She didn't mention Sloan, so I concluded that Keelin had decided not to present her yet. A wise choice, I thought. I couldn't imagine my aunt—with her long electric blue hair braided and piled on top of her head and her flowy, feminine gowns—appreciating Sloan's eccentric appearance.
"I'm pleased to see you both, but is there a reason for your visit?" Uncle Lomán asked.
"Why, they've come to make wedding arrangements, of course," Ciara answered as she sipped her tea. Her brow creased and she set her cup down with a clank when she noticed my flush of embarrassment. "Has something happened? You are still handfast, are you not?" she asked, her voice gentle.
"Aye, sure we are." I rushed to assure her, all the while feeling the heat of Alexander's gaze. I shouldn't have gotten distracted, I scolded myself. I should have had that conversation with him before coming here. "We simply haven't had time to make any plans as yet."
She brightened as an idea came into her head. "You're expecting! That's it, isn't it? You're putting your plans on hold until after the baby comes. The Jewel is finally—"
"No," I stated firmly, cutting her off. She frowned at my urgent tone.
"My love," Uncle Lomán said with a chuckle. "Give them a chance to speak."
"We're making a trip to Castle Conall, my family's ancestral home. We hope Sophia can stay here while we're gone," Alexander explained.
"You're from the House of Filias? Surely you don't intend to restore the place and make it your home?" Aunt Ciara asked frantically, panic in her eyes. "Just last month they found the body of a fáidh along the southern edge of Tír na nÓg. If the Unseelie prince learns that any of your family has returned, he will go after you. And you will expose Tressa to great danger."
"Don't worry," Alexander said raising his hand to wave off her concern. "We're going for a quick visit, just for a few hours. And we're not going at all unless we get assurances that it's safe."
"I got a message from the Guard that you were asking questions. I can tell you everything we know." Uncle Lomán hesitated as if not sure where to start. "It's tragic—but I guess you probably heard already. The family has died out; if anyone remains, they are in hiding. The Unseelie took over the entire estate and controlled it for many years. We kept running them out, and they kept coming back. Unfortunately, after so many battles, it isn't much more than ruins."
Alexander nodded, stoic as he absorbed this information. "I understand, but I still want to see it for myself," he said. "That is, if it's safe for Tressa."
"There hasn't been even a whisper on the wind of any Unseelie activity from that area for at least ten years."
That night I retired to our bedroom suite to wait for Alexander. He had snuck away earlier in the evening and I hadn't seen him since. I wondered if he was upset with me—with the limbo state of our relationship—after my aunt's prying questions.
I took out the tuairim stones we bought from the Leprechaun. They were lovely specimens, although the one Sloan had pulled out of the pouch had been the largest of the group. Once Matt had worked on them, I could make an attractive bracelet for her. The stones weren't particularly valuable, but they had a nice essence and they were quite generous with it.
I worried as the hour grew late and Alexander still hadn't returned. However, I had just slipped into my nightgown and sat at my dressing table when his footsteps came down the hallway. He opened the bedroom door as I picked up my hairbrush and I turned to smile at him, relieved to have him back with me.
"Good," he said with a broad smile. "I thought you might be asleep already."
He came and took the brush from my hand. I closed my eyes as he ran the hairbrush through my unruly curls, relaxing back in the chair.
"Xander, I need to tell you something," I said after a minute. He didn't respond; he but just kept brushing. "Xander?"
I looked up to find him staring down at me. His eyes seemed to swim with tenderness. He put the hairbrush down and knelt beside me, steadying himself with one knee on the floor.
"Okay," he said, nodding. "But let me go first." He took my hands. His warm touch made my heart quicken.
"I don't want you to be upset about this afternoon—with your aunt thinking you were pregnant. I realize you want children very badly, and I would be glad to see it happen. But I need you to understand that I'm okay if it doesn't."
I smiled at him sadly and caressed his cheek. I had no doubt that this man was my Anam Cara. If I were meant to have children, it would be through a union with him. Only my age and God's will worked against me. I dropped my hand back into his and watched our auras dance together.
"Aye, I believe you. Xander, I want to—"
"Wait. I'm not finished," he said, his deep voice cracking. He cleared his throat. "Tressa, I've done what you asked. I've thought about what I want for my life. And I can tell you that I know—I absolutely know—that I don't want an ordinary life. I want an extraordinary life. And for me that means spending it—sharing it—with you. Short or long, my life will be meaningless without you. Please, Tressa. Say that you will marry me."
I blinked rapidly to hold my tears in check as I tried to respond, but my emotions overwhelmed my ability to speak. Trembling, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. He stood, pulling me to my feet and holding me against his body. Then he pulled my arms away and held me away from him, examining my face.
"What does this mean?" he asked, anxiety lining his face. "You didn't say yes... so is it no, and you're afraid to say it?"
"Aye, yes! I say yes!"
It wasn't until much later that night that he gave me a ring. We lay naked in bed, satiated from lovemaking. I curled on my side resting my head on his shoulder and softly running my finger along the path of the scar that wove around his palm and up his forearm.
He reached over to the bedside table and retrieved a box from inside the drawer.
