The Guardian by Diana Knightley

Thirty-one - Kaitlyn

Iwas sitting beside Hayley, drawing to get my mind off my worries. The scene: the fire glowing on Hayley’s cheek as she sat at her spinning wheel. I rubbed a section to blend a shadow. “Why do you like spinning?”

“I don’t like it, I love it.”

“Really?” I blew on the paper to get some eraser bits off.

Her wheel went whizz, whirr, whizz, whirr. We were talking about nothing important because we were both worried about Sophie and waiting for Magnus to break the news to James about Sophie.

I asked, “Why do you love it so much?”

“Because I’m good at it, I mean, look. Cool huh?” Whizz, whirr, whizz, whirr. “It’s relaxing, and contrary to what you think, not boring.”

I brushed across the paper and then looked up at Hayley. I had her ear out of proportion. I erased a line and said, “Plus Fraoch knits from it.”

“Yep, it’s very satisfying that when I’m done spinning yarn, my husband takes it up and knits outrageously odd scarves and hats to give as gifts. But perhaps most importantly, spinning is something I can do alone with no one talking to me.”

“Sorry.” I laughed.

“No worries, I need the company today, I’ve got stuff on my mind.” Whizz, whirr. “But the best part, it makes me look busy and productive, while not being that important. No one will die because I didn’t make enough yarn.”

“I can see that. But now that you’ve said the quiet part out loud, I’m onto you. Next time I’m in charge of assigning chores, you’re going to regret it.”

“Miss Drawing-a-picture is going to judge Miss Spinning-wheel?”

“True, and I agree, there are a lot of jobs around here that if done poorly or not at all, someone might die. Like food production. It gives me anxiety just thinking about it.”

“That’s why I spin. My best days, Fraoch knits beside me, not talking, just enjoying the quiet of each other, and the warmth of the fire.”

“You glad to have him home?”

“Hell yeah, of course they’re in meetings right now, I am glad I don’t have to be the one to tell James we locked up Sophie—”

Quentin and Fraoch walked up right then and Hayley let her wheel slow so she could jump up and kiss Fraoch hello.

Quentin was wearing an oddly shaped beanie, it fit snuggly but the top was bulbous.

I said, “Nice hat.”

“Prized possession, a gift from Fraoch, I love it. It’s totally weird.”

“It’s definitely that...”

Fraoch said, “The extra on top is for all my admiration, he can store it up there.”

Quentin chuckled, then his face went serious again. “I’m gathering us all up, we need to go talk to Madame Sophie, James loaded up a plate with food and went straight up there.”

Fraoch said, “He’s sulking.”

I said, “You think? I mean we did accuse his wife of traitorous lying.” I exhaled.

Hayley said, “Remember when Reyes attached himself to me? It was awful that I not only got lied to, but that I put everyone in so much danger. James must be really freaked out.”

Quentin said, “Yeah, but he needs to remember it’s family first and all. She might be a danger to the kids.” He shook his head. “Plus it’s his turn at guard duty and he’s not there, like he knows if he doesn’t go, Magnus will have to take over, and Magnus guards too much, we all know this.”

I said, “Magnus is going to work himself to death.”

“Yep, if they weren’t married, if Sophie was some dude, James would be pissed. He’d be talking about kill first, ask questions later.”

Hayley said, “Jesus Christ, listen to you all bad ass — kill first? Did you learn that in a movie?”

“Hell yeah, it’s just common sense, right?”

Fraoch said, “I daena ken if murder is ever common sense. Tis nae common sense if ye hae tae pray tae God for forgiveness after.”

Quentin said, “I stand corrected. We should ask a lot of questions first, but if she has any and I mean any connection to Sir Paddy-whack, we might have to kill her.”

Fraoch said, “Unless she has information about Sir Paddy-whack and then we ask her tae tell us.”

Quentin said, “Damn, so the eighteenth century dude is going to be more civilized than me? I’m going to sound like the arsehole? Fine, I can see that no one really agrees, but living out here in the highlands with evil afoot and an enemy in our midst makes me feel all kind of good-vs-evil and anyone who comes with an association to Sir Paddy is evil. They just are.”

I said, “So we all need to go talk to Madame Sophie.”

* * *

The guard let us into James and Sophie’s room where they were sitting on the settee waiting for us.

Quentin said, “James, it’s your turn up on the walls for your guard shift. Magnus is filling in for you. We agreed not to make him take our shifts, what the hell?”

