Hope Everlastin' Book 4

by Mickee Madden

  A burst of silence followed, and Roan blinked in confusion. He wanted to press the back of a hand to her brow, but instead asked, "Are you feelin’ a wee jaggey? Feverish, perhaps?"

  She looked at him almost shyly. "I love the roll of an R on a Scot or Irish tongue." She gestured excitedly as she went on, "It makes my blood sing and my heart go pitter-patter like the wings of a—oops, I almost said butterfly. Everyone knows there's no grander set of wings than those of a fairy."

  Amusement sparkled in Roan's eyes as he nodded in agreement. "I think I should carry you down for breakfast before you burst wi' good cheer."

  "Carry me down from here? Hell, no. I'll fly ahead and meet you at the drapes to the hall, where, if you really don't mind, I'll borrow your arms to make my entrance into the dining room."

  "They'll remain attached to me, won't they?"

  "Your arms?" She chuckled. "Of course. I just don't want to shake up the parents before the right time makes itself known." A devilish gleam flashed in her eyes. "By the way, Roan, your mother is planning to take over the wedding."

  Roan grunted.

  "Don't worry. You know, your parents really aren't bad people, Roan. They just got caught up with the material trappings of life. I know for a fact they love you. If you look deeply enough into their eyes you'll see how ashamed they are of the past, and how much they need your approval."

  Peeved with her assessment of his parents, Roan started for the steps, but she gently gripped his arm, stopping him.

  "I know you believe in magic," she said softly, "but what you don't know is that most of its elements come from the heart. Roan, you're emotionally starting to reach out for your sister. Your parents deserve no less.

  "Yes, your mother is being difficult, but you have it within you to bring out the woman she is so afraid to let surface."

  "My mither isn't afraid o' anythin’."

  "Ahh, you're wrong. Like your father, she's afraid of many things. Failure, for example."

  Roan frowned. "O' wha'?"

  She looked upward and sighed dreamily. "Of reaching for the stars and coming back empty-handed." She lowered her gaze to see a troubled look in Roan's eyes. "When your parents first wed, they were full of dreams for their future. Ironically, their goals were centered on the children they planned to bring into this world. But of course, Roan, like too many people, they lost sight of what was really important."

  "Which was?"

  "You and Taryn, of course, and each other. They became so wrapped up in providing the best the material world could offer, the family got lost. They always thought there would be time to make up for not attending school functions or having family gatherings, or to return for the son they had left behind while in search for a better social position in another country.

  "They did plan to come back for you, Roan, once they had settled in the States. But by that time you had hardened your heart and wouldn't accept their phone calls or their letters."

  "They didn't call! And it was years afore I received a letter!"

  Blue sadly shook her head. "Your aunt adored you. It was in your mother's thoughts last night, whether Agnes had told you of her calls and letters."

  "Aunt Aggie wouldn't have...." He sank his teeth into his bottom lip for a moment. He gulped back the emotions forming a ball inside his throat and released a thready breath. "Damn me, could I have been wrong all these years?"

  Blue tugged on his arm until he stepped close enough for her to reach out and place a hand to his left cheek. "Not wrong, and not right. Confused. Humans have easily created means to cross vast seas and the sky and land, but know so little about bridging rifts in the heart. Don't let this opportunity slip away from you, Roan. It may never come again."

  A tenuous grin ticked at one corner of his mouth. "How does it feel to be so wise?"

  "Bor...ring."

  He grinned in earnest and released a purging sigh. "I guess it’s easier to see the problems in ither's relationship than one's own."

  A light frown appeared on her brow.

  "Blue, when you mentioned 'rift', I couldn't help but think o' the situation between you and Reith."

  A disparaging sound rattled in her throat. "No comparison," she dismissed with a wave of a hand.

  "No?"

  She eyed him peevishly before forcing herself not to submit to the bait. "Meet you at the drapes," she said. In the blink of an eye, she sprouted her wings and reduced her size to four inches. She darted down the steps and out of sight, leaving Roan to chuckle softly at her evasiveness.

  "Maybe someone should use a bit o' magic on you," he murmured and headed down the narrow stairway.

