Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“ W hat is happenin’?”

No sooner were Enya and Thora behind closed doors Thora spoke, her tone filled with concern. Enya had barely made it to her chambers, dragging Thora along under the excuse that she wanted to speak privately to her sister, so the two of them could swap their clothes and return to the feast.

Then again, it wasn’t entirely a lie. Enya did need to talk to Thora. She simply didn’t know where to start, but it seemed like her sister had sensed something was wrong, as she always did.

The guilt that had been simmering just under Enya’s skin all those days had now turned into a roiling panic. No matter how much she tried to control her breathing, nothing she did worked. A relentless nausea had gripped her, her stomach churning at the thought that her secret could be revealed at any moment. Then, there was also the thought that now that Thora was here, she would be the one next to Cillian. She would be the one he would hold and kiss, the one who would stand by his side, perhaps even the one he would marry. She and Thora hadn’t discussed what would happen in case her task failed. They had never expected it to.

Collapsing onto the bed, Enya let her head fall in her hands, all the conflicting emotions finally catching up to her. She couldn’t stop the tears once they started spilling from her eyes, and the moment she began to cry, Thora was right there next to her, pulling her in a tight embrace. Enya held onto her, her fingers curling into the soft fabric of her dress, and she wished she never had to let go.

They spent several moments like this, Thora comforting her until Enya could breathe again, until she could wipe the tears away and know no more would follow. Even then, though, she didn’t pull back from her sister.

She had to tell Thora everything and so she did, recounting all the events from the moment she had come to Jura all the way to that night. By the time she was done, Thora had been stunned into silence, taking everything in.

“I kent somethin’ was wrong but I couldnae have imagined this,” she said in a quiet voice. “Everythin’… everythin’ will be fine, Enya. I promise.”

Even though Enya couldn’t bring herself to believe it, not quite, it was still comforting to hear that from her sister. She desperately wanted to believe it. She desperately wanted it to be true, but the more she considered their predicament, the more impossible it seemed.

“Ye dinnae ken that,” Enya said. “What about Malcolm MacNeil? What dae ye think he wants?”

Thora shook her head. “I dinnae ken. But I think ye should tell Laird MacDonald about it.”

It would be the right thing to do, Enya thought. Laird MacNeil was clearly trying to destabilize the MacDonald Clan and by keeping his presence in that attack a secret, and Enya was putting everyone in the castle in danger. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if anything happened to those people when she could have prevented it and the only reason why she hadn’t, was because of her selfishness and guilt.

“Ye’re right,” Enya said as she finally pulled back from Thora, furiously wiping what was left of her tears with the back of her hand. “Ye’re right. Cillian needs tae ken the truth.”

For a few long moments, the two sisters sat there in silence, neither knowing what to say. It had crossed Enya’s mind that perhaps they could keep up the charade, but for how long? It wasn’t as if she and Thora could permanently trade places with each other; that would be madness, so Enya didn’t even suggest it. Instead, she turned the conversation to a more bearable subject.

“What happened with Ava?” she asked. “An’ why is Kai here?”

As she spoke, Enya realized the terrible truth, her eyes widening in horror.

“Does Kai ken we switched?” she asked with a gasp.

“O’ course he kens,” said Thora. “An’ he was very displeased about it. He has complained without an end that ye an’ I have done a terrible thing an’ that we should have kent better than tae think we could get away with it.”

Enya didn’t expect Kai to understand. She hardly understood herself. Now that she knew who Cillian really was, she thought that perhaps he would have understood if they had claimed there was an emergency and that Thora’s arrival would have been delayed.

Then again, if his reaction to her being late proved anything, it was that he wouldn’t, in fact, be understanding at all.

“But he will keep our secret?” Enya asked.

“Aye,” said Thora, nodding. “I made him promise he would.”

Enya breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t mean much, of course, that Kai would remain silent about this plan when she planned on telling Cillian soon regardless, but she wanted him to find out through her and not through a third party. Enya had to be the one to confess. It was only right and maybe, if they were lucky, he would forgive her and Thora for this.

“Everythin’ is fine with Ava an’ her clan,” Thora added. “I warned her faither an’ I havenae had any other visions since then, so I can only assume they are fine.”

That, too, was a relief. Enya would have been devastated if something had happened to Ava or her people, so it was good to hear they were all safe.

“An’ now?” Enya asked. “What dae we dae now?”

“Now,” said Thora, drawing in a deep breath, “we change our clothes an’ return tae the celebrations. We have nay other choice.”

Enya nodded, knowing that to be true. With a weary sigh, she stood and began to undress, Thora doing the same before the two of them switched clothes and fixed each other’s hair, making sure Cillian wouldn’t recognize them. Once they were both satisfied with their appearance, Enya headed to the door, trying to prepare herself for what was to come. Just as she was about to open it, though, a question popped into her mind and she glanced at Thora over her shoulder with a frown.

“Why was Kai in Castle MacKinnon?”

Thora chuckled, the sound short and amused. “He wouldnae tell me. But I can only assume he was there for Ava.”

In the time it took Thora and Enya to speak, Cillian had brought everyone inside—the man and the woman who introduced themselves as Kai and Ava, Archibald, and Duncan, the five of them sitting in the drawing room where servants brought them food and drinks, while the rest of the clan continued the celebrations outside. Sooner or later, Cillian planned on joining them once more, but in the past few weeks, he had learned the importance of being a good host and he didn’t want his guests to feel neglected or consider him rude.