“No one wants me to be a guard, I’m not feeling that guardian like.”

“Screw that, you know why we need guards, none of that has changed. Actually it’s worse now that your wife is involved, she might have led people here.”

Sophie’s eyes were terrified.

I started to speak, but Hayley interrupted by asking, “Are you working with Lady Mairead?”

“Nae, who is Lady Mairead?”

Hayley said, “Jesus Christ, seriously, you need to fess up—”

I said, “Hayley, chill a little, will you?”

“Fine.” She sank back in a chair. “It’s just been a long time without proper coffee and I’m irritated.”

I said, “Madame Sophie, one thing I’ve realized, is that I can have all the normal, relaxing days in the world, and everything will seem fine on my timeline, but then enemies time jump here and all hell breaks loose. For instance, if someone knows you’re here, they might actually be on their way, we have had armies at our castle walls before, it is not funny. Time travel sucks.”

She blinked her eyes.

I held my hands out toward her. “James, do you see?”

“See what?”

“I just used the terms ‘time jump,’ ‘timeline,’ and ‘time travel,’ and she doesn’t have one question about it, she’s just sitting there.”

James humphed.

Sophie said, “I hae heard ye use many of those words before, Queen Kaitlyn. I am always overhearing ye say things I daena understand. At first twas verra shocking, but I am tae be shocked by what ye say now? I daena understand what ye mean by any of this, but I ken this is my home—”

Hayley said, “But can we trust you?”

James said, “Careful, Hayley.”

“Ye ken ye can trust me! I am nae a witch! Ye hae me on trial for witchcraft and hae me caught in a trap — am I tae say I daena ken what ye mean, tis tae be unintelligent. Do ye want me tae lie? If I lie and go against God, then I am sinful and bad and perhaps that is what makes me a danger. I can only tell the truth tae ye, Madame Hayley. I hae lived here for many months and I ken ye are talking about travel a great deal and ye are from a great distance away in Magnus’s kingdom. How am I tae answer yer charges, if I daena ken what I daena ken?”

I said, “I passed you a tube of lip balm yesterday, you put it right on. It hasn’t been invented yet.”

“It haena been invented, but it exists in Queen Kaitlyn’s hands? Ye hae conjured something that inna real? I daena understand how I can be the one at fault if I hae seen what is in the world, that I ken is true.”

Hayley huffed. “That is not the point, the point is, where have you seen one?”

She sniffled. “I daena ken, twas a verra, verra long time ago.”

Hayley said, “Now we’re getting somewhere. Explain what you mean. Who would you have been around a long time ago that would have been using a lipstick tube?”

“My mother gave me one, when I was verra young. I kept it for a verra long time and once I ran out I tried verra resolutely tae get more wax and mint intae the tube but I couldna get it right.”

I asked, “Why didn’t she just give you another?”

“I dinna see her again, I was taken and raised by another family.”

I asked, “So you don’t know where she got it from?”

“She just had it, tis all I ken.”

James turned and took both her hands in his, “Sophie, please. Haley and Katie are right and as Quentin pointed out I need to be on guard duty, now more than ever. If your being here has made the castle less safe, you have to tell us. Think about Isla and Archie, you love those kids. You have to help us protect them. We are on high alert, are you a time traveler?”

She raised her chin. “I am nae a time traveler, James. I daena understand what ye mean by it. I hae never left Scotland, tae come here was the first time I left Edinburgh.”

He asked, “What about the rhyme you knew, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, where did you hear that?”

“Twas also m’mother, I daena remember much but this was something she sang tae me every night.”

Hayley banged her hands on the arm of her chair. “Yes! Now we’re getting somewhere. Who is your mother and your father and all that stuff?”

“I daena ken m’mother’ name, I daena remember it, but I remember there was a man and a woman, they frightened her terribly, and...” Her chin trembled. “I was told tae be verra quiet and tae hide, tae nae let them ken I was there — I was given tae m’guardians, and told tae never speak of where I came from. I never saw her again.”

Hayley leaned forward. “Well shit, that sucks, and then you were raised by someone else?”

James said, “Your guardians, right? In Edinburgh?”

She nodded.

I asked Sophie, “How old were you when it happened?”

“I was verra young.”

Hayley said, “Wait… let me go get Magnus and everyone, this seems important.” She rushed from the room.

I pulled my walkie-talkie from my bag and called Magnus and told him to come to James’s apartment and if he passed Hayley to tell her that she’s got a two-way radio in her pocket too and to stop being a dumb ass.