“Please, daenae—” Noah started, but Mrs. Crawford was already straightening with a wince.
“Can I get ye anythin’, me Laird? We’ve nae much, but?—”
“We’re fine, Mrs. Crawford,” Ava interjected gently. “I just came to say me goodbyes. And to talk about the future of the orphanage.”
Mrs. Crawford’s expression fell. “Oh, aye. With ye leavin’, I daenae ken how we’ll manage. Ye’ve been keepin’ us afloat these past years with yer donations.”
Noah’s attention sharpened. “Donations?”
Ava’s cheeks flushed. “It’s nothin’. I just give what I can spare from me wages.”
“What she can spare is near everythin’ she earns,” Mrs. Crawford corrected, shaking her head fondly. “Half her wages, every week, without fail. And she volunteers here three days a week besides. I daenae ken what we’ll do without her.”
Noah looked at Ava with new eyes.
Seventy-five pounds a year had seemed more than a modest request; now he understood why. She wasn’t asking for wealth, but for just enough to get by while still having money left over to help others.
The salary she’d demanded wasn’t for herself at all.
“The orphanage willnae suffer,” he heard himself say. Both women turned to stare at him. “I’ll make arrangements to have funds allocated from the castle, as soon as I ken how much is required. Be assured, it will be sufficient to repair the roof, stock the larder, and provide regular income for operations.”
Mrs. Crawford’s hand flew to her mouth. “Me Laird, that’s... We couldnae possibly?—”
“Ye can, and ye will.” Noah used his Laird voice, the one that didn’t brook argument. “Consider it an investment in the clan’s future. These children are of the MacGregor clan, even without families to claim them.”
Ava was staring at him with such open amazement that Noah felt uncharacteristically self-conscious.
“Ye dinnae have to do that.”
“I ken I dinnae have to. I wanted to.” He met her gaze steadily. “Ye shouldnae have to bankrupt yerself to keep children fed and sheltered. That’s the clan’s responsibility.”
For a moment, Ava looked like she might cry. Then she blinked rapidly and turned away. “I... Thank ye. That’s... Thank ye.”
“Can I go play?” Esther tugged on Noah’s sleeve, her eyes fixed on the doorway where several small faces had appeared, peeking curiously at the visitors.
“Aye, lass. Go on.”
Esther didn’t need to be told twice. She ran toward the other children, and within moments, they had dragged her into a game involving a ball and lots of shrieking laughter.
Noah watched his niece and felt something loosen in his chest. She was running, laughing, and playing with other children without fear or hesitation. When was the last time he’d seen her like this?
Never, he realized. Not in the two years she’d been with him.
“She’s a different child when she’s happy,” Ava said softly, coming to stand beside him. She’d composed herself, though her eyes were still suspiciously bright. “Ye can barely tell she’s the same frightened wee thing from a few days ago.”
“I’ve never seen her this way.” Noah couldn’t look away from Esther’s smiling face. “Even before she went missin’, she was always so quiet. So... careful.”
“That’s what fear does to children. It makes them small and silent.” Ava’s voice carried a hint of personal experience. “But give them safety and love, and they bloom like flowers in spring.”
Noah glanced at her. “Ye speak as if ye ken it well.”
“I do.” She didn’t elaborate, and Noah didn’t push.
But he filed the information away, adding it to the growing picture of who Ava really was.
They spent the next hour at the orphanage while Ava made her rounds—saying goodbye to the children, organizing her volunteer schedule with Agnes (a capable-looking woman in her thirties who seemed excited about taking on more responsibility), and showing Mrs. Crawford how to keep the account books Ava had apparently been maintaining.
Through it all, Noah watched the children cling to Ava, trust her, and see that she knew each of their names, their favorite foods, and their fears. Watched how she knelt in the dirt to tie a little boy’s shoe, how she braided a girl’s hair with practiced ease, and how she settled a dispute over a toy with the wisdom of Solomon.
