Their Wedding Day (Mills & Boon Vintage 90s Modern) by Darcy Emma

Author:Darcy, Emma [Darcy, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-10-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

“WHAT’S the wicked witch’s name?” Emily demanded again.

Rowena sighed. Her careful explanation of the present situation had been completely supplanted by Jamie’s fairy tale. Apparently it had more appeal. Children had a habit of judging things in black and white. Greys, Rowena reflected, were probably too difficult a concept to grasp.

“Her name is Adriana Leigh, and I told you, Emily, she’s not a wicked witch,” Rowena answered with somewhat frayed patience as she bent to kiss her older daughter good night.

“She is so, too, if she took Daddy away,” came the petulant reply.

“Your father wanted to go, Emily.”

“She put a spell on him,” Sarah piped up. “That’s what wicked witches do.”

It was a fairly apt interpretation of what had happened, Rowena thought, although if it hadn’t been Adriana, it would have been someone else sooner or later. Adriana had merely hastened what had been brewing.

“Can we undo the spell, Mummy?” Emily asked hopefully.

Rowena gently stroked her hair. “I’m afraid not, darling. But your daddy did say he’d come and see you.”

“When?”

“I guess when he’s ready to, Emily.”

“For Christmas?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps.”

“He’d better. Or she is so, too, a wicked witch,” Emily declared with conviction.

Rowena could only silently agree. Whatever Phil’s faults, Adriana was pandering to them, not caring who got hurt. On the other hand, Adriana’s influence didn’t exonerate Phil of responsibility for his actions.

She gave Emily an extra good night kiss. “Go to sleep now and don’t worry about it. Daddy will call us and let us know. All right?”

“All right, Mummy.”

She snuggled obediently into her pillow. Rowena moved to the door, checking that Sarah was still settled. She was well burrowed down, her head barely visible. Yet as Rowena switched off the light, Sarah had the last word.

“Anyhow, we’ve got the prince on our side, Emily.”

A more comforting thought than any she’d been able to give, Rowena conceded ruefully, but if the prince fell down on his quest, the collapse of the fairy tale would cause more trauma than Rowena cared to contemplate. Did Keir even begin to comprehend all the ramifications of what he had put in motion?

Jamie was waiting for her in the kitchen, seated on the counter stool again, his book ostensibly open. “Are you mad at me, Mum?” he asked without preamble.

What he had done was irrevocable. There was no point in recriminations. Besides, perhaps it would turn out for the best. Give me a chance, Keir had said. She had no other option now. She forced a smile. “No, I’m not mad at you, Jamie.”

His face lit with relief, and a wide grin broke through his cautious control. “The flowers look great, don’t they?”

Beyond him, on the coffee table in the family room, sat a glorious basket of flowers, Christmas bells, dark red lilies, scarlet carnations, yellow daisies, a profusion of blooms in season. It had come just after Emily had arrived home from school, and attached to it was a card that read, “To cheer you, Keir.”

It had lent substance to the fairy tale.

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