Secrets and Sacrifice: A Christian Romance (The Shadows Trilogy Book 4)

by Juliette Duncan

  Grace forced back tears of her own.

  “Brianna—welcome! It’s grand to see you after all this time.” Danny's eyes sparkled. He leaned forward and kissed Brianna, pulling her into a gentle hug. Brianna hugged him back. Grace couldn’t believe it. But then, this was Danny. She should have known that if anyone could get through to Bibi, it’d be Danny.

  Then Danny turned to Grace. She'd been determined to remain aloof, but his infectious grin disarmed her, and before she knew it, she was stepping into his arms and hugging him like a long lost brother. When he released her, she wiped her eyes before hugging Lizzy.

  “Welcome to bonny Scotland, both of you!” Danny took Brianna's bags while Grace took her own and followed him to an old white van with "Elim Community" printed along the side.

  Danny must have noticed Grace's raised brow. "Sorry about the van, Grace... I know it's not quite up to your standard, but it gets us around.” He winked as he unlocked the vehicle and began loading their luggage.

  She certainly wouldn’t be seen dead or alive in a van like this at home. But what did it matter? She wasn't at home.

  "Sit up front with me, Grace." He opened the door for her and motioned for her to get in. Grace glanced at Brianna. Lizzy seemed to have taken her under her wing. Grace smiled to herself as she climbed into the front and sat beside Danny.

  “Well, this is grand, this is. Three lovely ladies to keep me company.” Daniel flashed a smile at Grace and then at Lizzy and Brianna in the back as he clicked his seatbelt and started the engine.

  Laughing, Lizzy leaned forward and gave him a flick on his shoulder. "Behave yourself!"

  "Always!" He chuckled as he pulled out of the car park and onto the main road.

  “So Grace, how's Caleb?”

  “He’s fine, as usual." She turned her head. "He wanted to come.”

  Danny shot her a quick glance as he slowed for a red light. “Why didn’t he? Would have been grand to see him.”

  Grace blew out a breath. “I didn’t want him to.”

  Danny's brows puckered. “Why?”

  Grace glanced quickly at Brianna. Amazing… Lizzy was chatting to Brianna as if she was a normal person. Grace leaned closer to Danny. “It would have been too much for Brianna. Caleb's a bit intense sometimes.”

  They locked eyes for a moment. Danny understood.

  Grace settled back in her seat. “What’s the place like, Danny? Caleb didn’t tell us much, apart from saying it’s in the middle of the Highlands.”

  “Well, he got that right.” Danny chuckled. “We are a bit isolated, but that's a good thing."

  "Don't you miss the city?"

  He shook his head. "Not at all. Wait until you see it, Grace. It's magic."

  A comfortable silence fell between them for a few minutes. Grace looked out of the window and took in the sights of the city—the steep spire of the cathedral, the old-fashioned stone buildings, the dark waters of the Moray Firth, and the sprawling mountains in the distance. It wasn't that different from some of the towns she and Brianna had driven through, except that she half expected to see a piper in a kilt on every street corner they passed.

  Danny interrupted her thoughts as he changed down gears to take a corner. "So, how are you really, Grace?”

  The question caught her off-guard. Danny was often direct with his questions, so she should have expected it. Her immediate response was to say she was fine, but if she were honest, she was nothing of the sort. The last few weeks with Brianna had shown her she didn’t have a clue how to help her sister, let alone herself. But she wouldn't admit that to Danny. “I’m fine.”

  Turning to meet her gaze, Danny raised his brow. He didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t prepared to say anything further.

  A short while later, Danny slowed the van as they entered the small town of Drumnadrochit on the western side of Loch Ness, and pulled over in front of a row of shops. "Lunch-time, ladies… all out!"

  Grace chuckled. Her brother was a charmer, always had been, always would be, so it seemed. His love of life was infectious, and Grace couldn't help but warm to him.

  Grace slipped her arm loosely around Brianna’s waist as they followed Danny and Lizzy into a café where they were greeted by a short, friendly, middle-aged lady who spoke with a broad Scottish accent. Grace could barely understand a word she said.

  The lady directed them to an old wooden table near an open fire-place. Being summer, the fire wasn't lit, but Grace could imagine how cosy it would be in there when it was.

