“Good God.”
The astonished exclamation claimed her attention and she stared down at her brother with the same wonder she saw in his familiar eyes. She hadn’t even realized her feet had carried her to the stairs.
Now they carried her down them at a run.
“Oh my God! Piper!” Harry caught her in his arms and twirled her around. A sob shaking his broad chest. “Oh, my sweet girl,” he whispered in her ear, the words trembling with emotion. So thick she could hardly understand them. “You’re here. I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I’m here.”
She was crying, as was he. Tears of joy and sobs sent his ecstatic rotation off-kilter until they were both laughing. Pangs of happiness and regret ricocheted against her ribs. He set her on her feet and stared down at her as if he couldn’t comprehend her presence.
“Where were you? Where have you been?” He swiped the tears off her cheeks, his gaze retracing her features as if to memorize, or recollect, every feature. “Why did you leave without telling me?”
“Oh, long story that.” She gave a watery chuckle and swiped her fingers over her wet cheeks with one hand, gripping his tightly with the other.
She should have done this long ago. An eternity of gratitude would never be enough to repay Connor for making this moment happen.
“Did Granger find you?” Harry demanded. “I’ll kill him for not telling me straightaway.”
“Actually, he pulled a gun on me.” She laughed again.
“He what? My God, I’ll kill him for that as well,” he swore in all seriousness.
Piper waved her hand before her face as a rush of emotion overtook her. She glanced at Connor for help and he hurried to her side.
“Do ye need me to…?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve got it.”
He turned to Harry and raised a conciliatory hand. “Dinnae browbeat her, aye? Why dinnae I call for Hilde to bring ye some tea in the drawing room so Piper can tell ye about it in her own time?”
Harry looked between her and Connor for a moment and nodded. He addressed his wife. “Darling, I should love to finally introduce you to my sister, Lady Phillipa Brudenall.”
“Piper,” she corrected, as she was enveloped in a warm hug. She returned it for she’d never heard anything but complimentary things about this sister-in-law of hers. One twice over.
“I’m delighted that you’re home,” Fiona said for her ears only. “He has grieved for you for so long.”
“I have missed him, as well,” she assured her.
Fiona drew away with a bright smile. “I’m pleased to have you here. What happened?”
Connor offered his arm to his sister by way of distraction. He’d warned her Fiona was the straightforward sort. “I’ll take ye up to visit the twins and tell ye all about it while Piper talks to Harry.”
Gratefully, Piper watched them go. She didn’t know what she planned to say to her brother, though she definitely didn’t want an audience for it.
In the end, it all poured out of her without hesitation. Every detail right up until she and Connor boarded the train to Scotland. Fifteen minutes later over a hot tea laced with Hilde’s whisky, Piper brushed another tear away as Harry buried his face in his shaking hands.
“My God. I’ll kill him.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry you’ll be denied the chance.”
“I never knew you were missing until near the end of April.” He peeked up at her between his fingers, eyes glassy with shock. “It was months before I knew. Celeste hid your absence from me.”
“I know that now.”
“She’d didn’t write me with the truth—rather, her version of it—until she was desperate.” He sounded a trifle dumbfounded, but then the whole thing was mind-boggling.
Setting aside her teacup, Piper went to the sideboard and poured a healthy portion of Connor’s favorite Scotch into a glass and brought it to him. It sloshed over the rim as he took it and tossed it back. Poor Harry, the story had hurt him more than it had hurt her at this point.
