Page 125 of The Highlander's Auctioned Hellion
“Aye. It isnae anythin’ special.”
Lydia opened the box and stared in wonder at what was inside. It was a brand-new silver telescope, with constellations carved across it. The swirling, tumbling patterns were beautiful, and she traced them with her fingers in amazement.
“Where did you get this?” she asked, enchanted.
“There is a man whom I kenned in Orkney who studies the stars. I wrote to him, and he offered to make me somethin’. The telescope Angus and I have been usin’ is old and nae as good as that one. There’s a stand for it, too,” he said, waving vaguely behind him.
Callum was decidedly bad at giving anyone presents.
“Anyway, that is all I wanted to give ye.” He made to leave the room, and Lydia stopped him.
“Hold your horses, Callum Lawson, you cannot give me a beautiful telescope as a gift without getting anything in return.”
He set his jaw. “I dinnae want anythin’ in return.”
“Not even a kiss?” she asked, running her hands over his jacket, feeling the buttons catch beneath her skin.
Callum huffed out a breath. “Aye. I can take that.”
Lydia chuckled. “Thank you,” she said, placing a gentle kiss on his mouth. “I love it.”
“You are right, Lydia, this is not something I would ever have seen in London.”
Lydia smiled back at her mother as they stood on the tallest tower of the castle, looking up at the sky.
Callum had spent several minutes setting up the new telescope, and now he, Tommy, and the girls were taking it in turns to look through it at various angles.
She adored seeing Tommy with Callum. Their dynamic was entirely different from that of her brother and her father. Callum was patient and quiet with him, never scolding, only explaining when he might get something wrong.
Her mother seemed well, too, sitting beside her on a stool that had been brought up from the castle.
The Duchess had arrived with some cacao and cinnamon as a gift, and the cook had sent up a beautiful-smelling drink for them all to enjoy. It was thick, creamy, and delicious, and warmed them all as they stood beneath the sky.
It was a clear night, and that had made it chilly on the ramparts. Eilis and Amy were bundled up in their coats, and Lydia and her mother sat with blankets over their knees.
“Should we go in soon, do you think?” Lydia asked Callum. “It is getting rather cold up here.”
“Oh, Maither, can we stay a little longer?” Eilis said, and then she froze, blushing furiously.
Lydia stared at her, amazed to hear the word mother from her lips. Eilis looked back at Amy, twisting her hands in front of her awkwardly.
“Och, I said that out loud, did I nae? Well, we secretly have been callin’ ye mother for a long time,” Eilis said. “Ever since ye first came!”
Lydia held back tears as Eilis approached her, and Amy followed behind. She grabbed them both, hugging them tightly and kissing them on the tops of their heads.
“And you are not just calling me that so you can stay up for a little longer?” she asked teasingly, her voice choked with emotion.
The girls giggled.
“Nay, but can we?”
“Yes,” Lydia said.As if I could deny them anything now. “But we will need to get you to bed after that. What will Raven do if he has no one to keep him warm when the wind howls through the corridors?”
Eilis grinned, trotting back over with her sister as they used the older telescope to look at the stars.
“Lydia, come and have a look at this,” Callum said, holding out an arm to her.
Lydia handed her mother her cup and went over to look through the telescope.
