“My ankle isn’t swollen, and resting it made it feel better.” Julia pulled off the ice pack and considered her ankle. “No bruising. If I take it easy, it’ll be fine. I want to start writing the details for the book while the castle is still quiet and not filled with the film crew. I won’t be here all that long.”
“You have no ulterior motive?”
Feigning innocence, Julia smiled, but her heart did a flip just the same. Julia’s own guilty conscience was enough to increase her heart rate at hearing the question. She didn’t want Maria to know what she was up to. What if Julia got caught? As it was, if Maria was questioned, she could honestly say she didn’t know a thing about Julia’s secret mission.
“Now what ulterior motive would that be, other than taking a walk around the castle to research some details for my current work in progress when nobody’s about?” Julia asked.
Maria jammed her hands into the pockets of her still damp pants. “Your recommendation that we use Ian MacNeill’s castle wasn’t because of some more personal interest, was it?”
“Personal interest?” Julia’s voice sounded a little too guilty, and she was afraid Maria would recognize that at once. Did she think Julia had some plan to snag Ian MacNeill for a mate? She hadn’t even known he was a wolf. “You made it possible for me to get a chance to see the inside of a castle that is never open to the public so I can use it in my story.”
If Maria really knew this had to do with Julia’s family history and taking back what belonged to her family, Maria probably would not have agreed to bring her along.
Julia lifted a shoulder. “I researched it first. Then I called a Guthrie MacNeill, who handles the financial ins and outs of the family castle, lands, and businesses, and he was thrilled.”
Thrilled really wasn’t the way she’d describe Guthrie’s enthusiasm. More guarded, thinking at first she was a nutcase, Julia assumed. And then reservedly interested, as if he had his sword out and was ready to fight if the enemy turned on him.
“Thrilled? He was pretty hard-nosed about how much they wanted, and we went back and forth with him for months. He nearly delayed the production. Guthrie said an Iris North had spoken to him and told him to get in touch with me.” Maria raised a brow at Julia. “I figured he’d say a Julia Wildthorn had spoken to him. It took me aback, until I figured out you’d used an alias.”
“I didn’t want them hearing my ‘Julia Wildthorn’ name and realizing, if they discovered I was an author, that I might be trying to write about the off-limits parts of their castle, even though in my story the name and location will be masked.” Hoping that would satisfy Maria’s curiosity, Julia smiled broadly.
“And now he thinks you’re Julia Jones. Or did you tell him the truth while I was with Duncan?”
“No, we didn’t discuss it. Wildthorn is my pen name. A red name. It suits my books. Iris North was a made-up name also.”
“I thought Julia Wildthorn was your real name.” Maria sounded surprised.
“Everyone knows me as Julia Wildthorn. I identify with the name. It’s really Julia MacPherson. But that was in the past and I never use it, ever. It’s just easier that way.”
“MacPherson is a Scottish name,” Maria said, her tone indicating she still thought Julia was being devious about something more. “This has nothing to do with the MacNeills or their castle or anything. No old-time clan feuds, right?”
Julia bit her lip. Omission was one thing. Out-and-out lying, another. “My MacPherson family lived in the castle at one time.”
Maria stared at her goggle-eyed. “Are you serious? So they actually owned it?”
“Lived there, like guests.” Not really guests, though, Julia didn’t think. Not from the way her grandfather sounded so cryptic. Not knowing what the situation really was, she was unable to hide her exasperation. “It’s no big deal.”
“You want to write about something that’s more historically accurate? About your family having lived there?”
“Well, yes.” In a way Julia did—it added more realism.
She thought Maria was finished with the interrogation, but her friend continued to quiz her as she moved quickly about the place, looking for something. “Are you sure your family hadn’t taken over the castle at some point, which I think is incredibly cool, and they truly owned it? At least for a brief time?”
“No, my family didn’t own the castle.” As far as Julia knew.
“What if you had some claim to it? We could move in and open the place up for tours.”
Julia gave her an incredulous laugh. “Yeah, right. If my family had owned the place, they would still be running things. And probably would have to put up with a crew filming a movie here like the MacNeills. But no, it’s nothing like that.”