As he gestured at Kai and Ava to sit on the couch, Cillian sat on the one across from them, while Archibald took the chair and Duncan, as usual, chose to stand. That man seemed incapable of ever sitting still, and now he was leaning against the fireplace, where fresh logs were burning bright orange.

Unfortunately for Cillian, he didn’t know what to say to either of the newcomers. As Cillian looked at the two of them, he couldn’t help but notice how much Kai resembled his sisters, with the same brilliant blue eyes and dark hair. Though he seemed to be near Cillian’s age, there was a boyish charm to him, something that made him seem younger than his years.

On the other hand, the woman by his side was fair-haired and carried herself with the seriousness and maturity of a much older woman, although Cillian suspected she was even younger than Thora. The two of them acted with such familiarity that Cillian could only guess they had known each other for a long time, and Cillian could only wonder why they had come to Jura along with Enya MacLeod.

How many chaperones dae these lasses need?

“How were ye travels?” Archibald asked, seeing that Cillian had no idea how to start a conversation with his guests.

“Terrible,” said Kai.

“Lovely,” said Ava and proceeded to subtly elbow Kai in the ribs.

Cillian glanced between them, as perplexed as he was amused. He didn’t know what to make of Thora’s brother, but he did know he had to somehow impress him if he wanted to get to his good graces—or at least manage to say a word or two to him.

“Perhaps ye would like tae rest, then,” Cillian said for lack of anything better to say. He figured some polite small talk would be appropriate for this situation. “We will have the maids prepare yer chambers. We werenae aware ye would be arrivin’ tonight.”

“We were meant tae arrive on the morrow,” said Kai. “But the currents an’ the wind brought us here sooner. It was so cold on that boat, I froze from me fingers to me?—”

“It does get very cold in the sea!” Ava said, loudly enough to cover Kai’s words. From his position near the fireplace, Duncan snorted, but Archibald only cleared his throat in that dignified manner of his, and Cillian was left wondering if perhaps he was the most well-adjusted person in the room, after all.

Before Cillian could respond to any of this, the doors opened and Thora entered along with Enya. Looking at them, though, Cillian could only tell them apart because he had seen Thora earlier and knew what she had been wearing. It was like looking at the same person, or perhaps a mirror, the two of them so alike that it was not only striking but made Cillian doubt anyone could tell them apart.

As Thora came to sit next to him, Enya stood aside, lingering by a small table near the door. Though they had greeted each other when Enya had first arrived and she had seemed relaxed then, there was something about her know that gave Cillian the impression something was wrong.

What did they talk about? Did Thora tell her somethin’ about me?

Cillian couldn’t even begin to wonder what that could be. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong, at least nothing in the past few days. Perhaps it was nothing and he was simply reading too much into her behavior, he thought. Perhaps she was simply a little shy now, with three people she didn’t know in the room.

Cillian hoped she would warm up to him. He knew how important Enya was to Thora, how her sister meant the world to her. The last thing he wanted was to give her a reason to dislike him.

“Lady MacLeod,” Cillian said, turning to look at Enya. He could have sworn she jumped a little at being addressed, but Cillian looked past it. “Perhaps ye would like somethin’ tae eat? Some wine, perhaps?”

“Nay, thank ye,” Enya said, and it struck him for the first time how remarkably alike their voices were, too. “I am quite tired from me travels. I think I will retire soon.”

Cillian, too, thought that was for the best. The only other way he could now tell the sisters apart was through their complexions; Enya now seemed to have turned sickly pale, her skin taking on a yellow hue, her bottom lip trembling with every breath she took.

“Aye, I think we all should,” Kai said, his gaze flitting back and forth between his two sisters. “Perhaps it would be best tae continue this on the morrow, Laird MacDonald. Our apologies fer bein’ unable tae spend any more time with ye.”

“Please,” said Cillian, waving a hand dismissively as he stood, Kai and the rest of them following his lead. “There is nay need tae apologize, I understand.”

As the others made their way out of the room—all of them save for Enya, who waited for her sister—Thora tried to walk past Cillian without a word, but he was quick to grab her, a small frown forming between his brows as he looked at her. She, too, frowned at him in confusion, her gaze falling to the hand on her waist as though she disapproved of it.

Perhaps she, too, is shy in front of her family.

A quick kiss couldn’t hurt, though, Cillian figured and so he claimed her lips in a chaste one, his eyes falling shut—but only for a moment. Instantly, he knew something was wrong and he wrenched himself back from Thora, a strange, disturbing sensation crawling down his spine.

“Ye’re nae Thora,” he said. He was certain of it. He would be able to tell Thora’s kiss apart from any other.

“I am,” the woman said simply. Cillian didn’t miss the way she quickly glanced at her sister, before taking a small step back from him.

“Then ye’re nae the woman with whom I’ve spent the past days,” Cillian said. “Is that right?”

The woman in front of him—Thora, Enya, Cillian didn’t know and at that point, he didn’t care—nodded once, biting nervously on her bottom lip.

It was as though the world was crashing down around him, tilting on its axis. Everyone else had come to a sudden halt as they were exiting the room, but Cillian hardly registered any of them. He stumbled backwards, trying to put some distance between himself and the woman before him, but when his knees hit the couch, he collapsed on it, bile rising to the back of his throat.

There was a sob, small and heartbroken. Cillian looked up to see Enya, still frozen by the door, a hand pressed over her mouth to muffle the sobs that followed as the tears spilled like rivers from her eyes.