Page 85 of The Anguish of the Scottish Lairds
“To do what exactly, Da?” Dyna asked.
“Help him find out what happened to his parents.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Eva
Eva came in from the outdoors with Meg, laughing. They entered together and her mother called out to them, “Sit in front of the fire with me, you two.”
She and Meg joined her mother as asked.
“And what were you two doing?”
“Axe throwing. It’s fun,” Meg said. “And Eva is so good at it.”
“You are becoming fast friends, and it pleases me. I always wished for another daughter, Meg. You have filled that need and made my son happy besides.”
“I do love Lennox.”
“I’ll have to attempt to find a wife for Taskill soon. But I don’t know if he’ll ever settle down.”
“They all love Taskill, Mama.”
Then Eva thought for a moment. “Except Alycia. She never liked him.”
“She liked you well enough,” her mother said. “So sad she turned greedy.”
“Actually, she said she hated me. Because I was so spoiled. I felt like she was my only friend for so long, and she was a phony.”
“She betrayed you, Eva. That’s the word.”
Eva thought about how hurt she’d been over Alycia, but her mother was correct. And now she had other friends—Meg, Dyna, Eli, and Tamsin.
The door opened and Sloan stepped inside. Eva bolted out of her seat and ran to his side, giving him a quick kiss. “Sorry, Mama.”
“Young love is always a joy to watch, Eva.”
Meg said, “Excuse me, but I think I’ll find Lennox. I believe he’s in the lists.” Then she disappeared.
Sloan moved toward the hearth. “Greetings to you, my lady. You look lovely.”
“My thanks, Sloan. You have my daughter smiling wider than I’ve ever seen her.”
“Mama, may we go up to the parapets? Do you mind? You know I love to look over the sound from there.”
“Go, have fun. It’s my favorite spot too.”
Eva took Sloan’s hand and tugged him up the staircase behind her. “What are you doing here? I just left you not long ago,” she whispered.
Sloan nuzzled her neck from behind. “I missed you. And I wished to see how you were.” He opened the heavy door for her and Sloan sat on one of the stools already there, tugging her onto his lap. After giving her a quick kiss, he whispered, “Are you sore?”
“Nay, not at all. Just happy that we handfasted.”
“Did you tell your mother?”
“Nay, but I will. Did you tell Lennox?”
“Nay, but I might on the way out. I told him that I expected we would handfast soon. That you were not ready for a big wedding but that we wished to live together as husband and wife. He gave me his blessings.”
