Free Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) by Bethany Claire

dramatically.  
    “Ha. Or she was just pretending that she dinna believe him.”
    “Morna, Sydney had already sipped of yer potion. She couldna have lied about it.”
    Callum watched her glance awkwardly down at her feet in embarrassment, but she recovered from her mistake quickly.  
    “Oh well, we shall find out soon enough if she truly is naïve of the magic. I willna believe it until I ask her myself. I am sorry that Cooper fell victim to the potion and that he said anything about the magic to her, but there is little I can do about it now.”
    Callum was sorry for it as well. Sydney now knew the truth, even if she didn’t believe it. They would have to tell her, to show her everything much earlier than any of them planned.
    “Morna, we should not wait a week anymore. The lass quit her job. She has no plans to leave here, and regardless of what she believed at the time, she’s already been told everything. It will not take long for her to see things that would make her suspect. We must tell her tonight.”
    Morna nodded and extended another small vial in his direction. He protested before she could attempt to justify anything.  
    “No. Doona give me another one of yer mixtures. I want nothing to do with them.”
    “Callum, take the damn vial. The lass may verra well want what’s inside by the end of this evening.”
    He frowned and moved to sit on the cot, realizing as he bent to remove his working shoes that he’d forgotten to get his other pair of shoes from his old room.   “I doubt that verra much, Morna.”
    “I intend to ask the girl some questions over dinner. She will find them odd, but she will answer them truthfully. Then, we will tell her the truth. If history is any indication, I know just how it will go. She will think us all mad until she sees the proof with her own eyes.  
    “She will need to be taken down the stairwell, Callum. ’Tis the only way she will believe it. It should be ye that takes her back, not only because of yer connection to Cagair but because I can tell ye fancy her. Ye have a way about ye, Callum, that women find calming. Ye have even managed to calm me down on occasion. That’s an accomplishment not many can claim. She will take it better from ye than she will from any other, I’m sure of it.  
    “When she believes it—if she wishes she dinna know, if it troubles or frightens her—then that is what this vial is for. If she takes it before bed, she will wake remembering nothing of the magic, and we can go on trying to hide it from her for as long as we can. Mayhap with time, when she’s not so new to this castle and to us, she will accept the knowledge more readily.”
    Morna paused and moved to sit next to him.  
    “She’s the one ye saw, is she not? The one ye thought a ghost?”
    “Aye. She is.”
    Morna nodded and slowly slipped the vial into his hands.  
    “Then ye must know that whether she knows about Grier or not, Grier brought her here. Just be wary is all. I love ye, Callum. I think of ye as the son I never had. Tell me ye will be careful with the lass.”
    “I will.”
    Unlike Cooper and Sydney, no truth potion had passed his lips. The words slipped out easily. Even though he wanted to mean them, he knew he did not. The lass didn’t need magic to wield power over him. He was quite under her spell already.

    “Chicken’s done. Vegetables are roasted. Bottles of wine are open and ready for pouring. Breadbasket is warm. Table’s set. Dessert will be ready by the time everyone is finished with dinner.”  
    I stood in front of the shiny stove vent checking out my reflection, looking for any stray hairs or pieces of food on my face while I talked aloud to myself, running through my mental list to make certain everything was done and ready to go for dinner.  
    I overcooked, I was certain. Even if the number of guests exceeded sixty people, there would be more than enough food. But after all of the talk from Callum, Cooper, and Anne—the only