“Fox.”
Theo froze. The glass in his hand stilled midair. His eyes shot to the doorway.
The voice came again, hesitant, like the first crack in spring ice. “Fox… glove.”
He stood up.
Lavina drew to a halt, her head slowly turning toward the study. Amber’s hand had risen to her mouth, her eyes wide with realization. Maisie gasped in shock.
Theo moved to the door like a man caught in a dream. He stared at the child.
“Amber…” he whispered in disbelief.
He glanced over his shoulder at Stephen, and the smile he’d been fighting back for so long finally broke through.
For the first time in a long while, hope didn’t feel like a lie.
“Come again?” Theo coaxed, tilting his ear toward Amber.
Lavina’s eyes widened, and her heart pounded fiercely in her chest. She had believed she could get through to Amber. Deepdown, she believed she could do it. And now, here she was, reaping the rewards of her hard work.
Amber’s voice came, hushed and unsure, but clear. “Foxglove?”
The word lingered in the air like a whisper despite striking Lavina in the chest like a bolt of lightning. She turned her attention to Theo.
The man looked as if he’d turned into stone. Shock and disbelief were plastered on his face as he stood frozen in the doorway to his study.
“Aye, that’s right,” Lavina said, hoping her tone wasn’t too overwhelming for the girl. The last thing she wanted was to scare the child into clamming up. “Foxglove. Well done. Did ye hear that, Maisie? Amber said, Foxglove.”
She didn’t take her eyes off Theo as he braced his weight against the doorframe.
Lavina could barely read his expression, yet the shock and awe flashing through him like shooting stars were very plain.
Shock shifted to hope, before hope turned into wonder. There was no doubt that Theo was processing a whirlwind of emotions.
Lavina stood by, watching. She didn’t know what she could say to him to soften the blow he must have been experiencing. Allshe knew was that the joy filling her heart threatened to sweep her completely off her feet.
“Amber,” Theo said gently, kneeling to the girl’s height. “Can ye say it again? Can ye say foxglove?”
Amber shrank back behind Lavina’s skirt as her courage folded inward like a petal closing at dusk. She gripped the fabric tightly and buried her face into Lavina’s side.
Lavina’s chest tightened. For a heartbeat, sharp rejection cut through her, but it wasn’t for herself. She saw the disappointment flash across Theo’s face as he rose to his feet and rolled his shoulders back.
“’Tis fine, lass,” he murmured. “Maybe I’ll catch ye another time.”
Pain lanced through Lavina as she turned to face Amber. She ran her fingers through the child’s tangled locks and smiled kindly at her. “Ye dinnae have to speak, ye ken. And ye dinnae have to be scared. He may look rough, but I promise ye, he’s the sweetest man.”
She glanced over her shoulder to find Theo’s lips twitching. She couldn’t tell if he was holding back a laugh or getting ready to chide her.
“But I can see that ye’ve already had a big day. Why dinnae we go to the kitchen to find something sweet to eat?”
“Better yet,” Theo said, clearing his throat as Maisie scooped Amber up into her arms. “Why dinnae we go to the village and get a real treat?”
“We really dinnae have to,” Lavina said when Amber winced at the prospect of leaving the castle.
“Aye, but ye do. None of ye have proper dresses, and ye could use some new ones. Plus, it’ll be an opportunity for me to show off me wife. I’m sure the clan is dyin’ to meet the new Lady McGowan.”
Heat rushed up Lavina’s cheeks as fear replaced the joy in her heart. She shook her head as she stepped closer to Theo.
