All In Good Time: Book Six of The Thistle & Hive Series Read online

  “That makes sense, I guess.”

  “I don’t understand all of the workings, but Auntie is instructing me. She has been a great teacher and I hope I can repay her by taking some of the burden of the bridge from her shoulders.”

  “Have you ever time traveled?” Sara’s curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had to know.

  “I have and so has Dylan. He went back with his cousin Jenna and I went back to help save him from an evil witch who meant to do much harm to the MacKenzies in order to get her way.”

  “Wow! This is all so, so… I don’t know. Up until this past year, I would have thought this was all impossible, but now I’m finding out that witches, magic and time travel really do exist.”

  “There’s more to know, but I won’t over burden ye with it today.”

  Sara’s mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide. “What else could there be? Dragons? Fairies? Elves? Unicorns? Oh, please, tell me there are unicorns!”

  Maggie laughed, “You’d be surprised. Keep an open mind. ’Tis all I can tell ye.”

  They made their way down the path to the bridge and Sara was surprised that it wasn’t something more grand. Instead it was a simple stone bridge that didn’t look any different than you’d expect in this setting. She walked to the middle and stood perfectly still.

  “Are ye hoping Auntie will bring the fog?” Maggie asked. “She wouldnae do that to ye. She has yet to make up her mind whether she should let ye go.”

  “I was kind of hoping.” Sara turned, disappointment written all over her face. “It is very pretty though.” She gazed out over the side and down the stream. It was a very tranquil setting. She wasn’t sure what she thought it would be like, but if this bridge could change her world for the better, then it was a spectacular bridge.

  Chapter 3

  As the sun began to sink behind the rocky crags surrounding Glendaloch, Maggie and Sara made their way back through the doors of the inn.

  “Ah, there ye are,” Edna called from behind the reception desk. She shuffled some papers around and then stacked them neatly before coming around to meet the two young women. “Did ye enjoy yer day with my sweet Maggie?” she asked Sara.

  “It was lovely. Thanks so much, Maggie.” Sara hugged her. She felt a connection to her, just as she had to Edna.

  “Yer verra welcome. I’m going to go upstairs for a bit before Dylan needs my help in the kitchen.”

  “Go on ahead. I must speak with Sara,” Edna said, kissing her niece on the cheek before sending her off upstairs.

  “Have you come to a decision?” Sara asked. Her hands began to shake and her stomach turned.

  “Not quite. I wanted to have a little chat with ye first. Come. Let’s sit here by the fire and have some tea.”

  Sara noticed that there was a teapot ready and waiting for them, along with some small sandwiches and cakes. “This looks really good to me right now. I’m more than a little hungry.” She sat opposite Edna, who was busy pouring them both some tea. Sara added a little cream and sugar to hers and helped herself to the tea sandwiches.

  “Sara, I’ve been thinking long and hard about your request. There are some things I must be certain of.” Edna gazed across at Sara, taking a moment before continuing. “Ye ken there are nae guarantees that yer Logan will be happy to see ye.”

  “I know, but I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t be happily surprised to see me. After all, he wouldn’t have been expecting to ever see me again.”

  “That’s the problem, lass. There are some things happening at Breaghacraig, but they arenae clear to me. I usually have much greater clarity where the MacKenzies are concerned. So, I’d be blindly sending you into the unknown.”

  “I’m okay with that,” Sara quickly assured her.

  “I ken yer okay with it, but I’m nae so sure I am. Ye see, I dinnae wish to have yer broken heart on me hands.”

  “Why would I have a broken heart. If you can’t see what’s happening with Logan, then why do you think I’ll have a broken heart?” Sara could feel her blood starting to boil. Was Edna being purposefully unclear? Was she trying to scare her?

  “Calm yerself, lass. I’m on yer side. I just want to be sure ye understand all of the things that could go wrong fer ye.”

  “And what about all of the things that could go right?” Sara put her tea cup down and considered what to say. “I’m not a negative person, Edna. I like to think positively about every situation and I’m positive that Logan and I were meant for each other.” She was saying the words, but doubt had begun to creep into her mind. She quickly pushed those thoughts aside, instead focusing on only good things.

