“And who are ye?” Alexander asked, kneeling down to speak to a young girl with a dirty cheek.
“Millie, Me Laird,” she whispered, her voice quivering.
“And what is yer favorite color, lass?” he asked. Helena smiled at the kindness in his usually authoritative voice.
“Blue!” the girl exclaimed, the auburn curls around her face bouncing as she nodded vigorously.
“Then we shall send ye some blue ribbons from the castle,” Helena interjected, smiling down at her.
“Aye! Everyone, tell us what yer favorite colors are, and we will do our best to send fabric for new coats,” Alexander suggested, nodding at his wife.
“Excellent, and perhaps some socks and shoes,” she added, smiling at the children gathering around them.
Sophia simply moved to sit in a corner by a shy little boy, her smile growing as she watched them all.
They stayed for some time, speaking with the caretakers, ensuring that the orphans had enough provisions to last them through the coming weeks as well as the clothing they might need. But eventually, Alexander signaled it was time to leave.
As they stepped outside, Helena barely had time to process everything before he pulled her aside.
“Is yer aunt buyin’ the ruse?” he asked, his voice low.
Helena studied Sophia, who was speaking with one of the caretakers, then turned back to him. “She’s comin’ around. Slowly.”
Alexander gave a small, approving smile.
It caught Helena off guard, and for a brief moment, she felt her heart stutter. She had seen him smirk, grin in amusement, even sneer in irritation—but never had she seen a smile quite like this one.
She swallowed hard, turning away. “We should head back.”
“Aye,” Alexander agreed, though his eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before he turned to mount his horse.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I’m really nae that tired, dearie. We rested plenty on the journey here. Why do ye think it took us three days to reach the MacAllister lands instead of just a little over a day to get here? It’s such a beautiful day out—it’s a shame to lock ourselves up here in the keep,” Sophia protested as her niece continued to flitter about the room, worrying over the smallest of things.
Helena and Alice had been trying to come up with ways to entertain her. Helena wondered if her aunt was determined to have a bad time, but she refused to give in, especially after that moment the day before in the village.
Sophia stopped Helena mid-pace the next time she crossed the room, gently placing her hands on her shoulders to get her full attention. “Helena, really, everythin’ is in order. Can we just enjoy the beautiful day? Maybe go for a walk?”
Helena considered her aunt’s suggestion for a long moment. Finally, she nodded in agreement.
“How about a picnic, then? I can have a maid gather a few blankets and a basket of sweets. Perhaps down by the loch—there’s a nice meadow just beyond the forest that we can visit. We rode past it on our way to the village a few days ago.”
“Yes, that sounds perfect!” Alice clapped her hands together in excitement.
Sophia and Helena looked at her with surprise—they hadn’t heard her enter the room.
“Oh, dinnae worry, I willnae intrude. I’m sure ye two have plenty to catch up on! I will, however, go tell the maids to get things ready for ye.”
She bounced out of the room with a wink.
Helena just smiled, used to her excitable nature by now. She hadn’t realized until this moment how she had relied on Alice during her aunt’s visit. Though they weren’t that close yet, she appreciated everything Alice had done for her.
Alice quickly organized the picnic, and within the hour, Sophia, Helena, Alexander, Alice, and Felicia were walking through the forest toward the meadow, each carrying something for the picnic.
Sophia had remarked that she had only meant for herself and Helena to have an outing, but Alexander had insisted on coming with them to protect them, and Felicia had simply picked upthe baskets and followed wordlessly alongside Alice, who had organized the whole thing.
“Stop it! Put me down,” Helena squealed, laughing as Alexander lifted her over a mud puddle like she weighed no more than a feather.
