Once Upon a Duke's Dream Read online

  Sorcha ~ Stonehaven, Scotland, 1546

  T he trees were still as Sorcha and her father rode along the moonlit path, trying to reach Fetteresso Castle before darkness fully overtook them. Baldwin, brother to the Laird of the small Clan Singleir, did not want to camp another night on the trail. Between the wildlife that hunted them and hostile clans that rode nearby, he didn’t want to take any chances. Many Singleir warriors accompanied them, but still, with Sorcha among them, Baldwin did not want to take any risks .

  Despite the dangers that awaited in the dark, Sorcha’s heart was slowly sinking the closer they came to the Keith holdings. It was here where her entire life would change; where she would lose her true self to marriage with a man she had never met .

  She had heard some about him. He was a relation of the Keiths’, and they had agreed to hold the marriage on their greatest property, Dunnotar Castle. The nearby Fetteresso was also one of their holdings, and it was there Sorcha and her father would stay in the weeks leading up to the marriage. The Banns of marriage between Sorcha and her intended would be read for three Sundays, while in the meantime the the clans would begin preparations for the wedding .

  Sorcha’s father had been overly cheerful about the whole thing. He had felt it was high time his daughter was married. She had desperately tried to avoid it, but as one sibling after another was married off, finally the attentions of her father turned towards her, and he had found a man of means eager to marry her. It wasn’t that she lacked interested suitors; no, there were many who came for her hand, but her father had been waiting for one who would strengthen the power of their seat as well as provide them additional finances .

  Apparently that man had come in the form of Archibald MacLauchlan. Sorcha had yet to meet him, but knew he had been widowed over the past year. His first wife had borne him no children, and therefore he was looking for a young wife who still had many years left to give him heirs .

  Sorcha shivered. It was not a task to which she looked forward .

  “We are almost there, daughter,” her father said, mistaking her shake for cold and not trepidation .

  She simply nodded, and took in the stone building that began to emerge from the darkness in front of them. Surrounded by greenery, there were two arms extending from a central entrance. It was a silent approach, only the crunch of the horses’ hooves on the path making any noise .

  Arriving, Sorcha and her father reined in their horses and were greeted by Keith men, who took their mounts to the stables. The doors to the main keep opened as if someone had been watching them come up the path, and a booming voice called out to them .

  “Baldwin Singleir! ‘Tis been far too long.” Out of the shadows came the round, jovial figure of a man near the same age as Sorcha’s father, and he approached him with a loud clap of hands .

  This must be Fergus Keith. He was a cousin of William Keith, the Earl who resided at the clan’s main seat at the nearby Dunnotar Castle. Fergus was to oversee Fetteroso until William’s younger children were old enough to take over the holding .

  “May I present to ye my daughter, Sorcha ?”

  Baldwin pulled her forward to meet Fergus Keith, and Sorcha’s feet moved of their own accord, until she stood woodenly in front of the man, forcing a smile onto her face. He bowed low over her hand and kissed it. “How wonderful to meet ye, my dear. You are even more beautiful than yer reputation promised. My cousin Archibald will be so pleased in his chosen wife. Now, come, ye must be ravenous from your journey. Then ye can turn in and prepare for tomorrow, when the Banns will be first read followed by a large feast in the great hall of Dunnotar. Ye’ll have the opportunity to meet your betrothed .”

  Sorcha nodded her head and followed the men into the castle. It was impressive, but foreboding, the stone walls stretching high overhead, with intricate inlays in the bridges over the doors. She excused herself to retire immediately, asking for food to be sent to her room. Her father stared sternly at her, but nodded his head. Accompanied by her maid, Sorcha found her chamber to be adequate though bare, the small yet plush canopied bed in one corner, a small table beside the door holding a lit candle, and another table empty beside the bed .

  Once Sorcha’s trunks were delivered to the room, her maid began to lay out her night clothing, before putting away the dresses and adornments for later wear .

