“Aye. My son.”
Niall thought Charlotte’s face lost a bit of color, but maybe it was the lighting. “Ye remember Keir, nae? The day ye and Greer went shopping?”
“I…uh, yes…I remember.” She took a breath and managed a small smile. “He seemed very nice.”
To him, it didn’t sound as though she meant it. He tried to remember if Keir had said anything to embarrass or upset her. His friend did push the edges of humor sometimes, but Niall didn’t think he’d said anything untoward that day. There hadn’t really been time for conversation. Fiona had inquired about how long she would be staying—
Fiona. Was that what Charlotte’s hesitation was about? While Fiona’s questions had seemed casual that day, she had not been exactly friendly. Charlotte wouldn’t know why, of course, since no one had seen the kiss beneath the mistletoe, but women seemed intuitively to pick up on those kinds of things.
Niall tried to search her face, but she was looking at Fergus, the smile—not her natural one, he saw now—still in place.
He was going to have to give this some thought, but for now, the best thing a man could do was leave.
****
Charlotte watched Niall go. For the first time since her arrival in this century, she felt truly alone. She’d been confused, certainly, and maybe a little afraid that she’d lost her mind trying to make sense of what had happened, but she’d not feltalone. Niall had been part of the circle dance—in which century, she wasn’t quite sure—and he’d been there when she woke at his clan’s castle. Since then, she’d not been out of sight of his family, other than the short time she’d spent talking with the lady at the bench of the river’s bank. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to count on his presence. Somehow, she’d always felt safe. Now, she was in a law office with a stranger who might be Niall’s father-in-law one day.
Mr. Gordon gestured to an armchair near the window. “If ye’d like to have a seat, Keir should be along shortly and he can show ye the proper sorting of the things on the desk.”
“Thank you.” She took the chair he’d indicated. “Don’t you have a daughter too? I think there was someone with your son the day we ran into them.”
“Aye. That would be Fiona.” He smiled widely. “She’s the apple of my eye, she is. Couldn’t have asked my wife for a better daughter, God rest her soul.”
It must have been the mother’s soul that was resting, since Fiona was alive and well when they’d met. “I’m sorry if you lost your wife.”
He inclined his head in acknowledgement. “A fever took her when Fiona was a wee bairn. The lass practically raised herself.”
Did that mean she’d been given free rein? To run amok as she wished? She hadn’t seemed meek or docile that day on the street. Quite the opposite, but perhaps Charlotte was equating Fiona’s bright orange-red hair with a fiery disposition and was reading too much into an encounter that had lasted only minutes. Still. Now that Greer had told her about the circumstances, the girl’s questions seemed pointed and her eyes—a pale shade of blue that looked almost silvery—had been as sharp as the metal itself when she’d looked at Charlotte.
Did she think Charlotte competition?Wasshe competition? She knew Niall was attracted to her—the kiss had proved that—but was there more?Couldthere be more? If there were, she would have to tell Niall the truth about where she was from, and that would probably quell his interest faster than a pin in a balloon. She’d be carted off to the Scottish equivalent of Bedlam. It was all so complicated.
She looked out the window to the street below, hoping to see Niall somewhere, but there were only strangers going to and fro.
She really did feel alone.
****
For once, Niall was glad Simon was with him when they went to collect Charlotte later that afternoon. They’d had to wait on a shipment coming in from Nairn, and by the time it arrived, it was already midafternoon. It would have made no sense to take the wagon home and then turn around.
Not that Niall was a coward. He didn’t usually avoid conflict. In this instance, however, he was uneasy about how Charlotte’s day had gone. If Fiona had shown up at the office, things might have gone awry. Niall had already witnessed her sharp inquisition that day on the street. If she harangued Charlotte with questions—especially personal ones—the lass would suspect something was amiss.
For now, he wanted to evade any discussion about Fiona. While Keir knew his sister was interested in him, he had assured Niall that his sister’s attention was fleeting. Once she caught another admirer at a ceilidh, she’d refocus on her new conquest. He hoped his friend was right.
He made a quick perusal of the office when he entered and gave a thankful sigh when he didn’t see Fiona. Keir and Charlotte were seated at the desk with piles of papers and engaged in congenial conversation, as far as he could tell.
Maybe too congenial? Charlotte had just laughed out loud at something Keir said that Niall couldn’t hear. Damn it! Was Keir flirting with her? The man did have a natural way with women, damn it again. He took a breath. Maybe his friend was only testing Charlotte to see how she’d respond to flirtation, since Niall had told him he wanted to find out if she had any other paramours—he wouldn’t sayspies—lurking about.
“Ye look like a thunderstorm about to break.” Simon raised a brow. “Did ye nae learn from Da to keep what ye are feeling from showing?”
“Of course I did,” Niall all bur growled and then made an effort to appear passive. He didn’t want Kier to think he was jealous. His friend would bait him no end.
Charlotte looked over, an expression of surprise on her face. “Is it time to leave already?”
Had she been having such a good time that she didn’t even know the whole day had practically passed? Niall started to furrow his brows, stopped, and attempted a smile. At least, he hoped it looked like a smile. “Aye, lass. The sun goes down early in winter.”
“Did ye have a good day?” Simon actually sounded sincere.
“Yes, we did,” Charlotte answered. “Keir has been very kind and terribly patient with me.”
