Page 62 of Loyally, Luke
And maybe she didn’t want to, because the look in those eyes shone with something like disappointment and... hurt.
Mrs.Kershaw opened the door to reveal Ellie’s father with several of his advisors behind him. Brandon, Marks, Tristan? Why had they come? Even Cameron hovered in the background.
And to confirm her thoughts that this was an unofficial visit, her father had worn slacks and an open-collared shirt beneath his sport jacket. The appearance always gave him a more youthful look, though her father was barely in his midfifties.
“Thank you, Mrs.Kershaw, for your generosity in welcoming us with such short notice. I’ve brought some books for the school’s library that I think the children will enjoy.” Her father’s gracious entrance and specific gift clearly curbed any of Mrs.Kershaw’s previous ire. “But I hope you’ll see this more as a friendly visit to check in on the progress of my daughter’s hard work, rather than anything else.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Mrs.Kershaw gave a slight curtsy. “You are most welcome.”
In her father’s usual fashion, he took his time getting to the point of the trip by greeting others. The nearest children, some of the teachers—he even leaned down to pet Clootie. Ellie never grew tired of watching his tenderness defuse a room, a gift she’d not appreciatedwhen she was younger, but she now hoped she carried at least a little of it within her.
Father enlisted Tristan to take a few photos, and then when her father finally finished his extensive greetings, his small entourage following along behind, he turned to Ellie, his eyes alight with expectation.
“Wish to take me on a little tour of the progress, Elliana?” He leaned close and lowered his voice. “I should like to meet this American of yours.”
Ack! That certain phraseology did nothing to help her frayed emotions at present for two reasons: one, he wasn’t hers, though she wouldn’t mind figuring out if he could be, and two, he couldn’t be.
“If he’s here, he’d likely be with the team. They’ve just finished lunch.”
Had he eaten lunch at all? Pain stung anew at the thought of his little surprise and her perfect way of ruining everything. Even when she’d done so much to turn her life around, she still had a way of messing things up. Perhaps she should continue to stay very well hidden in the background, like the Quasimodo of the royal family.
The large room, now even larger from opening up one wall, stood in disarray with the old cabinets and appliances removed, leaving the walls bare but highlighting the new glossy wooden floors. Well, what parts of the floor could be seen.
Luke had placed cardboard down for the workers to walk on so that as they put in the new cabinets and details, they’d keep the floors safe.
Luke kneeled near Gordon on the far side of the room as they installed a new set of doors from the new wall into the small staff dining area. Ellie had chosen beautiful oak doors to go with the sage-green paint color waiting to add soft vibrancy to the plain white walls.
At the noise from their entrance, all the workmen came to a stopand stood to attention. The Skymarian men dipped their heads in reverence to their sovereign. Luke removed his cap.
And now there were three boys from the orphanage helping. Justin had joined. And was Kimberly keeping to the shadows of the room? Had she started helping too?
Ellie almost smiled. Did Luke have a tendency to enlist followers? With his easy personality and subtle wit, she imagined so.
“You must be Luke Edgewood, the project leader.” Father stepped forward, his smile wide in greeting. “Elliana sings your praises.”
Luke’s attention flicked to hers, wary. The hurt stung afresh through her.
“I haven’t heard much about you, sir.” He grimaced and then squinted as if in pain. “Your... Majesty.”
Father glanced to Ellie, a question in his expression before he continued, “Ah, well, I believe we should become better acquainted, especially from the high report I’ve received. Not from Ellie alone, but Holton and even Marshall, who has worked on other projects for the Crown.”
Luke looked over at the burly Scottish man, who dipped his head in acknowledgment. “I appreciate that, sir... um... Your Majesty.”
Ellie tried not to cringe at Luke’s clear discomfort. Another failure for her. If she’d prepared him a little better, he wouldn’t have had to face this embarrassing moment. When Luke looked her way again, she attempted to infuse as much of an apology into her expression as she could.
“Ellie and Holton mentioned that you’ve saved the orphanage a great deal of money with your plans.”
“The more we can keep to use for the children, the better.” He pushed his hands in his pockets. “Most of the time, it’s pretty simple to just do the right thing.”
Ellie wasn’t certain if that barb was meant for her, but she felt it. To her heart.
“Would you mind explaining to me some of the things you’ve done?”
And with that one question, some of the tension dissipated. Luke took the lead then, taking his time explaining about repairing the floor joists and replacing the floor, sharing how this type of flooring was a good fit for the kitchen. He freely gave credit to the workers, including Pete, who’d made his job easier by their ready willingness to work hard.
“And... are these some of your added helpers?” Father greeted the boys, who all stood with faces down as if embarrassed. Kimberly made no move to leave her hiding spot.
“They were keen to learn, and as some of them don’t seem interested in university, I thought helping them learn a few practical skills would do them good.”
