The Laird of Stonehaven by Connie Mason

colicky bairns. While she was careful to give no one a reason to fear her, she was still considered evil by Gunna and her cronies.
    The midwife had made Blair a target for all the anger and hatred in the village. Each day Alyce reported new gossip circulating among the servants, most of it concerning witchcraft and the dark arts.
    Blair saw little of Graeme during those days. Obviously, he was avoiding her. One night, when the full moon rode high in the sky, Blair was lured to the stillroom by her inner voice. It was almost as if the spirits were calling to her, drawing her from her chamber with invisible cords. All that day a feeling of impending doom had troubled her. She could no more ignore the spirits than she could deny herself air.
    Blair donned a robe over her flimsy night rail and quietly left her chamber. It was after midnight, and no one stirred within the keep as she tiptoed down the stairs, lighting the way with a candle. She arrived at the stillroom without incident, placed the candle on her worktable and quietly began her preparations.
    Using a chalky stone she had brought with her from Gairloch, she drew a circle on the flagstones before the open window and sprinkled dried herbs inside. Then she placed candles at measured intervals around the circle, stepped inside and lit them with a faggot she had ignited from the candle.
    When the candles burned strong and their flames began to change color, the moon suddenly appeared to grow brighter, shedding its light through the open window and arraying Blair in a silvery glow. Raising her arms, Blair reached out to embrace the light, opening her soul to the forces of nature and inviting the spirits into her mind and heart. Then she chanted:
    “Spirits, come to me,
Open my eyes and let me see.”
    A mist formed before her eyes as an errant breeze blew through the window, lifting the heavy weight of her hair and setting her skirts aflutter. Then the mist slowly cleared and she saw her brother as clearly as if he were standing before her. He was not alone. Donal MacKay was with him.
    “What does it mean?” she cried out to the spirits. “What are you trying to tell me?”
    A voice wafted to her on the wind, soft, low, urgent. “They will come and you will be forever changed.”
    “How will I change?”
    The voice echoed hollowly in the small space. “You know what you must do to survive. Cleave to your husband. There will be trials. Beware of fire, water and stone.”
    “What about my husband? Will these trials you speak of affect him?”
    “Only he can save you.”
    “I dinna understand. Niall and the MacKay can no longer harm me.”
    The voice was but a fading whisper. “To foil their plans, you must become a wife . . . a wife . . . a wife . . .” The words trailed off, leaving Blair more confused than ever.
    “Wait, dinna leave! I am already a wife. What more must I do?”
    The reply was faint but still audible. “Danger stalks both you and your husband.”
    A gust of cold wind blew over her, leaving her flesh chilled and her heart icy with dread. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, Blair willed the spirits to return, but they remained stubbornly silent. The images of her brother and MacKay were gone, but she felt their threat keenly. The spirits had revealed a great deal, yet little of it made sense.
    Blair extinguished the candles and stepped outside the circle. She returned the candles to the cupboard, swept up the herbs and threw a straw mat over the circle. Then she left the stillroom and returned to the keep.
    Graeme moved away from the window, his expression hardened by a mixture of disbelief and horror. It had been pure chance that he was still awake at midnight and had walked to the window in time to see Blair entering the stillroom. He couldn’t account for his restlessness as he’d prowled his chamber. But he knew what had drawn him to the window. Dazzling light from the full moon had flooded his chamber, and his intention had been to close the