  The lady handed menus out to each of them. When she left, Grace opened hers and gagged. Half the menu was filled with Haggis in all different variations. She lifted her gaze to Danny, who was sitting opposite her. “You won't get me eating Haggis, so don't even try."

  Danny chuckled. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

  Lizzy laughed as she reached out and tapped Grace's wrist. “Don’t worry, Grace. I haven’t tried it yet, and I don’t intend to.”

  Danny shook his head in mock disgust.

  “I don’t care.” Lizzy glared at him and lifted her chin before bursting into laughter.

  Grace relaxed. It was fun being with these two, but she had to be careful. Last time she let them get too close and they'd almost broken through her walls… she didn't want that to happen again.

  “Well, I think I’ll have the soup of the day.” Lizzy placed her menu on the table and sat back in her chair.

  “That’ll do me, too.” Grace turned to Brianna. “Bibi, what do you want?”

  Grace's heart fell. Bibi had that overwhelmed look on her face again. Of course Brianna wouldn't know what she wanted... she'd have no idea what all the menu items were. Grace's voice softened as she lowered her face towards hers. "Would you like the soup, Bibi? It's potato and leek."

  Brianna nodded, but her eyes were dull and unresponsive. Maybe this wasn't going to work after all.

  “Well, I’m going to have the Guiness pie,” Danny said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his tummy.

  Grace raised her brow. So that’s how he’s put on weight.

  They ordered their meals and Danny and Lizzy began chatting, obviously trying to make both her and Brianna feel comfortable. But their lives were so different to her's and Brianna's. They had no idea. They chatted about the children, which Grace knew was normal, but really meant nothing to her and Brianna. Children were just messy little creatures who put grubby hands on walls and ran around and screamed. But she had to listen and feign interest.

  “Dillon’s such a little monkey. You wouldn’t recognise him, Grace. He runs around all day." Lizzy chuckled. "He doesn’t stop, does he, Daniel?” She touched Danny’s arm lightly and looked at him with such love and devotion shining from her eyes, it almost made Grace envious of what they had.

  “I think they’ll need to tie him to his chair when he starts school. If they can catch him!” As Danny laughed, his blue eyes sparkled and Grace could see how much Dillon meant to him.

  “The twins try to keep up with him, but their little legs don’t go quite as fast.” Lizzy laughed as she pulled some photos from her purse and held them out to Grace and Brianna. “This is James and Clare, they’re almost eighteen months, and here’s Dillon. A little bigger than the last time you saw him, Grace.” A proud smile sat on Lizzy's face as she glanced up.

  Grace looked closer at the photos. The resemblance between James and Danny was remarkable. Clare was shorter than James, but had the same facial features she herself had at that age. Caleb had given her copies of the few family photos he’d retrieved from the house after Mam died. Not that she looked at them often—just occasionally when she'd drunk too much and hankered back to happier times. She was sure that if she pulled out the photo of her and Danny at about the same age, they could almost pass for James and Clare.

  Grace's shoulders sagged as a deep sadness flowed through her. She'd never thought about having children. Just like she could never marry, she could also never have
children. It wouldn't have been fair to bring them into the world when her past could be discovered at any time and she could be sent to prison for the rest of her life. Her fate had been sealed the day she went to that bus-stop. No use getting sad about it now. What was done was done.

  Grace pushed it all aside as she always did and looked up, giving Lizzy the best smile she could manage. “They’re lovely, Lizzy. You must be so proud.”

  Lizzy nodded, her face breaking into a beaming, beautiful smile. “They’re such a blessing, Grace, and we love them to bits. Daniel dotes on all three of them, but little Clare is daddy’s girl, isn’t that right, Daniel?” Lizzy leaned into Danny and looked up into his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her.

  “She reminds me of you, love.” He kissed the top of Lizzy’s head and pulled her close.

  Grace's eyes moistened. She quickly passed the photos to Brianna and ran her hand over her eyes, hoping nobody noticed. She'd never know the love Danny and Lizzy shared. If only she and Brianna hadn't been sent to live with Aunt Hilda, everything would have been so different. It wasn't fair.

