Chapter 3
Colby sat down at his writing table, hoping for an hour of uninterrupted peace and quiet, when the touch of something soft and pliable on his foot put paid to that.
“What on earth?” He looked underneath the table, only to hear soft giggles.
Two pairs of big, green eyes were staring at him from the darkness. “Shhh!” Arabella said, pressing a little finger to her lips gravely. “We’re hidin’!” Paisley joined in the chuckle, as they turned to each other, obviously having lots of fun.
“Ye ken ye’re nae supposed to play here,” he reminded them softly. “This is my study where I need to focus on work, which is what I intend on doin’ now. Why daenae ye go out into the garden and play?” he suggested.
“No one wants to come lookin’ for us,” Arabella suddenly admitted, her expression turning somewhat sorrowful.
“I’m certain that Mirren is lookin’ for ye,” Colby pointed out. “That seems to be her biggest preoccupation these days.”
“We’re good at hidin’,” Paisley added, once again to the delight of both girls.
“That ye are,” Colby couldn’t help but chuckle as well. “Yesterday ye really had everyone scared. Ye shouldnae do that, especially nae when there’s a storm comin’.”
“But we were in the cellar,” Arabella clarified. “We couldnae have gotten wet in there.”
It took Colby only a day to realize that when it came to the twins, Arabella was the ringleader, while Paisley was the follower.
Arabella was the confident mischief maker, while Paisley followed, and Colby suspected that sometimes, Paisley would rather just sit down with a book or some chalk to draw instead of constantly being on the move.
However, this was a new place, and she didn’t want to be alone, without her sister. He could understand that.
“Will ye play with us, Uncle?” Arabella asked, pleading silently as she looked at him with those beautiful emerald eyes.
“I’d love to, but…” he started, however, he could not finish. Paisley had joined in, and now they were standing in front of him, both imploring him to spend time with them. “Ye willnae leave me alone until I play with ye, isnae that right?”
“Absolutely right!” Arabella confirmed, with a twinkle in her eyes. “Just a wee bit, please?”
Colby sighed, realizing that he had no other choice.
Mirren was right. They were two sweet, innocent girls who had lost the only parent who had ever taken care of them.
He could not even imagine how horrible that must feel for them.
They probably saw the world as a frightening place, filled with enemies and devoid of any shelter.
Colby wanted to show them that this was their new home, their new shelter.
Only, he could not simply say those things with mere words and expect the girls to feel right at home immediately.
He needed to show them, and the only way to show them was to spend time with them, time he simply did not have.
Dominic and Thomas would be at The Sinner’s Pub soon, and he needed to head there himself.
He sighed heavily, getting up. “Oh, all right,” he agreed. “But only for a wee bit.”
“Yay!” The two girls jumped with joy, clapping their hands together.
He could not deny the pleasure on their faces, even as he tried to.
After all, they were just children. A sudden desire surfaced in him to protect them from the world, that same world that had already delivered the worst blow anyone, young or old, could ever experience.
They were all alone in the world. Now, it was Colby’s mission to prove to them that they still had a family they belonged to. This family.
The only thing missing was a mother. He could be the fun uncle, he could even be the father figure, but he could never substitute for a mother in their lives.
And girls needed a mother. Perhaps if they had been boys, he would adjust himself differently, but the situation being as it was, he knew that he could not do this alone. He needed someone by his side, but who?
“What will we play?” Arabella asked.
Colby pretended to think about it for a moment, patting his chin with his index finger, then seemed to think of something fun. “How about ye run around for a bit, and I’ll try to catch ye?”
“Aye!” Both girls exclaimed at the same time.
They started running at the same time, in different directions about the chamber, and for a moment, Colby just allowed them to have their fun, watching the joyful expressions on their faces.
They seemed to have forgotten their sad state of affairs, and he wanted them to remain like this forever. Only, that wasn’t possible.
Yes, they were little troublemakers, but they had become his troublemakers, and he had made a promise to his brother that he would do the right thing for him. He would do right by the girls, no matter what.
With that thought in mind, he headed for Arabella first, spreading his arms wide, like wings, so he could corner her and not allow her to escape.
