Seacouver 3 weeks later:
Duncan approached the faculty building of the University with a bemused smile playing across his face. Normally he hated the bureaucratic side of his teaching job. Faculty meetings were not something he looked forward to in the ordinary scheme of things. Today, however, he felt a faint stirring of interest in the forthcoming encounter with members of the faculty both the old and the new, 'especially the new member' he thought.
The list of names of those full time and affiliated teaching staff for the coming academic year that had arrived in the mail the previous day had included one he hadn't known of before. At the end of the previous semester Janet Worsely, the Dean and Head of Faculty had announced that Professor Douglas, who taught Celtic Studies, would not be returning due to ill health. He had chosen instead to return to The Isle Of Man and enjoy his enforced retirement in the bosom of his family. That had of course left a vacancy, one which could probably have been filled by any of the other members of the faculty working on a rota, since in all truth Celtic Studies had been a course on a downward spiral for the past ten years or so. Janet had had other ideas, however, and had actually head hunted someone to lead a new course. A Scots woman with a string of impressive letters after her name. In the mailing she had sent out , Janet had included a short resume of her newest faculty member. It was this that had fired Duncan's interest.
"Catriona Mary MacLeod; PhD.(Edin) M.A. (Trinity ,Dublin) B.A. Hons (St Andrew's) Date of birth 25th September 1967
Catriona hails from Glenfinnan in Inverness-shire. She studied History at St Andrew's University from 1985-1989, She then went to undertake her Master's Degree at Trinity College, Dublin from 1989-1991 -where she specialised in Celtic Lore. Following this she returned to Scotland and undertook her Doctoral Thesis on 'The Art of Celtic Magic ' at Edinburgh University from 1991- 1993. Since that time she has been a Junior Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge England - where she taught on the Celtic, Norse and Anglo Saxon Studies courses. She is the author of several books on Celtic Myths and Legends. In her spare time she has spent the past few years reorganising the exhibitions at Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye. The Castle is the ancestral home of the Clan MacLeod. The current Clan Chief is Catriona's uncle. We are pleased to be able to welcome Catriona to Seacouver and to the faculty."
The world is a very small place' mused Duncan as he entered the faculty lounge. He glanced around the room noting familiar faces and acknowledging greetings. Searching around the room he saw no sign as yet of the newest member of the faculty, nor of Janet, he noted. Just then the doors behind him opened and Janet entered followed by a woman of about five and a half feet in height. She had long hair that curled around her shoulders and hung down her back like a heavy dark auburn mist. Her eyes were a clear blue/grey and she had a liberal dusting of freckles across her face. She was wearing a long emerald green dress with a pewter Celtic Knot brooch at her left shoulder. She was wearing flat shoes and she seemed to glide rather than walk into the room. Duncan thought she looked the part if nothing else...'she could be the poster girl for all things Celtic in that outfit' he thought more amused than ever. Just then Janet called the room to order and everyone took a seat.
In reality this was not so much a meeting for official purposes as a means of getting to know each other and of clarifying the role each member of the faculty would undertake during the coming months. Duncan found himself sitting opposite Catriona MacLeod. He smiled a greeting and was not altogether surprised when she flushed before managing to return the smile. Janet began her speech of welcome. She outlined the plans for the coming year and welcomed Catriona to the faculty. After twenty minutes the room began humming with voices as colleagues caught up on news. Janet ushered Catriona around the room introducing her properly to everyone there. Finally they came to Duncan.
"Catriona MacLeod, this is....
"Duncan MacLeod - pleased to meet you at last," broke in Catriona, smiling.
Her accent was a light highland burr as he would have expected. Raising an eyebrow Duncan took her proffered hand and returned the greeting. "Beanachta Catriona." he said in Gaelic.
"Now why didn't I think of it before?" Janet queried "With the same surname and place of birth you two are probably related."
"Distant cousins," agreed Catriona, "and though we have never actually met I feel as if I know Duncan quite well. You know how families are," she quipped smiling at Duncan.
He looked at her, slightly taken aback, and wondered how much she really knew about him.
"Ah well, I'll leave you to your family reunion then," Janet said. "Don't forget we are meeting at 11 am tomorrow ," she reminded Catriona, before moving off to talk to other members of her staff.
"Distant cousins?" Duncan said, amused "You knew who I was when you were sat opposite me, before we'd been introduced," he concluded.
"I did," Catriona agreed, "I know a lot about you, well your distant past," she corrected, "but until recently I had never expected to actually meet you."
She flushed again and looked a little nervous. Duncan got the impression she wanted to speak more plainly but that she was concerned that this was neither the right time or place. He came to the rescue.
"That sounds intriguing, but maybe we should talk about it when we can be more relaxed and are less likely to be interrupted at any moment," he suggested.
"I think that would be an excellent idea," she agreed. "I have to finish unpacking but I should be free any time after five this evening - would that be suitable?"
