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“Ye have visitors,” Emily said with a small bow before turning and leaving the room. Elena’s eyebrows scrunched to the bridge of her nose. She had no clue who could be calling on her. Of course, there was always Isobel who might have requested guests to come, but Elena knew her sister would have made an announcement at dinner if that were the case.
“Emily?” Elena called after the maid. Emily stopped and quickly turned to face Elena. Trying her hardest not to sound worried, Elena swallowed hard. “Who has come?”
“I was told nae to say,” Emily answered as her eyes shifted to the floor and her cheeks flushed a rosy color.
“By whom?” Elena asked, stealing a step closer to the door of the library. Elena’s mind rushed through all the people she knew and recounted where her family was. She knew Anna was at home, busy caring for her children. But where were Georgia and Saorise? They were the only two unaccounted for.
“Daenae worry, M’Lady, I’m certain ye’ll find yer visitors most welcome,” Emily said before she rushed off to complete whatever task she was working on.
Elena smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt and wiped the sweat from her hands. She moved swiftly to the entrance of the castle and stopped. Her eyes widened as she fought against tears of joy on seeing her family before her.
“What is this all about?” Elena asked as she greeted her mother first. Iona curled her arms around Elena and squeezed her tightly.
“Maither?” Elena gasped as she refused to let her mother go. Although she was thrilled to see her, she wished it was Anna who had arrived. Before she could open her mouth to ask, Elena’s eyes shifted to Saoirse and Georgia.
“I cannae believe yer all here,” Elena said, finally releasing her mother to curl her arms around her sisters. “I was just thinkin’ about how I missed all of ye, and here ye are. What a blessed day to be sure.”
“Well,” Georgia said as she stepped back from Elena and flashed her eyes to the steps. “It was Isobel who called us here.”
Elena spun around to find Isobel standing on the bottom step, hands tucked at her front and a huge smile on her face that made Elena’s heart quicken.
“Tis nae that I daenae want ye all here, but why have ye come?” Elena asked. “Tis nae my birthday for months.”
“Come now,” Georgia said with a clever little smirk. “Did ye really think ye’d be able to keep secrets from us?”
Panic shot through Elena as her attention drifted back to Isobel. “And what secrets am I hidin’?” Elena asked as her eyebrow arched.
“That yer wit’ child of course,” Iona interjected as she stepped forward and took Elena by the arm.
“How did ye?” Elena pulled in a deep breath as a lump formed in her throat.
“Isobel wrote us all last week to share the news,” Georgia answered as Iona walked beside Elena toward the drawing-room. “We all got here as quickly as we could. Although it would appear we are a sister short. Where is Anna? Has anyone heard from her?”
Saoirse and Georgia glanced at the large staircase with wide, expectant gazes as if Anna would be strolling down the steps any minute.
“Anna wrote statin’ she’d be a bit late to the gatherin’,” Isobel said.
“Maither, Georgia, Saoirse, would ye all mind waitin’ in the drawin’ room a moment, I’d like to have a word wit’ Isobel a moment,” Elena said as she tried not to unleash the ire building up within her. Although she was beyond thrilled to have her family there, she couldn’t help but feel the sting of betrayal.
Licking her dry lips, Elena waited till her mother and other sisters were out of sight before turning on Isobel. “How could ye?”
“What? I thought ye’d be happy?” Isobel said as she stepped back. Shock drifted over her features as she stared at Elena with big doe eyes.
“How could ye tell them? How did ye even ken to tell them?”
“I…” Isobel stammered a moment as her eyes shifted to the ground. “I heard ye and Gabriel talkin’ about it. The day the healer had come to check on ye. Ye were so sick and I started writin’ everyone to let them ken ye were nae well. But then the news came out ye were wit’ child, that I had to tell them so they dinnae worry.”
“Ye had nay right to tell anyone about anythin’,” Elena snapped. She wanted to slap her sister across the face for letting out her secret. Or maybe pull her hair and fight as if they were children. But with the servants scattered about, Elena wondered what that would do to her reputation as their Lady.
“I thought I’d surprise ye?” Isobel’s lip twitched as Elena noticed her sister’s eyes growing a darker shade of red.
“Aye, ye did a fine job of that,” Elena growled. “But that doesnae mean ye can go about tellin’ everyone everythin’. Ye just daenae change, do ye?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Ye were always the snitch in the family when we were younger,” Elena said as her eyes darted about wondering who was listening to them. “Ye were always the first to go runnin’ to maither and faither when we did anythin’ wrong or displeasin’ to ye. And now that yer older, I thought ye would have learned to keep yer mouth shut.”
“I just wanted to make ye happy,” Isobel said as big tears fell from her eyes.
