Stepping back so that she could look into Eoin’s face, his eyes and hair a dark ebony that took her breath away, Bri smiled and continued. “Do you not remember the night of our wedding? Arran may have been drunk, but he wouldn’t have kissed me so if he didn’t feel there was reason to. He and Blaire had kissed before. I believe they were in love.”
Bri repressed a laugh as she watched Eoin’s eyebrows squish together and his lips twist in muddled confusion. “Nay! Are ye telling me that me own betrothed and my arse of a brother were together before the wedding? I should tear the lousy sot to bits.”
“Oh, hush. It’s not as if you loved Blaire. You couldn’t stand her from what I hear, so what does it matter if Arran could? It’s very hard to help who you fall in love with. Besides, if things hadn’t happened as they had, it’s very possible I wouldn’t have ended up here. Surely you wouldn’t have wanted that?”
Air quickly escaped Bri’s lungs as Eoin crushed her against him, pressing his mouth to hers in a desperate kiss, leaving them both breathless as their bodies ached for more. “Nay, lass, I wouldna want that. I canna stand the thought of ye no being by me side. So, I must ask one thing of ye, if ye are to do this.”
Her insides weak and fluttery, hungry for more of his touch. Bri stepped away, her curiosity peaked. “What is it?”
“I shall come with ye. If the spell goes wrong, and ye are trapped in another time, I canna be away from ye.”
All thoughts of lovemaking fled in an instant. “You cannot be serious, Eoin. For starters, we have no modern male clothes to put you in. I, at least, still have the clothes I was wearing when I arrived here. You would stand out like a sore thumb!”
“A sore thumb, lass?”
Confusion flickered across Eoin’s face once more, and Bri couldn’t help but laugh aloud. “Forget it. But that’s another reason why you can’t possibly come. You wouldn’t be able to communicate. Not to mention how confused you will be by cars, or cell phones, ATMs.” She stopped talking when Eoin reached out to place his hands on both of her shoulders.
“Aye, lass. It doesna sound so different from the way ye were when ye first arrived here. And ye survived. I shall have ye to help me, and I find meself curious to see what the world where me strange, bonny lass came from is like.”
He smiled sweetly, and Bri found herself softening to the idea. It would be nice not to be all alone, and she agreed with him. If something did go wrong with the spell, she couldn’t stand the thought of being separated from him. Besides, watching his reaction to the conveniences of modern times was sure to be a humorous and fascinating experience, one which now presented as a possibility, she found herself eager to take advantage of.
“Fine. But on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“While we are there, I am the boss. Life is very different and, for your own safety, you need to do whatever I tell you to do. Understood?”
Eoin rolled his eyes and Bri smiled, anticipating what he was going to say even before he spoke.
“Aye, lass. As if ye are no my master already. It shall be little adjustment from daily life now.”
“That’s right.” Bri winked playfully. “And don’t you forget it, mister. Now you’ll need to think of something to tell Arran. He will have to know we are going somewhere, but it’s best that he doesn’t know where. He would try to stop us from going.”
“Aye, he would. I shall talk to him now.”
*
Arran made his way through the castle’s winding hallways, stopping to briefly poke his head in the kitchen to pester their beloved housemaid, cook, and mentor, Mary. He stepped inside the long room and, knowing that she could see him, sneakily stuck his hand out to grab at one of the loaves of bread set aside for the evening meal.
He was rewarded with the expected quick smack on his hand.
“How many times do I have to tell ye? Ye are no going to get food from this kitchen until ’tis served to ye, as long as I am here. And doona get yer hopes up, I intend to live many more decades still.”
Arran laughed and bent to scoop Mary up in a large embrace, roughly kissing her on the cheek. “Aye, I surely hope that ye do. The castle would fall apart without ye.” He continued to squeeze her, her feet dangling inches off the ground, refusing to set her down until she screeched and reached over his shoulder to swat at something behind him.
He quickly set the plump woman back onto the floor and spun to see what had her in such arrears. Eoin stood with his hand extended in the direction of the bread, guilt spread across his face as Mary waved his brother away from the aromatic loaves.
“Ye shall drive me mad! The both of ye. It doesna matter how many times I repeat meself, ye doona seem to hear it. Now get.” She paused and extended both of her arms out in front of her, palms up, and she briskly shooed them from the kitchen. “I doona want to see yer faces until the evening meal. Get on with ye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”