  “Being positive is a good quality, my dear. But being blind to all the possibilities could harm ye. Let me ask ye this. If Logan accepts ye, and is happy to see ye, are you ready to stay there in the sixteenth century? To live there and leave everything in this century behind, including your brother?”

  Sara really hadn’t thought about it before now, but she realized that maybe she should have. What if Logan didn’t wish to return with her? What was she thinking? If Logan had wanted to stay in the future, he would have stayed when she asked him the first time. No. If this was going to work, she was going to have to stay with him.

  “I can see that ye havenae given that part of it much thought,” Edna observed.

  Sara took a sip of her tea and stared into the fire. “Edna, I have no idea how I’d feel about that, because I’ve never lived there. I need to see for myself what life is like in 1517. If I don’t, I’ll always wonder what could have been. I don’t want to live my life with any regrets and if I can’t go back and find Logan, I will regret it.”

  Edna seemed to be weighing Sara’s words very carefully. It seemed as if she were never going to speak and then, “Alright. Ye can go back, but ye must ken that I cannae help ye with Logan. This is yer match to make. The only thing I can help ye with is yer safe travel to the past and possibly yer return to our time.”

  Sara was so excited she almost spilled her tea as she jumped up to hug Edna. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”

  “I ken I willnae. My hope is that ye dinnae.” Edna accepted Sara’s hug and returned it.

  Sara could see that Edna was uncomfortable with all of this. Her eyes and smile were sad as they gazed at Sara. “Thank you, Edna. Thank you.” She meant it with all her heart.

  “Yer welcome, dear. Please remember that ye arenae in yer own time while yer there. Be verra careful at all times. I’ll send fer someone to meet ye at the bridge. They’ll see to it that ye get to Breaghacraig safely. After that, ye’ll be on yer own.”

  “When can I leave? Should I get ready now?” Sara was bubbling over with excitement. She could hardly wait to get started.

  “’Tis best nae to start yer journey after dark. Tomorrow morning will be soon enough. Remember I must arrange your transportation.” Edna seemed to relax a bit now that she’d made her decision. She took Sara’s hand in hers and squeezed. “Yer a lovely lass and I wish ye all the best. I hope things work out the way that yer hoping they will and that ye’ll have a happy life with yer man.”

  “Thank you, Edna. I appreciate that.” “Let’s finish our tea, shall we?”

  Relief swept over Sara as she helped herself to more of the little sandwiches and refilled her cup with tea.

  Edna left her to go make the arrangements and Sara sat and daydreamed about seeing Logan for the first time and what his reaction might be to seeing her.

  “There will be a man with a wagon waiting fer ye on the other side of the bridge.” Edna would be escorting Sara to the bridge and was giving her instructions before they left. “Dinnae be afraid. The fog willnae hurt ye. Ye’ll quickly transition from this time to the past and when ye do, Wallace will be there waiting fer ye. He kens the way to Breaghacraig and so ye need nae have any fears about the journey.” Sara nodded and listened as Edna ticked off the list of dos and don’ts she’d need to be aware of. “I think that’s everyth
ing. Are ye ready to get started?”

  Sara could hardly speak she was so excited and nervous about what was about to happen, so she nodded instead. She held tightly to the pouch Edna had given her. It contained things Sara might need on her journey, not the least of which was antibiotics in case she became ill. No lie, that was one thing that really frightened her. The thought of being ill in a time when people died from even minor ailments was perhaps the most terrifying prospect of this journey.

  She tried to calm her breathing. The last thing she needed to do was hyperventilate so badly that she passed out before she even got started.

  As they began the walk to the bridge, Sara felt as if she were in an alternate reality. Her legs were moving, but they didn’t feel connected to her body. It was like she was looking at everything from the outside in. She knew this was a coping mechanism for her. It happened whenever she found herself doing something out of the ordinary, like the first time she ever went bungee jumping. She had been terrified, but somehow that feeling of not being in her own body had helped her when she took that leap. She was doing the same thing now. Self-preservation was the name of the game in her mind.