  Sorcha knew she had been somewhat rude to leave, but she simply wanted to spend tonight alone with her thoughts before the many engagements to come. She accepted the oatcakes when they arrived, and looked out the window onto the rolling hills below. Perhaps Archibald wouldn’t be so bad, she thought, trying for positivity. She would reserve judgement, she decided, until tomorrow .

  * * *

  S orcha’s maid helped her dress carefully the following day in a pale blue wool gown, followed by her earasaid overtop to keep out the cold. Belted at her waist, the fabric flowed down nearly to her ankles, and was clasped at her breast with a silver broach. It was shorter than those she wore at home, her slight figure still visible from between the folds of the plaid. Her straight, dark auburn hair had been brushed to a shine, before being pulled away from her face by a ribbon, then tied on each side to hang loose down her shoulders .

  Fergus gave her a look of appreciation when she descended down the stairs to the great hall, and led her out to the stables, where her father was waiting as they readied the horses to travel to Dunnator. It was not a long journey, and when the castle came into view, Sorcha was impressed. The keep and it’s outbuildings were majestic, sitting atop an outcropping of rock, the jagged edge of the cliffs around the foreboding fortress walls leading down to the North Sea. The tall keep stood out, towering above the other buildings, as the horses began picking their way up the rocky path to the top. When they reached the courtyard, the entrance was brimming with people who had recently arrived for the church service and dinner .

  The mass was long, and Sorcha nearly forgot the significance of it until she heard her name read. She turned scarlet and looked around her, anxious to see the man who would soon be her husband, but unable to pick him out from the crowd .

  When it was time, Sorcha’s father led her into the great hall of the keep. The interior was equally as remarkable, much more large and imposing than Fetteresso, yet with a cold and drafty feel. The hall was brimming with people, all eager for the beginning of the wedding celebrations and, also, to witness the beauty from the Singleir clan .

  As they entered the door, all eyes turned towards them. Sorcha raised her head, meeting the eyes of the onlookers. The grip on her father’s arm, however, gave away her true feelings on her entrance. Fergus Keith led them through the crowd, around the dais, stopping beside a man of his own age. He was broad-shouldered with graying hair that flowed down to the middle of his back. He was good-looking in a sense, but Sorcha found herself somewhat put off by his countenance. He had an aura about him in which he seemed to be looking down on others around them. When they approached, he did not stand to greet them, but continued to drink out of his wine goblet, biting off a hunk of the loaf that sat in front of him. When Fergus stopped Sorcha in front of him, he did turn to them finally, only to let his gaze run from Sorcha’s feet all the way up to her face, stopping for some time on her uplifted breasts, at the cleavage peeking out of the top of her gown .

  Please, no, she thought. Do not let this be --

  “Cousin Archibald!” bellowed Fergus. “It gives me immense pleasure to introduce you to your bride, Sorcha Singleir. Yer one lucky man, you are !”

  Archibald finally stood, a large imposing figure, and belched. He bent over Sorcha’s hand, letting his lips linger for far too long on her fingers .

  “My bride,” he said, leering at her. “Lucky man I am indeed. Though perhaps yer the lucky one, lass, for me to agree to marry you .” He chuckled. “Ye’ll do, though, and I should hardly be able to wait these coming weeks until I have ye in my bed. Unless, now that we’re betrothed, ye’d prefer to seal our marriage ano
ther way. Ha! Come, sit, let us get to know one another .”

  He gestured to the chair beside him. Sorcha could barely move after his lewd introduction, but her father’s hand on her back pushed her down into the chair, as he took the seat on her other side. She had no sooner pulled her chair closer to the table when she felt a hand on her leg. She pushed it away quickly, as Archibald turned to her and laughed, his mouth full of food. She put a hand up to deflect his spittle from her face, and all she could think was no . Not this man, please. How could she share her life with such a man, share a bed with him ?

