Chapter 13

13

“ W elcome to Scotland,” she said softly, trying to inject some enthusiasm into her voice to break up the tension-filled journey. “This is going to be our new adventure.”

Caroline and Arabella exchanged a glance, their expressions doubtful. Diana, however, huffed in annoyance and fixed her gaze out of the window contemplatively. Thalia sighed inwardly, knowing that winning her sister over would be no easy task.

As the carriage rolled into the courtyard of Crawford Castle, the girls joined their sister in looking out of the window. It was a far cry from the lush, green fields and manicured gardens of Pemberton Estate. This was the Highlands of Scotland — rugged, wild, and untamed.

“When we get there, I’ll just give you some time to wander the grounds,” she said to them all. “The dinner bell will let you know when it’s time to head back in.”

There… maybe some semblance of independence will get rid of this tension.

“All by ourselves?” Diana asked, tauntingly.

“Of course! You’re safe here. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Diana grumbled something incoherent as the twins squealed with glee, and Thalia managed to ask, “What was that?”

“I only asked if the Laird will be joining us.” The sarcasm was thick in her retort, but Thalia shook it off.

“I’m sure he’d be happy to act as a guide to the grounds. I’ll ask him when we stop,” Thalia said with dulled enthusiasm that didn’t have the same effect on Diana as it did the twins.

Just have to talk to him…

Thalia herself was struggling to keep her emotions in check. She had avoided speaking to Finn as much as possible during the journey, keeping their interactions brief and polite.

As the carriage came to a stop, Thalia took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead. This was her new life now, and she was determined to make the best of it. She would make Crawford Castle a home for her sisters, a place where they could feel safe and happy.

Finn opened the carriage door, and Thalia gestured for the twins to go first. Their hands clasped tightly together as they looked at the open door with wide, uncertain eyes. Thalia reached out to take their hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“Diana?” Thalia said to her sister. Her attempt to fight anger with kindness only seemed to frustrate Diana further. Finn offered his hand in the open space, and her lips pressed into a thin line. She reached out and instead of taking his hand, she gripped the carriage door and slammed it shut.

“Wha—”

“Thalia, look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry if you got in trouble because I started to run away. I’m sorry I have been a nightmare, but I just need to understand why.”

“Oh! Diana — I didn’t get in trouble. Finn is —”

“It doesn’t matter what’s going on with you and him. I just want to know why we’re here, really. Why are we not in Pemberton? What happened with Uncle Maximillian and Cousin Herbert?”

“It was not safe for us there. Uncle Maximillian is not the man we thought he was, and father told me to make sure we stay together. So, that is what I’m doing.”

“How does that involve Scotland now?”

“I met Finn a couple of days ago, and he agreed to help me. Help us.”

“But you’re married?”

“No, we?—”

“Same thing, Thalia!” Diana said quickly, her patience wavering.

Thalia steeled herself, not ready to have this conversation with her. “Look, it’s done. I really need your help with planning and getting ready for the wedding. If you’re against it, then I won’t try to force you to help me.”

Diana chewed on the inside of her cheek. Thalia knew that bringing up wedding planning would delight her younger sister and might have even served as a welcome relief from the inquisition. “I really have no idea what I’m doing,” Thalia continued.

Diana rolled her eyes. “I mean, planning a wedding in Scotland can’t possibly be so much more different than England.”

“I’m just not sure what the traditions are or anything, and I don’t want to insult anyone.”

“It’s still your wedding, Thalia. You’re too nice, you know? Don’t let them walk over you!”

The distraction is working!

Thalia scoffed and went through the motion of waving her off, essentially playing into the distraction. “I do not!”

“You do , Thalia…” Diana trailed off as if she was about to continue with a thought but stopped herself.

Thalia smiled a lopsided grin and grabbed her sister’s hand to squeeze it. She gestured ahead of Diana and finally followed her out of the carriage. Diana seemed to hasten her gait when Finn pushed himself off of the castle wall across from their carriage.

“Listen out for the dinner bell, Diana!” Thalia called out to her sister’s back before she disappeared down into the lower garden.

She then took the time to walk around the grounds herself, taking in the scenery and thinking about her conversation with Diana. The thought of having to tell her sister the reasons why they left for Scotland made her feel nauseous.

Hopefully helping me plan the wedding will be enough of a distraction for her to stop asking me questions.

Finn strode over to where she stood. His presence was commanding, his tall frame and broad shoulders making him seem even more imposing against the backdrop of the castle. Thalia felt her breath catch in her throat as he approached, her arousal marked as his dark eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made her pulse quicken.

“Thalia,” he said, his voice low and steady, “I’ll have someone show ye and your sisters to your rooms when ye are ready. If there’s anything ye need, ye only have to ask.”

