“Shoot.”
“Pretend you’re not turning into a pumpkin at midnight.” When I started to protest, she cut me off. “Give Duncan a real chance. Let yourself be in love with him—just until we leave.”
Could I pretend to love him? Vee gave me a slight nod of encouragement and I read her thoughts as easily as if they were my own. Even if Duncan and I hadn’t shared a Calling, I was somewhat crazy about him. I didn’t need to pretend I had feelings.
If I didn’t make the most of our last night, I would most likely regret it for the rest of my life. Giving me the final push I needed, she extended her hand. “Deal?”
“Deal.”
We shook on it and then Vee clasped me in a bear hug. When she pulled back, her face was troubled. “I’ve got to tell you something else. Another reason why I can’t stay …”
She hesitated long enough to take one of her deep yoga breaths. “I don’t want to tell you, and I’d even convinced myself to keep it from you for your own good. But then I started to think about the situation being reversed and how I would feel in your shoes.”
“Whatever it is—just say it.”
Her grave eyes seemed far too old for her innocent face. “I know who the witch is.”
“What?” Blindsided by her confession, my mind swirled with questions. “Who? And when? I meant how? And why didn’t you—”
Vee held up her hand to stop my barrage and then paced away. “When I went to see the king, I had a vision … or something. The journal’s cursed. I wanted to tell you, but then the king died and all I could think about was getting it out of Doon. And—well—you saw how well that plan worked.”
Deliberately, I stepped into her path and blocked her ramble. “Who is it?”
“It’s Adelaide Dell—Addie, Dunbrae’s caretaker.”
I thought about the modern, stylish woman with her no-nonsense demeanor. “Addie’s the old hag who’s been after Doon for centuries?”
Her gaze narrowed and I could see her mind replaying events I couldn’t see. “I read that the witch who attacked Doon was named Adelaide Blackmore Cadell. But in my vision, it was Addie.”
“Do you think Ally knows?” I considered the sweet girl who’d shown us around Alloway.
“I don’t think so. That’s why she didn’t bring Ally with her when she came to the cottage. She acted … odd, remember? I’m certain she did something to your aunt’s journal and then planted it for us to find—”
“Manipulating us into crossing the bridge.” I didn’t doubt Vee for an instant, remembering the way Addie fawned over Gracie’s journal and calling my bestie a “clever” girl. She’d been the one to pack my aunt’s things away in the first place. “That witch played us!”
“Yep. And I carried the journal into the kingdom for her.” Vee squeezed her eyes shut in recrimination. “I’m responsible for everything that’s happening. If she destroys Doon, it’ll be my fault.”
Fiona’s words about the witch growing strong in Doon’s weakness filled me with dread. Could the journal tip the scales in her evil favor? I indicated the book sitting benignly on the nightstand. “We need to destroy that thing, now!”
“We can’t. I tried burning it, and when that didn’t work … well, you know what happened next.” She tucked the small book protectively to her chest and walked to the window. “As soon as the Brig o’ Doon opens for the Centennial, I’m taking the journal out. I’ve got to make things right.”
I slung my arm around her shoulder, careful not to touch the cursed journal. Although she abandoned me, she’d been trying to protect us. I would not let her carry this burden alone any longer. “
For a moment, we stood in silence and contemplated the gorgeous view. The dazzling morning sun had eradicated the last icy reminders of the blizzard so that the idyllic countryside looked just like it had on our first day. Heather dotted the hills. Birds called back and forth. Doonians went about their lives. Ironically, it was as if the witch hadn’t nearly succeeded in bringing about the end of their existence. For most living beings in Doon, everything was exactly the same as before.
CHAPTER 27
Veronica
A wise man once said love is a temporary madness. It was the temporary part I clung to like a life raft as I watched Jamie, strong and confident, go through the rituals that would make him a king.
He looked magnificent. His dress kilt, complete with formal jacket, was ornamented by his jeweled sword and the rich blue and green tartan of Clan MacCrae draped over his left shoulder—closest to his heart. I sat among the adoring masses, a silent participant while the emotions boiling through me threatened to erupt and rip the world in half. Was this the madness part?
The mirror told me I looked like a princess, with a burgundy fairy-tale gown and fantastical silver and garnet circlet woven into my hair as proof, but inside I was a quivering mess. I’d never felt more like a fraud. Everything inside me wanted to storm the stage and beg Jamie to ignore his destiny with Sofia. Beseech him to abandon his duty and run away with me, the king’s vision be damned! But in the end, I would remain seated with a smile pasted on my face, pretending to be in control—just as I’d done most of my life.
Placing his hand on the Bible, Jamie took the oaths that bound him to his kingdom. With every word he spoke, the chasm between us grew more insurmountable. His fate more tightly linked to the girl he would claim as his queen.
Unable to watch another moment, I glanced up at the stone columns and vaults arching over my head. Fiona had explained that the first king of Doon commissioned this chapel as a spiritual retreat for the royal family. Now it was only used for the most significant ceremonial occasions.
Next to me, Kenna’s soft sigh drew my attention away from the flawless architecture. I followed her stare toward the altar. Duncan mounted the steps two at a time and joined his brother with a squeeze on the shoulder and a heartening smile. As the clergyman announced the Oath of Fealty, Duncan solemnly lowered to one knee before Jamie and raised his right hand.
“I, Duncan Rhys Finnean MacCrae, promise on my faith that I will, now and always, remain loyal to my laird and king, my brother. Will never cause him harm and will, in all things, observe my homage to the kingdom o’ Doon. I pledge my devoted counsel in all situations and vow to protect the laird with my life, against all persons and in all circumstances in loyalty and without deceit.”
Every word of his commitment rang strong and true throughout the cathedral, his love for his kingdom and his brother clear to all. But it occurred to me that Duncan seemed to weigh his vow of protection above his declaration of honesty. Was withholding Gideon’s true whereabouts and the mysterious deaths of his soldiers a violation of loyalty? I couldn’t judge Duncan, because like me he must know the terrible secret he held would hurt more than it helped. We both had our reasons for keeping information from the new ruler of Doon.
Finished with his pledge, Duncan tipped his head and kissed his sovereign’s ring. In a touching display of humility, Jamie clasped his brother’s hand and helped him to his feet, pulling him into a brief hug, their locked fists between them.
The haunting music of unseen bagpipes wove through the room as every citizen filed into the aisle, patiently waiting their turn to step in front of their new laird and repeat an abbreviated version of the oath Duncan had just confessed.
As the Rosetti sisters made their way toward to the platform, I watched Sofia, mesmerized by her glowing countenance and the dazzling sapphire gown trailing gracefully behind her. Her smile seemed brighter than the sun as she faced Jamie. With a sickening lurch in the pit of my belly, I watched them exchange a meaningful glance before she sank to her knees and made her pledge. I tore my gaze away from the touching scene and let my eyes wander over the crowd.
It seemed the Doonians were trying to ignore Kenna and me. Aside from a few nervous glances, they seemed determined to enjoy the festivities. I turned to ask Ken if she’d noticed their indifference when tingles skittered up my spine. Searching the room for the source of my discomfort, I spotted a middle-aged woman—tall,
