"He wanted to know if he should come."
Mother's quiet words froze Maggie with that dang teacup at her lips.
But she didn't have time to freeze.
Her teacup rattled in its saucer as she set it down. She folded her hands in her lap, mind racing. Her first instinct had been a sharpno!but that would be a Maggie response, not a Tirith one.
She forced out a silent exhale. Tried for a smile, and, since they were talking about Tirith and what had happened two days ago, it was okay that her smile trembled.
"I hope you told him to stay in Texas."
Sorry, Daddy.
Mother's gaze flicked up and then back down. She set her spoon on the edge of the saucer. "That's what I told him."
Maggie was glad Mother wasn't looking at her too closely. She'd borne the guilt for so long that sometimes it lost its sharpness.
Until moments like just now, when she realized how much she'd cost her family. Once upon a time, Alessandra and Gideon had been passionately in love. And once upon another time, Gideon had chosen Texas, and Maggie, over staying in Glorvaird with his wife and two other daughters.
Although they remained married on paper, they hadn't seen each other in years.
Maggie didn't think she could stomach breakfast after all.
She was about to excuse herself when the door opened and a brunette peeked her head inside.
And then Maggie’s baby sister Beatrix was ducking through the doorway.
"Good morning, Mother. Good morning, Tirith."
Bea. If Maggie had been free to do so, she'd have jumped up and embraced her sister. Bea was two years younger. They spoke on the phone weekly, sometimes more, and Bea had come to Texas for a visit during the summer.
Maggie missed her baby sister like a mama cow separated from its calf.
But Tirith saw Beatrix often. Jumping out of her chair like Maggie wanted to would be out of character.
So Maggie sat, even though she ached for that hug.
Her younger sister went to Mother first and got the same hand squeeze Maggie-as-Tirith had.
Maggie waited for the same treatment, but Bea leaned over and hugged her shoulders.
It brought hot moisture to Maggie's eyes, which she quickly blinked away.
"How are you holding up?" Bea asked.
That hysterical giggle bubbled up again, and again Maggie choked it down. "I'm…" She shrugged and then winced internally. Tirith probably didn't shrug.
Bea swiped a triangle of toast off her plate. "Do you want me to go to the ribbon cutting with you this morning? Or maybe you can get out of it...?"
"Not necessary," Maggie murmured coolly. "It won't take long, and I've got my army in place."
Tirith had promised that her personal assistant Elizabeth wouldn't question the request for a second bodyguard in addition to the one that usually followed Tirith around when she was out and about in the kingdom. Maggie wasn't sure she could function with just one. Another sign of Tirith's courage and Maggie's cowardice.
Maggie pushed back her chair from the table. "I should be going."
If she stayed much longer under Mother's watchful eyes, the game would be up.
But Bea followed her out into the corridor, linking their arms as Elizabeth fell in step two paces behind.