  She made her way through the supper keeping fairly silent, refusing to engage with Archibald, who continued to make offensive comments towards her. Even her father looked slightly uncomfortable. Sorcha wished her mother had accompanied them, but the journey was too far for her, as she was not in particularly good health. Her mother had always been the caring one, of course, her father far too busy to spend much time with his children. He had been eager to see her married well, although perhaps this might be going too far, even for him .

  On their return journey back to Fetteresso, she slowed until her father fell back long enough to join her .

  “Father,” she said. “You canna make me marry that man .”

  He cringed, and did wear a slight look of concern, but he shrugged his shoulders. “‘Tis too late now, Sorcha, as ye well know,” he said. “The Banns have been read. To not go forward would invoke too many ill feelings with the Keiths, and they are too powerful an ally to insult to such degree .”

  “Father, he is vile -- did ye not hear him ?”

  “He is to be your husband, Sorcha, so I suppose ‘tis his right .”

  She made a loud scoffing sound, and urged her horse forward to catch up with the men. She had no more desire to speak of this with her father, though she was smart enough to know what he said had truth. For her to rebuke this man now would mean certain retribution on her clan .

  Back in her chamber, her maid helped her off with her gown and Sorcha put on a thin white nightgown. Her eyes were already closing as her maid braided her long hair for sleep. As Sorcha climbed up the tall bed and under the blanket, she was grateful her maid didn’t like to sleep in her chamber. Her new maid of the last two months was a strange one, but she was competent and had a motherly way about her that made Sorcha feel safe. Tonight, though, she wanted to be alone .

  All she could see was Archibald’s face in her mind, and she wanted to be sick. She supposed this had been the way for women for generations, but she didn’t want to be another woman who despised her life because she did what was required of her. Sorcha sighed. She just wished she had known what love had felt like, real love, before pairing her life with this man .

  3

  Bryan

  B ryan drummed his fingers repeatedly on the armrest of his seat as the plane begin to taxi down the runway. He really hated flying. He understood the mechanics of the plane in the air, and knew the statistics of the safety of air travel, but there was something about being so entirely out of control that really bothered him. Perhaps if he had done something like this -- fly across the ocean -- for Emilia while they had been together, she would have stayed with him, he thought with a wry grin. He had always refused to take any big trips, often citing the expense as the greatest reason not to go .

  His last minute booking had left him with a middle seat. On his one side sat a mother with a baby and on the other next to the aisle a man who had already lifted the armrest to share some of Bryan’s seat. Bryan actually didn’t mind babies, but he felt sorry for the mother, who would likely be needing to pace the aisle often, and he wasn’t sure how that was going to work as the man beside him was settling in for a nap .

  Bryan himself was tall with broad shoulders atop a lean torso sculpted from all of his running over the years. He spent enough time in the gym, however, to keep a good deal of muscle on his frame. He was somewhat an oddity in the philosophy department of the university, but he always felt the health of the body led to the health of the mind. Perhaps he should stop with the fast food .

  He took the latest Ken Follett novel out of his bag before shoving it under the seat in front of him for later. It certainly wasn’t the ideal book for travel, a hardcover of over nine hundred pages, but he liked his books the old fashioned way. Emilia had been on him to switch to ebooks, claiming how easy they were to download, but he liked the feeling of the thick book in his hands, the smell of the paper as his fingers turned the pages. He was a throwback .

  Between his book, the in-flight entertainment, and a quick nap, the flight went by faster than he had thought and was fairly uneventful. He deplaned in Aberdeen, before finding a taxi to take him to Stonehaven. The country was beautiful, he had to admit, and perhaps he could see some of the draw Emilia had to it .

  After throwing his bag in the trunk of the cab, he opened the door and climbed in the back. He was thrown a bit when he saw the frazzled red hair of a woman in the driver’s seat. For some reason he’d expected a balding older man to be driving cab in Scotland. Stereotype much, Bryan? He thought to himself .

  “Afternoon, Sir,” came the Scottish lilt from the driver’s seat. “Off to Stonehaven, are we ?”

  “Yes,” he replied. “How did you know ?”

  “Ah, just a hunch. And how was your flight ?”

