She took her time walking back down the stairs, if only to delay the inevitable.
“Thalia, I really think that?—”
Thalia put a finger to her lips, tilting her head back towards Daisy, who was still sitting at the top of the stairs.
“Let’s go somewhere else. I daenae want to upset her,” she explained, and Ava nodded.
The two stepped outside, and Thalia breathed in the cool air. They stood in companionable silence for a few moments before Ava finally turned towards her.
“I ken ye willnae come back with me tonight, but I do think we should leave first thing in the mornin’,” she started.
“Ava—”
“Nay! I daenae want to argue anymore,” Ava cut her off. “Ye’re bein’ stubborn, and I cannae understand why.”
“I was only goin’ to say that I think ye’re right,” Thalia explained.
Ava sighed. “Ye ken I’d do anythin’ to help ye, right? Let me talk to Uncle, and we can get this whole thing fixed. I willnae let ye marry Laird MacGibbon. I daenae like him one bit.”
“Nay. He is…” Thalia struggled to find the right word. “Frightenin’. I didnae like the way he looked at me.”
“I understand why ye ran away, but I still daenae understand why ye came here.”
Thalia shrugged. “I didnae mean to. I stumbled upon Daisy, and she led me here. Then, Finlay was so kind to offer me a place to stay… I thought it would be best.”
“But if ye stay with Finlay, that’s only going to cause more trouble. Ye ken that, right?”
“Aye, I do.”
“Then it’s settled. We leave in the mornin’.” Thalia grimaced, and Ava sighed. “What now?”
“I already promised Daisy I’d go for a walk with her tomorrow, and I daenae want to break me promise,” Thalia said.
“Very well!” Ava huffed, exasperated. “We will leave tomorrow afternoon, at the very latest! I’m already anxious enough about being away from Nathan and Joanna. I daenae want to be gone for too long.”
“All right, we will go home tomorrow afternoon,” Thalia agreed.
“And everything will be fine.”
“Aye. I hope ye’re right.”
CHAPTER 6
As soon asThalia and Ava swept out the front door, Daisy made her way back down the stairs. She could still hear her father and her uncle talking in the dining room, the words echoing off the stone walls.
“I daenae ken what to do to make her trust me.”
“Ye’re doin’ the best ye can. Ye need to give yerself a bit more grace.”
“But ye and Ava didnae have these problems with Nathan.”
“Aye, but Nathan was just a wee lad. Barely more than a bairn. It made some things easier.”
Daisy hadn’t met Nathan yet, but she could hear the sadness and frustration in her father’s voice. It made her sad. She wanted him to like her, but she was still scared of him. She knew how quickly men like him could get angry, and even though she hadnever seen him lose his temper, she didn’t want to take any chances.
She crept away from the dining room towards the front door. It was too risky to try to open it, since Thalia and Ava were just right on the other side, so she pressed her ear against the wood. She closed her eyes tightly to focus and was able to make out some of their conversation.
“I didnae mean to. I stumbled upon Daisy, and she led me here. Then, Finlay was so kind to offer me a place to stay… I thought it would be best.”
