After he leaned his bicycle against the stone wall and removed his satchel from the rack over the back wheel, he strolled down the path with the ladies. The Wren said goodbye and headed into the side door of the keeper’s quarters.
Cilla raised a shaky smile to Lachlan. “Thank you. I do like your parents.”
“Aye, they’re grand.”
She blinked a few times and glanced away.
“I have one condition,” he said. “None of your jokes about being my girlfriend. In fact, I want you to tell them you have a boyfriend in the Netherlands.” He didn’t want to raise his parents’ hopes, and he could never date a double agent—nor could he tell his parents why he couldn’t.
“Those are two conditions, not one. But I agree.” Her lips quivered again, but with amusement. “I wouldn’t want them to think you were stepping out on your girlfriend in the Orkneys.”
Lachlan coughed. “My girlfriend?”
Cilla grinned. “They said you had a date.”
“Aye.” Lachlan groaned. “But we willnae be having another date.”
“Oh no. What happened?”
Nothing. Nothing happened at all, and he motioned her through the gap in the wall surrounding the courtyard. “Jean is a friend of Irene, Arthur’s girlfriend. The four of us stepped out a few times, and all went well. Then I took her to a restaurant alone.”
“Yes, and ...”
“Jean is very quiet.”
“Oh no. You had no one to stoke the conversation. How awful.” Then she snickered. “You poor thing.” And snickered again.
Lachlan grumbled. “I’m glad my misery amuses you.”
“And I’m glad the love of my life will no longer be stepping out on me.” She swung open the door to the lighthouse and beamed a smile his way.
He deflected the beam with a mock glare and followed her inside.
She laughed. “One thing you’ll never have to worry about—I will never step out on you with your brother.”
“Neil.” His groan echoed in the small entryway. “We are different in every way.”
“Not in every way.” Cilla headed up the spiral staircase.
“Aye, every way.”
“I disagree.” Her yellow floral dress swished around her knees. “You are both passionate about what you believe in and dedicated to your cause. Nothing can sway you, no matter the cost.”
“He has the wrong cause.”
She ducked around and sent a grin past her shoulder. “That isn’t my point. You share that passion and dedication.”
“I share nothing with that man.”
She crossed a landing, where a door led to a storage room. “What was it you said about a kingdom divided against itself? How does that happen? How does a kingdom become divided? When we look only to our differences. I prefer to look at what we have in common, what binds us, what we share. That’s what unites us and makes us strong.”
The staircase spiraled up, and Lachlan clutched the handrail, a bit dizzy. Cilla van der Zee was a most attractive woman, not only shapely legs and gleaming eyes but intelligence and surprising wisdom. And passion. Dedication. Dedication even tohiscause.
At the top of the staircase, Lachlan paused to catch his breath and order his dizzied thoughts. He couldn’t let himself be fooled by her.
In the lightroom, Third Officer St. Clair spread papers on the table. “Good morning, Lieutenant. Everything is set up. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Thank you, Officer.”
