn’t James a Catholic cause? Are you even Catholic?’
‘What I am, is pragmatic,’ he replied, perching on the corner of his desk for all the world like our head about to launch into more cost-cutting exercises. ‘I worship in whichever way is expedient.’ He smiled. ‘I think God isn’t too fussy, as long as we try to do our best.’ The smile died. ‘But we ride tomorrow, nonetheless. I’m sorry, lass, but I see no benefit in staying here but the promise of riches and glory in battle.’
‘But you’re going tolose.’
He shrugged. Oh God, I was going to fail. Everything hung on me changing his mind and I was going to fail. I wondered how the future would look for me now – would we still be sent back to our own time? Back to teaching chemistry…
Hold on. Just hold on one second.I thought faster than I had ever thought in my life. ‘What about if I can promise you riches if youdon’tfight?’
George gave me a kindly smile. ‘You would give me fairy gold? That evaporates in the light of day?’
‘No! No, I can do better than that. I can give you something that will make your fortune.’
Now the earl was frowning at me, but it wasn’t a dismissive frown. It was an expression that showed a thought process torn between glory and possible death in battle and potential riches and a son. If only he believed me, and had the streak of slight financial greed that had made Lenny wax lyrical about how much our potential hotel enterprise could earn.
I’d had ponies and a drive to win rosettes. Perhaps acquisitive lust ran in the family.
Hehadto believe me. I held my breath.
‘I need you to prove this.’ All amusement was gone from his voice now, the slight tone of teasing replaced by a purely businesslike approach. ‘And you swear on your spirit realms that you speak the truth?’
