IntoEternity (35 page)

“Moving to Scotland?” Duncan followed at her heels. “But,
Gusty, you said you never wanted to live there again.”

Gusty paused on the stairs. “I know what I said, Duncan. But
we have been invited to a wedding.”

“Do we know anyone in Scotland?” he asked.

Gusty continued on to the second floor and Duncan followed
her as he ate his sandwich and watched her frantically pull her suitcases from
the top of the closet and lay them out on her bed. She then reached for the
small metal box and turned to answer him.

“We have family in Scotland, Duncan.”

“Oh? Who?”

“Don’t ask questions now. I will explain later. Right now
there is a lot to do and very little time to get it done. I have to call and
make reservations for our tickets. We have one week to get everything organized
before we fly to England.”

Duncan’s eyes lit up. “We will ride on a plane?”

“Oh yes. We will fly on a plane for hours,” Gusty assured
him and laughed at the little jig he did around the room. He had been pestering
her for some time to let him ride on the great silver planes…ever since they
had come to the future and he had seen one fly overhead. Now he would get his
wish.

“Yaaaay!”He yelled before he turned to leave the room but
Gusty called out to him as he stepped into the hallway.

“You need to pack, too, Duncan. There isn’t much time and
you can only take some of your things. You will have to pick and choose those
that you most want and only what will fit into two suitcases, understand?”

“Aye, two suitcases. I will pack at once.”

“But your room is the other way.”

“Aye, I know, I am going to pack the PB&J.”

She laughed at his answer. The boy was hopelessly addicted.

Gusty spent the rest of the afternoon explaining everything
to Mrs. McClure. It took a little talking but Gusty finally convinced Anna to
accept the rent for six months for leaving her without a paying tenant on such
short notice. She also planned to leave all her possessions to her landlady.
She had no use for them. One suitcase to make the trip to Scotland would do
her. If extraordinary circumstances took her to her heart’s desire what use did
she have for anything from this century?

October 31st. Scottish Highlands, Sinclair Castle.
Dusk.

Gusty drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Having the
driver’s seat on the right side of the car was strange. The small foreign model
felt strange to her. She glanced in the rearview mirror to assure herself that
her two boys in the backseat were behaving themselves. Duncan grinned and
wiggled a finger at her before he turned his attention to the scenery flashing
by. Seamus was fast asleep, suckling his bottom lip in his dreams. She brought
her gaze forward as the car bumped over another rut.

“We are almost there, Duncan. Just a few more yards,” she
assured him.

“Are you sure? This does not look like any holding I ever
saw.”

Gusty laughed. “Aye. I am sure.” Thrilled to be back in the
Highlands of Scotland she breathed in the scent of sweet wild grass as they
drove past a stretch of flower-strewn green meadow. Memories of walking through
such a meadow and feeling the warm sun on her face made her smile. A sudden
shadow covered the car. She glanced up at the dark clouds blowing in and
frowned at the threat of rain.

“Just a bit farther,” she whispered, hope in her heart at
what lay ahead.

Her anticipation grew as she drove the rental car down the
seldom-used, narrow drive. The road wound through overgrown hedges and around
large toppled stones that had at one time been part of an ancient wall
surrounding the once impressive Sinclair Castle.

Just a little farther
, her fingers beat a rhythm as
she chanted in her head.
Just a little farther.

The ruins looked stark and rigid against the fading colors
of the late-autumn sky. What was left of the castle stood sentry over the
verdant meadowland that had once been Clan Sinclair’s holding. Gusty pulled the
car to the side of the road and turned off the ignition. She sat unmoving, gazing
at what was left of her Sinclair ancestors’ home.

Precious memories of her parents and grandparents and her
brother crowded into her mind and she hugged each recollection close. But the
person whose image came to mind strong and vivid was Alexander, her dear, tall,
handsome Alexander. His presence filled her mind, had grown stronger with each
mile she had driven since she had left Edinburgh behind, until she could see
him as clearly as if he were standing in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage around her
like a cloak, opened the car door and stepped out. Duncan followed suit,
climbing out of the car to stand beside her. His eagerness was hard to ignore. He
was definitely back in his element. She had made a mistake not bringing him
back sooner. He ran around as if he were a wild animal, yelling and jumping
with joy over finally arriving.

