They descendeda wide staircase and turned down another corridor. Piper could hear voices now, the clatter of dishes, the sounds of a household gathered for a meal.
Her stomach churned with nerves.
Ye can do this.It’s just breakfast. Just meetin’ the children properly. Just facin’ the man who kissed ye senseless last night and then?—
“Stop that,”Amara said suddenly.
“Stop what?”
“Whatever ye’re thinkin’that’s makin’ ye look like ye’re about to face a firin’ squad.” Amara’s eyes twinkled. “It’s just breakfast, dear. The children will love ye, I’m sure of it. And Elijah, well, Elijah will just have to deal with havin’ a bonnie lass at his table.”
Before Piper could respondto that, or to the knowing look in Amara’s eyes, they reached a set of large doors. Amara pushed them open, and they entered the great hall.
It was massive.Long tables stretched the length of the room, already filled with people eating and talking.
Servants movedbetween the tables with platters of food. The walls were hung with more tapestries and clan banners, and a huge fireplace at one end crackled with flames.
At the headof the room sat a raised table, the high table, Piper assumed, where the Laird and his family would eat.
Masie sat there,looking sullen and picking at her food. Next to her sat a young boy—Connor, it had to be—who was enthusiastically shoveling porridge into his mouth. And next to him?—
Empty.Elijah’s seat was empty.
Relief and disappointmentwarred in Piper’s chest. She wouldn’t have to face him yet. But also, where was he? Was he avoiding her? Had last night affected him so badly that he couldn’t even sit through a meal in the same room with her?
“There ye are!”Amara called out cheerfully, leading Piper toward the high table. “Masie, Connor, I’d like ye to meet Miss Piper Armstrong. She’s yer new governess, and she’ll be startin’ lessons with ye today.”
Connor’s head snapped up,his eyes, green like his father’s, going wide. A huge smile spread across his face, revealing a gap where he’d lost a tooth.
“A governess?Really? We get a real governess?” He bounded out of his seat, all excited energy. “Are ye goin’ to teach us everythin’? Can ye teach me about stars? And swords? And how to?—”
“Connor, sit down,”Masie said sharply. “Ye’re embarrassin’ yerself.”
“Am nae!”But Connor sat anyway, still grinning at Piper. “I’m just excited. We havenae had a governess in forever.”
“Because the last three ran away,”Masie muttered into her porridge.
“They dinnae run away,”Amara said firmly. “They simply found other positions that better suited them.”
“They ran away,”Masie repeated, finally looking up at Piper. Her green eyes, so like both her father’s and brother’s, were cold. Assessing. “Just like this one will, once she realizes what a nightmare we are.”
“I’m nae a nightmare!”Connor protested.
“Ye arewhen ye put frogs in people’s beds.”
“That was one time!”
“It was three times.”
“Well, ye deserved it for—”
“Children,”Amara interrupted, her voice gentle but firm. “Let’s show Miss Armstrong that we ken how to behave like civilized people, shall we?” She guided Piper to a seat at the table, between where Elijah should have been sitting and where Amara herself took her place. “Piper, this is Masie. And this is Connor, who is usually much better behaved than his sister makes him sound.”
“I am better behaved!”Connor said indignantly. “I’m the best behaved person in the whole castle!”
“Ye puthoney in Da’s boots last week,” Masie pointed out.
“He never notices anythin’anyway, so what does it matter?”
