that was what had been used, being so close to the coast as they were. Wooden beams would also need to be cut and crafted by hand; everything would be as it was, except for the modern luxuries that were approved for the inside.
It was no small task and would take months, years even, of work, but Kenzie was happy to do it, especially as she had always been fascinated with the house and the legend who had once lived within its walls.
All her life, she’d heard stories of the last laird who had lived here, the Laird of Ross, Black Ben. The painting her ancestor Gwendolyn Macleod had painted of him that hung in Druiminn Castle had made her wonder about the man all her life.
Black Ben, a devilishly handsome Scot who was famous throughout Scotland for being a brilliant swordsman and loyal to a fault, remained one of the country’s biggest mysteries—his disappearance from the history books, to this day, had never been solved.
Not that anyone other than Ann was aware of Kenzie’s plan, but that unknown factor of Black Ben’s life would hopefully be solved.
If she were game enough to try…
“You’re lucky most of the outer walls still stand. At least they can be strengthened and give you a good base to work from.”
“Yes, and that most of the stones removed from the castle proper have been used in a stone fence just up the hill, which we can easily fetch and bring back, since that land was also part of my purchase. Anything else that’s needed can be sourced from the local quarry, the same place the building material came from back in 1435.”
“I’m so proud of you, Kenzie. I know you’ll make this castle come back to life, just as you’ve always wanted.”
Kenzie nodded, marveling at the massive step she’d taken. She walked into the old keep. The fireplace still stood, funny enough, and probably held up an outer wall, by the looks of it. She walked over to it, her hand gliding across the stone mantel, thoughts of Black Ben running through her mind.
Had he stood at this very spot, deep in thought, and touched the stone, watching the fire lick at the wood? He had been one seriously hot Scot, and she liked to imagine him here, thinking, living, drinking, and enjoying his life to the fullest, as he was rumored to have done.
“When are you heading back to Druiminn?”
“Tonight. I brought my car. Had I known you were going to turn up here and surprise me, I would’ve come down with you.”
“Ah, well, as to that,” Ann said, her voice echoing as she came out of a room that still had a partial roof, “I’m heading down to London. My mother wants me to meet her there, some appointment she’s worried about going to alone.”
Kenzie frowned. “Is it bad, do you think?”
Ann laughed, shaking her head. “Oh no, nothing like that. She’s seeing her accountant, and no doubt she’s spent too much of the allowance that father left her and he’s going to tell her to rein it in.”
Ann came from the States, and her father had made a fortune by investing in an internet company that was now a worldwide conglomerate. “I’m sure he’s not going to tell her off at all. You tease,” Kenzie said. “Come on, we better get going since we both have long drives ahead of us. I want to make it back to Druiminn before midnight.”
“Are you still planning on traveling back to the time when all of this was still in its glory?” Anne asked, gesturing to the ruins.
“I am, and after being here today, it’s solidified my decision. There has to be a reason all of this burned down, was destroyed. Why, after the fire of 1605, Black Ben’s remains were never found, nor was he ever seen again?”
“You know, it is possible for people to be so badly burned in such fires that there isn’t anything left to find. Just like the history scholars, you may never find out what happened to him.”
“I’d love to solve one of Scotland’s enduring mysteries, but I’m delusional, I do understand it’s a long shot. But the trip will give me an opportunity to see how this castle was laid out, for the reconstruction here.” Not that anyone would believe what she found out about Black Ben, but at least she would know the truth.
“And I can’t talk you out of it? What if you never return