Page 74 of His Highland Duchess
“Doubtful,” Catherine chuckled.
Margaret had not eaten in…has it been that long?The last proper meal that she ate was the morning that she had fallen from the horse. Since then, she had snacked and forced herself to take the occasional bite of whatever food her sister had sent to her. But it was minimal, as she had no stomach for food right now. She was far too depressed to think of such things.
She was still dressed in her shift, but she did not care. Her hair, too, was a mess. Her face was pasty and blotched with tear stains. But as they reached the back garden, the sun felt nice on her skin, not enough to cure her of her woes, but it helped a little.
“You should know too,” Catherine began as they started their walk. “The arrangements are almost finished to take you home.”
“Oh…”
“I will be joining you also,” he said. “Sampson has agreed to stay here with the baby. That is not to say that he is happy about it, but I told him he’d best learn to be.”
“Catherine…” Margaret looked at her sister. “Ye dae nae have to do that. Truly, there is nae need.”
“I know there isn’t,” she said, arm still around Margaret, and she gave her a squeeze. “But it will be good to see Father again. And besides, Margaret, you need to know that you are not alone in this. There are still people here who love you. This is not the end, even if it may feel that way.”
She could have cried. Dammit, she nearly did! They walked in silence for a few minutes more, Margaret sniffing and holding back the tears.
This is what having a family is all about. Although that just reminds me of the harsh truth that I will nae have one. I almost did, only now…
Her chin began to tremble, and she forced those thoughts away. She knew they would not be gone forever, but to ponder on them consistently did her no good.
Despite her efforts, her mind then wandered to Aurelia and Lenora. This saw her chest taken by pain because it was they who she would miss most of all. The argument that she had done this for them did not help, and she hated to think of how much she had hurt them. It was still a few days until she had to leave, so perhaps she could visit them again? But was that a smart idea? Would that only make things harder?
“What on earth?” her sister said suddenly, pulling Margaret back into the garden. “Who is that?”
Margaret looked ahead, past the rows of hedges and lined trees, toward the side of the house where just now a young girl appeared. She was covered in dirt. Her hair was a bird’s nest. She was puffing and panting as if she had run a mile at a hard sprint. But there could be no mistaking who it was.
“Aurelia!” Margaret gasped.
Aurelia saw Margaret, beaming her delight, and hurried through the garden. “Margaret!” she cried out. She was dressed in her shift with a coat pulled over for warmth. “Margaret! You’re still here!”
“Aurelia, what are you–oh!” she cried out as the little girl threw herself into her waist, wrapping her arms around her so tightly that she might never let her go.
“I knew I would not be too late. I knew it!”
“Aurelia…” Margaret peeled the girl off her, holding her by the shoulders so she could look down at her. “What are ye doing here?Howare ye here?” She looked past Aurelia, half expecting the duke to appear next.
“I rode here!” She was a ball of energy. “Last night, I left my room, took one of father’s horses, and followed the road!”
Margaret’s stomach sank from the worry. Oh sure, Aurelia was perfectly fine, but the danger of what she had done…Lysander will be beside himself.“You should nae have done that.”
“I had to come,” Aurelia said excitedly. She did not look upset, worried, or afraid. “I had to! Father said… Father said that you are to return to Scotland?” She looked at Margaret for an answer.
“That is right,” Margaret said carefully. “It is my home, and it is time that I return.”
“Me too,” Aurelia cried. “That is why I am here. When you go…” She was shaking with excitement. “When you go, I am coming with you. Please say yes!” she then added quickly. “You must! You must!”
It was a strange sensation that took Margaret in that moment. As surprising as this was, it was also sad for this confirmed just how much the girls had been affected by her leaving, she also felt her heart swell with pride and a sense of love unlike anything she might have expected. For all her fears about the influence she had on Aurelia and Lenora, for all she was doing to protect them, they loved her.All I ever wanted was a family of my own, and it seems that I have found one…
“Aurelia…” She tried to keep the smile from her face, but she failed miserably. “I understand that ye are… that ye are confused –”
“I am not confused,” she cut her off. “I know what I want. And I want to come with you.”
“That is nae possible,” she explained softly. “Yer father would never allow it.”
“He won’t even care.” Her expression hardened, and despite the joy in the girl’s eyes, Margaret could hear the pain in her voice. “He doesn’t care about me. Or Lenora. He hates us.”
“Aurelia…” Margaret leaned back in surprise. “That is nae true.”
