He reached down to rub on the sleeping pup, thinking back on the strangest thing his sister had told him. She’d said more than once that Adelle had insisted that he come to the castle and help them with the decorations. Why would the lass desire such a thing?
She must feel sorry for him. Any other possibility seemed too unrealistic for him to think of. There’d only been one woman fancy him in his whole life. It wouldn’t make sense for another lass to decide to do so now.
Would it?
Chapter 9
I waited until all of the men started trimming the tree, working it into the perfect shape, before I snuck away to grab the surprise I had in store for all of them.
Mary’s trip to see her brother had been quick. When she arrived back at the castle without Hew, I knew he had rejected her invitation to join us. I couldn’t help the small pang of sadness that lodged itself in my chest, but I did my best to dismiss it. I hardly knew the man after all. What did I care if he chose to be such a fuddy duddy?
Blaire had already helped Bri carry the large box of ornaments upstairs, so while the men shaved away at the tree and the girls marveled at each ornament as they pulled them out of the box, I went down to the basement once more.
Opening the box, I pulled out the large boombox, flipping it over so that I could install a fresh set of batteries. Placing the cd player under one arm and a stack of CDs under the other, I made my way upstairs.
Once I got into the great room, I walked with my back toward them to shield the contents in my arms and sat the player discreetly next to the fire, hidden away behind a large seat. I thought best to select a classical Christmas mix first. I was afraid anything too modern would frighten the bejeezus out of Arran and Kip, both of whom had never made a trip through time.
I started it with the volume low so that it played just loud enough to cause everyone in the room to glance around as if they were imagining the sounds in their heads. Slowly, I increased the intensity of the sound until Kip threw both his hands to his ears and looked up to the ceiling in horror.
“What in the name o’ God is that? I’ve told all of ye, I doona like the magic that seems to go on in this place. Make it stop.”
Mary laughed and walked over to grab her husband’s wrists as she pried his hands away from his head. “Doona be such a fool, Kip. ’Tis no magic, only a music maker we brought back from our journey. Do ye no think it sounds lovely?”
Kip didn’t answer right away. Instead, Arran spoke up, “I’ve never heard such beautiful noise in me life. Leave it be, ’tis magical.”
Eventually, Kip surrendered and joined in with the humming and singing as we spent the day turning Conall Castle into a Christmas wonderland. The tree didn’t take all that long. Then Mary took us girls downstairs to make garland and wreaths to hang up around the castle.
Though hard work, twisting the leaves and branches into some semblance of something that would please the eye, Mary, Blaire, and Bri took to it quite well. All of my projects were an undisputable disaster.
I’d not been a crafty woman in the twenty-first century, where craft stores within a three-block radius sold glues and tools to help you. Without such conveniences, it was pure misery for me to even try.
After three failed wreaths and a string of garland only the Grinch would appreciate, I was taken off craft duty and given the measly task of hanging the mistletoe that Bri had created above the entryway into the dining hall.
Mary thought the tradition of mistletoe to be a brilliant idea. “Ye mean that if I can somehow trick Kip into standing beneath the doorway with me, he will be forced to kiss me? Why, I shall stand there all day and wait for him to pass through! I doona believe the old bugger will even remember what part of yer body that ye use to kiss, ’tis been so long since he’s done so.”
I laughed but, as I did so, Mary’s brother crossed my mind once more. I imagined if what Bri and Blaire thought they knew about Hew was true, it had been quite some time since he’d been kissed as well. For some reason, I wished to be the person to change that for him. “Mary, would ye mind if I brought Hew some food to eat after the evening meal?”
She clucked her tongue at me, knowingly. “Ach, I knew there was a reason ye wished me to ask Hew to help with the decorations. Ye have taken a liking to him then, have ye?’
I reddened, something that seemed to be happening much more frequently. I didn’t like it one bit. “Well, what if I have?”
Mary laughed and looked down to concentrate on the bunch of stems in her hand. “Nothing, dear. It has been far too long since Hew has shared his company with another. Please, I would love for ye to take him his food. I doona like getting out in the snow anyway.”