Page 120 of Reluctant Rogue

“No way,” Beth informed him. “We want the Christmas mall nightmare.”

“You’re insane,” Liam mumbled.

Naomi just laughed, and leaned over to kiss him. “Yes, but at least we’re not psychotic.”

“There is that,” he allowed.

Belle (grandmother, maternal) laughed, and rose from the loveseat, pulling Graham (grandfather, also maternal) with her.

“On that note, we’ll be off to bed, and leave you children alone with your parents.”

Corinne and Owen (grandparents, paternal) rose also, and goodnights were said, with hugs all around, and the two sets of grandparents headed up the stairs to their rooms.

They’d hardly all gotten settled back in, with Beth taking the armchair, while Liam and Naomi claimed a loveseat, when the tap-tap of a cane had Naomi looking to the lobby. As one, she and Beth surged to their feet as Lady Flora rounded the corner.

“Lady Flora!” Naomi exclaimed, thrilled to see her, to share their news. She waved her hand to encompass her family. “This is our mom and dad… our real mom and dad,” she emphasized. “And both sets of grandparents are here, too, they just went up to bed.” She looked around, spotting Mark to the side. “And our brother, Mark. He’s the one that found us.”

“I’m so pleased for you, Naomi, Beth,” Lady Flora said. Her gentle smile encompassed those gathered. “Please, carry on. I’ve only come for a cup of tea.”

Beth stepped forward. “I can carry it up for you if you like, Lady Flora.”

“No, dear. I’m fine.”

To cover the potentially awkward silence that fell while Lady Flora made herself a cup of tea at the buffet table, Liam asked,

“How long of a stay have you planned?”

“We thought a week. We have return tickets for evening on Christmas Day, but we also bought tickets that could be changed,” Russell explained.

“That’ll get you back home, like, in the middle of the night,” Beth objected, frowning.

Janette smiled brilliantly. “We didn’t care. We wanted Christmas morning with our girls. After all these years. Well. We wanted Christmas.”

A respectful silence fell as Lady Flora made her way past them with her cup of steaming tea.

“Good night,” she told them with her usual gentle smile.

“Good night, Lady Flora,” Liam, Naomi, and Beth chorused.

Naomi waited until Lady Flora was up the stairs and well out of earshot before expelling a long breath. She and Beth exchanged glances, and turned to see their family’s puzzled faces.

“Lady?” Their mother inquired. “Like, royalty, from Europe?”

Both of them burst into giggles, and Naomi leaned forward, keeping her voice low.

“Definitely a kind of royalty. Sort of.”

“She’s a unicorn,” Beth breathed, her voice full of awe.

Stunned silence filled the room, before Janette gasped. “A unicorn?”

“A real unicorn? A mythical?” Russell asked.

Naomi and Beth both nodded confirmation.

“Oh, my,” their mother whispered. “We’ve all heard the whispers, of course, that they still existed. But no one really knows, and I never, ever thought I would meet one, even if they did.”

“She’s been wonderful to us.” Beth’s hand groped for Naomi’s, and she took it in a comforting clasp.