The Christmas Present: The Pocket Watch Chronicles by Ceci Giltenan

Author:Ceci Giltenan [Giltenan, Ceci]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Duncurra LLC
Published: 2016-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Monday, January 7, 1282

Castle Carr

The day after Epiphany dawned gray and cold. The wind carried a damp chill and wet snow started falling before noon. This was the first morning since arriving in medieval Scotland that Anita could not face leaving Agnes’s bed.

The fire in her hearth blazed, warming the chamber as much as possible, but leaving the bed to use the chamber pot had been a miserably cold experience. It took piles of blankets and furs to banish the chill. And nothing could stop her body from aching. Every single joint pained her and it was impossible to get comfortable.

Maggie sat beside Anita, helping her eat warm, sweet porridge, but after a few bites, Anita shook her head. “Nooo. Nooo mohr.” Anita spoke Gaelic as Freya was still in the room.

“It’s all right, Grandmother. Maybe ye’ll feel like more later. Freya, will ye take this tray back to the kitchen please?”

“Aye, my lady. Shall I return then and sit with Lady Agnes for a while?”

“No, I’ll stay with her.”

When Freya had left and the sound of her retreating footsteps had died away, Maggie took Anita’s hand in hers. Tears filled her eyes. “It’s time, isn’t it?”

“Time to go home? I…well…” Truthfully, in spite of last night’s thoughts of staying longer last night, Anita did want to go home. She had experienced wonderful things here, but she was so very weary this morning. Still, part of her wasn’t ready to leave quite yet. Maybe just a day or two more. “I could stay a little longer.”

“I would love for you to stay longer. I know you aren’t Agnes. I know she is waiting peacefully to move on. You have given my family and this clan, not to mention Agnes herself, a wonderful gift. But of everyone, I think perhaps I was most blessed by your presence here. It’s as if I’ve had a visitor from home. I love my life here, but even though Davina and Logan know who I am, they cannot understand what life in our time was like. I loved being able to talk about books and movies and music with you. It was a priceless Christmas present which I shall never forget.”

Anita understood this. Having no shared past must come with a certain amount of loneliness. Then too, Maggie was a lot like Katy. Anita had grown to love her and the realization that she would never see her or be able to talk to her again caused Anita’s heart to break. “I’m not sure I’m ready to leave you yet.”

The tears that had been swimming in Maggie’s eyes slipped down her cheeks as she tightened her grip on Anita’s hand. “And I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for you to leave. But, Anita, the gifts you’ve given us have taken their toll.”

A knock sounded at the door. Maggie frowned and swiped at the tears on her face. “Come in.”

The door opened and an elderly woman in a black cloak entered.

“Gertrude,” both Maggie and Anita said in unison.

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