Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Colin met us at the door, almost as if he had been expecting us, taking our coats and hats.

Vance led me by the hand down the hall into the grand salon, where Douglas and Fiona were sitting in front of the fireplace.

"Well, there they are!" Fiona said when she spotted us in the doorway, waving us over to join them.

"Sorry we've been such horrible guests," I spoke up, feeling guilty we hadn't socialized with them before now. "Last night really wore us out!"

"Not a problem!" Fiona replied. "I slept in, too." She smiled softly, as if she were telling us some dreadful secret. "Douglas, however, was up and at the offices early this morning managing the estate."

"The party was wonderful, by the way," Vance added politely, looking between both of them.

"Everyone was so excited to meet our long-lost grandson," Douglas replied. "And of course you too, Portia," he added cordially, almost as an afterthought.

"I was just the side show," I said with a laugh, shaking my head slightly. "Vance was the main event."

"Whatever," Vance said, squeezing my hand tighter as he glanced at me.

Fiona changed the subject. "I told Colin to serve dinner in here tonight. I thought we'd all enjoy a more relaxed environment after last evening's formal affair."

"That sounds nice," Vance agreed, and I was relieved when his posture relaxed and he leaned back into the furniture.

"So let's visit," Fiona said brightly, watching him.

"All right. What do you want to know?" he replied with a small smile.

"Well, for starters, how long are you planning on staying in Scotland?" she asked.

"Actually, we'd been thinking of leaving in a day or two," Vance said, surprising me since we had never discussed any such thing. "We came here specifically on the hope of finding my mom, but it seems that's no longer an option. Portia and I are still in the middle of a school year, so it would probably better for be both of us if we were to hurry and get back to that."

"So soon?" Douglas replied looking a bit downtrodden at the idea. "We hoped you'd stay much longer."

"What if we had a tutor come here for both of you?" Fiona piped up. "That way you could both finish your studies on time, and we could enjoy having you here for a while."

"We don't want to be an imposition," he said, but he glanced at me, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"That wouldn't be the case at all," Douglas spoke up. "We want you to stay. We want to get to know you. In fact, I'd be willing to teach you about running the estate if you'd stay. Why not even make Bell Tower your permanent home? It'll be yours someday anyway."

Vance seemed very surprised at this comment, and he faltered, obviously searching for the right words. "Thank you for your offer, but I'd definitely have to discuss a decision this big with Portia and her family first."

"Whatever you need, son," Douglas said kindly. "Feel free to use the house phone for any calls you might want to make."

Vance nodded, the surprised look still on his face.

Colin arrived in the room rolling a large cart with dinner on it. He served each of us our food on small trays for our laps.

The meal was simple, crusty bread bowls filled with steaming hot potato soup. After the cold walk we had been on this evening, it was the perfect thing, warming us from the inside out.