In the kitchen, Maria said, “I found the phone.” Maria began speaking but not to her. “Hello, Chad? We’re here. You called the police about the car? The car rental company, too? Yes, I’ll talk to them tonight. You’re an angel. Can you come and get me? Ten minutes? Thanks for bringing the bags by and getting the keys to the place for us. See you in a few.”
Maria hung up the phone and rushed to the bathroom, peeling off her wet, muddy clothes as she went. “Something is in the castle that your family wants you to steal back. What is it, and what is its importance?”
In disbelief, Julia stared at Maria’s retreating backside. “How could you have possibly known?”
“Remember the night before we left on this trip when you told me to check movie times on your computer? You were making us chicken rice soup, and you wanted to go see that Scottish time travel.”
Julia had a sinking feeling she’d left something on the computer she shouldn’t have. Maria had dropped in earlier than Julia had expected, so she’d forgotten what she’d been doing.
“I remember.”
The shower began running. Maria hollered over the rush of water, “Your email was open to a note from your grandfather. I wouldn’t have read it, but the MacNeill name and reference to his castle caught my attention. Your grandfather said he wanted you to retrieve something from within the castle. He didn’t say he wanted you to ask the MacNeills for it. So I assumed he wanted you to steal it.”
Julia shook her head and returned to her bedroom to get her socks and boots. “You turned off the computer so I forgot what I’d been doing before you arrived.”
“You told me to turn it off because we were rushed to see the earlier showing of the movie. So what are you supposed to retrieve?”
“Thanks for being a friend, Maria, and for not trying to stop me from doing this.” Julia felt sheepish that she hadn’t trusted Maria beforehand.
The shower shut off, and Maria exited the bathroom, wearing a blue towel. “Are you kidding? You’re the most interesting person I know. If you’re not rappelling off a building to see how it’s done for one of your books, you’re learning to shoot a gun for another. Now it’s searching for a hidden treasure in the MacNeill stronghold filled with brawny Scots who will thwart you in any way they can. It’ll make for a great story if you don’t get caught. Maybe even better if you do get caught. So what is it you’ll be looking for, exactly?”
“It’s a rosewood box engraved with the symbol of a thistle, the Celtic knot, and the name Artur MacPherson. None of my family members were able to return to the castle after they left it in haste, from what my grandfather said. They have tried with various ruses over the years, but the place has been sealed tight with no one allowed in except the MacNeills or their kin or close friends. Before my grandfather dies, he wants me to retrieve the box and return it to the family.”
At least that’s what her grandfather had said. But something really worried him about that box. He’d been so adamant and just as concerned as her father that she locate it and bring it home. Why now? Why after so many years of trying to get back in and not succeeding? Why not leave it buried in the castle walls?
It was locked, he had warned her. She wasn’t to break the lock. But a niggling of untruth plagued her. What was in the box that she was to risk sneaking into the castle and locating it, and then return it unopened to her grandfather?
Pandora’s box came to mind.
“They left the castle in haste? This gets better and better.” Maria entered Julia’s bedroom. “So what’s in the box? Maybe a claim to the estate?”
Julia only wished she knew. “I’m sure my grandfather or father would have said. And I’m sure once a family abandons a castle to another, if that was the case, we’d have no claim to it anyway.”
Julia sat on her bed and pulled on her socks, then her boots.
“You’re probably right, but… if the MacNeills have lived here since your family vacated it, wouldn’t they have found the box already? Disposed of the contents, most likely?”
“It’s hidden. Or at least it was.” If it was valuable, the MacNeills might have hung onto it. But what worried Julia more was whether or not the box contained information that could be used against her family. So many years had passed. What information could possibly be of importance any longer?
All ready to go sleuthing, Julia collapsed on the green tweed sofa again, eager for Maria to leave so she could run off.
Wearing a more casual hot-pink wool sweater and black jeans, Maria whirled out of the bedroom and met Julia in the living area. “A secret niche? You can’t be serious. If I wasn’t so afraid of losing my job or had more nerve, I’d go with you. But still… I don’t think you should be doing this.”
“I’m just going to take a walk around. No one will see me. I’ll be sure of it.”
Maria didn’t look convinced. “Laird MacNeill said he didn’t want anyone roaming around the property without his permission. And we kind of have an in now. We don’t want to ruin that.”