  Their meals came and before long they were back in the van heading south to the Elim Community Centre. With every mile that passed, Grace became more certain that she and Brianna would be heading home as soon as they arrived. They didn't belong in the Scottish Highlands with a bunch of Christians. Only madness had made her think this was a good idea.

  Chapter Eleven

  Grace had no idea what she was coming to. She’d imagined a cold, crumbling castle standing amidst a barren, wind-blown moor, but as they rounded yet another bend, her eyes widened. Instead of a crumbling castle, a solid, sturdy stone mansion, covered in creeping ivy, and surrounded by the most beautiful flower garden she’d seen in a long time, came into view. Spirals of smoke drifted lazily into the pale blue sky from a number of chimneys scattered along the roof line.

  The house sat on the shore of Loch Linnhe. A small jetty ran out into the water from in front of the house, and a number of row-boats and canoes bobbed up and down in the gentle waves. Why hadn't Danny told her it was so beautiful?

  Danny winked at her. "Like it?"

  Grace chuckled. "It's stunning. How did you end up in a place like this?"

  "I'll tell you one day, if you want to listen." His voice grew serious.

  Grace groaned. She knew what he'd say… God gave it to us… and she didn't want to hear that rubbish. "I think I'll pass."

  "No problem." He brought the van to a stop in front of a smaller stone building to the left of the main house. Long and low, it too was edged with bright, colourful flowers, giving it a very warm and homey feel.

  Danny smiled broadly as he opened the door for Grace and then for Brianna and Lizzy. "Welcome to Elim Community."

  Three young children burst through the front door of the house and ran towards them. The older one, who Grace assumed was Dillon, was wearing a cowboy outfit and ran around pretending to shoot them all. The younger boy, James, tried to keep up with him, but the little girl went straight to Danny and grabbed his leg. Leaning down, Danny picked Clare up and gave her a big cuddle.

  “Hey there little one. Daddy’s missed you.” As he kissed her, Clare threw her arms around his neck, but when he propped her in his arms and stepped closer to Grace and Brianna, her thumb flew straight to her mouth. “Look who we've got here, Clare. This is Auntie Grace, and this is Auntie Brianna. Say hello.”

  Clare clung to Danny and buried her head in his chest, but peeked out through her fingers. She really was a daddy's girl.

  “They’re not going to bite you, Clare.”

  He tried to pry her head from his chest without success but then just shook his head.

  Dillon raced past just then and Danny grabbed hold of his jacket, bringing him to a sudden stop. “Whoa there, Dillon. Settle down—we've got guests. Come and say hello to your aunties.”

  As Dillon looked up, Grace sucked in a breath. Dillon had Danny's eyes and cheeky grin.

  He gave them a quick once over, said hello, and then escaped his father’s hold and raced off again.

  James stopped beside Lizzy and put his arms up. Lizzy bent over and picked him up and carried him over to Grace and Brianna. He was tongue-tied, just like his sister.

  “I don’t know what’s got into them, they were so excited before.” Lizzy sighed and rolled her eyes. “Anyway, let’s go inside and I'll get you a cup of tea.” She settled James onto her hip and directed Grace and Brianna inside.

  Grace stood in the entry and gazed around her. “This is lovely, Lizzy.” The whole place was homely, from the rich rugs on the timber floors to the bright curtains on the windows—the exact opposite of Grace’s apartment, which was functional, chic and modern. Danny and Lizzy’s house was a family home full of character and love.

  “Thank you, Grace. We didn’t know if you'd like it or not.” Lizzy laughed and glanced at Danny, who was following behind with their bags. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll make that tea.”

  Grace and Brianna followed her down a short hallway into a warm, spacious room. A large wood-burning stove with pots and pans hanging above it from hooks attached to the ceiling sat on the far wall. A heavy timber table and a kitchen dresser covered in all sorts of bits and pieces took up the rest of the space, but Grace's eyes were drawn to the view out the window above the sink. The mountains Grace had admired earlier hovered in the distance behind the loch, but in between the house and the loch, a wooden table with bench seats sat amidst a meadow of daisies. It was beautiful.

  “Coffee or tea?” Lizzy asked as she placed James onto one of the chairs and gave him a colouring book and some pencils.

  “Coffee, thanks,” Grace replied.

  “Coffee for me too, please.”

