A Bride for a Day by Pam Binder

Author:Pam Binder [Binder, Pam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, Scotland, time travel
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2017-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

With C.C. still in his arms, Michael shouldered the door open. The stupidity of his gender never ceased to amaze him. Tommy Shepard had been a fool. So what if he might have had to wear a costume? C.C.’s mother had died. Families were everything. It didn’t matter if you had dozens of family members or one or two. Families shared a bond that couldn’t be broken.

A blast of warm air, the aroma of baking bread, and the hum of conversation welcomed him and C.C. into the crowded tavern. There had been few changes over the centuries. The same cheery fire crackled on the hearth, and a long trestle-style bar hugged the far wall.

Women in ankle-length skirts carried foaming tankards of ale or trays of brown bread and thick soup instead of lattes and pre-packaged pastries. As though to underscore the point that they were no longer in the twenty-first century, there wasn’t an electronic device in sight.

Michael set C.C. down and reached for her hand as he led the way into the small, crowded room, looking for a vacant table. He found one near the fireplace, and as soon as they sat down a waitress appeared with a small wedge of shortbread.

“Fiona?” C.C. said. “What are you doing here?”

“Watching over the two of ye, of course,” she said with a rich Scottish brogue. Michael noticed her accent was also thicker than he remembered, just like William’s. Probably to allow them to blend in better with the locals. “Liam was keeping an eye on you,” she continued, “and told me you were headed this way. The Water Horse is a fine choice. ’Tis one of the finest establishments in the city. My apologies for the wee bit of shortbread. Most of our cooks have taken off early to join the celebrations.”

“We don’t mind,” C.C. said, breaking off a corner and passing the rest of the shortbread to Michael. “Who is Liam?”

“Why, he is the mime who was dressed as a jester. We make it a rule that when we send our guests back in time some of us join them to make sure they have a good experience.”

C.C. took a nibble of her shortbread. “Why has the tavern been named the Water Horse?”

“In honor of the beastie that is guardian of the waters around Inverness. It’s said he has never harmed a child, and in fact it’s considered good luck if a child sees him. It’s only around the holidays when there is a lot of noise and fireworks that he becomes ill-tempered and the water foams and froths like a witch’s caldron. Hogmanay is the worst. He’ll keep out of sight, for sure, but those foolish enough to venture out on Hogmanay have met with watery deaths.”

Men at another table nearby called over to Fiona to bring them another round of ale and something to eat. They were richly dressed. Fiona nodded toward them, then turned back to C.C, lowering her voice. “You were wise to leave the mansion when you did.

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