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Rolling her eyes at her father, Bonnie set her hands upon her hips. “I dunna get into mischief,” she insisted, a rather annoyed tone in her voice. “Sometimes I simply forget—”
“—where ye are,” Eoghan finished for her with a grin upon his face. “Or how late it already is.”
Bonnie shrugged, as though none of his objections possessed any validity.
Brushing his hand over her red curls, Eoghan then squeezed her little shoulder and looked back at Kate. “What I’m saying is that the girls are safe here. Of course, ye are not familiar with everyone, but as someone who has grown up with this lot.” His gaze swept affectionately around the people in the great hall. “I can assure ye that there is nothing to worry about. We keep an eye on our own.” He nodded toward the crowd behind him.
Although Kate still looked hesitant, Eoghan’s words as well as his kind demeanor eased Sarah’s nerves. Like Keir, he possessed a very open and straightforward nature, making her think that even after only a few words, she already knew him.
“Oh, Mama, please!” Augusta and Dorothea begged, turning pleading eyes to their mother.
Finally, Kate nodded. “Very well,” she agreed with a careful glance at Eoghan. “But behave yourselves.”
The girls nodded eagerly and, within seconds, had vanished in the crowd, following Bonnie’s lead.
In that moment, Frederica stirred, drawing Kate’s attention away from her other two daughters. She softly rocked the child, making quiet cooing sounds, trying to calm her.
“How old is she?” Eoghan asked as he stepped closer, his demeanor that of kind interest. Sarah could see that he understood Kate’s fears and sought to ease them.
Kate answered tentatively, apprehension in her wide eyes. Clearly, she felt overwhelmed by the situation after having been all but isolated these past few years. Perhaps it would do her good to be forced back among people. After all, once upon a time, Kate had thrived in the company of others. Perhaps this would help her remember who she was at heart.
Sarah certainly hoped so.
“How are ye today, Kenna?” Keir inquired as Kate and Eoghan exchanged a few tentative words.
Sarah eyed the young woman carefully, aware that she did not possess the same cheerful disposition as her brother. Not a word had passed her lips thus far, and Sarah could not help the thought that Kenna did not like having them here. Sarah sighed.Perhaps some of my concerns are justified after all.
Allowing her gaze to sweep over the many faces in the great hall, Sarah wondered who else might object to their presence here. Perhaps not openly but deep down.
The moment Kenna turned toward Keir, her demeanor changed. The frown vanished from her face, and a smile transformed her.Then it is true, Sarah thought.She does object to me.“I’m all right. ’Tis good to see ye back home. Yer mother was quite put out when ye didna write more often.” The look in Kenna’s eyes was teasingly chiding, and yet Sarah stiffened at the thought that Keir’s mother might consider her, Sarah, the reason her son had not come home for such a long time.
“Ye’re doing it again, lass.”
At Keir’s whispered words, Sarah’s head snapped up. “Sorry?”
A gentle smile came to his face as he lowered his head to whisper in her ear. “I can feel every inch of ye tense, lass.” He eased back to look into her eyes. “Dunna worry. If ye wish, I shall remain at yer side all evening.”
Exhaling slowly, Sarah nodded. “Yes, I think I’d like that.” There was never a moment when Sarah did not enjoy Keir’s presence; however, tonight, in such an unfamiliar crowd, she needed him nearby more than ever.
Once more, Keir held her close as they stepped forward further into the great hall. Sarah willed a smile onto her face and then quickly glanced over her shoulder at her sister. Tentatively, Kate accepted Eoghan’s offer to escort her inside, her green eyes wide as she took in their new surroundings. Kenna remained behind, arms now crossed over her chest, her narrowed eyes following them.
A shiver crawled down Sarah’s back, and she wondered if the young woman’s reaction was simply a precursor to what was to come. Were there more people in Keir’s clan who objected to their presence here? Would Keir eventually be faced with the decision to choose between the family he loved and the promise he made her, Sarah?
In the next instant, all of Sarah’s thoughts vanished when the great hall all of a sudden fell silent. The absence of voices echoed through her bones, and her head snapped up, her eyes wide. To her utter shock, she found herself the sudden center of attention, all eyes turned to her and Kate. Instantly, Sarah wanted to turn and run or hide in that ever elusive hole in the ground.
“Hush, little wisp,” Keir murmured beside her, his other hand coming to rest upon hers, keeping her grounded by his side. “I’m here with ye.” Then he straightened, smiled, and faced the crowd. “What is the matter with all of ye?” he demanded in a booming chuckle that reminded Sarah of his brother Duncan. “Have ye never seen English ladies before?”
Laughter broke out in the hall, good-natured and kind, and Sarah exhaled deeply when she failed to detect disapproval upon the surrounding faces. They certainly looked curious but not angry.
Keir guided her onward, nodding toward a long table beneath the tall windows on the western side. Sarah spotted his family seated there, his grandmother, as well as his parents and Duncan. She also saw faces she had not seen before, wondering who they were and how they would receive her.
To Sarah’s relief, Keir’s mother smiled at her, beckoning them forward. “Oh, my dear, ye look well-rested today. Does yer chamber suit ye? Is there anything else ye require?”
For a moment, Sarah could not speak a single word, and so her head began nodding up and down before shaking from side to side. She felt like a fool, and yet the expression upon Keir’s mother’s face did not change.
His father laughed, again a good-natured and kind laugh. “Dunna worry, lass. We dunna bite.”
Rising from her seat beside her husband, Keir’s mother moved around the table and came toward Sarah. “I’m certain ’twill take some time to get used to this new place. Ye’ve never been to Scotland before?”