"I understand it's not traditional for the Sidhe to give an engagement ring," he said as he handed me the small box. "But considering that we're both in the gemstone business, I thought it was fitting. Besides, it's St. Valentine's Day. You can consider it my romantic gesture for the day."
I sat up, taking the box from him and preparing to feign enthusiasm. I expected it to be a diamond, and I had no love for that particular stone. When I flipped the lid open I gasped in surprise. The ring inside had a large, pear-shaped pink stone, easily five carats in size.
"It's a kunzite," Alexander said as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto my finger. "I found it myself on a rock hunting trip to Brazil. Matt cut it for me. A Portuguese-cut, so the extra facets can bring out the stone's brilliance. I ran around for hours tonight to find someone to put it in a setting for me."
Alexander wrapped his arm around my shoulders and leaned his head against mine. I held my hand up for both of us to admire how the ring looked on my finger.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"Like it? It's stunning! I'm just so surprised, I didn't expect this." It was the ideal choice, though I doubted he knew why this gem was so perfect for the occasion.
"No? Well, you don't think much of diamonds, and this stone, I've been told, is a symbol of eternal love."
My mouth gaped open. It was as if he had read my mind. He laughed and kissed me, obviously proud of himself. Then the source of his information hit me.
"The twins!" I said. He laughed, kissing me again.
"They may have been hinting at what you would like. Looks like they really came through this time."
We lay there for a few minutes in silence as Alexander played with my hair. I was just dozing off when he spoke again.
"Tressa, if this doesn't work out tomorrow... If I don't find out anything concrete about my mother, I'm going to stop looking."
This pronouncement startled me awake. He had dedicated most of his life to searching for Neve. I pulled away from his shoulder so I could see his face.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "Enough is enough. It's ti
me to move on."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The next morning we had a difficult time finding Sophia to say goodbye before leaving. We walked the long drafty corridors of the castle looking for her. The kitchen staff told us that after breakfast Keelin had taken her upstairs to the nursery.
We didn't find her there, but the young, rosy-faced Sidhe in charge said she went with a group of children to the classroom on the next floor. We found several youngsters there in the midst of a music class, but Sophia wasn't among them.
"She went down the hall that way," the music teacher said, waving his hand toward the south end of the building with the gracefulness of a conductor.
"She's not being watched closely enough if she's this hard to find," Alexander grumbled.
"Perfectly natural in a Sidhe household," I said, unperturbed.
"Yes, I know, everyone raises the children," he said in a mocking tone, obviously feeling he had heard this too often. I smiled at his grumpiness. Nothing could suppress my elation, now that we were truly handfast.
The sound of the children singing trailed behind us as we hurried down the corridor. I was less familiar with this section of the castle. A glow shone through the window of a closed door a few yards ahead in the dark hallway. It didn't appear to be lamplight, nor was it natural sunlight. It was bright with faint tinges of color.
"Xander, what's that light shining from inside that room?" I asked, unable to identify the glow myself.
He shrugged. "I don't see anything unusual."
I could hear babies crying as we got closer. The air carried the distinct smell of disinfectant and medication—telltale signs that the room was an infirmary for sick infants. I had known this place existed, but had always avoided it. As a healer, I found it too terrible to face dying children with no ability to help them. There were some ailments that God alone could cure.
We stopped outside the door. I kept my eyes downcast while I steeled my emotions. Then I looked into the room. Blinded by auras, at first I couldn't see anything. So many innocents, with their bright auras in close quarters, had caused the glow I had seen in the hallway. That explained why Alexander hadn't seen it. Though the infants' auras were immaculate and bright, they were also flat and nearly colorless. They lacked the vibrancy that accompanied a strong life essence, making it clear that these precious wee ones were deathly ill.
After blinking several times, I made out the physical forms of the babies—over a dozen of them. Despite the noise, not all of the infants were crying. At least half of them were asleep in their cribs. Two lay awake quietly. Nurses tended to the fussing ones, doing their best to comfort them.
Off to the left, one aura still obscured my vision, concealing the person beneath it. This aura was different-strong, vibrant and more brilliant than the rest. Indeed, it blazed brighter than any I had seen before. I tried to look past the aura; however its brilliance stung my eyes until they watered. At last my sight pushed past it, and I gasped in astonishment. It was Sophia.
Alexander, no longer frantic now that he had found his daughter, didn't enter. He stood watching her from outside the room. One of the two adults inside spoke with Sophia, telling her the name of the baby in the crib before them. Ian, I thought, though it was difficult to understand her over the baby's screaming tears.
The nurse nodded and Sophia climbed into a rocking chair along the wall of the infirmary. The Sidhe brought the swaddled baby to her and carefully laid him in her lap. When Sophia's arms encircled him, Ian stopped crying.
"You see that," the nurse said, easily heard now that the baby had quieted. "He likes you."
Sophia pushed off the floor with the tip of her toe to set the chair rocking. She began to sing to him in a soft and comforting tone. I recognized the song—a sweet lullaby that speaks of a mother's loving ambitions for the future of her newborn. I smiled, delighted to hear her sing something I had taught her. It is one of life's great joys—to know you have influenced a child.