His tone was polite, but there was an undercurrent of something else there, something that told Thalia he wasn’t pleased with the way she’d been avoiding him. She nodded, keeping her expression neutral.

“Thank you, My Laird,” she replied, her voice equally polite. “We appreciate your hospitality.”

Finn’s jaw tightened at her formal tone. “As me wife, ye will be Lady of this castle and clan Crawford. It isnae hospitality. It is home.”

His tone was sharp, matching the coldness in her voice, and she bristled slightly.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, Thalia.”

“Fine then,” she said quickly, and Finn didn’t say anything further, just turned and disappeared into the castle.

She walked in the opposite direction until she could start to see the tops of the lower garden shrubs. The fragrance of blooms tugged at her and reminded her of Pemberton.

Oh, I need to find those flowers; they smell just lovely ? —

Her thought was interrupted by a sudden passing thought of Finn and her kissing in the garden, and she stopped in her tracks, breathless.

“Thalia!” Caroline said as she and Arabella bounded up the hill toward her. Diana was surprisingly in tow.

With no time to get her thoughts in order, Thalia rolled her shoulders back and forced a large smile across her face. “Are you ready to go inside already?”

“We didn’t want to get lost, so we just toured the lower garden.”

“Well, I could have asked Finn to give you a tour?” Thalia suggested, and noticed each of her sisters had flinched at the mention of him. She tsked quietly, but before she could start to defend him, Arabella broke the silence.

“Caroline is hungry,” Arabella tattled and then narrowly dodged a chastising smack as Caroline flailed her arm around.

“Am not! You are!”

“Nu—uh!” Thalia knew that her two youngest sisters would probably go four or five rounds of the back and forth, so she stepped in and grabbed both of their hands.

“All right, let us head inside to our rooms. We can get ready for dinner and head down together.”

One of the servants appeared, as if on cue, and stepped forward, gesturing silently to lead them into the castle. The inside of Crawford Castle was just as impressive as the outside. The walls were lined with tapestries depicting scenes of battle and hunting, the floors covered with thick rugs that muffled their footsteps. The air was cool, the stone walls holding onto the chill of the Scottish weather, but the fires burning in the hearths provided a welcome warmth.

The servant led them up a winding staircase and down a long corridor, finally stopping in front of a set of large wooden doors. “These will be yer rooms, Me Lady,” he said, bowing slightly. “If ye need anything, just ring the bell, and someone will come.”

“Thank you,” Thalia said, offering him a small smile. The servant nodded and left them to settle in.

Thalia pushed open the doors and stepped inside, taking in the sight of her new quarters. It was larger than the room she stayed in before. It was spacious with a fireplace, a table, and two large wingback chairs that looked every bit the same as what she remembered Finn’s room having.

A large bed covered in furs and thick blankets was through a door on one side, a window looked out over the courtyard, and her sisters’ rooms were adjoined through another door on the other side of the room. She traveled the short hallway toward their separate rooms, and the three of them had already chosen beds. It was a far cry from the bright, airy rooms they had at Pemberton, but it was comfortable, and Thalia knew it would serve them well.

“This is where we’ll be staying,” she said, turning to her sisters. “It’s different from home, but I think we can make it our own.”

Caroline and Arabella looked around the room, their expressions still uncertain, but Thalia could see a spark of curiosity in their eyes. Diana, however, remained silent, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared out the window.

“Why are we here, Thalia?” Diana finally asked, her voice sharp. “This isn’t our home. We don’t belong here.”

She is not letting this go…

Thalia sighed, wishing she had a better answer. “This is where we need to be right now,” she said gently. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but we have to make the best of it. We can have a good life here if we try.”

Diana didn’t respond, her gaze still fixed on the view outside. Thalia knew her sister was struggling with the sudden change, but she also knew that there was little she could do to change Diana’s mind. Caroline and Arabella stayed quiet, pretending to be busy with something, but Thalia knew that they were paying attention.

Knowing that they still have about an hour until the dinner bell rang out, she thought quickly to distract them. “I’m going to go down to speak with my friends; does anyone want to join me? It’ll be mostly about wedding stuff!” Thalia said, trying to fill the heavy silence with something that would surely distract them all, but she failed. Her sisters made no sound, only turned their heads to look at each other.

Diana spoke first. “No, I’ll stay here and get… my room in order.”

Caroline and Arabella both nodded at Diana’s response and then turned to braid each other’s hair. Thalia departed their rooms without another word and slowly navigated her way around the castle to where she remembered Rowan worked.

Luckly, Saoirse was there as well. “Ah! Just the two women I needed to see!” Her cheerful tone not matching her slow, heavy motions.

“Ach, well, here we are, lass. What can we help with?”

“My wedding,” she sighed and plopped down in the soft sofa.