“I cannae ken that, lass,” Elspeth confessed. “No one can. But he’s been alone for far too long. It isnae right for a young man to live his life alone, or for a young woman. People should have their other half.” She paused for a moment, then she turned to Keira. “I do believe if Violet was Raphael’s other half, she would be here. But instead…yeare here.” She smiled at her.
Keira couldn’t help but smile back. She had no idea what these words meant. Right now, that didn’t matter.
“Is everything ready for the cèilidh?” Keira asked, feeling a need for a less strenuous topic of conversation.
“I do believe so.” Elspeth nodded, her face cheering up at the notion. “In fact, I do believe that—” She paused, noticing that the butler was walking towards them.
Keira turned around so that, now, both women were facing the man who was walking hastily as if he were late. Upon his arrival, Keira noticed that his countenance was perturbed.
“Milady,” he addressed Elspeth, “there is an English couple at the door insistin’ on seein’ the laird, but he is nowhere to be found.”
“An English couple?” Elspeth sounded shocked. “All the way out here? Why, they must be lost.”
Keira couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling as she stood there, listening to their conversation. Who could this couple be, endingup in the Scottish Highlands exactly where she was? Could it be peers from the ton, perhaps Joan’s relatives that got lost? Would it be anyone who would recognize her, and tell her parents upon their return?
Dread settled deep inside her, and she found herself unable to move.
“And Raphael isnae here, ye say?” Elspeth continued, bringing Keira back to the present moment. “Well then, I suppose I shall see them. Take them to the drawin’ room, and I will be there shortly.”
Keira’s thoughts swirled as she contemplated her next move. Should she ask to join Elspeth in hopes that it was an entirely different couple altogether, a couple who had nothing to do with her parents? Should she remain hidden and hope they would eventually leave, whoever they are? She desperately needed advice, and she cracked her fingers silently, wondering what to do.
“Aye, Milady.” The butler turned around and left, and Elspeth immediately noticed Keira’s unease.
“Is everythin’ all right, Keira?” Elspeth asked, her gentle voice cutting through the soft chirping of the birds from a nearby tree.
“Yes, quite so.” Keira smiled, albeit a little nervously, something that Elspeth’s keen eyes did not fail to notice.
“Are ye worried about somethin’?”
“No, no,” Keira assured her. “Why would I be?”
She felt horrible for lying to this lovely woman, but she had no other choice. How on earth was she to admit that she had been lying to her own family, keeping them in the belief that she had been staying with her friend Joan all this time?
How was she to reveal that she had agreed to come with Raphael, a complete stranger, and spend a fortnight with him, promising unmentionable things on both ends?
Her thoughts were a whirlwind of worry and anxiety, trying to decipher the puzzle that seemed to be growing increasingly complex.
“Why dinnae ye come back inside with me so we can see what this couple wants from Raphael,” Elspeth suggested. “And then we can find that lad, who I swear sometimes gets lost and refuses to allow himself to be found.”
Keira knew what that felt like, for she wanted to do exactly that—get lost and never be found.
“All right,” Keira could only agree. She had no plausible reason to deny her host’s request, so she followed Elspeth back inside the castle and to the drawing room.
Keira and Elspeth approached the drawing room, a sense of trepidation lingering in the air. Keira’s pulse quickened with every step, her mind racing with thoughts of what awaited her. She had been so careful in orchestrating this plan…
Don’t worry. This is an English couple that has nothing to do with you, and this is just a silly coincidence. You’ll laugh about it within minutes.
She tried to reassure herself, but that wasn’t as easy as she had thought it would be. She couldn’t shake that gnawing fear that her carefully constructed lie might crumble, and she would be left to pick up the broken pieces of her life, which would, after this, never be the same again.
As they reached the drawing room, the door opened, revealing that the couple had everything to do with her, after all.
“Keira!” her mother exclaimed, an entire world of shock, surprise, and anguish in just that one word.
19
“Mother!?” Keira gasped, feeling the weight of an entire mountain press upon her chest. “Father!?”
Everyone’s expression was one of shock and concern. The surprise was mutual, as much as Keira could see.
