Unlocking Adeline (Skeleton Key) (6 page)

“Dammit almighty,” he grunts, putting his hands on the floor and slowly pulling his upper body off the ground. His lower torso is still blanketing me, but his eyes are now in level with mine. And they don’t look happy.

“Ye are going to be more trouble than yer worth, lass, aren’t ye?”

“First off, no one says lass anymore, so you might want to retire that word, along with that century. Also, if I’m too much trouble then send me back home,” I retort.

He shakes his head at me. “Ye have no idea where ye are, do ye?”
Does not acknowledging where I am count as a no
? It doesn’t matter. I just need to go home. I want to pretend I’m dreaming like I did when I was a kid, and I am just in one of my dad’s stories. When I wake up, I will continue on with my life. College. Boys. The normal stuff. Going back to work is even sounding a bit appealing to me right now.

“Well for starters, I know I’m in a place where I don’t belong.”

His eyes lose some of their anger, but they are replaced with amusement. “Ye are where ye should have been many years ago. This is yer home now, Adeline. Ye better get used to it.” I offer him the meanest face I can muster. He is completely insane in the membrane. This is not my home.

Noticing the fire building in my eyes, he restrains my arms, knowing my next move. “Ye would make a poor decision on trying to hit me.”

“Then stop telling me where I belong, because it’s not here. And it’s
not
with you. It never will be.”

“Ye are correct, sweet girl. Ye do not belong to me. Ye will belong to my brother.”

At his confusing admission, he releases me instantly. That is the second mention of his brother. Is his brother my prince? Was Locke just sent to fetch me?
But the stories. My dreams?
He stands and again offers his hand to Ellie. Once she is up and standing, he turns to me. “Get up. Get fed, and be dressed and prepared in four hours’ time.” He says no more, turns, and walks out. I’m half tempted to run after him, throwing countless cuss words at him, but then I look at the floor. The probability that I will fall on my ass again, before I even make it past the doorway, is high.

Huffing and puffing, I take a good look at Ellie, and then feel ashamed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ambush you. I thought you would be someone else.”

“Someone like Sir Locke?”

“Yeah. Kinda.”

“It’s alright, Miss. No worries to be had. I will just ring for the maid and have this cleaned up and a fresh plate brought to ye immediately.”

“Oh, it’s okay. You don’t have to go to all that trouble. I’m not all that hungry anyway.”

“But, Miss, ye must eat. If Sir Locke advised it, I cannot let ye go unfed.”

Well, Sir Locke can kiss my fanny ass
. I’m about to say just that, but the look of worry setting in the poor woman’s eyes has me again feeling bad. I don’t mean any harm on her, or her ‘I’m stuck in the wrong era’ accent. “Alright, I’ll eat.”

Looking relieved, she nods in approval and heads for the door. Just then, another knock sounds on the door, and I bend down; grabbing for the metal cup at my feet, ready to fling it at whoever is about to enter. My hope is that it’s Locke and today my aim is spot on. As the door opens, I chuck the cup. As it crashes into the edge of the door, a squeal echoes.
Shit.
I was hoping for more of a male grunt. “Oh my good word.” A woman’s voice sounds as she covers her head with her hands.
Great, I just tried to take out another poor maid.
I’m really making an impression in this place. The woman straightens, and it’s then I notice that she is absolutely stunning. Dressed in a gored skirt and a white blouse, her silky dark hair is perfectly pinned into a bun, and her features are flawless.

“I’m so sorry, I thought you were going to be—”

“My grump of a son?” the woman says, adjusting the pins in her hair.

Son?
“You’re son?” I question.
Is she?

“Well, the only son who would cause any young woman to toss a solid object, hoping for destruction.”

Embarrassed at her description my cheeks flush. “Again, I’m really sorry.”

“Please don’t be, I have many tendencies to also throw large objects at Locke sometimes. He can be very bullheaded.” She walks further into the room, until she is within reach of me. “Wow, ye are as beautiful as they’ve said. And ye do certainly look like yer father. I must say. Ye do have his eyes.

I pull back. “How do you—”

“Oh, how rude of me. I haven’t even announced myself. My darling, my name is Faith MacCowen. I am the mother of Lockelan and Christof. It shall be such a blessing to watch this courtship.” She winks.

Why on earth is she
winking
at me? And that damn courtship word again. “Excuse me, but I am not staying long enough to—”

“I know Christof looks forward to meeting ye. He is such a kind soul. Ye will enjoy him immensely. And it will give our Locke the push he needs to take his place in this world.”

