Chapter Fifteen
“Dinnae fash, Tessa.” Darach soothed. “ ’Tis all been a fright for ye, I ken that, but mayhap Soni granted ye the gift of sight, so ye might meet William Guthrie and his Keita before she takes them away.” Darach tipped his head and studied Tessa. “Or is it that ye see them because ye’ve finally begun tae believe what young Emily’s been tryin’ tae tell ye, all along?”
Before Tess could think clearly enough to form a reply, Emily yanked on Darach’s sleeve, pulling him down to her level. “Who is that lady with Jack?”
“ ’Tis Keita. Yer grandmother wrote of her in her diary. Remember?”
“But, Keita died.”
“Aye.” Darach nodded. “She did. And went tae Heaven. But when William, her husband—who you call Jack—died, his spirit was trapped, right here, in this house. So, Soncerae brought Keita’s spirit back tae help William find his way home, tae Heaven. Does all that make sense?”
Tessa couldn’t shake the sensation that she was somewhere on the outside looking in as she desperately struggled to accept such a bizarre story. She watched Emily, her little face scrunched in concentration, work to tie all the pieces together in her mind.
Suddenly, before Tess could grab her, Em darted across the room, stopping just short of Soni’s swirling mist. Panicked, Tess started after her.
“Wait,” Darach cautioned. “Dinna fash. She’s fine.”
Torn, Tessa hung back, wanting to trust Darach’s word, but the need to protect Emily raged through her.
“Hello,” Em said hesitantly. “I’m Emily. Darach says you’re a good witch. Good witches can do magic, too, can’t they?” The trembling anticipation in her voice tugged at Tessa’s heart.
Soncerae’s warm smile lit up her eyes. “Aye. A bit.”
“You brought Keita back from Heaven, to be with Jack? With William, I mean?”
“Well…yes. Just temporarily, ye ken. So, she could help William find his way home.”
Emily beamed, almost vibrating with excitement. “Then you can bring my mom and dad back, too! Will you?Please?”She twisted her fingers together and despite her obvious struggle to stop it, her chin began to quiver. “I miss themso much!” Her voice broke on the last two words. “And my grandma and grandpa?” she managed to add, on a sob.
Her request ripped Tessa’s heart open and when she tried to go to Emily, Darach grasped her arm and pulled her back. “Nae, love,” he whispered. “Ye cannae protect her from this.”
If Tessa’s heart hadn’t bled before, she knew it did now. “Let go!” She tried to pull away, to control the sob erupting from her throat. “She needs me.”
“Nae. She needs the truth, and for ye tae be strongwithher. No’forher.”
Tessa tried to swallow the burning lump in her throat, but it wouldn’t dislodge. She wanted to trust Darach, but she needed to protect Emily. It took all her strength to stand there. To allow Emily to experience the pain and disappointment Tessa knew was coming.
Soncerae’s cloak billowed around her as she crouched in front of Emily and brushed a finger down Emily’s cheek. “Aww, sweeting, ye’ve suffered much. I ken ye miss yer parents and grandparents, sometimes beyond bearin’, just as I’m sure they miss ye. But I dinna havethatkind of magical power. ’Tis beyond what any amount of magic witches and wizards have, tae accomplish such a thing. Ye must understand, lass, Keita was only granted a verra narrow bit of time tae come, and only for the savin’ of William’s soul, ye ken? Her time is already runnin’ out. ’Tis nae more than a handful of minutes in mortal time.”
Soni wiped a trail of tears from Emily’s cheeks. “But I’ll tell ye this. I’m sure yer parents wish ye tae know that if ’twere at all possible, they would most certainly be here with ye. But they’re watchin’ over ye, every day, ye ken? So, they’ll see ye grow intae the wonderful person they already know ye tae be. And ye can be sure they’ll be there with ye through every wonderful experience. Even through the hard times, like this one. And, they’ll be waitin’ for ye, when ’tis time. But first, they want ye tae experience all the wonderful things life has tae offer. Will ye promise tae try tae do that, knowin’ that’s what they’d wish of ye?”
Emily pressed her lips tight to still her quivering chin and knuckled away her tears. After several moments she hiccupped and nodded. “I’ll try. I promise.”
Soncerae winked as she rose, nodding her approval. “I kenned ye were a brave lass.”
Tessa waited, her heart swollen with both pain and pride, expecting Emily to come to her for comfort. Instead, she walked toward William and Keita.
“I’m happy to meet you, Keita,” Emily said, her voice still a little ragged with emotion. “I wish you could’ve brought your baby.” She leaned toward Guthrie, as if to impart a secret. “She’s really pretty, Jack. I mean…William.” She smiled then, and Tessa finally released the breath she’d been holding. “I’m glad you get to be with your family, again,” Emily added before looking back at Tessa. “See, Aunt Tess? They really are, real!”
While Tessa’s eyes and ears confirmed they were real, her head still argued that it couldn’t be true. She’d never believed in ghosts or witches, and especially not in the ability to move between realms of existence, and yet…there they stood, right in front of her, looking at her as if she was the one out of place.
It made so much more sense that she’d finally succumbed to the pressure and loss she’d suffered over the last several months, than what she saw before her. But there stood Emily, safe, sound, and completely comfortable chatting with two ghosts, like long-lost friends at a back-yard barbeque.
Slowly, one reluctant concession after another, against everything she’d ever believed in, she had to admit Darach hadn’t lied, after all. He’d told the truth, and these people—the witch and the spirits—truly did exist.
Tessa focused on deep, steady breaths as she finally accepted the unacceptable and inched her way into a new reality.
Suddenly, the trepidation churning inside her at such a possibility was overshadowed by the realization that if Darach had been speaking the truth this whole time, thenhis declaration of love was genuine. She breathed that in. Wanted to lock the joy of it inside her heart.