  Grace's eyes widened. Brianna spoke. Amazing.

  Grace's eyes widened further as Brianna picked up a pencil and began colouring with James. Never in her wildest dreams had Grace expected Brianna to do such a thing. Who would have thought?

  “Would you like to see your room, Grace? I can show you while the kettle’s boiling.” Lizzy twirled a finger through her hair as her eyes darted to Brianna and back.

  Grace got the message, and followed Lizzy back down the hallway and into a clean and tidy room filled with two single beds and an old timber dresser. A bunch of freshly cut flowers sat on the dresser, filling the room with a sweet perfume. Cream fluffy towels and flannels sat on the end of each bed. The room had the same outlook as the kitchen. She'd like lying in bed and gazing out at those mountains. Maybe she could consider climbing them one day. She blinked. Since when did Grace O’Connor climb mountains? She chuckled to herself. It must be the highland air getting to her.

  “This is lovely, Lizzy, thank you." Without thinking about it, Grace reached for Lizzy’s hand and squeezed it. When she realised what she'd done, she quickly withdrew it.

  “Our pleasure, Grace. Danny and I really hope you enjoy your stay.” Lizzy’s smile was genuine and warm. “You know, ever since Danny found out you were coming, he’s been so excited, and a little nervous.” Lizzy let out a small chuckle as she sat on the bed and motioned for Grace to join her. Her expression grew serious as she met Grace's gaze. "Is there anything we need to know about Brianna?”

  "How long have you got?" Grace raised her brow, but then realised she shouldn't be flippant about such a serious matter. "Sorry… she’s a drug addict, Lizzy, but you already know that. Just be careful—she’ll steal and lie if she’s desperate. Keep a good eye on her.” There was so much more she could say, but really, that was enough.

  “We’ve had others like her through here, so we know what to expect. We’ll do our best for her, Grace.” Lizzy took Grace’s hand and squeezed it. Tears pricked Grace's eyes. She was sure Lizzy and Danny would do the best they could for Bibi, but would it be enough? And would she even stay?

  Whistling sounded from the kitchen. Lizzy released Grace’s hand and hurried back to the kitchen. Grace followed. Brianna
was still colouring with James, and a smile grew on Grace's face. Danny arrived with Clare and placed her beside James. Dillon was still running around, but stopped when Lizzy offered him cake.

  “Now sit down and eat quietly with your brother and sister,” Lizzy said as she placed three plastic plates on the table with a slice of homemade chocolate cake on each. She made coffee and tea, and then placed a larger plate on the table with the remainder of the cake.

  “I love this place, Danny. Did you do it all yourself?” Grace asked as Danny took a seat at the head of the table, on either side of Clare and Dillon.

  Danny laughed. “No. We had lot of help from the boys.”

  “The students, you mean? How many are there?” Grace glanced away and smiled at Lizzy as she took a small slice of the cake she was passing around.

  “It varies. Right now we have seven boys and six girls—including Brianna. But we’ve had up to twenty."

  “That’s a lot. You must have other people helping?”

  Lizzy nodded enthusiastically as she gulped down a mouthful of tea. “We’re lucky to have some highly qualified and experienced staff members. I hope you don’t mind,” Lizzy glanced at Grace and then at Brianna, “but we’ve asked them over for supper.”

  Grace glanced at Brianna to check her reaction. Brianna hardly flinched and just kept colouring. Why would they do that, and on our first night? She really didn't need to meet the staff, but seemed she'd have no choice. Grace forced a smile. “That will be lovely, Lizzy.”

  “They’re keen to meet you both. It's always good when family members come to visit. Danny and I haven’t had any family here since my parents visited a year ago."

  Grace sipped her coffee. "Your parents must have enjoyed seeing their grandchildren.”

  Lizzy sat beside Grace and picked up her cup of tea. “Very much so. And the kids absolutely adored having them here. The twins were only babies, but it was still wonderful. And such a surprise… my father was always so formal and standoffish, but you should have seen him down on the floor giving horsey rides to the twins! They wouldn’t leave him alone.” Lizzy leaned back in her seat and smiled. “And Mother, well, she was the one who got our garden sorted.” Lizzy chuckled. “I’d always wanted a house with a lovely garden, and now I have it.”