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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Marge grumbled abouther dress every step of the way as we made our way through the massive castle. After taking several wrong turns, we finally arrived at the Great Hall. A sharp gasp escaped my lungs when I looked down from the top of the stairs. A long table dotted with tall candles sat in the center filled with all sorts of authentic looking food. A small three-piece musical group dressed in historical attire played traditional Scottish songs, and the other dozen or so guests were all dressed up as well, making it feel like we’d stepped back in time.
“Wow!” I hurried down the stairs, holding my skirt so I wouldn’t trip. “It looks exactly like it would have back then!”
“Okay, this is cooler than it looked on the website!” Sylvie hurried after me, with Alice and Marge following.
“Welcome!” Finley opened his arms to invite us toward him. “Please feel free to eat and drink as much as you’d like. We’ve got authentic food and drinks, and the music is perfect for dancing. Follow me, and I’ll introduce you to the other guests staying this week.”
I could barely contain my excitement as we followed him. After making pleasantries with some travelers also wearing historical clothing, he led us to the group Fiona was talking to.
“Oh, you made it down!” she said. “Here. Have some wine, or we also have brandy or whiskey if you’d prefer?”
We all looked at each other and giggled. “No whiskey right now, as it tends to get us in trouble, but maybe later,” I answered. “A glass of wine would be lovely. Thank you, Fiona.”
Sylvie, Marge, and Alice all ordered the same, and Fiona ran off to grab them, telling us to get to know each other while she was gone.
“This is Chris and Mary,” Finley said as he introduced us to a young couple in their thirties. “And this is David and Sarah.” He pointed to the other young couple beside them. “They are all from America as well.”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Doris.” I stepped forward to shake their hands. “This is Alice, Marge, and Sylvie.”
The Widows greeted them as well, and soon we were chatting up the two couples who it turned out had met a couple weeks ago on a trip in Ireland. Since meeting, they’d joined their itineraries together, and that had brought them here to the castle with us for their last week of a month-long backpacking trip.
Mary ran a hand through her red, wavy hair and gestured to Sarah, who had similar red hair. “And then Chris walked right up behind her and put his arm around her shoulder, thinking it was me! Poor Sarah was shocked that a stranger was accosting her on the train, and she smacked him in the head with her purse. It was then he realized he put his arm around the wrong woman!” Mary and Sarah burst into laughter.
“They looked really similar from the back.” Chris sucked the air through his teeth.
“It could have happened to me too.” David laughed.
Sarah joined them, chuckling. “It’s true. You don’t see a lot of redheads usually, and our hair color and length is almost identical. Once I realized he was making a mistake and not assaulting me, we had a good laugh. Mary came over and we told her what happened, then I introduced them to my husband, David, and the four of us have been traveling partners ever since!”
“Well, that’s one heck of a way to make new friends!” Marge chuckled. “But it all turned out good. She didn’t knock you out, and you didn’t end up with a black eye like me at least.”
Sarah pulled a face. “I didn’t want to ask, but what happened?”
Marge pointed at her eye and then her missing tooth. “Kangaroo. Surfboard.”
The four sets of eyes of the couples went big.