  “Fine, thanks .”

  She pulled out of the parking lot of the airport in a series of quick accelerations and brakes. Bryan lurched forward and back in his seat as he raised his eyebrows. Was he her first fare ?

  “My apologies,” she said, seeing the astonishment on his face. “Just getting used to the car, ye know. So tell me about the lady yer looking for .”

  Bryan had a hard time focusing on her words as she did a wild merge into traffic and narrowly missed sideswiping a Volkswagen .

  “She was here visiting and decided to stay. I haven’t heard from her personally in months. I —” he stopped suddenly, his head whipping from the window to take a closer look at her. “How did you know I was looking for someone ?”

  “It’s written on your face, dearie,” she said. “Something tells me yer lookin’ in the wrong direction, though. Look into your heart and find who ye truly desire. Who makes your heart sing and your spirit soar. Who finds the best within you and makes it come to light, while turning your poorer qualities into better ones. That’s who yer looking for .”

  As uncalled for as they were, her words spoke to the core of him, which had never felt quite satisfied with the person he was when he was with Emilia .

  “How would you suggest I go about finding such a person?” he asked her, although he told himself to stop being a crazy person seeking advice from this wild Scottish cab driver .

  “It’s what I always say,” she said. “Just follow yer heart and you’ll find what you’re looking for. What’s it telling yo now ?”

  To get out of this cab, he thought to himself, but then the thinker in him began to seriously ponder her words .

  “I — I need resolution to a situation from my past before I can move onto the future,” he said after considering it for a moment. “And then… I don’t know what comes after that. I’m not satisfied with my life, I can tell you that. I don’t mind my job, but I’m going nowhere. Even if I did receive the position I’ve always dreamed of, then what? It’s more teaching students, when my passion isn’t teaching, it’s learning and discovering. If only that could be a job in itself .”

  He laughed ruefully .

  “I’m sorry. You don’t need to know all this about me. I don’t know what’s come over me to make me speak so openly .”

  “I have a way about me that makes people share,” she said, with a grin at him through the rearview mirror. It was only as he looked closer at her through the mirror that he discovered that her sweater matched the fiery red of her hair, and was inlaid with dogs wearing Santa hats. “Now, you're staying at Fetteresso Castle?” she asked .

  Bryan n
odded, but he was becoming a bit creeped out by this woman and how much she knew about him. “I’m renting out one of the houses from Airbnb. Is that how you know about me? Did they send you my information ?”

  “That’s wonderful,” she said, not answering his question. “The castle, you know, has only recently been converted into seven separate houses, one of which ye'll be staying in. I canna decide if I'm sad about because it means the castle is no longer whole — though it looks like it from outside — or if I’m glad of it as it means more people will live and love there. It wasn't always the grand castle it is today, mind you. Use of the site goes back many centuries. In the 14th century, the first stone structure was built on it, the first Fetteresso Castle. It wasn’t much to look at -- two long blocks around a courtyard. It wasn’t long before it became part of the Clan Keith through marriage. They also owned Dunnotar Castle, ye see, so weren’t often in residence. In the 1600s the east wing was burned and rebuilt. It was redesigned to the grand Palladian castle ye’ll see today only in the past 200 years. It was in a sad state when it was bought and developed into the seven dwellings ye’ll see today .”

  She continued to chatter on as she made the turn to Fetteresso, an impressive stone castle surrounded by forests of green and the changing colors of fall. Bryan was trying to keep up with Fiona. He knew Emilia would have absolutely loved the stories she told of the old castle and its inhabitants, but he wasn’t very familiar with the history she was talking about .

  The castle itself looked to him somewhat like an impressive stone house with towers at the corners, the front a round gable entrance with battlements on top .

  “Yer lucky, you are,” said Fiona. “Yer staying in the oldest part of the castle, with rooms that date back to the original building. They’ve been modified of course, so be careful, ye may become a bit disoriented. Now, sleep well, son. Keep your mind open and your heart pure, and you’ll find what you seek .”