Through the Looking Glass (2 page)

Chapter 2

              The Aberdeen airport wasn’t overcrowded considering the time of the morning it was. The plane had arrived right on schedule even with the differences in time. She had slept for most of the ride, so she figured she wouldn’t experience any jet lag, at least that’s what she hoped for. Her body still felt as if she hadn’t slept in a week but hopefully with time enough time she would be back to feeling like herself again and she could grieve for her parents.

             
Elizabeth had arranged for a taxi service to take her to Ackergill Tower in Northern Scotland which was about a three hour ride from where she was. The waiting car was directly outside the airport entrance with its driver leaning casually on its trunk. The air outside was chilly with a drizzling rain, the total opposite of what she had left behind. Fall in New Orleans was rarely cold, so this abrupt change of weather gave her a shock.

             
“Miss Hyde?” the driver of the taxi asked as she proceeded towards him.

             
“Yes,” she replied then handed her bag to the driver who put it in the trunk, slammed it closed, then came around the side of the car and opened the door for her.

             
“Hou ar ye?” the driver asked with a strong Scottish accent.

             
It took a second for her brain to register what he said. “Fine thank-you.” She ducked into the warmth of the car and slid away from the door as it closed again.

             
The driver rushed around the front of the taxi then jumped into the driver’s seat. “Did ye have a guid flight?”

             
“It was alright I guess. I slept most of the way.” She tried to stifle a yawn that escaped from her just as he questioned her.

             
“That’s guid! Nou, we have a lang ride to Ackergill Tower so feel free to relax and enjoy the ride.” He pulled away from the curb then headed down the road that would take them to Wick, Scotland.

             
She had read a small amount of information about Ackergill Tower before she left and had found out it had been built around 1476 and had once been a Keith stronghold. The four story building behind the tower had been added on in order for the tower to become a bed and breakfast, but the tower was all original. It sat on the shore of Sinclair’s Bay which led out into the North Sea. The weather that far north could be treacherous at times and far colder than anything she had ever experienced before in her life.

             
Isobel was confident that there was no way Daniel would ever be able to trace her path that lead her to the top of the Earth. With each mile that had passed, she could breathe a little easier. An ocean now separated her from the man she once thought she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with. What had changed him so much to cause him to kill her parents? There hadn’t been any signs that she noticed or any odd behavior. She was totally puzzled by his actions and deathly afraid of him now. Not only had she lost both her parents, she had to run away from the only home she had ever known to a foreign country where she didn’t know a soul. Her life had turned into a living nightmare that she wished she could escape from permanently.

             
The ride to Ackergill Tower went by in a flash and before she knew it the taxi was pulling up in front of the ancient stronghold. She opened the door of the taxi only to be hit square in the face with a burst of icy wind. She could even feel small pricks of ice as it hit her face then melted.

             
“Haur ye ar, Miss Hyde.” The driver handed her the only bag she had with her. “I hope ye enjoy ye time in Scotland.”

             
She smiled at the older man who gave a genuine smile in return. “Thank you so much for bringing me all this way.” She reached into her purse to pull out some of the money that Elizabeth had gotten for her out of her checking account back home.

             
“Oh no! The ride is paid for, Miss Hyde.” The driver gently pushed her hand away from him when she tried to give him the money.

             
“Paid for?”

             
“Yes, Miss. I was told that your friend,” he paused for a moment, thinking, “your friend Elizabeth? Is it? Paid for it in advance.”

             
She smiled thinking of her dearest friend. Elizabeth had thought of everything.

             
“Please take this then for yourself.” She hand him several bills folded together.

             
“Thenk Ye, Miss! I will be heading back now. Nice tae meit ye!” He gave her a wink then went to get back into his taxi.

             
Isobel watched only for a moment as the taxi drove away. It was too cold to stay out much longer, so she headed inside the Tower to check in. The warmth of the inside immediately seeped into her chilled skin when she stepped inside. What she saw when she went in took her breath away. It was if she had stepped back into history. A large rug covered the stone floor then lead to a staircase made completely out of wood with intricate spindles gracing each stair as it ascended upwards to the second floor. Paintings hung on the walls of people long since dead but still greatly remembered. The smell of the castle was a mixture of old wood and the sea outside. She stood transfixed in the middle of the lobby staring at everything surrounding her.

             
“Can I help ye, Miss?”

             
A voice drew her attention away from the sights before her and over to the reception desk that sat off to the side of the room. An older woman stood behind the wooden reception desk that didn’t look quite as old as the castle.

             
“Hi, I’m Isobel Hyde. I have a reservation.” She walked over to the woman as she spoke to her. “My friend made all the arrangements for me.”

