Page 64 of Her Magnificent Mistake
“Do ye love her?” Bull asked quietly.
Hawk’s eyes closed. “I do.” His whisper was harsh. “God forgive me, but I do. I didnae want to upset ye… But I’ve always loved Marcia.”
There was a quiet pause, then the rustle of movement from the other chair. “Then I am happy for ye, and give ye whatever blessing ye might need—though I expect her father might want a word. Move at yer own pace, and I’ll no’ threaten or cajole.”
Confused, Hawk opened his eyes to meet Bull’s. “I dinnae understand.”
“Yer relationship—past, present and future—is between ye and Marcia. Ye owe me nothing. But I’m glad ye have a possibility of a future together. And I’m glad ye told me.”
Hawk’s breath whooshed out of him, and he felt a rueful smile tugging at his lips.
“I’m glad I told ye, too,” he admitted.Finally.
And slowly, it dawned on him what this meant.
Bull had given his blessing. Bull hadn’t asked what had passed between them all those years ago, and Hawk didn’t have to admit how he’d hurt Marcia. All that mattered was the future.
He straightened, his heart thumping in his chest. Suddenly, after a decade of misery, he once more had a possibility of a future with Marcia.
He wanted that. He wanted to seize that opportunity with both hands and make the most of it. He wanted to tell her; he wanted tokissher. He wanted to touch her with the knowledge that therewasa possibility of aforeverand that sheknew it.
“Thank ye,” he whispered, although he wasn’t sure if he was thanking Bull or God himself.
His best friend’s booted foot dropped to the ground. “Dinnae thank me yet. We have much to do to find a killer and protect ye and Allie. Call the troops, we’re having a council of war.”
CHAPTER 11
Bull might not be back to normal, but he was close enough to his old self that Marcia was grateful to see him take control.
Immaculately dressed, as always—the man had showed up at Tostinham with a full suitcase and an exhausted looking valet—Bull ran his war council from the blue guest suite. Not because he was in danger of collapsing at any moment—although Marciawasalarmed to see him occasionally go pale and sway a bit—but because it was more private than the library.
And there was no one outside of this room they could trust.
Marcia was in charge of collecting all the ledgers and cashbooks she’d gone over in the previous week. Last night, when she’d explained her theory to Bull and Gabby, she’d reported on everything she’d found…or rather,notfound. A week of going through Tostinham’s estate records, helping Hawk make sense of them, had irritatingly revealed no explanation for the deaths.
As she ferried the books and papers to Rupert, who was set up at the desk near the window to verify her findings, Hawk and Alliewere being interviewed by Bull, asking them any question he could think of which might be relevant, ranging from “What did ye have for dinner two nights ago and who served it,” to “Where did ye go on holiday, Allison?”
“Nowhere,” she replied flatly. She wasn’t looking at her uncle when she said it. “The only place for me was the school, that had been made clear. So I stayed.”
“Christmases and Hogmanay too?” Bull didn’tsoundsurprised, but he did lift a brow at Hawk. “And Easter? And the summer?”
Hawk winced.
Leaning across the loveseat where he was seated, he scooped up his niece’s hand. “I’m sorry, Allie,” he said quietly, intently. “I’ll no’ make excuses, other than to say I really, genuinely thought I was doing what was best for ye. Of course, recent events have shown me that I really have nae right—nor really any understanding—of what’s best for others.” He shook his head. “The point is, the wilds of the Highlands were nae place for a wee lassie?—”
She swung her attention fully to him, and her normally teasing brown eyes were pained. “It might have been, if thatlassiehad someone to care for and protect her.”
As Hawk exhaled something which sounded like a, “Fooook,” he moved closer. Marcia tried not to listen, she really did…but well, it was a small room. And she had accidentally drifted closer.
“Ye’re right, Allie.” Hawk gently, hesitantly lifted his arm to put it around her shoulder. “Ye’re right. And…I am sorry. Truly I am.” When she didn’t object to his touch, he pulled her closer. “I see now that I did ye a disservice, and when I see how much yelove Tostinham, I see that we’re far more alike than I ever gave ye credit for.”
“Yes,” Allison sniffed, and it most definitely was a sniff. “Cowal is beautiful, and I am grateful to be here.” She shot Bull a glare. “Not grateful enough to kill for it, by the way.”
Bull’s smile was gentle. “I never thought ye capable of such.”
“Allie…” Hawk hugged her and Marcia felt her shoulders lose the tension she had not known they had accumulated. “I can never undo yer loneliness and deprivation?—”
“Oh, stop it,” Allie huffed, pushing against him so she straightened. “It was not that bad. The school was comfortable, I was safe and well-fed. Yes, my friends went off on holiday, but the headmistress was not a monster, and I was allowed free rein of the library.” She clucked her tongue as she patted at her hair. “It is not as if I were chained in a dungeon and subsided on bread and water. Not unless I had been really wicked.”
