The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,40
that I wondered what was on his mind. Then he said with a smile. “Twill be good nae tae hae more children than we can easily carry on our horses.”
“That is a very good point.”
“Would ye mind meeting me in the office, we hae a great deal tae discuss.”
“Oh. Bad, scary, death-defying?”
“Nae, but a great deal all the same.”
Twenty-six - Kaitlyn
Day Five
Our office was disorganized because Emma and Zach did most of the ‘paperwork’ from the laptop at the table downstairs so the room had been neglected.
There were bins stacked along one wall. A bookshelf that only had half the books on it. I had been unpacking the boxes of books when I realized I hadn’t read any of them — whose were they, Lady Mairead’s? They were antique, pretentious, no one here had ever read them, and many were first editions. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure this office was the best place for them — this close to the beach? So now they were binned waiting for a decision on their status — donation to a historical library or something? There were a couple of weird knickknacks laying around, our safe, and a big antique desk with a ‘this is a man’s office’ desk chair pulled up alongside.
Magnus crossed to the desk, sat down in the chair and leaned back, knees splayed, kilt draped across them.
I pulled the other chair up caddy-corner to the desk, and put my feet on his thigh. “It’s like when we were first married, remember, you were telling me about the safe?”
“Aye, I was tryin’ tae nae tell ye what was comin’, but also tryin’ tae keep ye protected.”
“You’re always trying to do that, like now... what’s going on?”
He took a long breath. “I told ye some of it earlier, but I wanted tae tell ye more. The kingdom is at peace, I believe, we hae begun tae rebuild. I would love for ye tae see it, Kaitlyn. While I was there I kept thinking about how I would bring ye and the bairn soon, but now I am returned I am reminded ye canna leave yet. Ye canna come with them or without them, twould nae be fair tae ask it of ye. So I will only tell ye for now.”
He hand settled on my ankle and down the length of my legs was the bulk of him, a warrior, an ancient warrior, recounting to me his hopes for the future. He was rebuilding a world and proud of the telling.
He started many of the sentences with, “Did ye ken…?” And then would tell me about amazing things he had accomplished, like the unveiling of the Picassos at the Royal Museum, and the tech symposium that was going to improve so many lives. I listened and watched as his telling me unfolded, deep and rumbling as his voice explained. I loved him so much, but his wanting to tell me made me love him even more. I listened. I asked questions and let him talk. His talking was cathartic to him, I could tell. He laid it all out, and there were a few times when he asked me what I thought of it. I answered, “Maybe if you…”
And he said, “I was thinkin’ that as well,” and he told me more.
Finally, he chuckled. “I hae been talking for a long time.”
“I don’t mind. But you haven’t mentioned Lady Mairead and Hammie’s relationship. I totally thought he had more sense than that.”
“Me as well.”
“Well, there’s nothing to do about it, I suppose. Hopefully his dependability will rub off on her, instead of her troublemaking rubbing off on him.”
“Aye.”
“What does he think of the disturbances in her timeline?”
“He is verra concerned and rightly so. He thinks tis all caused by the Trailblazer and he has been urgin’ us tae retrieve it. He inna wrong. Tis too dangerous tae be in the hands of someone else.”
He sat quietly for a moment. “There’s something more.”
Something about his face made me frown. “What?”
“I daena want tae scare ye.”
“More than all the other stuff? More than timelines acting bonkers? I think I can handle it.”
“There are missing vessels.”
“Oh. Maybe not.”
“How many vessels are in the vault Kaitlyn?”
I squinted my eyes. “Don’t you know?”
“I want tae hear ye say it.”
“Twenty-three.”
“When I got tae the future Lady Mairead told me there were twenty, but the number dinna seem right and—”
“I know there are twenty-three… I definitely know it. You really didn’t remember?”