  Hardly a word was spoken between the two women as they walked. There seemed to be a silent agreement that neither of them would say anything that might scare Sara more. It was a clear and sunny day. The sky was a bright blue with a few fluffy white clouds slowly floating across and behind the massive fir trees that dotted the landscape they traversed. An ordinary day by most people’s standards. Anything but, for Sara.

  “This is it,” Edna said, glancing around the bridge as if she were searching for something. “Be safe, my girl.” Edna wrapped Sara in a warm, motherly hug. “If ye wish to return, Ashley MacBayne will help ye contact me. I’ll do my best to keep an eye on ye, but as I’ve told ye, because this was initiated by ye, there’s little I can do.”

  “I know, Edna. And I appreciate all you’ve been able to do for me.” Sara hugged Edna tightly. She would have loved a mother like her, but that wasn’t the hand she was dealt. In the few short days she’d known Edna, she’d grown quite fond of her and quite attached.

  It seemed Edna understood this, as she wiped an errant tear from Sara’s eyes. “Yer a brave lass. Remember that and dinnae allow yerself to be waylaid by fear.”

  Sara stood up taller, straightening her back and holding her head high. Edna led her to the center of the bridge and then walked back far enough to avoid being swept up in the wake of Sara’s leaving.

  The fog began to swirl around Sara and she frantically looked to Edna for reassurance. “Ye’ll be fine, my dear,” Edna shouted.

  “Goodbye, Edna!” Sara called out, waving to Edna as she disappeared from sight. The fog had completely engulfed her now and she saw bright pops of light in many colors as the fog swirled faster and faster around her. She was reminded of a tornado and prepared herself to be swept into it, but instead the fog cleared and she was standing on the very same bridge. Had she actually traveled through time? She checked to see if Edna might still be standing there, but she was gone. She took a moment and glanced around. Things did appear a bit different. The trees weren’t as big and the bridge seemed newer.

  “Good morn to ye, lass.” A man jumped down from his wagon and walked towards her. “Me name’s Wallace and I’m here to take ye to Breaghacraig.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Wallace. My name’s Sara. How long will it take to get there?” She realized traveling by wagon was a lot slower than traveling by car and so, even if she knew the way to Breaghacraig, she had no idea how long any of this was going to take. It didn’t matter though. She was on her way to Logan and that was really all she cared about.

  “’Twill take more than a day, but not quite two before we arrive. If ye’ll come with me, we’ll get ye all settled. Do ye have any belongings with ye?” The man looked all around her.

  “No. Just me.” Sara was feeling quite unprepared as she made a list in her head of all the things she should have brought with her. She would apparently be sleeping outside tonight and she didn’t even bring a sleeping bag or a pillow. Edna had given her a cloak, so she imagined she could wrap herself up in that, but what about food? What would she eat. She remembered Edna had given her a small parcel for Wallace, which she’d tucked into the cloak. “Edna asked me to give you this,” she handed him the parcel, which had been neatly tied with string.”

  “Ah, me! She never forgets,” Wallace beamed.

  “What is it?” Sara was curious.

  “A wee snack fer the two of us. Me favorite scones!”

  Sara was relieved. She wasn’t going to starve after all.

  They walked to the wagon and Wallace helped her up onto her seat and then climbed up next to her. “Walk on,” he called to the two large draft horses pulling the wagon and they were off.

  “So, what brings ye to this time and place, lass?” Wallace glanced her way as he turned the horses. He seemed like a nice man, and clearly was someone that Edna trusted. She should probably just tell him what was going on.

  “Love, I think.”

  “Ye think? I’d say if yer here and ye’ve gone to such trouble, then love it must be, eh?” He smiled and winked at her.

  Sara couldn’t deny it. “You’re absolutely right. Love it is.”

  “Now, tell me about yerself and where ’tis yer from. I do this little errand fer Edna every now and again, but in exchange I like to hear tales of the places I’ll never see.”

