Chapter 10

10

T halia woke to the sound of soft, familiar voices, their tones filled with excitement and concern. For a moment, she lay still, her mind groggy from sleep, trying to grasp onto the tendrils of consciousness that still eluded her. She could hear giggles, whispered questions, and the shuffling of feet.

Am I dreaming?

She shifted slightly, her eyes still closed, trying to make sense of the sounds around her.

“Thalia?” a voice called out, gentle but insistent. “Are you awake?”

That voice — so familiar, so dear — sent a jolt of awareness through her.

Thalia’s eyes flew open, and she blinked against the dim light filtering into the room. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw them. Diana, Caroline, and Arabella, all gathered around her bed, their eyes wide with worry and relief.

“Thalia!” Arabella cried, throwing herself onto the bed and wrapping her arms around her sister. “You’re awake!”

Thalia’s breath caught in her chest, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. She could only stare at them, at their familiar faces, their wide eyes filled with tears and their lips curved into relieved smiles.

How was this possible? How were they here?

She blinked again and again, trying to wake up from this dream, but they were all still there, sitting on the foot of her bed.

“Caroline… Arabella… Diana…” she murmured, her voice trembling with disbelief. “Is this real? Are you really here?”

Caroline, her cheeks flushed with excitement, nodded vigorously. “We’re here, Thalia! We’re really here!”

Thalia felt tears sting her eyes as she reached out, pulling her sisters into a tight embrace. The feel of their warm bodies, their familiar scents, and the sound of their voices. Everything about this moment felt surreal, like a dream she was afraid to wake up from. She kissed the tops of their heads, holding them close as if afraid they might vanish if she let go.

“Thank God,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “Thank God, you’re here.”

The girls clung to her, their arms wrapped around her as they all sat huddled on the bed. It felt like years since she’d last seen them, and she could hardly believe they were here with her now, safe and sound.

Her heart swelled with love and relief, and for a moment, she forgot everything else. The fear, the uncertainty, the pain of the last few days. All that mattered was that her sisters were here with her, and they were safe.

“What happened, Thalia?” Diana’s voice cut through the haze of her emotions, bringing her back to reality. Thalia pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes as she looked at her younger sister. Diana’s expression was serious, her brow furrowed with concern. “Where are we? What’s going on? Where were you?”

Thalia hesitated, the questions pulling her back to the present, to the harsh reality that surrounded them. She didn’t know how they had gotten here, didn’t know what had happened while she’d been unconscious. Her mind was still reeling from the shock of seeing them and from the flood of emotions that had overwhelmed her. “I’ve been in Scotland these past few days with Laird Crawford…”

Before she could answer anymore of Diana’s questions, another voice filled the room — a deep, commanding voice that made her heart skip a beat.

“Ye need to get ready, lassies. We’re leaving soon.”

Thalia looked up, her breath catching in her throat as she saw Finn standing in the doorway, his tall frame filling the entrance. She saw her sisters all flinch at the sight of him and the suddenness of his voice. Her hand went up to stay their fear.

His eyes were locked on her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, the world seemed to tilt on its axis, and all she could do was stare at him, the memories of their last conversation flooding back.

He had promised to bring her sisters to her, and somehow, he had done It. But how? How had he managed it?

“How?” was all she managed to say.

“Does it matter?” he asked cooly, leaning against the threshold. His easy grin made her breath hitch.

She met his warm gaze, a wide smile spreading across her face. “Well, no — I guess not.” She twisted, and her eyes landed on Caroline, and a wave of gratitude and something deeper, something she couldn’t quite name, surged through her. Without thinking, she pushed herself off the bed and crossed the room in a few quick strides, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Thank you so much, Finn.”

For a moment, Finn seemed taken aback by the unexpectedness of her embrace, but then his arms encircled her, holding her close. His hand came up to caress her head, his fingers gentle as they brushed through her hair. Thalia closed her eyes, letting herself bask in the warmth of his touch and the steady beat of his heart against hers. She had never felt so safe, so protected, as she did in that moment.

When she finally looked up at him, she found his eyes locked on hers, his expression softer than she had ever seen it. He had stepped around the corner, and they were alone in the hallway. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and the sight of it was devasting.

Finn was a man of few words, a man who rarely showed his emotions, but in that moment, she saw a glimpse of the man behind the hard exterior, the man who had risked everything to bring her sisters back to her.

She lifted up onto her tiptoes, eager to feel the satisfaction of kissing him again, wanting to relive what happened last night. He leaned his head down closer, and the taste of his lips so close to hers made her heated blood thunder through her veins.

“This is mine!” one of her youngest sisters called out loudly from the room, and Finn stiffened, suddenly aware of their surroundings.

“We need to leave as soon as possible, Thalia,” he reminded her softly. His voice stayed low and steady as he continued, “There’s no time to waste.”

Thalia dropped to her heels and nodded, reluctantly stepping back from him. She could still feel the warmth of his touch lingering on her skin, but she pushed the feeling aside. There were more pressing matters at hand. She turned back to her sisters, who were watching the exchange with wide, curious eyes.

“Come on, we need to get ready,” she said, smoothing her skirt and then turning back to walk back into the room. Her voice was gentle but firm as she addressed her sisters again, “We’re leaving soon.”

The girls exchanged glances, clearly confused and still full of questions, but they didn’t argue. They trusted her, and for that, Thalia was grateful. She motioned for them to help her gather her things around the room, her mind already racing ahead to the journey that lay before them. They needed to get out of this place, to get as far away from their uncle and his estate as possible.

As she stepped into her riding dress, Caroline and Arabella chattering excitedly about the prospect of leaving, Diana approached her, her expression serious.

