“Yes,” Edwina said faintly. “Yes, it would.”
Jacques stumbled backward, and Colin hoped he wouldn’t have to hold him up, too, because he was running out of hands. He’d promised Luna he’d keep his connection with her, and she’d maintained a death grip on him that might leave a mark.
Fortunately Jacques got his feet under him and led the way down a hallway with floorboards so highly polished that Colin worried about everyone’s footing. The hall was wide enough for him to walk between the two female Weres. With one hand locked through Luna’s fingers, and the other supporting a wobbly Edwina, Colin felt like the conduit between two sparking batteries. Either one could short out at any second.
Now that Jacques was moving, he looked taller and more in command. His stride was firm, his shoulders back. Once, when he ran a hand over his thinning hair, Colin detected a slight tremble, but that was to be expected. These two Weres had just met their dead son’s child, one they’d had no idea existed before.
Jacques reached the end of the hall and turned left into a sunroom furnished in cheerful yellow and white. Colin thought it was a fine place to settle these jumpy people and bring peace to all concerned. He hoped it worked out that way.
“You three sit there.” Jacques waved them to a plump couch as if he assumed they’d all stay connected like Tinker Toys. “I’ll tell Bethany to bring us…” He paused and peered at them through his bifocals. “What would you all like?”
“Vodka,” Edwina said.
Jacques blinked. “Vodka?”
She waved a hand at him. “You know. Screwdrivers. Vodka and orange juice. Have Bethany mix up a big batch.”
“But, dearest, it’s eleven in the morning.” Jacques gave her a tentative smile.
“I don’t give a good goddamn what time it is, Jacques! Byron’s daughter just arrived! That calls for something stronger than iced tea, don’t you think?”
Colin glanced over at Luna and she widened her eyes at him as if to ask what the hell? He gave a little shrug. For now, he’d be the filling in the sandwich. He prayed he wouldn’t have to be the referee.
Edwina leaned forward, so Colin leaned back, allowing her to look at her granddaughter.
“Luna, is it?”
Luna edged forward a little and peered around Colin at her grandmother. “Luna Thisbe Reynaud. Although they never married, my mother took Byron’s name. She told me he was my father. But that’s…that’s all she told me.”
“She didn’t say he was Were?” Edwina flung the question as an accusation.
Luna tensed. “Why would she? She didn’t know which I would be, Were or human.”
“And which are you?” Edwina’s voice shook.
“I’m Were,” Luna said quietly. “But I’m a half-breed.”
Edwina sank back against the cushions. “Byron’s child,” she muttered, almost as if speaking to herself. “Byron’s child.” Then she popped back up to stare at Luna. “Change places with this fellow so I can have a better look at you.”
Colin glanced at Luna, who nodded. He stood, and she scooted over next to Edwina. When he sat down again, Luna reached for his other hand. He offered it freely. She could mangle that one, too, if she needed to.
Edwina adjusted her position, turning her body slightly so she could study Luna. “You have his chin, which was like mine. Pull back your hair.”
Colin expected Luna to start objecting to this series of commands, but she pulled her hair back as instructed.
“You have his ears, too.” Edwina’s voice caught. “He had the most beautiful ears, just like Jacques.”
Jacques bustled back into the room. “What’s this about my ears?”
“Luna has Byron’s ears, which are your ears, too,” Edwina said.
Jacques edged closer and crouched down to gaze at Luna. “Huh. So she does.” He looked Luna up and down, but then his attention returned to her feet. “And Byron’s toes.”
“Toes?” Luna lifted her feet off the floor. The sandals she wore displayed toes painted with pink nail polish.
Edwina leaned over to examine Luna’s toes. “You are so right, Jacques! Her second toe is bigger than her first toe, like mine, and like Byron had.” She pulled off one of her low-heeled shoes. “Damn. I’m wearing pantyhose. You can’t see as well, but my second toe is longer, Luna, just like yours. You’ll have to take my word for it.”
“I believe y’all,” Luna said.