  She was hovering by the drapes to the exit when he arrived, human-sized at five-foot-five, her wings causing a draft of cool air to circle in the immediate area. Roan had his arms behind her while her wings retracted and she began to drop. As he cradled her against his broad chest, she winked up at him.

  "Don't drop me," she quipped.

  Grinning, he asked as he passed through the drapes, "How much bacon is this goin’ to cost me?"

  "Lots. By the way, fairies believe in the exchange of gifts."

  He started down the staircase. "I'm afraid to ask."

  "I have a gift for you and Laura. A well-deserved gift, I might add." She smiled brightly. "So I'll consider some bacon a fair exchange."

  "Oh?" He paused on the half landing and cocked an eyebrow. "Wha' kind o' gift?"

  "You'll see. By the way, I understand congratulations are in order, Daddy. Deliah only told me because she's worried."

  "Why worried?"

  "All the stress you and Laura have been under. And I agree. We simply can't have the new laird and mistress stressed out, especially before the wedding."

  "I'll warn you right now, Blue, I refuse to snort fairy dust."

  The dining room door was open when they reached it. Roan carried Blue into the room, smiling in greeting to the faces turning in his direction. Laura, Beth, and Winston were placing platters of food on the table. Reith came through the kitchen door with a small tray of condiments. He gave a start at seeing his wife and, after passing the tray to Winston, hurried to meet Roan halfway to the table. Blue glowered at him when he held out his arms, his gaze locked with Roan's.

  "Don't you dare—" she started to warn Roan, but she was in Reith's hold before she could finish. She looked up to see gloating laughter in her husband's eyes, and high color stole into her cheeks.

  Roan walked to Laura, planted a kiss on her cheek and told her he was going to fry up extra bacon for Blue. While this was going on, Reith, his back to those sitting at the table, said in a low voice to his wife, "Dinna make a scene."

  "Then be quick to find me a seat!" she demanded in a hoarse whisper, her eyes flashing, daring him to prolong their proximity.

  "Do ye remember the last time ye were in ma arms, mo banrighrean?"

  Although his sensual tone made her blood stir with longing, her anger could not so easily be swayed. "I am not your queen," she whispered scathingly. "To be so, you would first have to be a fairy, which you're not. Nor are you considered human. You're but a nuisance trapped between my world and this."

  A brief wounded look clouded Reith's features before he awarded her his most charming smile. "Were I but a wee nuisance and no' o' any world, would ye be tremblin’ so tellin’ly in ma arms?"

  Before Blue could retaliate with a stinging portion of her magic, Lachlan appeared at Reith's side and smiled down at her.

  "Good morn, and wha' a grand one it is to have you wi' us for breakfast. Come along, lad."

  Barely able to conceal his grin, Reith followed Lachlan to where he pulled out the chair at the end of the table, a seat which was normally his. Reith lowered Blue onto it then caught up her left hand and bestowed a kiss on it before departing to help Roan in the kitchen.

  Heat suffused Blue as she stared at the others sitting around the elongated table. She believed it would consume her, or worse, irrevocably melt away
the facade she had perfected during her years amongst mortals. All eyes were on her, and if not for Deliah's look of sympathy she would have flown from the room and not cared who she shocked in the process.

  Beth placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Looking up, Blue read understanding in the woman's eyes and felt her insides cooling.

  "I would like to introduce—"

  "Blue," Blue interjected, realizing Beth was about to slip up and use her title. "My name is Blue."

  "How unusual," Eilionoir commented in a dry tone.

  The breakfast was going to be more of a challenge than Blue originally thought. She was considering excusing herself from the table when a plate was placed in front of her. Bacon. Lots of thick slices of bacon. The aroma filled her nostrils, and she found herself lulled into passivity. Dreamily, she gazed up at the server and smiled, not caring that it was Reith who received her silent gratitude. He filled her cup with steaming tea, set it down, then sat to her right.

  Only half of her attention was given as Beth introduced her to the newcomers, and it was all she could do not to ignore them entirely and delve into the food she most cherished. But she did restrain herself until the others began to eat. She lifted one piece to her mouth, tore it in half with her teeth then closed her eyes as she chewed and relished the divine flavor.

