Page 81 of Highlander's Wild Lass
“Master Moreau sounds like Auralia’s dream,” she commented, finally stabbing fully into the piece of broccoli she’d been playing with and eating it.
“I thought so too.”
At that moment, Master Moreau swept into the hall with Chester, Hugo, and Auralia following closely behind. They were talking animatedly to each other, and Anthony watched Celestia notice them. A smile, a real smile, finally graced her features.
Thank God.
18
Celestia sat against the headboard, running a gentle finger over the bruises on her wrist, looking down at Anthony sleeping beside her. She was unsure how she managed to keep her tears in until they were behind their bedroom door, but she had.
Auralia and the twins were enthralled with their new tutor and their retellings of what they learned, along with learning about the little village Master Moreau grew up in was a welcome distraction. She didn’t have the heart to ruin that for them.
She glanced down at Anthony once more, she was staring, really. But this man had held her until she wept herself to sleep last night and didn’t try to fix or solve anything. But what could he solve? No one could fend off death.
She allowed her fingers to skate gently through his thick, dark curls. He moved a bit in his sleep, nestling closer to the warmth of her thigh, and suddenly she felt thankful that her father had nudged her in Anthony’s direction.
Anthony rolled over and blinked, his dark eyelashes fluttering until he was peering up at her. “It’s still dark out, what are ye doin’ up?”
“I only woke up a few minutes ago,” she told him.
“Liar,” he said as he joined her against the headboard.
She lifted her brows in submission. “Fine, I cannae sleep. I keep thinkin’ I should tell them about Da. When do ye think it will happen?”
Anthony shrugged, taking her hand into his, massaging gentle circles into the mound of her palm. “I wish I ken, lass.”
“Me too,” she mumbled, leaning against his shoulder. “I really daenae ken if I should tell Auralia and the twins...”
“Let them sleep. I wouldnae want to ken, but that’s me—”
“CELESTIA!”
They both sat erect in bed, hearing the scream come from down the hallway.
“Was that Auralia?” Celestia asked, her heart pounding as she tore out of bed. A heavy fear settled at the bottom of her belly
“I think so,” Anthony said behind her.
Their door flung open. Auralia sprinted in and fell into Celestia’s arm, the impact of her sister brought Celestia slowly to her knees.
“He’s dead,” Auralia sobbed into her chest, clutching onto Celestia. “Da’s dead.”
Celestia wrapped her arms around her sister, pulling her in as close as she could, and cried. The tears flowed down her face, stinging the cuts on her cheek.
Celestia looked at Anthony, seeing him fighting to keep it together. Her heart was broken. “Da’s dead,” she said as a loud, suffocating sob escaped her.
“Lass...” Anthony said softly, kneeling beside them and stroking both her and Auralia’s hair. “How do ye ken?”
Auralia choked on her tears, pulling away from Celestia as she tried to gain control of her breathing. “I-I-I, he—I couldnae sleep. I had this feelin’, so I went to check on him.” She swallowed heavily. “Helena was with him, sittin’ next to his bed. She was cryin’. She tried to wipe them from her face when she saw me come in, but I ken. I ken he was dead. He wasnae movin’, Cellie. He wasnae breathin’. He’s dead. And I dinnae get to say goodbye.”
Auralia buried herself in Celestia once more.
The pain in Celestia’s chest grew and grew as she tried to stop herself from crying, but there was no stopping it. She was horrified that Auralia had been the one to see their father like that, that she had been the first one to find out.
“Let’s get off the floor, Auralia,” Celestia cooed softly into her sister’s hair.
Anthony helped lift Auralia from the floor and onto the bed. Celestia laid next to her until she cried herself to sleep. With the tears still streaming down her face, she turned to Anthony and unnecessarily said, “She’s asleep.”
