A Love Through Time Read online

  A Love Through Time

  by

  Terri Brisbin

  © 2011 by Theresa S. Brisbin

  (©1998 Originally published by Berkley/Jove)

  ©2011 Smashwords Edition

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

  Please Note

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Thank You.

  Praise for A LOVE THROUGH TIME:

  Publishers Weekly --

  --- “Alex and Maggie, both exceptionally well-drawn adult characters, make this appealing adventure special.”

  ALA Booklist --

  --- “Brisbin provides plenty of humor and entertainment in this romp through time, but she sees to it that medieval life is not presented as all fun and games.”

  Romantic Times Magazine --

  --- “...an enjoyable read that will sweep readers away to the Scottish moors.”

  Dedication:

  I dedicate this book, my first published novel, to the very special people who have been and still are my best supporters:

  —to my husband, Chris, and sons, Matthew, Drew, and Mike, who left Mom alone enough times to finish the book;

  —to the real Pol and Rachelle, Paul and Rochelle Adler, and to all my dental office colleagues, who listened, corrected, and never failed to encourage me;

  —to my first and longtime best friend, Cindy, who asked why romance writers never use the "p" word (It's here, just once, for you!);

  —and finally to all the members, past and present, of the Prodigy Romance Novel BB who pointed me in the right direction, and to the members of NJRW who walked with me along the way: Colleen, Terri, Chelle, Jenn, Lyn, Rainy, Elaine, Shirley, Anne, the Susans, Mary, Beth, Mary Lou, and all who I haven't mentioned by name.

  Thank you all for what you've given to me.

  Author's Note

  Because Scottish Gaelic is difficult for most of us to read and pronounce and because it doesn't even sound as it looks, I originally chose to use a form of Scots English in this story. It has the characteristic accent usually associated with the Scottish language, but it is recognizable and readable to those of us who speak English. Reading it aloud will give you a real taste of Scotland, as it were. However, to make it a bit easier to read, I’ve smoothed out those words in this edition and used only a small sampling of those Scottish accented words.

  To aid in your reading, here are some of the commonly-used words and their translations:

  didna = did not

  haes = has

  haesna = has not

  havna = have not

  no' = not

  willna = will not

  wi' = with

  yer = your

  ye = you

  This list is not complete but is a sample of the words I use in the story.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Epilogue

  Meet Terri Brisbin

  Excerpt of ONCE FORBIDDEN

  'S e am gum bidh an dearbhadh de gaol siorruidh.’

  'Tis time that will be the proof of love everlasting.

  Prologue

  Dunnedin, Scotland

  For generations, MacKendimen clan lore has it that the stonecutter's simpleton son was to blame. Centuries ago, after stumbling off the path that led to the quarry, the boy got lost while looking for more stone to fit his father's requirements. Confused, weary, and hungry, the boy wandered through the lush forest searching for the quarry or home.

  Wending his way through the woods, he lurched into a small clearing where he found an ancient circle of stones. Not realizing the importance of such a ring, he decided that he would use some of the perfectly sized and smoothed boulders to meet his father's demands. Shortly after, the boy found his way back to the path and used the stones as he had made up his mind to do.

  The stones, fashioned into an archway in a new wall around the MacKendimen keep, caused peculiar things to occur. Strange, unidentifiable noises emanated from the archway. Sometimes unusual lights and shadows filtered through from one side of the arch but not the other. When people seemingly disappeared through it, the laird of the time reached his limit. He ordered the arch to be filled in with stone and the rest of the construction left unfinished.

  Generations later, Cormac, the MacKendimen at that time, commanded that a larger keep be erected a distance away from the original location and it was. Eventually, the walls of the deserted castle, robbed of stone for the new fortress, began to deteriorate. After many centuries, there were only ruins left behind to mark the spot... and one complete archway. By the late 1900s, the stones and mortar placed in the arch all those years before had crumbled. It was open again.

  And the magic waited.

  * * *

  New Jersey, Present Day

  "You're going where?"

  The entire room instantly quieted and all eyes and ears were on Maggie Hobbs. Everyone in the teachers' lounge waited for her answer. Usually, they were involved in their own conversations, but Pat's startled exclamation grabbed everybody's attention.

  "You heard me," Maggie replied, clearing her throat and waiting for the silence to die down. "Scotland. I'm going to Scotland."

