Page 45

Briar

A fter one of the roughest crossings I’d ever imagined and agreeing to share the last available taxi back to Kirkwall with three strangers, I sat in the cozy dining room in the Kirkwall hotel, only minutes from the ferry terminal.

I balanced at the high-top table and pushed the food around my plate.

The lumps of meat looked like they would get stuck in my throat if I tried to chew and swallow.

Behind me, the pool balls hitting each other offered some distraction from my thoughts, but not enough.

The scent of damp wool and wood smoke permeated the air as people stood near the crackling fire to warm themselves, a reminder that the weather outside was still fierce.

Why was I in such a hurry to return to Byron Bay?

My heart twisted. My mother was gone. Aside from Amy, what was keeping me there?

My fingers tightened around the fork. My business?

Certainly not the people I kept just at the edge of my heart.

A hollow ache settled beneath my ribs. The thought of home should have been comforting instead of pressing on me like a weight.

I had learned everything my mother had wanted me to understand. I had walked the path we always talked about walking together, although we didn’t know where it would lead. And now, I had one last stop—one last ghost to chase before I said goodbye for good.

Deep inside, I knew I was returning home as a different person than when I left.

I had wanted to understand Lady Isobel and believe there was more to her story than betrayal and ruin.

And maybe there was. But what struck me most wasn’t what I found.

It was what she lost. She trusted people who didn’t deserve it and let loyalty blind her.

It cost her everything. Lyons Hold. The barony.

Her life. I wouldn’t make the same mistake.

I sipped my water, feeling the cool liquid stream down my throat. The next morning, I would reach Aberdeen with just enough time to get to the airport and book a flight to Ireland.

I only had two days before I had to be in Dublin to catch my flight home.

In those two days, I would say goodbye to everything I had known here. After that, there would be no more ghosts. No more lingering in history’s ruins. When I boarded the flight to Sydney, I would let it go, whether or not I was ready.

A part of me was curious if Lorcan would reconnect with his family. Would he choose to return to Byron Bay or take his place in the business beside his brother?

My fingers tightened around my glass. It didn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. Even so, I wondered.

How was I going to keep him away? How would I make sure I never had to deal with him again? Maybe I could have Amy handle any business he tried to bring my way. I chuckled to myself. She’d do it. No question.

Would he even try? I hoped not. That would be the smart thing. But would he?

I looked at the leather portfolio beside me, running my fingers over the crest embossed on the front. My eyes burned as I traced the familiar lines. The pages waited for me, but I wasn’t sure I could handle more stories—not tonight.

When I returned home, this portfolio—along with Lord Lorcan’s journal and Lady Isobel’s journal—would take a special place on my shelf, my promise to my mother fulfilled. After that, no more ghosts. No more ruins. Just real life.