She said, “I am about tae leave but I can spare a few moments.”
“Oh good, I’m glad to talk before you go... wait, where are you going?”
“Tis none of your business.”
“Oh.” I followed her into a room and watched with trepidation as she closed the door behind us. I did not like having the exit blocked by a large wooden door with an iron lock. Note to self, leave first.
“I guess ‘what is my business’ is how are you planning to get Magnus and Katie back?”
“I daena ken exactly, I will need tae find the answer tae it...” Her eyes went far away.
“But you do think the answer can be found?”
“Well, if I canna find the answer, Fraoch MacDonald will be king, dost that sound like something I will accept?”
“No, not at all.”
“Then ye ken I will be trying tae stop it from happening. Until yesterday, I couldna think of a worse queen than Kaitlyn, but now I have ye before me and...” She shook her head and looked down her nose imperiously. “Why are ye inserting yourself in my presence?”
“Because I want to make sure you’re going to rescue them. As you know I run a thriving business, I have connections and skills. I want to offer my assistance.”
“If I need the assistance of a modern woman who is living out a fantasy with a man of little means in the eighteenth century, I ken where tae find ye.”
Before I could think about the wisdom of the situation, I said, “You forget he is in line for the throne.”
A slithery smile spread across her face. “Och, I remember. The poor man, who could be a king. He has a chance at a throne, at power... explain to me why I should allow him to keep on living?”
I gulped. “Because he doesn’t want the throne and you know if something happens to him Magnus will kill you. Or I will. Or Quentin.”
She shook her head sadly. “Ye are in verra far too deep, Madame Hayley. While my family is in crisis, ye come tae me with threats and asking my favor. Meddling in a family matter. I daena care a whit about your husband or his lineage. Magnus decided tae include him in the discussion and I am going tae allow him tae live as I daena want to lose the good favor of my son, my king. In so doing, I will expect that ye will walk from this room and daena address me again.”
“But...”
She cocked her head. “Aye?”
“Um, I just want an assurance that you will rescue Katie, and that if you can’t maybe I can...”
“You can what?”
“Help.”
“I assure ye, I hae this under control.” Her smile widened. “But what if I dinna? What if I decided nae tae rescue them? What then, Madame Hayley?”
“I don’t know, ultimatum or something? We need to find them, we need to figure out how to get them, and we need to go fast so nothing terrible happens.”
“Ye want me tae go fast, so for instance, if I left them for a few days ye would find fault with me?”
“Yes, I mean, no, I mean, please don’t. If you can get them go get them and—”
“So leavin’ them tae consider their fate for a month would be too long? Ye would want me tae spare them the danger of it?”
“Yes, please don’t... I...”
“I suppose three months would be too long for them, tis winter, I canna be sure they will survive.”
“What do you want me to do, please don’t leave them for three months...”
“I want ye tae get down on your knees Madame Hayley and do some proper begging for my good favor, because every minute ye remain on your feet in my presence makes me less inclined.”
I looked at her shocked.
“Six months seems verra long tae live in the past, but I imagine...”
I climbed down to my knees clasped my hands and said, “Please Lady Mairead, please don’t leave them there–“
“All right, Madame Hayley, ye seem properly deferential, a year tis. I much prefer tae go in the fall, before winter sets in, the cold weather is hard on my skin.”
“But you can’t be serious — you can’t do that to them! You can’t be that...”
“I canna? My son has given me an ultimatum, one year or your husband is king. You would like tae add tae it? Dost ye think I am tae be threatened?”
“No, actually not.”
“You see that coming tae me with all of this, might