“Be careful, Duncan. Don’t wander off too far.”

“I won’t,” he shouted as he ran circles around the car.

She smiled at his enthusiasm as she stretched her back and
again looked out over the ancient ruins, wondering where to begin her search.
The invitation had clearly stated Castle Sinclair was her destination. Now all
she had to do was find the time gate.

She turned back to the car to get the now wide-awake little
Seamus out of his car seat.

“Well, hello there, little boy,” she crooned as she
unfastened the straps. The baby had made the journey rather well. He barely
fussed at all during the plane ride and had slept most of the way in the car.
Gathering him to her bosom, she turned back around to look at the castle. Something
seemed…off. She thought for a moment and then realization dawned. The silence…
She no longer heard the chattering and joyous cries she’d been listening to for
the last five minutes. Duncan had disappeared. One moment he had been playing
beside the car and the next moment he was nowhere to be seen.

“Duncan! Where are you? You must stay close so you don’t get
lost.”

Receiving no answer, Gusty began to panic. With Seamus
sitting on her hip, she walked rapidly toward the stone ruins. Why hadn’t he
waited for her to show him the way? Anything could have happened to that
precocious child. He might have fallen while climbing through the rubble or wandered
off into the nearby forest and gotten himself lost. All of those possibilities
flooded her brain. She was nearly running by the time she reached the ruins.

“Duncan, where are you? Show yourself right now!” she called
out, fear overwhelming her as she stopped to catch her breath. She glanced
around but could not see him anywhere. The memory of having an old dungeon
crumble down around their heads was still fresh in her mind as she moved around
several broken stones where once there had been a sturdy castle wall. She grew
suddenly dizzy with dread.

“Oh God! Duncan, where are you?” she breathed as she circled
the piles of stones that were now centuries old. But she no longer took time to
admire the majesty of the place, her focus entirely upon finding Duncan and
berating herself for not watching him more closely. She had not foreseen that
he would begin playing his old trick of running off as soon as they set foot on
the holding. She should have known, she should have warned him. But now it was
too late. He was nowhere to be found.

Moving around to the back of the crumbling outer-bailey
wall, she gazed out over the small loch that sat hidden in the valley behind
the keep. A little boy could drown in there… She made her way down to the water’s
edge and looked up and down the empty shoreline.

Dear God, where is he?

“Duncan!” she yelled but only the sound of the rising wind
answered her.

She stopped and glanced around, the hair on her neck standing
up. Gusty grew alarmed. Someone was out here. She sensed another presence,
someone watching her.

“Duncan?” She whirled about and in the process she tripped
over her own feet and stumbled backward toward the water.

Strong arms wrapped protectively around her and Seamus,
pulling them firmly but gently against a broad, muscular chest. The unexpected
embrace felt so good, so right and she closed her eyes, praying she wasn’t
dreaming or imagining things.

Slowly she opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her gaze met
Alexander’s and he smiled down at her as he enfolded her and their son within
his strong and very real arms.

Gusty opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

“Did I not I tell you we would be together for always?”

Gusty nodded. She stared up at him, her eyes hungry for the
sight of his handsome face.

“You must learn to trust our love, little selkie.” He
brushed his lips across her trembling mouth. “I would have waited for you
forever and into eternity.”

“I know.” She finally managed to whisper as she reached up
to touch his cheek. He needed to shave but the feel of his prickly stubble
brought tears to her eyes and she smiled. “I thought you were dead,” she
admitted brokenly, her hand trembling as she remembered the rubble raining down
on him. “How?”

“I would be dead, if not for your father and brother. They
pulled me back as the ceiling fell.” He suddenly straightened, his arms
tightening as he swallowed hard. “Never do I want to live through that again. I
believed you and Duncan had been taken from me forever. It took four strong men
to pull me from what was left of the MacKay keep. I fought to get to you.”

“You could never have moved so much stone and rock,
Alexander. Not in time.”

“I realized the futility of such a task only after your
father tied me down and let me curse him and everyone who came near me. I must
admit I was not a well man for months.”

“How long have I been gone, Alexander?”

