“I… what do ye mean?”
“The subjects ye’ve listed.The level of education ye’re providin’.” Amara’s voice was gentle but firm. “That’s nae the education of a village girl who learned from a kind neighbor. That’s the education of a lady. The official curriculum for daughters of lairds and nobles.”
Piper feltthe blood drain from her face. “I… nay, that cannae be right. Alexandra was just… she was just a kind woman who lived next door. She never said more.”
“Perhaps she never told yewho she really was,” Amara suggested. “But the education she gave ye—Latin, French, music, all of it—that’s nae common knowledge. That’s the education reserved for the nobility.”
“But she died alone,”Piper protested. “In a tiny cottage in a village. If she were noble, if she had a family, then I would have ken.”
“Sometimes people run from their families,”Amara said quietly. “Sometimes the life they’re expected to live is sosuffocatin’ that they’d rather die alone and free than live surrounded by wealth and duty.”
Piper’s handwent to her necklace, Alexandra’s necklace.
What if shereally was noble? What if she ran away and hid in our village, and I never kent?
“It doesnae matter,”Piper said finally. “Whoever Alexandra was before, she was kind to me. She taught me. And now I’m usin’ what she taught me to help others. That’s all that matters.”
“Of course, dear.”But Amara was still watching her with those sharp eyes, and Piper had the uncomfortable feeling that the older woman saw far more than Piper wanted her to.
The restof the day passed in a blur. Afternoon lessons. Evening meal. Piper went through the motions, but her mind was elsewhere.
Was Alexandra really noble?And if she was, why did she never tell me?
By the timePiper returned to her chambers, exhaustion had settled into her bones. She changed into her nightgown, climbed into bed, and was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
She didn’t knowhow long she’d been sleeping when the knock came.
Soft.Hesitant. Barely audible.
Piper’s eyes flew open.For a moment, she lay frozen, her heart pounding. Then the knock came again.
“Miss Armstrong?”A small voice. Connor’s voice. “Are ye awake?”
Piper scrambledout of bed and hurried to the door, pulling it open. Connor stood in the corridor in his nightshirt, his face pale and tear-streaked. Behind him stood Masie, also in her nightclothes, looking uncomfortable.
“Connor? What’s wrong?”
“He had a nightmare,”Masie said quietly. “A bad one. He wanted to see ye. He asked if we could come to ye.”
“I’m sorry,”Connor whispered, more tears spilling down his cheeks. “I ken it’s the middle of the night, and ye need yer sleep, but I just… I couldnae stay in me chambers alone.”
“Come here.”Piper didn’t hesitate. She pulled Connor into her arms, feeling his small body shake with sobs. “It’s all right. Ye’re safe now.”
“Can we…”Connor’s voice was muffled against her shoulder. “Can we stay with ye? Just for a little while?”
Piper looked at Masie,who was trying very hard to look like she didn’t care. But Piper could see the tension in the girl’s shoulders, the way her hands clutched at her nightgown.
“Both of ye,”Piper said firmly. “Come in.”
She usheredthem into her chambers and closed the door. Connor clung to her like a burr, and even Masie stayed close.
“What was the nightmare about?”Piper asked gently, guiding them toward the bed.
“Monsters,”Connor whispered. “Big ones, with teeth and claws. They were chasin’ me, and I couldnae run fast enough, and then they caught me.”
His voice broke on a sob.
“It wasnae real,”Piper said, settling onto the bed and pulling Connor onto her lap. She looked at Masie. “Come here, lass.”