This lady is talking nonsense. She doesn’t even know me, how would she know I would find her son
immensely enjoyable?
Plus, I’ve already met one son, and he was enough for me.

“That’s great, but you see, I think this was a mistake. I think you have the wrong—”

She claps her hands together, cutting me off. Ignoring anything I was about to say, she just continues on, “And I was just beside myself with excitement when I heard the sound of thunder. Ye see, that’s what happens when the magical skeleton key is being used. It’s the only time we ever hear it. The whole Kingdom knew. I knew Locke was finally bringing ye home. Come, will ye walk with me?”

“
Right now
?”

“Why, yes! The sun is simply shining today, and I would love to show ye the rose gardens.”

I look down at what I’m wearing compared to her primped attire. “I’m not sure I am dressed to be walking around in public.” She inspects my clothes and shrugs me off. “Nonsense. Ellie, be so kind and fetch Adeline a cloak and some slippers. There, it will shield ye from wondering eyes. Now shall we?” She smiles, turning toward the door. Ellie brings me a cloak indeed, and I stick my arms through as she helps me into it. Stuffing my bare feet into the slippers, I lift my head, wanting to suggest we just stay put, but Faith is already exiting my room. Not having a chance to decline, I follow her outside.

Every step I take away from the safety of my room and farther into this strange place, my heart begins to beat faster. Each door we pass, I take a peek in, curious at the scenery. I can clearly say that we are not living in modern times. The furniture resembles a medieval era, and the décor is nothing you would find in a normal household. The high curtained walls are covered in some sort of symbolized cloth. “It’s the Wren colors, do ye like?” Faith asks, strolling along down the hallway. I just nod as I stare at more cloth, more statues, and more paintings. We make it outside, and to my surprise, I turn and realize we were in a
freakin castle!

“You… you live in a castle?” I stare up at the gigantic stone palace. Faith laughs, placing her tiny hand on my back. “
Ye
live in a castle. It is where the royalty of the Wren resides.” She smiles taking my attention away from the gigantic… well castle.

Man, my five-year-old self would be so jealous of me right now.

Continuing down a stone path toward what looks like a busy town square, my palms begin to sweat. I start to see a lot of activity coming from the vibrant little village before me. As the sun beams brightly over the busy village, I watch as townsfolk tend to their daily tasks. Cottages after cottages are enclosed by the beautiful landscape of hills and mountaintops.

It’s just as my dad described it
.

As Faith kindly guides me past a cluster of stone-made water wells, a giant green wall comes into view, draped with an array of bold full-bloomed roses. We pass small groups of people, stopping to stare. I hold the cloak closer, hoping to cover my jeans and tank top.

“Just in there, darling.” She points and guides me down a beautiful path of red and pink roses. I gaze at the perfectly trimmed bushes that align the entire garden. “Wow, this is amazing.” I inhale, reaching out to touch a rose, the petal feeling like soft silk between my fingertips. “This place is so beautiful,” I compliment, as my eyes wander over the entire garden. The bushes range from short to tall, offering privacy in some sectors and shorter ones to allow a view of the entire center.

“I do agree. It is one of my favorite places to come. The scent itself is a reason to get lost in here.” She is right about that. The powerful, but not overwhelming scent of fresh flowers seeps into my nostrils, offering the most beautiful mixture of roses and greenery. “Shall we sit?” Faith offers, taking a seat herself on a bench just next to us. I sit beside to her, unsure of what to say.

“I grew up with yer father, ye know.”

I turn at her words. “You did?”

“Oh yes. We were playmates. Did almost everything together. He was a mighty fine soldier, that boy. Never let anyone defeat his castle.” She giggles, remembering them as kids I assume.

“Were… were you the one he was supposed to marry?” I ask, feeling guilty if my dad abandoned her.

“Oh no! Heavens no,” she laughs again. “Not that I wouldn’t have been happy if I was paired up with yer father. He was a great man. But no, I was paired to marry my William from a very young age. Ye see, when we were all children, my William and I didn’t get along. Ye can imagine how scared I was, knowing that one day I would be set to marry him. I couldn’t see any good in him. I thought he was a bully and odd looking. Of course, I was also only seven. Yer father used to defend my honor with William. Threatened that if he didn’t treat me right, he would come and behead him in front of the whole village. It was quite admirable.”

I find myself smiling with her, learning about my dad as a child. It sounded just like him, always protecting the people he loves the most.

