The Scot's Angel - Keira Montclair Page 0,29

with pleasure and looked around to thank her hero.

It was then she saw them, a woman near the back of the cave standing with a man who had his arm wrapped around her, both wearing soft smiles.

For a moment, she couldn’t believe her own eyes.

“Grandsire? Grandmama?”

Chapter Twelve

The spirit of her dear grandmama rushed over to her side. “This storm was much worse than we thought. Stay warm by the fire. We can only keep it going for a short time.” Her grandmama fussed over her, brushing snow from her hair and back, while her grandfather stoked the fire.

Claray couldn’t believe her beloved grandparents stood in front of her, both looking younger, their gray hair restored to its original color. Grandsire’s hair was so dark, he looked like her father. And Grandmama’s golden plait would shine in the sunlight.

“Did I die?” she blurted out. Although she feared hearing the answer to her question, it needed to be asked.

Grandmama smiled at her, that smile that had comforted Claray after skinned knees and broken toys and disappointments large and small. “Heavens, nay, Claray. Alex likes to sit and watch you all find your own way, but once in a while, we must step in, though we aren’t allowed to do as much as we’d like. We’ll be forced to leave in a few more minutes. Now give me that soaked mantle.”

She saw to Claray’s mantle while Grandsire wrapped her up in two long furs and settled her on a rocky ledge near the fire. Grandmama continued to fuss, just like she always had, and Grandsire followed her with his eyes as if he feared what would happen if he lost sight of her.

“Grandsire? I miss you so.”

“Ah, Claray, I know how it pains people to be left behind, but you needn’t worry about us. Maddie and I have much work to do, and ’tis most rewarding.” He smiled at her, that old look that she’d tried but failed to capture in her drawings.

“Smile again, please?”

He did, coming closer to kneel in front of her. “Look, I can kneel again. My bones are working as they should.” He chuckled, his face lit up like a wee bairn’s. “And I spend all my time with our other loved ones who have passed.”

“Grandsire, wait. Stay and keep that smile. Please.” Her hand came up to his cheek, and to her surprise, he felt solid. “I must remember exactly how you looked. I’ve tried to draw your picture, but something has eluded me.” She ran her finger to the slight crinkles near his eyes. He looked like a young man once more, but his smile had always transformed his whole face. “Your smile. I must capture it. What do you do all day now?”

Once she dropped her hand from his face, he stood up, moving over to Grandmama’s side again. “Maddie still has much to teach me. We’ve been watching this trip, making sure all is well with everyone. Once we get you settled, we’ll have other work to do. Will we not, Maddie?”

“Aye.” She looked over at Claray. “You see, we try to guide all of you to do the right things.”

“You do? Then why did you allow my mother to get hurt? Her leg is broken, and she is in so much pain. Why didn’t you stop it?”

“We did what we could,” Grandsire said, wrapping his arm around his wife. “Didn’t we, Maddie? Explain it to her. I don’t know exactly how to make her understand yet. I have much to learn.”

“We cannot change destiny, but we can encourage you to do certain things. Put suggestions in your head, give you a wee push or feeling.”

That gave her an idea. If her grandparents knew so much, perhaps they knew what had become of Thorn.

“Why did Thorn leave me? Is he hurt?”

Grandmama came forward and patted her arm. “We gave him a wee nudge. We cannot explain it to you, but you’ll understand when this is all over. He has something he needs to settle within himself, so we hope he’ll be successful in his quest.” She gave Claray a serious look. “Promise me that if you ever get an inkling that you should do something, you’ll listen.”

“If you say so.”

“Grandsire and I will be the ones doing the nudging, helping you along. Some of our descendants will listen, others will not. That is out of our hands. We couldn’t stop your mother from falling, but Grandsire did what he could to help because he was