He dropped his head to bury his nose against her neck. He
took a deep breath. “Long enough, my love,” he murmured.

She pushed against his shoulder until he raised his head and
looked at her. She raised an eyebrow in a silent question, wanting an answer.

“You left a year ago October on Samhain, my love, and at the
time I did not understand about this…this…portal through time. I only knew that
I had lost you.

“And then one day Maeve returned from one of her journeys.
She came to me and told me a strange and unbelievable tale of a friend of hers.
A Mrs. Anna McClure. It seemed the woman was taken in by a lovely young lady
who treated her as a favorite grandmother and in turn Mrs. McClure looked after
the young woman as she went through childbirth and then stayed on to care for
the small family until she was no longer needed.”

“Oh God! Mrs. McClure? She knew about Mrs. McClure?” Gusty
sobbed.

“You know who I mean?”

“Anna McClure watched over me all this time. If Maeve knew
about her it makes me wonder about the woman who was my landlady. Who is she
really?”

“A witch perhaps,” Alexander murmured as he kissed her
cheek, tightening his embrace.

Gusty knew just how he felt. She had disappeared from his
life so many times that he would never let her out of his sight again.

“No—Anna McClure is an angel. A true guardian angel to
appear just when we needed her.”

She reached up and caressed his precious face with her
fingertips and her heart jumped as Alexander turned his head and placed a soft
kiss in the palm of her hand followed with a warm, wet swipe of his tongue. A
sob escaped her lips at the sensual act. God how she had missed him! She raised
her eyes to look at her true love and could barely see his handsome smile
through her tears of joy.

“I am a Highlander, my love. I promise you I am too stubborn
to die.”

“Yes. That you are. Oh God! I love you so much, Alexander.”

“Aye, I know you do.”

“And…?” She glared up at him.

“And what?” His grin broadened. “Oh it’s been a long time. I’m
out of practice with this wooing business.” His grin faded and his eyes filled
with something akin to pain and longing. “Aye, my Gusty, I love you too. More
than you know.” He kissed her lips to seal his promise.

Seamus chose that moment to greet his father. He reached up,
gurgling happily. Alexander took his son in his large hands and held him high.
The setting sun glistened off the lake, highlighting the dark-haired cherub.
The baby looked down at his father with an unsmiling, intent expression.
Alexander grinned at his little lad and then brought the boy to rest against
his chest as he placed a gentle kiss to the silky-soft down on the top of the
baby’s head. He placed a heavy arm about Gusty’s shoulders and hugged her close
to him, kissing the top of her head much the same way he had kissed his son.

“We must hurry, my love, lest we miss your parents’ wedding.”
He stared over her shoulder.

Gusty turned and found her mother and father standing there.
Her brother stood beside them. And behind them was the Sinclair castle, whole
and intact.

When did we move through time?
Her eyes widened as
she realized that Alexander had come to her through the warp. He had stepped
with her back into the past without her realizing it.

“Ha ha ha! I beat you, Gusty. I got here first.” Duncan’s
taunt was music to her ears. The rascal had led her on a merry chase but she
easily forgave him for scaring her.

“Welcome home, daughter.” Her mother smiled through her
tears.

“About time you showed up, sister.” Michael’s voice was
hoarse with emotion. He stepped forward and gathered her close, kissing her
cheek. “It is a good thing I believe in miracles,” he whispered in her ear
before pushing her toward her parents.

“Och, lass!” her father said.

Gusty threw herself into his arms and her tears wet his
tunic while he rocked her back and forth as if she were a small child.

“Oh, Father, I didn’t know what to do. I thought I had lost
you all.”

“We have been here waiting, lass. Your mother and I had
great faith that all would end well.” He drew Isabelle into his embrace and
they both wrapped Gusty in their arms.

“All is well, Augusta. All is well and you have returned to
us with your new babe. What more could a mother—nay, a
grandmother
—ask?”
Isabelle crooned in Gusty’s ear. “Come, let me hold the dear lad.”

Gusty smiled as her mother held out her arms for Seamus,
even as strong arms slipped around Gusty’s waist and soft, firm lips caressed
her cheek.

“Welcome home, Augusta Sutherland.” Alexander whispered in
her ear.