“Walked out of here?” Conall growled, his glare every bit as sharp as his father’s. “Ye threw me out!”
“And why did I do that? Because ye betrayed me and joined the Order of the stinking Osprey!”
“What alternative was there? Remain here and become as black-hearted as ye?”
Earl Sinclair’s face turned red. “Ye will show me respect while ye sit at my table, boy!”
Conall lurched to his feet. “Then I think it best if I dinna sit at yer table.” He gave Adaira and Molly a stiff bow. “My apologies, ladies. Thank ye for the meal, Stepmother.”
With that, he turned and stormed out, the door slamming behind him. A moment later, Earl Sinclair scraped back his chair and stood. “Bah! I told ye this was a waste of time, Adaira. There is no reasoning with that ungrateful whelp. I have work to do. Good day.” And with that, he stormed out after his son.
A heavy silence fell. Molly sat in shock, not sure what to say. Adaira sighed, then wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.
“I’m sorry ye had to see that,” she said. “I thought maybe...after all this time...they might...” She drew in a deep breath. “Seems I was wrong.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Molly asked, not knowing what else to say.
Lady Adaira gave Molly a small smile. “Thank you, my dear, but there’s not much anyone can do to fix what’s already broken. Conall and his father have been at odds for years, ever since he joined the Order and went against his father’s wishes.”
“It’s a shame,” Molly said. “They could achieve so much more if they worked together instead of against each other.”
“Yes, they could. I apologize for my husband’s behavior,” Lady Adaira said, her voice tinged with regret. “He can be difficult at times.”
“No apology necessary. I understand how family can be.”
“Do you?” Lady Adaira asked, looking at her intently. “Do you have family, Molly?
“I have a father,” Molly answered, deciding truth was the best option. “But I haven’t seen him in a little while. He’s a long way from here.”
Adaira nodded. “I can tell you miss him.”
“Yes, I do.” She said quietly.
Adaira ran a finger around the outside of a dish, thinking. “Has Conall said anything to you about the strife between him and his father?”
“Me?” Molly replied, caught off guard by this sudden shift in conversation. “Why would he have said anything to me?”
One side of Adair’s mouth quirked into a smile. “Oh, come now. It’s obvious that you and Conall are more than just colleagues. It’s obvious that you are...close.”
Molly moved her mouth, unable to respond to that. Eventually she croaked out, “It is?”
Adaira chuckled. “Yes, it is. I may be old, but I’m not blind.” She leaned closer to Molly. “And if I’m not mistaken, there’s more going on between you two than just a professional relationship.”
Molly felt her face flush. “I... I don’t know what you mean.”
Adaira’s smile softened. “It’s all right, my dear. I won’t pry. But I will say this—if you care for Conall as much as I think you do, you might want to try and mend things between him and his father. They both need each other, even if they won’t admit it. I have a feeling that Conall has confided in you about his family troubles.”
Molly shifted in her seat, feeling uneasy. “He’s mentioned some things, yes.”
Adaira nodded. “I suspected as much. Conall blames his father for breaking up the family. He’s deeply hurt by it, and I understand why. But he needs to understand that his father was only doing what he thought was best at the time. My husband has regrets about how things turned out, but he would never admit it.” She sighed. “And Conall hates me. He paints me as the evil stepmother in a child’s tale, no matter what I do.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Molly began. “I’m sure it’s just—”
“Yes, he does,” Adaira said sadly, cutting her off. “Conall is an only child and he doted on his mother. When his parents’ marriage ended, his mother left, returning to her ancestral home. Conall blames his father for that abandonment. And me for being the cause of it all.”
Her voice ached with sadness. Molly reached out and squeezed the older woman’s hand.
Sorrow shone in Adaira’s dark eyes. “I wish things could have been different. Perhaps if William and I had been more careful, they might have been. And then Conall would have beenmyson. As he should have been.”
