A Chance Meeting in Glasgow

Chapter 52

She wheeled on him with tears in her eyes.  “Andrew…”

He raised his eyebrows as far as they would go and nodded.

She formed herself against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.  “It’s beautiful.  I mean…it’s a beautiful gift.  The nicest thing I’ve ever received.  Thank you.”

“So you like it?”

She did like it – almost as much as she liked the vibration in his chest when he spoke.  She giggled as she looked up at him.  “If you’ll give me a few minutes, then would you send the girl up to show me the new sewing machine?”

“Of course.”

Andrew was flushed with happiness as he made his way back down the stairs.  He was taken completely unaware at the base of the stairs on the ground floor. Ceana was waiting there, and as he reached her, she grabbed his hands and knelt before him.  “Why did you bring me here, sir?”

Andrew looked at her in shock.  “Princess, whatever is the matter?”

“I need to know why you brought me here.”

“To give you the life you deserve.”

She shook her head.  “What is it I deserve?  Tell me truly.”

Andrew could tell that whatever was the problem, it had shaken Ceana to her core.  “To be treated kindly, Princess.  To live in a place where people respect and care for one another, the way it is intended that we should.”

Ceana pressed her cheek tightly against Andrew’s hands.  “I’ve seen Miss Cameron before.  She came to the houses several times.  It was unusual – all the girls were talking about it. She couldn’t have seen me because I saw her from a window.  She never told anybody her name, but it was her all right.”

So Andrew learned where Katherine got the information in Chapter 11.  Of course, from women who were experts in the subject – just like all the rest of her booklet.

“Princess, listen to me.  Miss Cameron was there as part of a mission to help young women.  She’s a genuine lady. She is most definitely not…listen to me, that part of your life is over forever.  You’ve made a wonderful first impression with her.  She likes you.”  Andrew lifted Ceana into standing, and felt her little body trembling.  “You’re really frightened, aren’t you?”

Ceana nodded.  “Does Miss Cameron know who I really am?” she whispered.

“Princess, the wonderful young woman you are is apparent to Miss Cameron.  But, no, I haven’t told her the whole truth about your background and what has been done to you in your life.”

She turned her intense green eyes up into Andrew’s kind gray ones, unsure.  “I told Miss Cameron you were an orphan, and you came here from the workhouse.  I believe that will stand in well in place of the truth for the time being.”  He looked down into her depths of her eyes, and saw the whole of the tenuousness and uncertainty of her position.  With the North Wind sailing at the end of the week, he wouldn’t be there to continually reassure her.

Katherine would be expecting Ceana upstairs in just a few more moments.  Andrew had to get her calmed down quickly or risk things unraveling.  “Ceana, I truly believe you will be treated well here.  I believe Miss Cameron will be nice to you or I wouldn’t have you here.  This is a needless promise but rest assured that if anything happens here that’s wrong or unfair, I know other good people and other nice places you could live.”