Lady Eilean

Chapter 24

The rain continued well into the night. Cold, tired, and soggy, I retired to my rooms after sharing a cheery dinner with Alex in the study. I was still fantasizing about the buttery vegetables and tender roast when I opened my door and found Wallis inside, spinning in circles on the rug in front of the fire. Bess sat in a nearby chair, watching through half-lidded eyes as her daughter sang nursery songs in a sweet, high voice.

"Layliiiin!" Wallis trilled, doing her best to say my name as she rushed forward and plowed headfirst into my skirts.

"Hi, baby Wally," I cooed back, running my fingers through her hair.

"I wouldn't have intruded, but Wallis wanted to see you," Bess said.

Waving off her concerns, I said, "What's mine is yours, Bess. I'm rarely in my rooms but to sleep, anyway."

I walked toward one of the reclining chairs around the fire. Wallis came along for the ride, her arms tight around my legs and her feet stacked on top of mine. When I sat, Walls threw herself half onto the seat, kicking against me until I pulled her up onto my lap. There, she nestled into my side and pulled the ribbon from my braid. Tugging on my hair, she continued singing her song, repeating the same phrase.

"She only knows the one line," Bess explained with a tired laugh.

"Did you have a good dinner?" I asked Wallis.

"Ham and carrot!" She said with a wide, manic smile.

"What else?"

Wallis thought for a moment, scrunching her face up comically. "Crunch crunch!"

I looked to Bess for translation.

"Cook made water biscuits."

"Ah, how special."

Wallis laughed and crawled onto my lap, snuggling into the crook of my arm. I contented myself with watching her as she pulled apart my curls and braid. Squeezing her, I bent down and kissed her impossibly smooth brow a few dozen times. That caused her to laugh and nuzzle closer, curling into me. I held her like the baby she no longer was, enjoying the heat of her body against my torso; the surprising weight of her head on my arm.

Bess looked on, a contented smile on her face.

"You're getting so big!" I said, studying my niece. Watching her grow was more agonizing than I had ever imagined; but special, too. It was fascinating to watch as she learned new words and skills.

"She'll be a right terror, just like her da," Bess said, nodding. "But I think Ellesmure would do well with a few more wild girls, don't you?"

I agreed. "We should bring her up with a better chance than I had. She'll get proper schooling, and for anything she's interested in, we'll make sure she has instructors."

"Don't promise too much, or she'll start following you around like a shadow. All day long she wants to know 'where Leylin went?'"

Laughing, I hugged the girl tight. "Good," I said, meaning it with my full heart. "I wish I had possessed half a mind to follow my brothers around. Maybe things wouldn't have been such a mess."

"It wasn't so bad," Bess started, biting the inside of her cheek.

I looked at her dipping my chin, "We were doomed, don't pretend otherwise."

"You're right, but we are not doomed anymore. There's no use continuing to beat yourself up for it. Who could have predicted any of this happening?"

"My father for one," I grunted. "My mother, second."

Bess shook her head, laughing to herself. "Fine. Stay grumpy forever if that's what you want."