“Did you hear that, Jacques? She talks just like Sophie did. I swear it’s like Sophie walked in here, except for the ears, and the chin, and the toes.”
Whatever Colin had expected out of this meeting, it hadn’t been a comparison of ears and chins and toes. He’d prepared for wailing and gnashing of teeth, icy coldness, cutting remarks. Not a discussion of body parts.
Bethany, a plump redhead, arrived with a tray of drinks and a pitcher for refilling once the first round was gone. “Good morning, everyone. I understand we have an honored visitor.” She picked up two goblets and handed one to Edwina and one to Luna. “Welcome, Luna Reynaud.”
“Thank you.”
“What an exciting day.” Bethany took the second pair of goblets and gave the first one to Colin. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“Yes, it is,” Colin said. And surprisingly calm, all things considered.
“I can’t believe our granddaughter is sitting here,” Jacques said in a bewildered voice as he accepted a goblet from Bethany.
“Risen from the dead.” Edwina took a hefty swallow of her screwdriver.
“No, dearest, that’s not quite true,” Jacques said. “She was always alive. We just didn’t know about her. That’s a big difference.”
Edwina flapped her hand dismissively. “Whatever. The question is, where is this Sophie person?”
Colin winced, expecting a heated response from Luna. He’d guessed wrong, though.
Her voice was gentle as she turned to her grandmother. “She died when I was eight, Mrs. Reynaud. But I can tell y’all without a shadow of a doubt that she was true to your son.”
“I didn’t know she was pregnant, so I didn’t realize they’d mated,” Edwina said. “But now…now it’s obvious they did.”
“Yes.” Luna’s voice was husky. “They were truly mated.”
“Yet she left.”
“She was human, Mrs. Reynaud, in every sense of that word. She told me she didn’t belong here, so I guess she couldn’t accept living in a community of Weres. But she was in love with Byron Reynaud, her mate, to the end.”
Colin squeezed Luna’s hand. Nicely done, lass. He wished they could communicate telepathically, but he thought she got the message.
“Well.” Edwina patted the arm of the sofa and stared off into space. “Well.”
No one said anything for a while, as if each of them wanted to give Edwina a chance to collect herself.
Finally she cleared her throat and raised her glass. “To the startling discovery of our granddaughter, Luna Thisbe Reynaud, although I can’t say I approve of that middle name. We might have to do something about that. Anyway, cheers.”
“Cheers,” everyone chorused, and took a sip from their goblets.
Following the toast, Edwina leaned forward to scrutinize Colin. “And what have you to do with all this? Our secretary said you were a laird of something or other. Glenbugle or some such.”
“Glenbarra. A small village north of Glasgow.”
“Never heard of it, but that doesn’t matter. George called this morning, but I confess once he started talking about Luna and how she might be Byron’s daughter, I lost track of everything else. So why are you here?”
“I’m Geraldine and Harry Whittier’s nephew. She left Whittier House to me.”
“Oh!” Edwina put a hand to her chest and almost spilled her drink. “That’s where Byron used to work as a teenager. He loved it out there. He didn’t see much of the Whittiers, but he was very close to the groundskeeper. If memory serves, his name was Hector.”
&nbs
p; “Hector’s still the groundskeeper,” Colin said. “At least for now. Luna and I plan to open the house as an exclusive inn for Weres, and I’m not sure how Hector will adapt to that. He likes a more secluded environment.”
Edwina nodded. “That’s because he never got over losing his mate, Althea. I knew Althea better than I knew Hector. We were in school together. When Byron started working out there, I told him about Althea dying soon after she and Hector were mated, and how Hector became something of a hermit. Byron treated everyone with compassion, but he gave extra consideration to Hector.” Edwina took another long swallow of her screwdriver. “God, I still miss that son of mine so much.”
Jacques came over to lay a hand on her shoulder. “We all do, Ed.”
She glanced up at him. “Not all, Jacques. This laird never laid eyes on Byron, and obviously Luna didn’t have the chance to know her father.” She turned to Luna. “But you would have loved him.”