  "But who are you going with?" Pat's voice was a little quieter this time. "You can't be thinking of going on your own."

  "I showed you the brochures from the tour group months ago, Pat. Didn't you think I was serious?"

  "I didn't think you meant this summer or by yourself."

  Pat's tone, full of worry, warmed Maggie with the sense of protection and concern that she felt as they talked. But Pat sometimes forgot that they were both teachers and almost the same age. Maggie was not one of the second graders in the classes they taught.

  Maggi
e leaned back in her chair and pushed her long auburn curls back over her shoulders. Looking around the crowded room, she noticed that almost everyone had gone back to their own discussions. She spoke in a normal voice to Pat now.

  "You know how much I've wanted to go to Scotland, and you know how long I've wanted to do this. This is the first summer I'll have the time to go."

  "You mean, now that you've broken off with Don, there's no one to stop you?" Pat raised her eyebrows at the end of the question, almost daring Maggie to lie.

  "No. This is the first time I'm not taking any summer classes." Maggie glanced at Pat, making eye contact, before continuing. "And, the first time there's no one to interfere with my plans."

  "Is that what Don did... interfered?"

  "That, among other things." Maggie sighed loudly. "Don had his ideas about where our relationship was going, and they were very different from mine. Breaking up was the best thing that could have happened to us."

  "Are you sure?" Pat asked.

  Maggie reached across the table and patted her friend's hand. "Yes, the best thing that could have happened. We'll both be happier with other people."

  "So you're going to Scotland. When do you leave?"

  "Not until the middle of July. I'm joining a group tour that visits mostly historical sites. I'll spend a week in England and two weeks in Scotland." Picking up her lunch tray and carrying it over to the counter, Maggie laughed over her shoulder. "Maybe I'll pick up a Scottish accent by the time I get back."

  "Knowing you, you'll pick up the accent the first day!" Pat followed Maggie into the hallway now filled with lively and loud students.

  "I do not know what ye are blethering about," Maggie answered in an exaggerated Scottish brogue.

  "You've been reading too many Scottish romance novels, my girl. And you do know what I mean. Just don't be too friendly with the natives over there."

  "Aye, aye, ma'am."

  After offering Pat a crisp mock salute and a mischievous wink, Maggie took her friend's arm and guided her into the crowded corridor. She decided to wait until she was ready to leave to give Pat all of the details of her trip. That delay would give Pat less time to worry about her and less time to harass her into changing her plans. O, Scotland, bonnie Scotland, here I come, she thought. But for the moment, she headed for her classroom.

  * * *

  "Excuse me? You're going where?" Nancy Hubbard asked, her voice barely below a scream.

  Alex MacKendimen pivoted to face the irate woman whose questioning voice was a few decibels short of ear-piercing. He took one look at her turbulent expression and braced himself for the coming storm.

  "This really shouldn't be news to you, Nancy. You've met my aunt Jean and heard her talk about her trip home."

  Clenching her jaws, Nancy glared at him. "Well, I may have heard her discuss her trip, but I never realized that it included you!"

  Alex crossed the room and placed his hands on Nancy's shoulders, unsuccessfully trying to draw her into an embrace. He decided not to fight her resistance and dropped his arms to his sides.

  "Aunt Jean is the last of my father's family still alive here in the States. She asked me to take her to this festival. It's only held every five years, and she's worried that she won't be around for the next one. Please understand..." Alex reached for her again, but she backed away.

  "I'm sorry, Alex, I don't understand. You have put me and our vacation off for too long. First it was your damn commitments at work and now this."

  "Nancy, we can still go. I'll be back by the end of July, and I have plenty of time accumulated at work that I can use for us. Or..."

  "Or what?" Nancy's voice and the frown on her face showed her suspicions.

  "You could come with us." Alex waited for the explosion. Nancy enjoyed the finer things in life. Traipsing around the wilds of Scotland or attending the MacKendimen clan gathering in a town far away from any glamour that Scotland might offer in its larger cities, did not fit her concept of a vacation.

  "That is not an option," Nancy replied quietly. "I don't think this is going to work." She picked up her purse and faced him.

  "It could work, if you'd join us." Even as the words left his mouth, Alex knew they weren't talking about the trip any longer.

  Nancy fumbled in her purse and then threw something at him. He caught it one-handed and looked at it. He shook his head as the realization hit him: she was returning his house key.

  "Nancy, wait..."

