Page 36 of Forever My Lass

“I want tae ask ye a question, Madeline, and I want ye tae answer me honestly.”

Wary of a possible trap, she studied Iain in silence. There was something in his voice that eased some of her tension, and she flinched. God, she was doing it again. She was allowing that quiet, gentle brogue of his to lull her into a false sense of security. Madeline’s gaze darted toward the door, and Iain released a harsh sound of frustration.

“Look at me, Madeline. You’re safe here. I will nae let anyone take ye away. Now then, I want ye tae answer my question truthfully.” Iain narrowed his gaze at her as he waited for her to agree. Madeline nodded her head sharply. Satisfied, he studied her carefully for a moment then cleared his throat. “Before ye arrived at Muchalls Hall, had ye ever seen the cliffs or the inlet before?”

Startled by his question, Madeline wasn’t sure whether to tell him about the dreams she’d had all her life or to simply deny everything. She could just tell him she’d lied about being from the future because she’d been trying to keep him from asking more questions. No, that wouldn’t work. Iain wasn’t just an intelligent man, he was incredibly intuitive.

She was pretty sure he’d be able to tell she was lying if she tried to backtrack her irrational declaration. Did it matter if she sounded crazy? If he already thought she was out of touch with reality, what harm would it do to take one more step in that direction?

“Yes. In my dreams.” Madeline flinched as she remembered how in recent weeks, the dreams had become stronger, more vivid. “I’ve had the same dream, over and over, since I was a girl.”

“Exactly what do ye see in this dream, lass?”

The quiet question made a knot rise in her throat. How exactly, was she supposed to answer that? He eyed her sternly with a silent warning to tell him the truth. Madeline wasn’t sure what made her decide to answer him, but she found herself speaking without stammering.

“I’m standing on the cliffs, looking out at the North Sea. It’s raining, and there’s a man on the cliff with me, and he’s staring out at the sea.”

The instant he jerked in surprise, Madeline studied him in puzzlement and noted a strange expression of bewildered amazement on his face. The emotion vanished the moment he realized she was watching him.

“Do you know this man?”

“No. At least, I don’t think I do. The rain makes it difficult to see clearly, and he’s too far away for me to see his face.”

She shook her head. The sudden memory of being on the Destiny’s Dream and seeing the man standing on the cliff above the inlet flitted through her head. She’d barely had time to wonder who he was before all hell had broken loose and the sailboat had capsized. Had he been the same man she’d always dreamed about? Madeline brushed the silent question aside. She was already beginning to feel borderline psychotic. She didn’t need to exacerbate the situation.

“What else do you see in these dreams?”

“There’s a ship heading for the inlet.” Madeline drew in a sharp breath as she remembered what the ship looked like. Even though she’d couldn’t see the name on the side of the vessel, she recognized it. Madeline’s heart began pounding like a horse racing toward the finish line. “It’s the Phoenix Rising. She’s headed toward the inlet, but a huge wave throws her onto the rocks. Then I’m suddenly in the water, and it feels like I’m drowning, and that’s when I wake up.”

Trembling, Madeline clenched her jaw and deliberately forced herself to shut out the horrifying memory of being trapped underwater the night of the storm. For the first time, she realized how her dreams about drowning were identical to what had happened to her when the Destiny’s Dream had capsized. She drew in a deep breath, and slowly released it to calm her racing heart.

Madeline raised her head to see Iain staring down at the floor with a frown of contemplation. Although she could still see the latent power in his stance, there was a quiet strength about him that made her feel safe. This was a man she could turn to if she was in trouble. Was that why she’d told him about her dreams? She remained silent as he looked up to study her for a long moment. Iain drew in a shallow breath then released it. With a nod that indicated he’d reached some sort of decision, he cleared his throat.

“For both our sakes, Madeline, I think it best we dinnae mention any of this tae anyone else.”

“Ya think?” Her sarcasm sent his eyebrows shooting upward. Madeline rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not an idiot. I’m sure you think I’m crazy, but I’m also pretty sure that you don’t want anyone else to know you hired an insane person as a governess for your daughters.”

“Insane?” The chuckle that filled the air made Madeline stare at Iain with varying levels of anger and bewilderment. “Nae, lass. If anyone is insane, it’s me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The Scots respect, and sometimes revere, those with the an dara sealladh. They would nae question what Grace saw. As for me—”

“Grace has the ability to see things and talk to the dead?” she exclaimed softly as something insidious tried to wind its way through her mind.

“Nae, she cannae speak to the dead, but the lass often sees things, knows things before they happen,” Iain said quietly.

“And she saw me?” The moment she asked the question, she felt more than saw Iain’s body tense, and she immediately demanded an answer. “Tell me.”

“Several hours before the Phoenix Rising crashed on the rocks, Grace saw ye in the water.” The way he seemed to choose his words carefully made Madeline stiffen.

“What else?” Her curt question made Iain frown before he drew in a breath and expelled it.

“The lass said ye was drowning. She was deeply troubled because she could nae help ye.”

“Oh, God.” Her whispered words made Iain lean toward her.

“But ye did nae drown, Madeline. Ye are here.” He suddenly reached out and caught her hand in his. The electric current that streaked up her arm made her jump. Iain squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly. “See, I’m real. You’re real. Ye dinnae drown, Madeline.”