“I’m sure.” Luna sounded very subdued, and she’d barely touched her drink. “I wonder if Hector remembers him. He didn’t react to my last name at all.”
“That was a long time ago. Although it hurts to think that anyone would forget Byron, Hector might have by now. Or maybe he’d recall the first name but not the last. He’s had lots of teenagers working for him over the years. I’m sure they run together after awhile.”
Jacques looked more animated than he had since they arrived. “We should talk to him and show him a picture. I’d love to pay a visit to that island. Byron said he felt more at home there than anywhere.”
Luna glanced up eagerly. “He did?”
“Oh, yes, and it made perfect sense. He was never a city boy. He loved the woods, and the sea. Watching a pod of orcas play along the shore was his idea of heaven.”
Luna made a small sound deep in her throat, one that Colin didn’t think anyone noticed but him. But he could imagine the intensity of her reaction to all of this. She might look like Sophie, but in so many ways, she was her father’s daughter.
He sensed that she was on emotional overload. The Reynauds had been different than he’d expected, but welcoming in their own way. It was more than he could have hoped for. Yet Luna might need time to process what she’d discovered so far.
He turned to Edwina. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, but we have a helicopter to catch, and I’ll be leaving for Scotland tomorrow, so there are plenty of loose ends to tie up before then. We should probably get going.”
Next to him, Luna sagged in relief. He’d made the right call.
Jacques frowned. “But there was something about a benefit for the foundation, wasn’t there?”
“Yes.” Luna straightened. “I’m managing the inn, because Colin will be in Scotland a good bit of the time. I considered setting up opening weekend as a benefit for the Byron Reynaud Foundation, if you would agree.”
Jacques nodded enthusiastically. “I think that’s a very—”
“Problematic idea,” Edwina finished for him. “It’s not your fault, Luna, but some of the older Weres in the Trevelyan pack remember the circumstances of Byron’s death. If they discover Sophie was pregnant when she left, well, they might not be…happy…to support her daughter’s enterprise.”
That was Colin’s cue to get Luna the hell out of there before things got ugly. He stood and drew her up with him. “Maybe involving the foundation isn’t such a wonderful idea. As owner of the inn, I won’t advocate anything that would make my manager uncomfortable.”
“We need to talk about this some more,” Jacques said. “Let us digest everything. Take stock, as it were.”
“And talk to George,” Edwina added. “He’s been one of our chief advisors for the foundation. I’m sure he’ll have some good advice.”
Now Colin knew they really needed to leave. “We’ll be in touch,” he said. “Luna, the cab is waiting.”
Edwina stood. “Before you go, Luna, let me take another good look at you. Turn loose of this Colin person for one minute. I swear you two act the way Sophie and Byron did, like you can’t bear to be parted.”
Luna released his hand as if his touch had burned her. “Colin is only a friend, Mrs. Reynaud. I was nervous about coming here and he’s been a steadying influence.”
Edwina looked from Colin to Luna and back at Colin again. “If you say so. That’s not what I see, and I haven’t lived on this Earth for seventy-six years without learning a thing or two about mutual attraction.”
Colin’s gut clenched. He hoped Edwina was wrong about the depth of their involvement, both for Luna’s sake and his own.
Edwina took Luna by the shoulders and gazed intently into her eyes. “You are a Reynaud.” She gave Luna a quick, awkward hug. “So you must stop calling me Mrs. Reynaud and call me Grandmother. Now go before I start blubbering like a fool.”
“Same for me.” Jacques hurried over and gave Luna a pat on the back. “I mean, don’t call me Grandmother, but call me Grandpa. I rather like the sound of Grandpa.”
“Okay, I’ll do that.” Luna’s voice was suspiciously thick.
“We’ll see you again,” Jacques said.
“Yes.” She gave a short cough. “Yes, you will.”
“Thanks for everything,” Colin said as he recaptured Luna’s hand. To hell with what Edwina might think of him doing that. He needed to guide her out of there before she broke down. She would hate that. The hallway seemed endless, but at last they were in the open air.
