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

out for him.  
    “Sydney, do ye know anyone by the name of Grier?”
    I shook my head, confused. “No. Does she live here? I haven’t met very many people at the castle yet. I think my big introduction is meant to happen over dinner.”
    He smiled, and I thought I saw something resembling relief, or maybe confirmation, wash over his face. The wrinkles in his brow lessened a little, and his smile seemed a little brighter as he leaned in to kiss my cheek.  
    “No, she doesna live here. I just had to ask ye. My wife’s a fool. Ye doona need magic to trust the words of another.”
    He started to close the door, but I reached out to stop him. His statement only confused me further.  
    “Magic? What do you mean?”
    “Nothing. I doona wish to have anything to do with it, but Sydney, please know that I am sorry if the dinner doesna go well for ye. Fear makes fools of those who let it take root.”
    He shut the door in my face before I could inquire further.  
    Why did every new conversation in this castle seem far stranger than the last?

CHAPTER 13

    When I returned to the kitchen, I could hear the sound of footsteps above me. Right on time, everyone began to file into the dining hall for dinner. I didn’t quite know the proper way to proceed with the meal. There were no waiters or waitresses, and there was no possible way I could carry all of the food up on my own. It also seemed quite rude to ask any of them to help me carry everything upstairs.  
    Thankfully, I didn’t have to ponder over it very long. Just as I slipped on oven mitts and prepared to carry up two of the chickens, Anne, Callum, and a man I’d yet to meet appeared in the entryway. While I suggested that Callum help me carry things upstairs, he didn’t appear to hear me as he disappeared quickly after his strange last words to me in my room. I was happy to see him here now. Obviously he hadn’t completely ignored me before.  
    “Is everything ready to go? It smells even better than it looks. That will be quite a change for everyone. If you’re ready, we are here to help you carry everything up. I did suggest we install an elevator down here so we could bring carts up and down easily during mealtime, but my husband and the actual owner, Gillian, wouldn’t have it. Apparently, an elevator crossed the line in terms of modernizing the place.”
    Anne shrugged her shoulders apologetically and quickly came over to join me, slipping on a pair of oven mitts and grabbing another chicken from the island.  
    The man I’d yet to meet approached next, forgoing a handshake and just nodding his head in greeting. I knew right away that he had to be the husband Anne referred to, and the relief I felt at learning it wasn’t Callum surprised me immensely.  
    “Hello. I’m Aiden, Anne’s husband and the one responsible for the lack of an elevator. My apologies. I’d shake yer hand, but ye’ve got them a little full. We’re glad to have ye here. I canna tell ye how much.”
    He quickly followed suit with his wife, grabbing a pair of mitts and then reaching for the large pan of roasted vegetables. I set my own chicken back down on the island as they left, giving everything a quick glance to see what would be best to have Callum carry.  
    “What’s left? I’ve long arms, and I’m quite good at balancing things. Let’s try to get the rest of it in one load, aye?”
    I couldn’t really imagine Callum being that graceful—one of his legs pulled awkwardly when he walked, giving him a sort of pained limp that I could tell he always did his best to hide.  
    I waited a brief moment until Aiden and Anne were far enough away that they wouldn’t hear me question Callum.  
    I’d been unable to stop thinking about his strange last words to me, and Jerry’s warning on top of that left me determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. Why would Callum believe I would say many things that surprised me over dinner? What reason would I have to not know