Page 22 of The Thief
“She promised to come visit them while we were here? I didn’t see anything like that on the itinerary for our visit.”
He nodded. “It was to be a surprise for everyone. Here.”
He handed her the letter Catriona had written to him before they had come to visit, expressing her desire to visit the hospital and see where they needed to make improvements.
Scarlett smiled as she read the note from her cousin.
“I think she would be happy if you did it for her. The children wanted to meet the queen and seeing as how you are acting queen, they would be more than excited to see you.”
Scarlett felt a smile come to her face for the first time in a long while.
“I will do it,” she said, knowing that even though she would be doing something for the children that they would be doing something for her too.
She reached out to hand him back the letter but he held up his hand.
“You keep it,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, resting it in her lap.
“I will let the hospital know about our visit and then we can set it up for tomorrow.”
“All right,” she said, looking back out the window. As he went to leave, she whispered, “Thank you, Alastair.”
“It was completely my pleasure.”
The next morning, Alastair waited patiently for Scarlett to come downstairs, a carriage waiting to take them both to Elfyre Hospital for their visit. The hospital staff had assured them that they were ready for their arrival, and that the children had not been told about the surprise at all. Alastair could not have been more grateful to them for not telling the children about the original surprise.
His sigh filled the hallway.
The children were the most exciting part of going to the hospital, and he always made sure to check on them and visit before he left. He really couldn’t wait to see the children again, and one day become a father himself.
He and his father, Graham Kensington, had always been close to one another, and he was excited to potentially have that for himself one day. His mother Babette had made sure that Graham and Alastair spent time together, and she would even come with them sometimes, making the outing a family one.
They had wanted to go visit the sea, and since Alastair was now Prince of Elfyre Hollow, they had the freedom to do so. They came and visited him but he hadn’t seen them in a while, and he missed them. He would make sure to write and see if he could come visit them.
Bard nudged him gently and brought him back to the hallway and the woman walking down the stairs towards him.
“I’m sorry if I am late,” she said, reaching the bottom steps with help from Bard’s hand.
“Not to worry; the children don’t actually know we are coming so we have a little bit of time to work with,” he replied, holding out his arm for her to take.
She took his arm and couldn’t help but be drawn to him by the heat of his body, the feeling of safety she got when she was with him taking over.
Alastair smiled to himself and walked towards the door, waiting for Bard to open it and let them out. Scarlett stepped out into the sunshine and smiled, the warmth hitting her face and filling her heart with happiness. She was excited to visit the children and knew that Catriona would be proud of her for doing so.
Catriona had always been an active participant in any program that helped the children of the kingdom in any way, whether it was learning activities or assistance programs. She had always had a big heart and had pushed Art to create more programs for children, mothers who had children, and families in need, even before becoming queen.
Scarlett had always aspired to be just like her, and while she had tried, she hadn’t always been successful. Scarlett found she didn’t always have the patience for charity work, and sometimes it made her uncomfortable to be in situations that she had never been in before. She had joined Catriona on a few outings, but had given up, which Catriona had understood. This time though, she was not going to give up because she felt uncomfortable.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Scarlett had calmed her fears about what she would see. There would be sick children, but she had always heard that even though they were sick, children always had a positive attitude and that made her more at ease.
The carriage stopped in front of the big building and Scarlett waited for the coachman to open the door for her, looking at the building through the window. It was large and a dark red brick, with many windows looking out on to the drive. She was almost intimidated by the building, but when Alastair took her hand in his, she felt reassured by his presence.
They walked in together and met the head nurse, Petunia, at the front desk where the patients were admitted.
“Welcome, Your Grace, and Your Highness,” Petunia said, bowing low.
“It’s wonderful to be here,” Scarlett said, smiling warmly.