“Oh, Colin.” She put a hand to her mouth and her green eyes filled with tears.
“Come on.” He slid has arm around her waist. “Let’s get in the cab.”
“I don’t…I don’t know if I’m up to this. It’s so emotional!”
He urged her toward the cab, where the driver had the back door open and the motor running. “I know. But it wasn’t bad for a first meeting.”
“No.” She was quivering. “I guess not.”
“George may complicate things.”
“Yes.”
“Bloody hell, I wish I didn’t have to leave.”
“So do I.” She wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him back before she climbed into the cab. “So do I.”
Once they were safely inside the cab and on their way, Colin called Knox and told him they’d be a little late. Luna couldn’t imagine what she’d do without Colin to handle the details right now. Her mind was reeling with discussions of ears, toes, chins, and whether or not her newly discovered grandparents would support her in the long run. The jury was still out on that one.
Colin disconnected his call to Knox and put his arm around her again. “Look at it this way. They didn’t reject you.”
“No, and they didn’t trash my mother. The closest Edwina came was when she called her this Sophie person.”
“I think that’s her way. She called me this Colin person.”
Luna rested her head on his shoulder and relished the solid feel of him. “They were blindsided by this. I’ve had years to imagine what it would be like to meet my grandparents, and they didn’t know I existed.”
“I think they’re going to come to love the idea of having a granddaughter with Byron’s chin, ears, and toes.”
She sighed. “This is going to sound dopey, but I adored that part. Nobody’s ever looked at me and said you have his ears! It made me feel connected in a way I haven’t been since my mother died.”
“What about your other grandmother?”
“She never carried on like that. I was illegitimate in her eyes, and that’s all she saw. I can only imagine how she would have reacted if she’d learned how truly different I am.”
With a murmur of sympathy, Colin reached over and stroked her hair.
Luna sighed. “She’s lost to me and I’m lost to her.”
“But these two we just met,” he said as he continued to stroke her hair. “They have possibilities.”
“But will they become a tool of the manipulative George?”
Colin hesitated.
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“Give it to me straight, please. I’ll have to handle this after you’re gone.”
“I’m afraid he’s going to try. If Edwina thinks he’s some kind of business guru, and he tells her you need him on this project, she’ll push for you to involve him in some way.”
“And if I resist, that will be a bone of contention with my newly minted grandmother.” She looked up at him. “Tell me again why you think I need family in my life?”
“It has to do with the ears and the toes.”
She laughed, the first time she’d felt like doing that since before they’d stepped into her grandparents’ house. “I’m going to cling to that discussion, because it was the truly real part of going there.”
“There were other real parts. Like when you told Edwina that your mother had been true to your father.”
“Yes.” Luna snuggled closer. “That got to her, and I’m glad, because it’s true. All the discussions you and I have had about those who are truly mated have convinced me that my parents were. But going to live in that world was too frightening for my mother.” She paused. “Or maybe it was the scary prospect of having Edwina as a mother-in-law.”
“Personally, I think Edwina has a soft, squishy center that she does her best to hide. I’ll bet you’ll discover she’s more of a pushover than you think the next time you visit.”
Luna shuddered. “I’m not sure how soon I’ll be up for another visit. Without you to bolster my courage, I may put it off for a very long time.”
“Don’t.” Colin kissed the top of her head. “They need you and you need them. And I just had a great idea. They’re family, so why don’t you dedicate Geraldine’s room as their private suite? Let them come there free of charge, whenever they want to.”
“Do I dare do that?” The idea both thrilled and terrified her. But it would be something she could give to her grandparents, and she wanted to be able to give them something special.
“I don’t see why you shouldn’t,” Colin said.
“It’s probably the premiere room in the whole castle. We could get a small fortune for that room.”
“Money isn’t everything, lass. If it pleases you to do that for them, by all means, do. I can guarantee that Geraldine would have approved.”
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