Page 48 of Kilted Sins

“Does Kai ken we switched?” she asked with a gasp.

“O’ course he kens,” said Thora. “An’ he was very displeased about it. He has complained without an end that ye an’ I have done a terrible thing an’ that we should have kent better than tae think we could get away with it.”

Enya didn’t expect Kai to understand. She hardly understood herself. Now that she knew who Cillian really was, she thought that perhaps he would have understood if they had claimed there was an emergency and that Thora’s arrival would have been delayed.

Then again, if his reaction to her being late proved anything, it was that he wouldn’t, in fact, be understanding at all.

“But he will keep our secret?” Enya asked.

“Aye,” said Thora, nodding. “I made him promise he would.”

Enya breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t mean much, of course, that Kai would remain silent about this plan when she planned on telling Cillian soon regardless, but she wanted him to find out through her and not through a third party. Enya had to be the one to confess. It was only right and maybe, if they were lucky, he would forgive her and Thora for this.

“Everythin’ is fine with Ava an’ her clan,” Thora added. “I warned her faither an’ I havenae had any other visions since then, so I can only assume they are fine.”

That, too, was a relief. Enya would have been devastated if something had happened to Ava or her people, so it was good to hear they were all safe.

“An’ now?” Enya asked. “What dae we dae now?”

“Now,” said Thora, drawing in a deep breath, “we change our clothes an’ return tae the celebrations. We have nay other choice.”

Enya nodded, knowing that to be true. With a weary sigh, she stood and began to undress, Thora doing the same before the two of them switched clothes and fixed each other’s hair, making sure Cillian wouldn’t recognize them. Once they were both satisfied with their appearance, Enya headed to the door, trying to prepare herself for what was to come. Just as she was about to open it, though, a question popped into her mind and she glanced at Thora over her shoulder with a frown.

“Why was Kai in Castle MacKinnon?”

Thora chuckled, the sound short and amused. “He wouldnae tell me. But I can only assume he was there for Ava.”

In the time it took Thora and Enya to speak, Cillian had brought everyone inside—the man and the woman who introduced themselves as Kai and Ava, Archibald, and Duncan, the five of them sitting in the drawing room where servants brought them food and drinks, while the rest of the clan continued the celebrations outside. Sooner or later, Cillian planned on joining them once more, but in the past few weeks, he had learned the importance of being a good host and he didn’t want his guests to feel neglected or consider him rude.

As he gestured at Kai and Ava to sit on the couch, Cillian sat on the one across from them, while Archibald took the chair and Duncan, as usual, chose to stand. That man seemed incapable of ever sitting still, and now he was leaning against the fireplace, where fresh logs were burning bright orange.

Unfortunately for Cillian, he didn’t know what to say to either of the newcomers. As Cillian looked at the two of them, he couldn’t help but notice how much Kai resembled his sisters, with the same brilliant blue eyes and dark hair. Though he seemed to be near Cillian’s age, there was a boyish charm to him, something that made him seem younger than his years.

On the other hand, the woman by his side was fair-haired and carried herself with the seriousness and maturity of a much older woman, although Cillian suspected she was even younger than Thora. The two of them acted with such familiarity that Cillian could only guess they had known each other for a long time, and Cillian could only wonder why they had come to Jura along with Enya MacLeod.

How many chaperones dae these lasses need?

“How were ye travels?” Archibald asked, seeing that Cillian had no idea how to start a conversation with his guests.

“Terrible,” said Kai.

“Lovely,” said Ava and proceeded to subtly elbow Kai in the ribs.

Cillian glanced between them, as perplexed as he was amused. He didn’t know what to make of Thora’s brother, but he did know he had to somehow impress him if he wanted to get to his good graces—or at least manage to say a word or two to him.

“Perhaps ye would like tae rest, then,” Cillian said for lack of anything better to say. He figured some polite small talk would be appropriate for this situation. “We will have the maids prepare yer chambers. We werenae aware ye would be arrivin’ tonight.”

“We were meant tae arrive on the morrow,” said Kai. “But the currents an’ the wind brought us here sooner. It was so cold on that boat, I froze from me fingers to me⁠—”

“It does get very cold in the sea!” Ava said, loudly enough to cover Kai’s words. From his position near the fireplace, Duncan snorted, but Archibald only cleared his throat in that dignified manner of his, and Cillian was left wondering if perhaps he was the most well-adjusted person in the room, after all.

Before Cillian could respond to any of this, the doors opened and Thora entered along with Enya. Looking at them, though, Cillian could only tell them apart because he had seen Thora earlier and knew what she had been wearing. It was like looking at the same person, or perhaps a mirror, the two of them so alike that it was not only striking but made Cillian doubt anyone could tell them apart.

As Thora came to sit next to him, Enya stood aside, lingering by a small table near the door. Though they had greeted each other when Enya had first arrived and she had seemed relaxed then, there was something about her know that gave Cillian the impression something was wrong.

What did they talk about? Did Thora tell her somethin’ about me?

Cillian couldn’t even begin to wonder what that could be. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong, at least nothing in the past few days. Perhaps it was nothing and he was simply reading too much into her behavior, he thought. Perhaps she was simply a little shy now, with three people she didn’t know in the room.