Page 114 of The Secret Castle in the Highlands

Oscar rolled his eyes. ‘Stop teasing me.’

Gideon ruffled Oscar’s wayward blond hair. ‘Why should I stop teasing you, when I gain so much pleasure from it?’

I glanced nervously over my shoulder towards The Hawthorns, its greystone grandeur, and its sash windows twinkling in the summer sunshine. It should have been a spectacular sight, with the gardens frothing in rainbow colours and the trees stretching up to the cloudless blanket of blue sky, but it filled me with foreboding.

Gideon dropped his voice, despite there being only the three of us clustered around the trunk of a giant oak. ‘There is an elderly lady by the name of Agnes Clayborne and her husband, Ephraim. Agnes is employed in the kitchens up at the castle and Amelia knows her. Agnes and Ephraim therefore ensure that I am smuggled sufficient food.’

His dark eyes raked over my face. ‘She is so kind to me; she thinks nothing of supplying me with fresh fruit or some tender meats when she can. But I have warned her repeatedly that she must be careful.’

‘Amelia is my one true friend in Port Starr.’ I smiled. ‘She has gone above and beyond to help us all.’

He lifted both my hands in his. ‘McKerron Castle is no stranger to the cold; the sea wind often sweeps in across the clifftops, but at least the secret tunnels are dry and of a more welcoming nature than all of the taverns I was reduced to.’ Gideon waggled my hands in his. ‘Have you not noticed how much rougher my fingers feel?’

‘What have you been doing?’

He smiled softly, tracing my wrist with his thumb. ‘I have been carving my love into a rock for you. I hope one day that I can take you up to McKerron Castle, so that you may see it for yourself.’

His words made my heart sing.

Gideon inclined his head at me. ‘I no longer have the hands of a musician.’

I grazed his cheek with my hand. ‘But you will always have the soul of an artist.’

The heat from his skin seared into me.

‘Gideon!’ hissed Oscar, who had scampered off to find ladybirds but had now returned. ‘Can you come to the pond with me? There are sticklebacks and frogs.’

Gideon looked down at him, disappointment clouding his eyes. ‘I can think of nothing finer, young Oscar, but it is too dangerous. I really should not have come.’

‘Then why did you?’

Gideon’s touch sent shivers of desire through my body. ‘I felt compelled to see you and your mother.’ Then he looked a little awkward. ‘I realise I should not have come to The Hawthorns, but it has been such a long time since I last saw you both.’

I tried to stifle a smile. ‘That is not true, as well you know, Gideon Kelly. You and I met only two nights ago.’

Gideon shrugged easily, lifting shoulders that were concealed under a loose beige shirt. It billowed over his russet trousers. His hair hung about his shoulders in a sea of unruly brown curls.

I reached out a hand, pushing a stray curl away from his cheek. Apart from my golden-haired boy, Gideon was the most beautiful sight I could ever wish to see.

A scraping of hooves amongst the tangle of rowan trees up ahead caused me to look around sharply.

I stared over Gideon’s shoulder. ‘Have you brought Linus?’

Oscar’s eyes shone and he darted over from where he had been studying a beetle. ‘Have you?’ he asked Gideon. ‘Is he here?’

Gideon offered Oscar an indulgent smile. ‘Perhaps I have, young sir.’

‘Can I see him? Please?’

‘On one condition,’ answered Gideon while sending me a discreet wink. ‘You must promise that you will continue with your violin practice.’

‘Urgh!’ groaned my son, sulkily examining his boots. ‘My new tutor does not smile or tell me tales the way you did.’

Gideon folded his arms. ‘Surely he possesses some good qualities?’

Oscar screwed up his blue eyes so tightly, I had to bury a laugh. ‘Well, Mr Cantley does have a liking for checkers.’

‘Well, there you have it. I am sure that once this Mr Cantley establishes more of a rapport with you, you will enjoy a cordial friendship.’