  When she finished the last slice of bacon on her plate, her stomach was comfortably full and her craving satiated. She basked in contentment and glanced about the table. Some had finished their meals; others were nearly done.

  To her delight, Roan was listening to his father talk about his clothing store and the hardship of finding trustworthy employees.

  The boys were holding a conversation with their grandparents.

  Deliah and Winston were snuggled and staring into each other's eyes as if they couldn't wait to be alone again.

  Lachlan's arm was around Beth's shoulder as they, too, listened to Dugan Ingliss.

  Reith was staring at Laura, the sadness in his expression directing her attention back to the woman. Sure enough, although Laura appeared outwardly at ease she was nervous and tense, worrying how Roan's parents would take the news of her pregnancy.

  Blue felt Reith's eyes shift to her and she swerved her gaze to him. It disturbed her that he did care about these people. It disturbed her because she preferred to believe him incapable of truly caring for anyone but himself. The truth, however, was there staring back at her.

  Leaning toward her, he said low enough for only her to hear, "Canna ye do somethin’ to ease her mind?"

  "What do you suggest?" she asked coolly.

  "If I knew, I would be doin’ it. She told her faither, earlier. He didna say much. I think he's concerned how this will affect his grandsons."

  "Okay, okay," she said with a scowl. "Back off. They both must do this in their own time."

  Dealing his wife a sour look, Reith straightened in his chair and turned his profile to her, training his attention on the couple of his concern.

  What did he expect her to do? Announce Laura's pregnancy for them?

  Blow a little fairy dust their way to perk up their courage?

  Unexpectedly, Roan smiled and enfolded Laura's right hand with his left. He stood, coaxed her to her feet and sucked in a breath as he glanced at the faces around the table.

  "Laura and I— Darlin’, do you want to tell them?"

  Laura looked about ready to pass out. "Ah, no. You do it."

  His smile wavered and he nodded as if needing a moment longer to gather his courage. "We are...." His smile bordered the ridiculous, something between sickly and euphoric. "Laura and I are goin’ to have a baby."

  At first, stunned silence prevailed. Blue was impressed to see the Bennetts reacting as if only just hearing the news. Even William conjured up an admirable glow on his lined face. The boys whooped with excitement, and clanged their utensils loudly on the table until their grandmother asked them nicely to please settle down. Their enthusiasm fortified Roan, and he looked into Laura's eyes with the pride of a peacock.

  Not just any peacock, but Braussaw, himself.

  Of course, not everyone shared in the couple's good fortune.

  Eilionoir shakily rose to her feet, her face pale and taut, her eyes bugging out of her head as she stared at her son. Blue realized what was coming but couldn't react before the woman exclaimed, "This wedding is a farce! First she traps you with her nephews, now this!"

  "Enough!" Lachlan thundered, jumping to his feet and glowering at Eilionoir. "Womon, is there a bloody thing you do approve o' where yer son is concerned?"

  "Oh, shut up, you fool." Eilionoir shifted her gaze back to Roan. Oblivious to his pallid skin and the hollowness in his eyes as he stared at her, she lifted her chin defiantly. "Roan, this nonsense has to end. You're my son and, whether you to choose to believe this or not, I love you. Both your father and I love you! We want you to come home with us."

  "And where would 'home' be?" he asked with a winter's bleakness.

  "Rhode Island. Where else?" she huffed.

  William Bennett slowly rose to his feet, his cheeks the color of a tomato. "Mrs. Ingliss, I resent your comment about my daughter."

  "Resent it all you like," she clipped, sparing him but a brief contemptuous glance. "My concern is for my son."

  Laura released a strangled sob, wrenched free of Roan's hand, and began to run for the door. Just as she would have passed Blue, the queen's hand shot out in a plea for her to stop.

  Laura slowed to a stagger and covered her face with her hands. Then Roan was drawing her into his arms and whispering in her ear, at the same time glaring at his parents as though the sight of them sickened him.