  "Good-bye, Alex. I hope you and your aunt have a nice summer in Scotland." Nancy's voice grew loud and shrill as she stalked over to the stairs. "And don't bother to call me when you get back."

  The pounding of her shoes on the bare steps and hallway echoed through the foyer as she made her way to one of the bedrooms. Alex walked over to the doorway and listened to her progress through the room, opening and closing drawers and doors. After a few minutes of rampaging through his upstairs rooms, Nancy stomped her way down the steps dragging a suitcase.

  Pausing on the lower landing, she gifted him with her most furious scowl yet. Then, without another word, she yanked the door open, dragged the suitcase through it, and slammed it closed behind her.

  His mind reeled. He watched through the window as Nancy hurried to her car, threw the luggage in, and climbed in after it. The roar of the engine and the squeal of the wheels as she pulled out of the driveway were loud enough to hear through the closed window.

  How could she so misinterpret this trip? Why was she so angry? Of course he had commitments at work. She knew how close he was to securing the partnership and her part in it. Wait a minute... She had broken up with him? He breathed in deeply a few times, trying to clear his head.

  He paused and waited for the anger or hurt to hit him in the gut. But, in a single moment of internal recognition, he only felt relief: deep, soul-lifting relief. She was gone, and his life was his own again, to run as he wanted. Alex strolled into the living room and dropped on the couch. Sliding down and pulling a designer pillow behind his back, he rested his feet on the glass cocktail table... something that would have driven Nancy crazy. He leaned his head back and looked around, smiling at the quiet.

  It felt good.

  Chapter 1

  The bus paralleled the course of the Western Highlands Rail Line, hugging the curving coast and presenting extraordinary views of the rugged Highlands on one side and the deep chasms and valleys worn by rivers rushing toward the turbulent Atlantic Ocean on the other. Their next stop was Oban, before turning inland and heading for Loch Lomond and then on to Glasgow.

  "So, Maggie, what's been your favorite place so far?"

  "Well, Mrs. Ludlam, I don't think I have just one favorite place. In England, I enjoyed York and the Jorvik Viking Center. So far, in Scotland, every castle we've visited has impressed me more than the last one." Her elderly roommate had the energy of someone forty years younger and kept pace with the busy itinerary without a problem.

  "Didn't you like London?"

  "Of course. The shops were fun." Maggie leaned closer to the woman sitting next to her on the motorcoach. "I may still have some pound notes in my purse for the rest of the trip." They laughed at her comment and both women turned their eyes back to the incomparable vistas spreading out around them.

  The tour guide announced a rest stop and Maggie collected her things, stuffed them in her backpack, and left the bus. At the last moment, she grabbed her camera in the hopes of capturing just a few more spectacular photos. After using the privies, Maggie decided to walk a bit to stretch her legs before reboarding the bus. A gift shop across the narrow street caught her attention. A few minutes later, she was browsing through the aisles and looking at postcards. On the off chance that those pictures might be more appealing than her own photos, Maggie selected several to save as reference points of her journey.

  Walking out into the scenic town, she checked her watch. Since there was still a half hour left on their break, Maggie strolled over to a viewing area
that overlooked the verdant farmland surrounding the town. Looking down at the rolling countryside, memories already made, came flooding back.

  She'd been in Scotland for over a week and was halfway through her trip. Western and southern England still lay ahead, but Scotland was almost finished. She found the magic here that she had dreamed of all those years. Touching ancient walls, walking through historic castles and palaces, and visiting centuries-old battlegrounds sent shivers into her soul. She would never forget the colors of Scotland. Green fields and forests. Purple meadows of heather. Blue-misted mountains against a deep pink sky. Nothing would ever come close in comparison with the scenery of Scotland.

  Maggie sighed deeply and looked around her. Mrs. Ludlam approached, waving to get her attention. Maggie stood and walked toward the friendly woman, another facet of her trip she would not soon forget.

  "Maggie, it's time to leave."

  "Thank you for finding me. Although," she added a wink for emphasis, "I don't think I'd mind being left behind." The older woman wrapped her arm around Maggie's and walked toward the waiting tour group.

  "I agree," Mrs. Ludlam responded. "After seeing some of the men here, even I wouldn't mind staying behind."

  They climbed aboard the bus, found their seats, and waited for the departure to Oban. Three more days, just three more days, Maggie thought. She planned to enjoy every minute she had left in this country of her dreams.