Page 44 of Loyally, Luke
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Nessa Frasier promised a magnificent find.
Early-nineteenth-century sconces, similar to what Ellie had been in search of for the cottage. And the dear woman had seemed almost giddy with the discovery. She truly was one of the kindest people. She and her husband had taken Ellie into their lives when she’d first hidden away at Perth Hall and helped her with her healing and reentry into the world.
Crieff had been the best place to hide. And heal.
And orient herself to what she really wanted.
This village offered only a small sampling of the good people filling Skymar, people she could find a way to help and support as they’d done for her. She fit here.
She sighed. But at times, she fit in the real royal world too, more in the service part of things, especially for the past three years. Still... she knew now that her position came with power to change things for the better. She’d worked so hard garnering funds for the orphanage. It had been in dire need of improvements, but after almost a year of meeting with prospective donors and businesses, her work had finally paid off in a solid positive trajectory to expand the orphanage and associated school.
She’d also worked on improving the roadways in the usually forgotten North Country. And with its unique collection of ruins,particularly castles and old houses, she’d slowly been making progress in finding particular properties to convert into useful buildings—whether holiday homes, office space, or residences.
All in the hopes of building up not just the North Country but all of Skymar. Bringing in more people. Tourists-turned-residents.
It was one tangible way of bringing something good out of her own brokenness.
And the people of Crieff, Mara, and the North Country recognized her efforts... and heart.
Ellie’s mind trailed back through the most recent day of hard work at Cambric. Despite several of the men attempting to deter her, she insisted on helping unload lumber for the new kitchen floors while Luke and Gordon made additional repairs to the floor joists.
Luke only tried once. But then, as she’d come to expect, he took her at her word and left her to work alongside Peter, who’d become a bit of a curious confidant of hers. Well,shewasn’t sharing anything, butheshared a great deal about Luke Edgewood.
The carpenter kept proving more and more of an anomaly. Peter told how Luke rose early most mornings to drink one cup of coffee while reading his devotions and then, after a quick breakfast, he took a short walk before getting ready for the day.
Something about that knowledge of this strong and capable man choosing to spend each morning reading a devotion and enjoying nature only deepened her curiosity about him and made him all the more intriguing.
She slowed her pace down the path. Why would God send someone so... interesting into her life when she couldn’t allow herself to even consider a future with him? To strengthen her self-control? To help her prove she’d changed?
She shook the thought away.
Not that Luke would choose her, especially when he learned the truth about her.
What quiet, behind-the-scenes man would want a royal life?
And he’d almost found out. If Luke’s princess-loving sister hadn’t already dulled his curiosity about women who wore crowns, Ellie would have had some explaining to do.
She frowned. Perhaps she should tell him anyway, but the anonymity was too addicting. The fact that he treated her as he did, simply as Ellie, made their interactions all the sweeter.
And the way he bantered with those girls? And then he’d brought Jamie MacGregor into work, slowly teaching him how to help lay flooring? Something about a strong, gruff, quiet man like him lowering to a knee to comfort little girls and taking an insecure, broken boy under his wing should prick at any person’s heart.
She shook her head as she entered the Frasiers’ shop.
Perhaps she should return to New Inswythe for a few days to distance herself from this distracting interest in the impossible Luke Edgewood. Even if he didn’t have any interest in her, nursing her own fascination didn’t help with her need to discover whether Christopher Montgomery was her future or not.
And the more time she spent with and learned about Luke, the more she found herself comparing the two. One offered “everything” her role as princess needed: rank, reputation, stability, history. The other offered some things that called to her heart: tenderness, humor, gentleness, strength.
Her pulse certainly responded much more quickly to one than the other.
She pressed her fingers into her forehead as she navigated one of the back ways to Rudan Air Chall, taking a few quick turns to bypass Cameron’s hawk eyes. She’d learned special ways to get around the good-natured man, but he usually guessed her movements. Though in Crieff, his alertness remained more relaxed than in the city.
The bell over the door announced Ellie’s entrance into the shop. A few visitors hovered on the far right, talking quietly about some pieceof furniture. Ellie veered in the opposite direction. Most tourists didn’t recognize her, which was a mercy. When she’d been at her worst, she’d colored her hair dark and worn clothing she winced even now to remember. It was almost like she’d tried every way to defy her royal life.
On the back side of the kitchen items section, she found Nessa and Gordon deep in conversation with... Luke Edgewood. She raised her gaze heavenward. How had this happened again? She was trying to distance herself from the man, not appear as if she was stalking him!
“Oh, Ellie, how good of you to come.” Nessa stepped forward, her light blonde hair spun back into a bun. “Just in time for dinner.” She waved behind her, her eyes alight. “And Luke has just agreed to join us as well.”
