Chapter 26
Ruby squeezed Evan’s hand as they stood in front of the narrow wooden door.
It looked perfectly ordinary—a simple door set into the wall at the end of a narrow corridor, its brass handle polished smooth.
Yet Evan stared at it as though it might bite him.
“Ye are sure this is safe?” he asked for the third time.
Ruby let out a soft laugh. “You’ve faced down warlords, militia and half the criminals of the Highlands,” she said. “And you’re frightened of a door.”
“I’m not frightened.”
“You absolutely are.”
Seven months had passed since they’d faced Seoras MacInnes—and in that time Evan had avoided this unobtrusive door in an Edinburgh townhouse like his life depended on it. Too busy, he claimed. Too much to do. Which had been true, with plotters to hunt down, a manor house to restore, and family ties to be mended.
Ruby though, had used it often, and now, with everything settling down, it was time for Evan to step through it with her.
He shot her a look. “This door,” he said slowly, “leads to a world filled with carriages that move without horses, buildings taller than castles, and enormous metal birds that carry people through the sky.”
Ruby grinned. “Sure does.”
“And ye expect me to walk into thatcalmly?”
She squeezed his hand again. “Trust me.”
Evan exhaled. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
Ruby grasped the handle and pushed the door open. Before Evan could have second thoughts, she stepped through, pulling him behind her. The air shifted instantly—cooler, sharper, filled with the faint scent of coffee and paper.
They stood inside a large bookshop.
Rows of shelves stretched around them, filled with bright modern covers. Charlie was waiting for them, leaning casually against a stack of books while Niall stood beside her looking only mildly less freaked out than Evan did.
Charlie’s face lit up. “There you are!”
Evan blinked rapidly, looking around. “What is this place?”
“A bookshop,” Ruby said.
He picked up a nearby paperback and turned it over in his hands as though it might be enchanted.
Charlie laughed. “You should have seenhimthe first time,” she said, nodding at Niall. “He thought the coffee machine was a wild animal.”
Ruby felt Evan’s hand tighten slightly around hers and she looked up at him. “You still with me?”
“Always.”
They followed Charlie through the bookshop and out into the street. As they stepped out onto the pavement Evan froze, looking around wide-eyed. He stared up at the towering buildings, at the road where cars streamed past in both directions.
“Those...cars...ye told me about?”
“Yep,” Ruby said cheerfully.
One sped past and he instinctively stepped closer to her. “They moveveryfast.”
“You get used to it. Come on.”