"Certainly," Duncan replied "I shall be busy until around six myself. Call round anytime after that. In fact I think I should treat you to dinner and an tour of the high spots of Seacouver, though not necessarily all in the one evening," he smiled.
" Ah! No. Perhaps start with dinner and save the sightseeing for another time," she grinned at him, " OK then six this evening it is. Where shall I meet you?"
"De Salvo's," said Duncan. " It's a dojo, a gym, here I'll draw you a map so you can find it easily."
" Make it from here then, I'm living in the staff accommodation on campus," she said, and waited while he drew the map for her on the back of the faculty newsletter.
Duncan gave her the map and then offered her his hand again, before making his farewells and leaving. As he walked to the car he was lost in thought. He was intrigued by Catriona, she seemed very self assured. Her appearance amused him...he was sure she had deliberately dressed the part for an audience today. Time would tell with that he thought..see what she wears tonight.
Her intimations about knowledge of him nagged at him slightly , he would need to be sure that such knowledge did nothing to put either of them in any danger. He would have to talk to Joe about this development, and then he'd have to assess exactly how much Catriona really knew.
There was also the frisson of actually meeting one of her childhood heroes, and the man was devastatingly handsome - that was undeniable. She found herself flushing furiously at the memory of his smile. Just then Janet was at her shoulder again.
"Are you all right Catriona?" she asked anxiously, "you look a little hot and bothered."
"Ah, no no, I'm fine thank you, just a little tired I expect. The jet lag is catching up on me, all the excitement of arriving this morning and of being here. I'll be fine when I've unpacked and got my bearings." Catriona smiled wanly.
"As long as you're sure then," Janet said. "Duncan gone?"
"Oh yes but we're meeting up later to catch up on family gossip," Catriona smiled at Janet reassuringly. "I had no idea Duncan was even in Seacouver. Has he taught here long?"
"A few years," Janet allowed , "and he's very good at his work. I hope that the rest of the MacLeod family don't turn up to teach here or we'll all start to get very confused," she quipped.
Catriona laughed lightly. "Oh a Clan gathering would be quite something, and you'd not be the only one who'd get confused. A room full of MacLeods is one thing, a whole Clan would be something else altogether..I'm not sure the world is ready for that," she smiled.
"Well I'll just let you get away and get settled in," said Janet. "Let me know if there's anything at all you need and I'll see you in the morning."
"Thanks Janet," said Catriona, gratefully. She gathered up the papers she had brought with her, and Duncan's map, before nodding her goodbyes and slipping out into the warm August air. 'God a whole Clan of MacLeods,' she thought 'that would be phenomenal especially if Duncan and Connor were both there.' To see the reaction of those who had so long scoffed at the legends of those two would be interesting. She also knew it was something that probably never would nor should happen. The two men needed to keep their secret hidden to be safe..witchcraft trials may be a thing of the past but superstition still caused fear in some people...as she knew only too well herself. She wondered if Duncan was at all alarmed by her announcement earlier. He hadn't seemed so but he must have plenty of practice hiding behind a mask when required. She would have to make sure that he understood that she knew his secret and that she was as dedicated as he was to preserving it, that she was no threat to him or Connor or to any others like him.
Right now, however, she was feeling ragged, tired and unsettled. She needed to catch up on some sleep. She climbed the staircase in the faculty residence building and let herself into the small apartment. It was sparsely furnished in a utilitarian style, not unlike the rooms she'd had at Trinity College ( except this building wasn't any part of the 18th century) nor unlike any study bedroom she'd had prior to that she concluded. A large desk dominated one wall of the room she stood in. Bookcases were ranged along the wall under the window and also above the desk. A couch, which had seen better days, stood dejectedly in the centre of the room. A coffee table in front of the couch and one easy chair which did not match the couch completed the furniture. A telephone hung on the wall near the door that led to the bedroom. A small shower room and lavatory came next and the whole suite was completed by a tiny kitchenette. Total ground space in he apartment was thirty by twenty five foot. Small, compact, cheap to heat in winter and far too hot in summer.
It was stifling now she decided and opened the window to its fullest extent, allowing a small breeze to circulate the room. First she needed a shower, then sleep and then she'd see to the unpacking and decide what to wear to Duncan's. She felt herself flushing again at the thought of this meeting. 'Oh God Catriona!' she admonished herself, 'act your age, you're not a teenager any more.' She laughed to herself. 'And neither is he,' she thought, 'not at four hundred and four.' Shaking her head she reached for the pile of towels she had already unpacked and headed for the shower. 'Honestly,' she grinned to herself, 'you'd think you'd never seen a handsome man before - pull yourself together woman.' Though it was true she thought with a twinge that she had never felt attracted to a man since her early days as an undergraduate. 'Now then no dwelling on the past, you promised yourself.' she berated. In the end she decided a cold shower might be as much needed because of the temperature of the day as anything to do with her emotional state. 'Sure Catriona, pull the other one girl, it's got bells on,' she thought.