  “I’d be happy to share with you.” Sara smiled warmly at the man who would be her companion for the next day or so. He reminded her of her Grandpa. She missed him terribly. He had been the only sane person in her family, aside from her brother Zeke. When they were young, he was their rock. The person who played all the family roles – mother and father included. Her parents hadn’t been the most stable couple and disappeared from their lives while both she and Zeke were quite young.

  Seeing her grandfather every time she glanced Wallace’s way, she found herself confiding in him about her years growing up in San Francisco, her life there now, her brother Zeke and how she met Logan. He was a very good listener and had lots of questions, which she happily answered. The time passed quickly. They ate lunch perched atop the wagon as the horses rested. Continuing on, he told Sara all about his life, which seemed pretty stress-free in comparison to hers. He told her he worked for a friend of Edna’s, someone he called Beira. He told Sara she was the Queen of Winter and Sara couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Really? The Queen of Winter?” It seemed pretty incredible.

  “Aye, lass,” Wallace assured her.

  “What does she do when it’s not winter? Is there a Queen of Summer?”

  The man chuckled. “She keeps quite busy, no matter the season and yes, there is a Queen of Summer.”

  “So, I imagine your busy season will be coming up then.”

  “Sooner than ye’d think.”

  “It’s still summer though, isn’t it?” She wasn’t sure if the seasons in this time aligned with the seasons in her own time.

  He laughed again. “The seasons remain the same, no matter the year. Winter is followed by spring and then summer, which is the current season, on to fall and then back to winter. I’m going to guess that our weather is a bit different than what yer used to.”

  Sara was wrapped in her cloak, even though it was mid-summer. The temperatures were a lot like summer in San Francisco, where it could be quite chilly on any given day, even in July or August. “So, is this the usual summer weather? It seems a little cold today.”

  “Well, we are in a heavily wooded area, so the sun cannae touch ye quite the way it might without the trees to block it.”

  “I guess that makes sense.” Sara was enjoying her time with Wallace. He was funny and warm and she felt safe and comfortable in his company.

  “We’ll stop for the night and I’ll build us a nice, big fire. I’ve got plenty of blankets to keep ye warm, so no need for conc
ern.”

  Surprisingly she wasn’t at all concerned, but she was a bit anxious about seeing Logan again. “Do you know Logan McPhail?”

  “Nae. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him.”

  “Oh… How will I find him?” she wondered aloud.

  “I imagine if he’s at Breaghacraig, ye’ll find him soon enough. There are many there who will be of help to ye.”

  Sara relaxed a bit. “Yes. I have a friend there. Helene. I can’t wait to see her again.”

  “And how is it that ye ken this lass?” he asked as he pulled the horses to a halt.

  “She came to my time. That’s how I met Logan as well.”

  “It seems everyone is traveling through time but me,” he laughed.

  “Would you like to go?”

  “Nae. I’m happy here. I’ve nae need for adventure.”

  “Everyone needs adventure,” Sara protested.

  “I’ve had enough adventure in my life. Most of it when I was a younger man. Now I’m content to help Beira and Edna with small deeds. I’m happy in my little cottage in front of a blazing fire with a wee dram of whiskey. I dinnae need or want anything more.”

  A simple life. Sara thought that might be just what she needed. It would be good to be in a place where she wasn’t checking her smartphone every five minutes. A place where life moved at a much slower place. I could definitely get used to this, she thought.

  They made their camp for the evening. Sara helped as much as possible. Wallace knew what he was doing and she simply did whatever he needed help with. They got a fire going and had a nice meal together. After dinner, he gave Sara some blankets and some tips on choosing the perfect spot to lay them so she’d sleep comfortably. She doubted that would happen. She wasn’t much of a camper and sleeping outside was definitely not in her comfort zone, but it was only the one night, so she’d deal with it. After searching and searching for a comfy spot, Sara decided she wanted to sleep in the wagon bed, so Wallace helped her get settled there.