Page 26 of The Lady of Her Highland Clan

"It's from oor father tae my mother," said Fiona by explanation. Her mother was not Grace's, so she knew it was unlikely to hold the same importance for her, but to her surprise, Grace looked at her tenderly.

"It's a beautiful letter," she said, taking it. "He loved yer mother vera much."

Fiona smiled. "Aye, that he did, but there's more. If ye turn it around, on the behind, there's a drawing an' instructions on how tae find something...something that is buried..."

Turning it, Grace unfolded the letter some more. Finally, her expression changed. "Crivvens, Fiona, ye mean there's real-life buried treasure here, an' I didnae ken?"

The look on her face was so precious that Fiona could not help but laugh.

"Aye, I mean, perhaps," she said, smiling. "It's still nae very likely."

"An' yet, somehow, Laird Greenock has gotten ye tae believe that it is," Grace said sharply.

In an instant, Grace had got to the heart of the matter.

Fiona nodded. "Aye," she said, relaxing at last.

She might have known that Grace would get it out of her eventually. And once she had, Fiona wondered why she had bothered trying to hide it. After all, Grace was bound to find out eventually.

There was a pause, then, before Fiona could start talking, the door opened. Vexed at being interrupted, Fiona held in a tut.

"Fiona?"

In ran Aileen, and by her side came Lissie. As if that was not enough, behind her was Billie, their redheaded brother.

Everyone, in short.

Fiona sighed. "Havenae any o' ye heard o' knocking?" she muttered, but Grace's eyes flared. Before Fiona got a chance to speak further, Grace jumped up.

"They're going tae search for the missing treasure!"

Fiona silently cursed. This was not the way she had been going to break it to her younger siblings. Warily, she watched for their reaction.

"The gold." Lissie's face had creased into a frown. Fiona felt a dart of anxiety for her. Her light-blue eyes stared watchfully. "Mother’s mamma's gold, her family's ruby... the one she always wanted tae give tae me?"

Lissie's eyes filled with tears. Fiona felt a rush of sympathy. Quickly, her eyes jetted to Grace, watching uncertainly. It was clear she had not expected this. With her arm around Lissie, Fiona filled her in.

"The treasure, the ruby...it...it belonged tae our great-grandfather an' had been meant for our mother. She was the youngest. An' mother always said she would pass it tae her youngest too, if it were found," said Fiona. "But no one could find it, an' thought it lost..."

Beneath her, Lissie was blowing her nose loudly as Aileen and Billie also looked on. Fiona turned to Grace.

"It's like the last remnant o' mother, an' it's just a wee bit hard tae think o'," she explained, but she didn't have to. Now, Grace's demeanor had completely changed.

She sat bolt upright in the chair, a little sheepish. "I didnae ken," she said softly. Lissie blew her nose and turned to Fiona with an attempt at a smile. Fiona's heart almost melted. She looked so young, and this was so much harder for her as she never knew her mother.

Now that Grace realized, she looked more serious.

"Well, um, is this a good idea?" she asked. All four of them stared closely at her. So far, Aileen and Billie had nothing to say. Fiona knew all too well how unusual this was.

"I dinnae ken," said Fiona, her resolve wavering. She looked to Billie unsurely. He had been standing silently by the door. In the last year or so, he had matured considerably and now looked slightly more than his seventeen years.

"Where is it?" was his first question as he watched from the doorway. Quietly, he entered the room, first ensuring the door was properly closed. Fiona showed him the letter. Taking it, the glimmers of a smile erupted on him.

"I kent it," he said with a grin. "I kent it was real."

Billie's smile was infectious.

And for a second, Fiona saw a glimpse of the impetuous lad that she knew he was. However, he did a good impression of buttoning it down. Underneath, though, she could see he was impressed.