Part 10 (1/2)
”Please, Catie, can ye not see reason?” he asked without looking up, his voice m.u.f.fled.
”He canna come through, though,” Catie said. ”Even if Miss Burnet told him everything, Lord Ashford willna be back to that time for a year.”
Lachlan straightened up. ”Who is Miss Burnet?” he asked.
She grimaced. ”My chaperone in London. They had a dalliance.”
”Of course they did,” Lachlan sighed. ”b.l.o.o.d.y Quinn.”
”What's that have to do with anything?” Piper asked, unable to help herself and joining them at the table. ”And who is Lord Ashford?”
Catie acted put upon and hurriedly explained how she got there in the first place.
”So ye tricked this man into bringing ye here, trapping that poor la.s.s in the past?” Lachlan asked, shaking his head in disgust. ”If ye're sure she and Quinn had a dalliance, there's yet another reason he'll come to this time. He'll want to help her get home.” He groaned.
”Did ye not hear me say Lord Ashford willna return for a year? They canna come forward, Lach.” Catie seemed eager to get the blame off her shoulders, even though Piper could see leaving the hapless Miss Burnet behind weighed heavily on her.
”Quinn knows a way,” he said. ”I left him details on how to do it.”
Catie shuddered. ”Is that what that was? The evil instructions with the blood and chanting?”
”Ye wee sneak, ye must learn to stay out of other people's things,” Lachlan said. ”The spell isna evil, but it isna especially easy to master. Quinn could be wrestling the great lizards now for all we know.”
Catie's eyes filled with fear and Lachlan looked like he would burst from how badly he wanted to say he told her so, but he refrained, much to Piper's relief.
She reached over and placed her hand on his arm, and he covered it with his own, looking apologetic. ”It sounds like we need to take Catie back, and bring Miss Burnet home,” she said.
Catie huffed. ”I dinna want to go back,” she said. ”It's wonderful here, and ye canna say otherwise, or ye'd have gone back yourself.”
Lachlan pressed his lips together and raked his fingers through his hair several times in quick succession, clearly trying not to yell. ”Catie, once again I must ask ye to be reasonable. Ye know ye must go back.”
”Why must I?” she asked.
”For one thing, ye're a verra rich young lady. What will happen to your inheritance if ye've disappeared without a trace?”
”I hate being an heiress,” Catie said, pacing to the bar and back. ”It- it sucks.”
Piper jumped in before Lachlan could berate her for speaking in such a manner. ”She's right. It does suck. It's a load of pressure for one thing,” she said at his look of disbelief.
”Ye're complaining about all that ye own?” he asked, waving his hand to encompa.s.s the castle. ”The weeks we spent on the island, and the decadent s.h.i.+p that brought us home? Not to mention all the daft things ye buy without a thought?”
”What daft things?” she asked, deeply affronted.
”The white leather harnesses with the wee bells for the horses, to name only one.”
”Those are for Christmas,” Piper said, noticing Catie easing her way from the room. ”Oh no, you don't. Lachlan, she's pitting us against each other so she can escape.”
Lachlan laughed. ”Clever la.s.s. But whatever ye think of being an heiress, ye are one and ye must face it.” Catie stuck out her lip and looked like she might cry, but Lachlan held up his hand. ”Save it,” he said. ”That only works on soft-hearted idiots like Quinn. Ye're going back, and getting married, and living the good life in your own time. Ye can take notes from Miss Moneybags over here on how to spend your fortune.”
”I don't see you complaining much,” Piper said, stunned at how she was getting thrown under the bus. ”In fact, you seem to like it just fine.”
Lachlan leaned down and kissed her, which only eased her hurt feelings a little. ”I like it verra much,” he said. ”But I would like living on my own farm with much less just the same, as long as ye were with me.”
He took her hand and squeezed it, and she forgave him. But she wasn't returning the harnesses. He'd see how amazing her holiday decorations were going to be. She saw Catie looking at them with real tears in her eyes now and pulled her hand away from Lachlan, not wanting to flaunt their love.
”Do ye know the only man who wanted to marry me just wanted to because I was rich? He had gambling debts and didna love me at all. I'm not rich in this time, and Shane still wants to take me to the cinema.”
Piper realized how lucky she was to have Lachlan. If he hadn't landed in the tower room, she might be fighting off fortune hunters, never sure who really liked her for herself and not her billions. Before she could open her mouth to empathize and try to make Lachlan understand, Catie was already gone, the slam of the kitchen door reverberating in the air between them.
”Should I go after her?” Lachlan asked, out of his depth again.
”No. Let her have her date with Shane. Poor thing. What can another day or two hurt?”
Lachlan pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her and she completely forgot being angry with him, and the terrible morning seemed a year ago, and barely worth thinking about. Nothing was wrong. She repeated it to herself so that she almost believed it.
”She's spoiled,” Lachlan said.
”Maybe just a bit,” Piper agreed. ”But make fun of me all you want, it was hard at first, being suddenly rich. You met me when I'd had a chance to settle into it some, but in the beginning I didn't know who to trust. I thought Sam, of all people, had nefarious intentions when I first met him, because the money made me so paranoid.”
”Ah, Sam isna nefarious at all,” Lachlan said.
”Yes, well, that's how stressful it was, and I'm nearly ten years older than Catie. Ugh, that makes me sound so old.”
”I love ye,” he said, kissing the side of her neck. ”Especially the wisdom your advanced age brings.”
”Hmmph,” she said, tilting her head back so he could better reach the tender spot behind her ear. ”I'm glad you're finally agreeing with me.”
He straightened. ”I am partially agreeing. I hope ye are prepared to see whatever film is playing tonight, because ye know I canna let her go with that wee scoundrel and not keep an eye on them both, aye?”
”Fine,” she sighed. ”And he's not a wee scoundrel. He's a good kid. He's just a bit of a flirt, like your brother.”
Lachlan groaned. ”Dinna say that. That doesna put my mind at ease at all.”
Chapter 11.
Lizzie opened her eyes to trees swaying in the wind and quickly rolled over, the fluid motion making her feel sick. She closed her eyes until the nausea pa.s.sed, hearing Oliver retching several feet away. Time travel did not agree with him at all. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Quinn standing over her, holding his arm but otherwise looking more hale and hearty than she'd seen in days.
”Did we make it?” She ignored his outstretched hand and scrambled to her feet. ”Are you all right, Oliver?” she called, getting him a drink of water from their bag of essentials.
Oliver groaned, but made it to his feet, accepting the drink and looking around.
”Well, we made it to the woods,” he said and laughed at his joke. He was the only one.