             
“Let me have a look, dear.” The friendly old woman flipped through a box of index cards then pulled out one. “Haur ye ar, my dear, Isobel Hyde from the United States.” She showed Isobel the card that had her name written on it.

             
“That’s me,” she replied.

             
“Hou lang will ye be staying?”

             
“I’m not sure yet. Do I have to give you a date right now?” Her heart gave a little jump at the thought of having to return home too soon.

             
“Oh no, dear. This is not our busy time of the year.” The woman filled out a check-in form then handed it to her to sign. “Haur ye go. I already have a credit card on file for you so there is no need for you to come down and pay every day. I will just run the card.”

             
Elizabeth again had taken care of everything. The card on file had to be Elizabeth’s because there was no way she would chance Daniel being able to trace it.

             
“Haur ar ye keys, dearie. I hope you enjoy your stay with us. I am Mrs. Bailey by the way, so if ye need anything just call down to the desk and someone will see to your needs. Your room is up those stairs behind ye and to the left.”

             
“Thank-you, Mrs. Bailey.” She gave the woman a smile then headed upstairs.

             
The place was rather quiet as she ascended the stairs. Each step she took brought into focus fascinating objects and pictures that were scattered around the stairs and upper floor. A portrait, which Isobel assumed was a previous owner, hung at the top of the stairs looking down on her as she passed by it. The hallway was carpeted so her footsteps caused no more noise than walking into a room that was completely silent. She passed several doors until she came to the one marked with the same number as on her key, 5B. She slipped the old key into the lock and twisted it until she heard the latch draw back into the door. The door eased open on its own to reveal a stunning room behind it.

             
Isobel stepped into the room feeling as if she had been transported back in time. While the room had modern carpet, most of the furniture was antique. A large canopy bed sat in the middle of one of the walls that was covered with wallpaper. Her room was called the Daffodil room and it sat on one of the corners of the Tower facing the bay. The actual corner of the room was a small sitting area that had a large bay window that one could look out of and get a magnificent view of the water below. An antique cedar robe stood in front of the bed that was covered in an off-white bed spread. The canopy of the bed was covered with a plaid grey and white material that was tied to the four posts of the bed and could be untied to let the curtains fall and enclose the bed for added privacy. A fireplace sat between the cedar robe and a taller chest of drawers that had a flat screen television sitting on top of it. The bathroom, which was off to the left hand side of bed, had a large tub for soaking and a stand-alone shower. The walls in there were covered with white and green ceramic tiles that added to the overall look of the bathroom. A small desk sat on another wall close to the sitting area that faced the bay. Two night stands graced each side of the bed and each had a lamp sitting on top that matched the décor of the room. The last thing that caught Isobel’s eye was the tall stand up mirror that stood off to the side in another corner.

             
She walked over to it and could immediately tell that it was quite old. She ran her hand down the side of the spindles that held the mirror up on its wooden frame. The reflection she saw in the mirror wasn’t quite the same person she was used to seeing staring back at her. Her long, wavy, brown hair was tied back in a ponytail that was windblown. Hints of auburn color sporadically lightened her hair to the point that it looked she had a head full of auburn hair when out in the sun. The emerald green eyes that stared back at her were very sad looking while her cheeks were tinted pink because of the wind outside when she arrived. She turned to the side to get a side view of her body which stood only five feet two inches tall. Her small stature had never bothered her until one night when Daniel had commented on it and made fun of her. It wasn’t as if she could do anything about it she told him in self-defense. She also had more than her fair share of curves which also made her self-conscious. Her mother had told her once that her hips were made for having babies and that she probably wouldn’t have any problems bringing a baby into the world. Of course she had been mortified by her mother’s comments especially since she had said it in front of her father. She took one last look at her appearance, shrugged then walked away from the image.

             
“I need a bath,” she said out loud.

             
The floor tiles of the bath room were cold under her bare feet but it wouldn’t matter much once she was in the hot water that was now streaming out of the faucet head. She quickly undressed than stepped into the steaming water, sinking up to her chin in its heat.

             
“God, this feels wonderful.” She leaned her head back on the rim of the tub and closed her eyes. She could stay in this place forever and forget about everything that had happened to her recently. Her life was turned upside down and she didn’t have a clue on how to adjust to it. Never in all her life would she have thought she would be in the predicament she was in at the moment. Images of her mother lying on the kitchen floor flashed under her closed eyes. The sound of the gun popping still echoed in her head. Each time she closed her eyes at night she could hear her parents’ screams. She relived it over and over again until she thought she would go crazy trying to make sense of it. Her parents were gone and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about. She would have to get herself through this one way or another. She wasn’t going to let Daniel rule the rest of her life.