“What will ye do now, wee lass?” he teased, as he playfully forced her into a corner, and started to tickle her as she dropped to the ground, squirming with delight.
He didn’t even know he had this in him. He stopped tickling her after a few moments, grabbed her around the waist, and lifted her to his side, like a sack of potatoes, while the little girl was laughing uncontrollably, her hair spilled all the way down to the ground, like a fiery river.
“Now, it is yer turn, lass!” He turned to Paisley, who was hiding behind the curtains.
He listened to her giggle, as her entire body was covered in fabric; only her feet were visible.
“I wonder where she could be, that little sprite,” he said aloud, still carrying Arabella, who couldn’t stop laughing.
He rushed over to the curtain, pulled it to the side with his free hand, and with another squeal of delight, grabbed Paisley, wrapping them both in his arms, like two sacks.
He thought they would be heavy, but they were not.
He thought they would want him to put them down, but they didn’t.
It seemed that everyone wanted this game to continue for as long as possible, because for this one precious moment, the tragedy of life didn’t exist. They were happy in the truest, most profound sense of the word.
“This is fun, Uncle!” Paisley exclaimed, hanging upside down with her arms stretched to the floor, which made all three of them burst into a boisterous chuckle.
As they were laughing, without a care in the world, the door suddenly burst open, and Colby was shocked to see Veronica appear, her eyes wide with disbelief. It seemed that they both surprised each other equally when a few moments later, Kian ran after her, breathing heavily.
“I… couldnae… catch up with her,” he said, panting, needing to bend forward and rest on his knees to catch his breath.
The fun ceased immediately. The girls stopped giggling, sensing that something serious was taking place.
Colby made sure to put them back on their feet as gently as he could.
The girls scooted to one corner of the chamber, which made Colby forget about them for a moment, focusing his attention on the rude visitor who had come for the millionth time to ask the very same thing he had already refused her.
“Dae we need to do this again?” he frowned, shaking his head.
“As many times as ye need to say aye,” she retorted boldly, instantly forgetting all about him as she turned to the girls. “I interrupted yer fun, didnae I?”
Paisley hid behind Arabella, just like she did when they first came to Ferguson Castle. Colby would never forget that day, because that was when his life changed. Now, it was about to change again, and he didn’t even know it.
She approached the girls softly, kneeling so she was at their eye level. She tilted her head to look at Paisley.
“I see ye have a scratch there,” Veronica pointed at Paisley’s hand. “Does it hurt?”
Colby focused his gaze on the same spot.
He had to admit that he hadn’t noticed Paisley’s scratch while they were playing.
Had she scratched it earlier, or while they were playing?
He couldn’t tell. However, Veronica noticed it immediately.
That made his interest peak instantly and he continued to watch the scene before him unravel.
“What is yer name?” Veronica asked Arabella.
“Arabella,” she replied immediately, without hesitation.
“And that’s yer sister?” Veronica asked tenderly, her voice soothing.
“Aye,” Arabella nodded. “We’re twins.”
“Twins?” Veronica gasped. “My, my, isnae that somethin’?”
This time, Paisley, peeked a little from behind Arabella. Colby could swear that he noticed a little smile.
“I daenae have any sisters,” Veronica admitted, sounding sad. “It must be very nice to have one.”
“Aye,” Arabella nodded again, still cautious, but it was obvious that the two sisters were mesmerized by Veronica. Colby watched the scene in awe, waiting to see what would happen.
“Ye ken,” Veronica reached into her apron pocket, just like the previous time when Colby refused to allow her to touch him, “I am a healer.” She revealed, showing them the same small box.
“A healer?” Arabella wondered. Paisley took a small step away from her sister. Colby looked on in amazement. “Ye heal people?”
“Aye,” Veronica smiled softly, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. Only now did he notice how beautiful and radiant her smile was. “This is a very special pomade I made meself, from special herbs and flowers, which helps skin heal when it’s hurt.”
“Like when it’s scratched?” Arabella inquired curiously.
“Exactly,” Veronica agreed. “Perhaps yer sister might allow me to help her?”