The older woman got out of her car and walked toward the cottage, one eyebrow raised in what might have been amusement. “Well,” she said dryly. “That was convenient timing.”
“How did you...”
“Get here so quickly?” Fiona finished. “I was close by when I got your message. I suspected it was only a matter of time before you called.” She tilted her head. “Are you going to invite me in?”
Estelle hesitated only briefly before stepping aside. “Adara’s napping.”
“All the better,” Fiona said, moving past her into the cottage. “Some conversations are easier without little ears nearby.”
She acts as if she owns the place,Estelle’s dragon observed as Fiona headed for the kitchen.
It was true. Despite her age and slight build, Fiona moved with the kind of certainty that made the cottage feel smaller.
“Tea?” Estelle asked, reaching for the kettle more for something to do than out of hospitality.
“Please. No sugar.”
Estelle set the kettle on and turned back to face her. “You said you expected me to call.”
Fiona settled herself at the kitchen table as if she had every right to be there. “I expected you would either come to your senses and call or pack your bags and disappear again. I’m relieved to see it was the former.”
Estelle folded her arms. “You seem very sure of yourself.”
“I usually am.”
“So here we are.” Estelle did not want to reveal too much too soon until she’d gotten a handle on Fiona.
Fiona studied her for a moment. “After our first meeting, I did a little digging. You seemed a little on edge for a woman merely starting over, and I knew the moment I smelled her that the child is not your blood.” Her gaze sharpened. “That told me enough to know there was more to the story.”
Estelle went still.We should have run.
Too late now,her dragon said.
“I do not care for dangers I do not understand wandering into my town,” Fiona continued. “Particularly not one of the dragon variety.”
“My town?” she repeated carefully as she poured the tea. “And what exactly do you mean by that?”
Fiona accepted the tea Estelle set before her. “It means I keep watch. I know who comes and goes. I don’t like surprises. It’s how I keep my family safe. As a mother, you understand that.”
Estelle’s fingers tightened around her own mug. “You make that sound like a warning.”
Fiona looked at her over the rim of her cup. “It’s not. It’s a statement of fact. There are so few of us around these mountains. So they’re all like family to me.” She set the cup down. “And before you bristle any further, that includes you. And Adara.”
Silence stretched between them.
Her dragon lifted its head.She means it.
Estelle did not relax. Not entirely. But something in Fiona’s tone had shifted the ground beneath her.
“You know about Margaret,” Estelle said quietly.
Fiona inclined her head. “I know enough. A grieving grandmother with money, persistence, and a conviction that she knows best can cause a great deal of damage, even with all the best intentions.”
The truth of it struck deep.
“She loves Adara,” Estelle said.
“I don’t doubt it,” Fiona replied. “That does not make the child safe.”