Then something miraculous happened—the baby's aura transformed. It grew stronger and stronger until it was bold and vibrant. When I noticed the change begin, fear clinched my throat. You can't heal another—either physically or spiritually—without giving away a part of yourself in the process. I flung the door open and rushed in, ready to rip Ian away from her, fearful that Sophia would destroy her own spirit to save the baby's. A foot away from her I froze. Sophia's aura wasn't weakening—it too was growing stronger and brighter, until finally she became so brilliant that my eyes burned and I had to look away.
I kept them closed to sooth them and took several deep breaths. After a minute I looked back at Sophia; she looked like she always did, handing a healthy baby back to the nurse. Sophia politely thanked the woman and ran to greet us.
After Alexander offered her several options, Sophia decided to rejoin the children in their music lesson. She walked between us, holding our hands as we headed to the classroom. She chattered away, but I wasn't listening. My mind was fully occupied as I tried to decipher what I had just seen. The babies in that nursery were beyond the healing abilities of any Sidhe. They were certainly beyond my abilities. And yet, that infant was now healthy.
"Sophia, what did you do to the wee one?" I asked, wondering if even she knew the answer. Alexander looked at me quizzically over Sophia's head. "The one you were holding before we came in the room."
Sophia looked up at me, beaming. "It was a mistake. He shouldn't have been there."
"In the infirmary?" I asked puzzled.
"In line to leave us. We need him here."
Before I could ask her to explain, the music teacher spotted us. "Come join us now, Sophia, if you're planning to return."
We said our goodbyes in a rush to let Sophia rejoin the class without disrupting the others.
A pudgy housemaid, barely older than a teenager, approached us, wringing her hands. "My lady, a Miss Sloan is looking for you. She seems most distraught," she said, ducking her head.
Announcing visitors was usually the butler's job; she looked uncomfortable taking on the task.
I couldn't recall the girl's name, though she had been at the castle during our last visit. I frantically searched my memory, trying to will it to the front of my brain. "Thank you… Lily."
Alexander groaned as Lily turned and led the way, allowing a bit of his frustration to leak out. "It would be great to get out of here before the day's half over," he grumbled.
"Hush now. It's still early, and this shouldn't take long. We'll see what she needs and be on our way."
The maid led us toward the back entrance to the castle, generally reserved for the servants and the family. Visitors traditionally used the front entrance. This would explain why they sent a maid to find us, I mused.
Sloan leaned against the stone wall of the entry with her shoulders slumped as she stared at the floor. My heart softened toward the poor thing; she looked so lost and alone. She straightened into her customary defensive bearing when she saw us, but the tough attitude dissolved when she spoke.
"Lady's gone," she said. Her voice wobbled. "She ran off just after we arrived. I've been walking all over and I can't find her anywhere."
I placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Sure and she's fine," I said. "No one around here is likely to hurt her. She'll turn up." Sloan nodded and went back to staring at the floor. She angled her head toward me and spoke softly into my ear.
"Everyone here stares at me. They don't seem very friendly." Her voice quivered, and she swallowed hard to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
I had anticipated this and should have warned her. I took her into a full embrace, and for a second she leaned against me. But then she remembered she was tough. She straightened up and shrugged me off. I let her slip away without a fight.
"Don't worry about them. Come spend the day with us," I said, avoiding Alexander's gaze. I was sure he was looking at me with disapproval.
The twins, when they had heard about our plan
s to visit Castle Conall the afternoon before, had declared that they would go with us—to make a day of it. I led Sloan back out the rear entrance to where they were waiting for us. Rosheen had her elbow hooked through the handle of a basket, which I assumed held food for later.
Next to Rosheen stood her sister, Keelin, carrying a matching basket. Side by side, their identical blue hair styled the same—hanging loose past their shoulders—it was difficult even for me to tell them apart until I was close enough to see their eyes.
A third person waited with them—Connor, appearing more relaxed out of uniform. "I had the day off, so I thought I would tag along," Connor said. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Alexander said. "I'm happy to have another guy around."
"Connor, this is my friend Sloan," I said, waving a hand in her direction. When I made the gesture my cousins squealed. I jumped, startled and confused by the ruckus. Rosheen grabbed my hand and pulled it closer.
"It's official! He finally did it! It's gorgeous!" The twins talked over each other as they excitedly examined the ring.
"It's official," Alexander said, beaming.
"When is the wedding? Oh, you must do it soon; we need a good excuse to throw some parties!" Keelin gushed.
"As if you ever need a reason to have a party," Rosheen said with a smirk. "You mustn't have it too soon. I need time to design your dress—I will be designing the gown, won't I?"
"We haven't given the date any thought yet, but of course you will, and we'll have plenty of parties."
"Ladies," Connor interrupted. "Can we get our journey started for today and discuss the wedding plans later?"
We Sidhe could have flitted to our destination, but not Alexander. Besides that, my uncle insisted that I travel with my bodyguard while in faery. I didn't mind; riding on dragons would turn the day into an enjoyable outing for everyone. Alexander climbed onto Henry and sat behind me. He hugged me around my waist and kissed the crook of my neck as the twins scrambled onto Zoey.
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