Page 8 of Time of the Warlord (Stones of Scotland #5)

C iaran had poured her a glass of wine and offered her a seat, but Sadie still couldn’t relax. How had he known that she’d come here? Had he really seen through all her attempts at subterfuge?

“You might as well talk,” Ciaran said, lounging back in his own chair and crossing his legs at the ankle. “You’re not going anywhere until you do.”

Sadie swallowed hard. She had no doubt that the guards had reappeared outside the door. How foolish of her, believing this warlord would leave his private space unguarded. She’d walked straight into a trap.

“Hurry up and talk,” Ciaran prompted her. “I’ve not got all night.”

Sadie glanced at Matthew, sat on the bed, but he didn’t meet her eyes. What was his role in all this? He’d clearly written the English part of the note, but Sadie didn’t know why.

She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Ciaran seemed determined. She had to tell him something .

“It really is true that I’m here by accident,” she said. “But I’m looking for something - someone - and I think it’s more than coincidence that I ended up here.”

Matthew’s head shot up. “Are you looking for me?” he asked, his voice high and tight. “Did my father send you?”

Despite herself, Sadie’s heart twinged a little at the fear in his voice.

“No,” she said gently. “I’ve never met your father, and I had no idea you would be here.”

Was it just her imagination, or did the tension in the room lessen considerably at that? Even Ciaran looked slightly more relaxed. Interesting. She already knew Matthew was from the future - but were they keeping some other secret?

“Who were you looking for?” Ciaran demanded, bracing his elbows on his knees as he leaned forwards to stare intently at her.

Sadie took a deep breath. She didn’t want to trust him. If he was involved in Norah’s disappearance, this could be the end of everything. Secrets were her only strength here.

“Some women went missing, in my time,” she said at last. “They disappeared at the stone circle. It’s my job to find them.”

Ciaran raised an eyebrow slightly, in that expression Sadie was already coming to know well.

“Thank you for telling me the truth, Sadie,” he said. “Some of the truth, at least. So, you followed them to the stone circle. Then what happened?”

“I touched the stone by mistake, and somehow it threw me back here,” Sadie explained. “I didn’t expect it to happen. To be honest, I didn’t really know it could happen.”

Ciaran nodded. He seemed to believe her.

“I can assure you that these women you seek are not here,” he told her. “No one else has come through that circle. If you hoped to find them here, you were mistaken. And besides,” he continued, a touch of humor lighting his face. “Did you expect to find these missing women hidden in my blankets chest?”

Sadie felt her cheeks heat up. “I didn’t know what I might find,” she mumbled. “I have no idea how to find them. No idea where to start.”

Ciaran sighed heavily. “Perhaps you must simply wait until you can return to your own time, and begin your search again from there,” he said. “I certainly know of no way to help you.”

“What happened when you traveled through time?” Matthew asked abruptly.

His question took Sadie so much by surprise that she struggled to answer for a second.

“Well, I touched the stone by accident,” she said. “And then I felt as if I was falling. And I was very dizzy and… unwell. Then I was here.”

Matthew nodded as if that confirmed something, although Sadie could not imagine what.

“Next question,” Ciaran said. “Why did you think clues regarding these missing women might be hidden in my room?”

“I had to start somewhere,” Sadie said.

Ciaran sighed. “This is not productive questioning. I need you to tell me something, Sadie. I’ve let you into my home. Please understand that I cannot have you remain here if you are a threat to anyone under my protection.”

“I’m not a threat,” Sadie insisted. “I just want the truth.”

Ciaran nodded slowly. “I see. Matthew, it’s past time for you to be in bed. Thank you for your help, and good night.”

Matthew stood and bowed slightly, his gaze sliding to Sadie for just a fraction of a second. Then he left the room.

Ciaran sighed even more heavily. “Matthew is a strange boy,” he admitted. “Sometimes I do not know what I will do with him.”

“You were looking for him at the stone circle,” Sadie guessed. “That’s why you found me.”

“Well deduced,” Ciaran said, not sounding the slightest bit surprised. “I was worried the boy might have tried to slip away. But he doesn’t seem to have much interest in returning to the time of his birth. I suppose he just wanted to get away from this place for a while.”

Ciaran looked so dejected that Sadie almost felt sorry for him, as well. But everything he’d done so far had been designed to get information out of her. There was no reason to assume this was any different.

“What are you hiding?” she asked him.

His gaze flew to hers, but there was no surprise there. He smiled slightly, although the expression was cold. “You tell me, and I’ll tell you,” he said.

“I’ve told you the truth,” Sadie insisted.

“And so have I.”

But not quite all the truth. They were both keeping secrets of some kind.

Tell him , part of Sadie’s mind whispered. Tell him about Norah . It was a foolish detail to keep secret. Why should Ciaran care if she was looking for her sister, rather than some other woman? But it was not his business to know. Sadie wanted to keep that information to herself.

“I can make some inquiries about these women,” Ciaran said. “But I promise you that no group of lost women has come through that stone circle. I doubt there is much I can do to help you.”

“Thank you,” Sadie said stiffly. “Your help would be appreciated. And I really am sorry for violating your privacy like this.”

Ciaran stood up abruptly, leaning over her with his hands braced on the arms of the chair. Sadie shrank back a little, overwhelmed by his closeness.

“Don’t let me catch you in here again,” he said, his voice a little husky. “It would be a bad idea for both of us.”

He lingered there a second, his gaze burning into hers. Then he stepped backwards again.

“Go back to bed, Sadie,” he said. “And please resist the urge to investigate anywhere else on the way.”