  "Come to your senses!" Eilionoir cried.

  The tension in the room ignited Blue's temper. "Come to yours!" she countered, her palms smacking down on the table at the same time.

  "You stay out of this," Eilionoir warned, pointing a trembling finger at Blue. "I'll be damned if I listen to someone who has the gall to sit at a table and eat with her fingers in front of guests!"

  "Och dìt," Reith muttered, looking askance at the fury building in his wife's eyes. Damn.

  Deliah's eyes were wide with apprehension as she stared at the queen. Lachlan abruptly sat, as did William, although he wasn't sure why. Roan and Laura, locked in each other's arms, couldn't tear their gazes from Blue's face.

  The boys gaped at Blue then in unison looked at Eilionoir. Kevin quipped in a deep voice for a boy of eight, "You're in big trouble now."

  The visual war between the queen and Roan's outraged mother lasted but a moment longer before Blue found her voice.

  "Bacon is always eaten with the fingers. Regardless, in my world, I do as I damn please. In this world, I do as I damn please."

  Eilionoir looked at her son. "Do you hear her, Roan? Her world, this world. These people are certifiable!"

  In a heartbeat of time Blue's wings unfurled and she hovered above her end of the table. From Eilionoir's standpoint, the chandelier blocked out most of Blue, but she could see the lower part of the woman's gown, and the bare feet dangling beneath the hemline. Her jaw slack, Eilionoir dipped to one side. When she got a full view of the fairy queen she sat hard on her chair, her arms limp at her sides. Her husband blessed himself, twice.

  The Bennetts merely stared in amazement.

  "Deliah," Blue said curtly.

  Instantly, Deliah unbuttoned the front of her dress and pulled the back down enough to accommodate her own wings. Engaged, she flew up and away from her chair and came to hover alongside her queen. When Blue flew to a position next to Eilionoir, Deliah dutifully followed, hovering behind her queen.

  Eilionoir could not bring herself to look up for several seconds. There was only the soft fluttering of wings to be heard in the room. When at last she forced herself to look into the faces of the two creatures, her expression was blank, her lips tightly compressed.

  "Mrs. Ingliss, do you know the penalty for a mortal pissing off
a fairy queen?" Blue asked in a deadly tone. "Especially a certifiable fairy queen?"

  Eilionoir stiltedly shook her head. There was fear in her eyes now, and a mist of tears.

  Blue gave a haughty flip of her head. "Fortunately for you, Mrs. Ingliss, I haven't been a queen long enough to have memorized the spells pertaining to insults and injury against royal personage. So if you're a smart woman—and I'm sure you are—you might first consider the possible consequences before you run off at the mouth again.

  "Roan, Laura," Blue went on, her tone and demeanor calm now, "congratulations. I think the news is wonderful. Please accept my apology for losing my temper."

  Roan managed a wan smile, and Laura nodded.

  "Mrs. Ingliss," said Blue on a sigh, "you and I need to have a very long talk, but not today."

  Eilionoir tried to look away from the fairy queen but could not for fear she would somehow insult her by doing so.

  "Tomorrow we need to get down to the business of settling the wedding plans," Blue went on, casting her gaze around the table before settling it on Roan. She smiled warmly at the still embracing couple. "Roan, I know you want your sister present for the ceremony, so in that, too, decisions must be made. Not now, though. We'll gather tomorrow. Your guests will need today to digest the fact that they will be attending a fairy wedding."

  "I agree," said Lachlan with a fond look at Blue.

  Everyone else in the room nodded in agreement.

  "I'm sure you all are curious what a fairy ceremony entails, so this is what I propose," said Blue. "I will send six maidens to answer your questions and remain to watch over the children, including the twins, through the night," she said to Beth and Lachlan. "They will also keep the ghosts at bay, allowing the household to sleep soundly and undisturbed. The events of the past few days have taken a toll on each and every one of you, so please, allow me do this. When tomorrow we gather, our hearts as well as our minds should be given to the planning of the wedding."

  When nods were offered again, Blue flew around the table to Roan and Laura's side. "I have something slightly different planned for the two of you," she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.