“When I turned sixteen, I knew I was at an age to be courted. William was to be my partner in this world, and that given the proper time for him to court me, we would be married by the time I turned eighteen.”

“That kind of seems young to be married, don’t you think?” I try and think of where I was in my life at age eighteen. I couldn’t even imagine having to be
married
.

“Well, time is different in Wren. We lose our youth at sixteen. Not that we lose ourselves, but we become grownups to this world. We are not sheltered as some are in other worlds. We believe that the soul has grown from its shell by that age. Tis no pressure for one to marry, but we support it.”

“Then why did you marry? Why didn’t you hold off? What if William wasn’t the one for you?”

“Oh, I waited. William courted me, and by courting; he annoyed me out of my ever-loving mind. We fought and fought. Didn’t agree on a single matter. Until one day. I was walking home from another village, just over the hills, after offering the children of Ferrow an English lesson. I made a bad judgement call and stayed well past my time. The day was getting away and night was soon falling upon me. I knew I should have left earlier in the day, but those eager children. They have a place in my heart when they become so excited to learn.

“Either way, I lost track of time, and when I left it was dark. I had made the journey many times, so finding my way home was not the issue. It was that I was a lady and traveling alone. Sadly, that was noticed when I left. I was followed, and unfortunately attacked. The men wanted my horse and any jewels that I had on, but once they figured out who I was, they kidnapped me. Bound and gagged me, taking me to a location unknown. I’m not sure how long it took for them to send a ransom note to my father. But I know that they boasted about how rich they were about to become. How they had just stolen the Princess of Wren. My father would pay a fine ransom for my return.” She paused, as if lost in the memory.

“What happened? Did your dad pay?” I ask, becoming engulfed in her story.

“Well, the men who took me sure did. The ransom note was delivered by a peasant boy, who was tending to some cattle, just outside the village. He was paid to hand the note directly to my father. When he made it to the castle steps, William was there. Apparently, he was furious with me that I blew off our luncheon. He vowed to stand outside my doors until I returned home, so he could give me a piece of his mind.”

“Oh, no! So did he know? Did the boy tell him you were kidnapped?”

Faith chuckles, “Well, when the boy made it to the front steps, he shouted that he had a ransom note for the king; that his daughter was kidnapped. William demanded he see the note, but the boy refused. Said it was to go directly to the king. William ended up paying the boy quite a large sum to obtain the note. But when he read it, that’s when he said his life had become clear. He confessed that his blood turned cold at the thought of anyone touching me in a way that was neither gentle nor willing. He may have tormented me, but it was because he could; I was his. He was so distraught by the way I made him feel, he had turned his unfamiliar emotions into taunting. He never even went to my father. He went to his keep and dressed in his fighting gear. He grabbed his horse from the stables and he set off in search for me.”

She stops to smile, taking her time to continue. I, on the other hand, am hanging off every word, so I nudge her to continue.

“Ah yes, sorry. So I had been with my captors for about a day. It wasn’t too painful. They didn’t hurt me, but they hadn’t fed me either. I was terribly thirsty and quite sore from being tied up. It was when night fell again, that I prayed for someone to rescue me. I thought about William. I thought about what he would do or say if I never returned. Would he be happy? Relieved that he was no longer in debt to me? I thought about if he would feel guilty for how he treated me. If he ever felt anything close to love, as I secretly did for him. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something that would help keep my fright at bay, and it was of William. I imagined him kissing me. Finding his lips and pressing mine to his so hard that it almost felt bruising, yet so passionate that it would be more painful for him to release me. It was in that exact moment that the commotion broke me away from my thoughts. I heard screaming and fighting: the sounds of swords clashing and the voices of my captors grunting in severe pain. It was then I saw him. William. He had come to save me. When he finally found and released me from my binds, he took me in his arms and did the one thing that I had been wishing for since we both turned of age. He kissed me. Hard and passionately. When he pulled away, his words were what filled my heart. He told me that his life came to a striking halt when he realized there may have been a chance I would not be in it. He realized that he had wasted so much time fighting his feelings for me, when he could have been showing me what he really ached to do to me. Lying on the cold ground, shivering, and deeply in need of water and warmth, he told me that he loved me. And that he was going to take me home and marry me. He was going to spend the rest of his life guarding me, my heart, and everything I cherish, making sure he never felt as empty as he did when he thought I might have vanished from this world. There ye have it. Fifty years later, and William and I are still as happy as we became that night.”