“Thalia, you don’t have to answer my other questions now, but at least tell us where we are going?” Diana asked, her voice low so the younger girls wouldn’t hear. “And why is he helping us?”

Thalia paused, the question hitting her harder than she expected. She had known this moment would come, that she would have to explain everything to her sisters, but now that it was here, she found herself hesitant, unsure of how much to tell them.

They were so young, so innocent, and she wanted to protect them from the harsh truths that had brought them to this point. But she also knew that they deserved to know the truth or at least part of it.

“We’re going back to Scotland,” Thalia said finally, keeping her voice calm and steady. “To Finn’s home, Crawford Castle.”

“Scotland?” Diana repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Why? What about our home? What about Pemberton?”

Thalia took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. “It is not safe for us at Pemberton anymore. We cannot stay there. Our uncle is — terrible!”

“But that’s our home, Thalia,” Diana argued.

“Finn is a clan chief and laird. He’s a powerful man in Scotland. He’s offered us protection, a place where we can be safe.”

Diana’s frown deepened, her eyes searching Thalia’s for answers she wasn’t sure she could give. “But why would he do that? Why would he help us?”

Thalia hesitated. Her mind raced as she tried to find the right words. She didn’t want to tell Diana the full truth yet because she didn’t want to burden her with the knowledge of what had happened between her and Herbert or the threats their uncle had made.

Her younger sister had always been quick to emotion, always the more sensitive sister out of all of them. Even now, she balled up her hands into tight fists and tucked them underneath her thighs because her hands were starting to shake. Thalia knew that she could easily lie to Diana to put her mind at ease, but she also knew that keeping everything from her would only breed more confusion and mistrust.

“Finn is… a good man,” Thalia said finally, hoping that would be enough. “He’s asked to marry me, and as his family, he will protect us. That’s why he’s helping us.”

Diana’s eyes widened in surprise, tears fell down her cheeks that she swiped furiously at, and for a moment, she was silent, processing this new information. “ You’re going to marry him ?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Thalia nodded emphatically. The smile came easily as she remembered their embrace a few moments ago. “Yes, I am.”

Diana looked over at Finn, who was still standing near the door, his back to the room and eyes fixed on the horizon as if keeping watch. Thalia knew he was listening, but he made no movement indicating as such. Diana didn’t say anything for a long moment, but Thalia could see the wheels turning in her mind, the questions she was too afraid to ask. Thalia could only hope that her sister would trust her enough not to press the issue further, at least not for now.

Finally, Diana nodded, her expression still troubled but accepting. “All right,” she said quietly. “If you think this is the best thing for us, then I trust you.”

Thalia felt a wave of relief wash over her though it was tinged with guilt. She hated keeping things from her sisters, but she knew it was necessary. They didn’t need to know everything, not yet. They just needed to know that they were safe, that they were together, and that she would do everything in her power to keep them that way.

As they finished gathering their belongings, Thalia glanced over at Finn, who was still standing near the door, his posture tense and alert. She knew he was right. They needed to leave as soon as possible. There was no telling what their uncle will do when he figured out that the girls were gone, and Thalia wasn’t willing to take any chances.

“Are ye ready?” Finn asked, his voice breaking through her thoughts.

Thalia nodded, giving her sisters a reassuring smile. “We’re ready.”

Finn’s eyes lingered on her for a moment, and she thought she saw a flicker of something — concern, maybe — cross his features before he turned and led the way out of the room. Thalia gathered her sisters close, guiding them out of the inn and into the early morning light. Finn took the bag from Thalia’s hand when she reached their carriage and set a rather large, warm bundle into her hand before ushering her into the carriage.

She sat quickly and unwrapped the cloth to reveal five biscuits with jam spread in the middle. Her eyes met his just outside the carriage window, and he nodded his head once. “Ye havenae eaten, and the journey home is a long one.”

“I — Thank you,” she said, and he hummed and then pointed at the window.

“Ye will need to close these until I let ye know that it’s safe.”

“Okay,” she said without argument. The corner of Finn’s lips curled up slightly, and he reached a hand up to pull a piece of her hair behind her ear before disappearing.

Her sisters closed the windows and shut the curtains on either side of the carriage, and they were moving only a few minutes later. Thalia savored each bite of the biscuits he had prepared for her.

The village was quiet, the streets deserted save for a few early risers going about their morning routines. Thalia kept a firm grip on her sisters’ hands as they followed Finn through the narrow streets, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel Diana’s tension beside her, could sense the questions still swirling in her mind, but for now, her sister remained silent, and Thalia was grateful for that small mercy.

As they reached the edge of the village, Finn signaled for them to stop, his eyes scanning the horizon. Thalia glanced around the curtain, watching Finn, trying to see what he saw, but all she could make out were the distant hills and the winding road that led away from the village. The air was crisp and cool, the sky tinged with the soft hues of dawn.

“It’s a long journey, and we need to make good time,” he said to Cillian in English which meant he knew she was watching him. She couldn’t help but marvel at how well-equipped Finn was. He had thought of everything, was aware of everything, and had somehow planned every detail to ensure their safe escape.

“He’s kind of a brute, Thalia,” Caroline said in a hushed whisper. Thalia peeled herself away from admiring Finn and let the curtain fall to shield their conversation.

“Hush, now — Why would you say that?”

“He is … I mean look at him…” Arabella said, following up her sister’s sentiments.

“Well, he is a brute, but he’s never that way with me. He will never be that way with any of you either. Give him a chance,” she tried to reason with them, and each of them expressed disinterest in following along with her suggestion. Most of all, Diana.