Page 40 of Time of the Druid (Stones of Scotland #7)
Chapter 40
M atthew’s stomach churned as they made their way up the final stretch of road toward Dunadd. The narrow track curved up through the deepening twilight, the sky painted with streaks of amber and indigo as the sun slipped below the horizon. Crickets chirped in the long grass along the roadside, and a cool breeze carried the scent of wildflowers and damp earth. It was dusk—the end of a long and emotionally draining day.
After tearful farewells to Norah’s parents, with lingering hugs and promises to stay in touch somehow, they had ordered a taxi to take them west of the city, out past quiet farmland and looming woods to a moss-covered stone circle that Matthew had once known very well. There, Norah had stood beneath the age-worn stones and looked one last time at the modern world she was leaving behind. The hum of distant cars and the faint blink of airplane lights overhead had seemed surreal, ghostly echoes of the life she was choosing to walk away from.
“Will you miss it?” Matthew had asked, watching her expression as the wind tousled her red hair.
She had shrugged, her face thoughtful.
“Some things,” she’d said. “But I can’t wait to see Sadie.”
Matthew kissed her, there and then—for everything she was giving up on his behalf, for her strength, and for how beautiful she looked when the wind teased her red hair into wild curls around her face. Then, holding her hands in his, he led her through time as gently as he could. And now, here they were, almost back at Dunadd, perhaps the closest Matthew had to a home.
A home he hadn’t visited in years.
“No entry to the fort after dusk,” a stern guardsman said, his spear blocking the final approach to the gate. “Return to the village and try again in the morning.”
“I am Matthew, stepson of King Comgall,” Matthew said sternly. “Has it really been so long, Fergal?”
Beside him, Norah giggled as Fergal’s jaw dropped open.
“M-Matthew? Can it really be you?”
“It’s really me,” Matthew said, smiling. “Please let us pass.”
But the other guard, a man Matthew didn’t know, shook his head stubbornly.
“You could be anyone, as far as I know. The rules are the rules.”
“Matthew, we could come back tomorrow,” Norah began, laying a hand on his arm, but there was no way Matthew would wait another night to see his mother.
“Send word to the king and queen,” he ordered. “Now.”
The new guard frowned, but Fergal nodded and scurried off, shouting something to the guards who waited inside the gate. They took up the shout, and in a matter of seconds, Matthew heard all kinds of noises coming from inside the hill-fort. He smiled, despite his nerves. He’d missed Dunadd.
Only a few moments passed before the gates opened again. For a second, a single woman stood silhouetted there—and then she began to run toward them, screaming Matthew’s name. He rushed forward to meet her and wrapped his mother in his arms for the first time in far too long.
There was a lot of crying and hugging to be done before Matthew could disengage himself and awkwardly introduce Norah to his mother. It was unfortunate that they had met under such bad circumstances before, but Bethany greeted her politely all the same. Matthew thought that she was impressively restrained, given Norah had once tried to poison her husband.
And, as they walked in through the main gates, the guards’ apologies following them, that same husband came striding up to them. Comgall would never do anything as undignified as run, let alone cry, but Matthew could see tears glinting in his stepfather’s eyes as he reached out and slapped his stepson on the back.
“Good to see you, son,” he said gruffly. “You’ve had your mother terribly worried.”
He also eyed Norah suspiciously, his brows knitting together as his gaze swept over her from head to toe. Norah held her ground, her chin lifting just slightly. When Matthew explained a little about their relationship, Comgall’s mouth flattened, but he extended a hand. The handshake lasted only a second before Comgall pulled away and subtly wiped his palm on the side of his tunic. Norah said nothing, but a faint flush crept up her neck.
Well, it was more successful than Matthew would have guessed, under the circumstances.
The four of them made their way to the royal living quarters, where Matthew’s half-sister Maeve sat embroidering by the fire. She jumped to her feet when they entered, the embroidery falling from her fingers and her jaw dropping open.
“ Matthew ? After all this time?”
And the joyful reunion began all over again.
It was a little while, in fact, before Matthew was able to sit everyone down and explain the whole story in full. He felt a little strange saying all of this in front of Maeve, who had only been a child when he left, but she was clearly a young lady now, and well-informed of Edmondson’s many dark deeds. The explanation of Norah’s situation brought a grudging nod of understanding from Comgall, and Bethany actually went as far as to wrap an arm around Norah’s shoulders.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” she whispered.
The news of what had happened to Edmondson was met with silence. The room seemed to hold its breath. The fire popped softly in the hearth, casting flickers of light over the stunned faces around it. Maeve clutched her embroidery in her lap without looking down, and Comgall stared into the middle distance, his hands clenched on his knees. Bethany’s gaze dropped to the floor, one hand twisting the edge of her sleeve. For a good few moments, Matthew thought no one else would speak at all.
“Can it be true?” Bethany asked at last, her voice soft and almost broken. “Can he really be gone?”
“He’s gone,” Matthew assured her. “After all this time, it’s finally over. You’re safe.”
The silence stretched out for a little longer before Bethany shook herself, apparently shaking off the last traces of grief for the man who’d once been her husband.
“Well, you’ll be wanting to send word to your sister, I expect,” she said, turning to Norah. “We hear from her and Ciaran very often. They’ve got children now, did you know? Twin boys.”
“My parents told me,” Norah said, smiling. “I can’t wait to meet them. Matthew and I were actually thinking we’d spend a few days here, if you’ll have us, and then head to Arran.”
“We’d love to have you,” Bethany said, already bustling toward her writing desk. “But we can’t leave your sister in suspense any longer. She’s been dying to know how you are.” She pulled out her pen and ink. “Let’s keep it simple. A little news, a little chat about the weather. We’ve found Norah and Matthew. That should do.”
Norah laughed, and even Matthew smiled as he imagined hot-headed, impatient Sadie reading a letter like that.
“That will drive her mad!” Norah said.
Bethany winked.
“That’s the plan. I’ll send it on our fastest ship, first thing in the morning.”
“Now, we’d better get you and Norah settled in,” Comgall interjected. “We always keep Matthew’s old room ready, just in case. Would that do?”
Matthew’s heart swelled. After all this time, without any word from him, they’d still waited.
“That would be perfect,” he said. “Thank you. But actually, there’s something I would like to do first.”
He turned to Norah, his heart thudding in his chest.
“Perhaps I should have done this while we were still with your parents,” he said. “Or waited until we reach Sadie. But, somehow, this feels right. We’ve finally done it, Norah. We’ve fought our way through, and now we’re standing at the beginning of something new. I love you. Will you marry me?”