A Terrible Misunderstanding (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 6)

Without uttering a word, Sissy snatched the bucket off Clara, stomped past them, and began to march militantly up the garden.

“Where are you going, Sissy?” Edith called after her before Niall could even open his mouth.

Sissy, now soaking wet, slammed to a stop and turned to face them, her chin tipped upward pugnaciously. Niall turned to watch her, completely forgetting that he still had Clara clinging to his chest. He shifted uncomfortably when Sissy slid an assessing look from the top of his head to the tips of his boots, as if he was prize horse flesh. Reflexively, his arms tightened on Clara and he adopted a wary stance as if preparing to run for his life.

“If Clara found him when she went to that well, I am going to see what I can pull up.” With that, Sissy marched to the end of the garden and began to attach the bucket to the rope just as Clara had not but an hour ago.

Clara blinked at her in surprise. For a moment, she couldn’t believe her friend might even contemplate that she was going to find another man like Niall down the well, or anyone else for that matter. He was one of a kind.

“But I didn’t find him in the well,” Clara called after her.

“For Heaven’s sake,” Niall hissed. “Don’t encourage her.”

He turned to look at Clara’s friend, and watched while she lowered the bucket before winding it back up again. She lifted the now heavy pale free of the hook and blessedly began to return to the house. Before she took more than a few steps, though, a man appeared out of the woods again. This time, it wasn’t a violent intruder.

“Sissy,” Clara squealed.

/> Niall swore and took off up the garden only to slam to a stop when he realised it was Will who had stepped away from the trees and was now dragging a somewhat stunned Sissy down the garden and back toward Niall.

“Just what in the hell is going on here?” Will growled, manhandling Sissy to a stop.

Sissy stared up at him with a somewhat adoring look on her face, much to Will’s horror. He instantly released her and backed away warily before turning an accusing look on Niall.

“Do you need help?” he demanded.

“Yes,” Niall declared firmly. “I do.”

“Ooh, you are all drenched. Come on inside, all of you.” Audrey waved one long arm toward the house, but nobody moved.

Will spun on his heel, determined to make a swift if somewhat rude escape only to find his progress blocked by the determined hands of the woman called Sissy, who contrarily tugged him toward the house.

“Madam, unhand me at once,” Will protested in his most officious voice.

“Oh, but you must come in, especially if you are a friend of Niall’s,” Sissy murmured soothingly.

Will glared at Niall, but he was too busy trying to thwart Edith’s rather determined efforts to get him into the house to help him.

“Look, we cannot do this,” Niall growled.

But it was too late. Both men were dragged into the warmth of the house and beneath the curious gazes of the women in the kitchen. Niall made a lunge for the door only to find the small yet surprisingly strong woman called Babette was now blocking it.

“Ahem. Well, it is nice to meet you all.” Niall coughed uncomfortably, rapidly growing more than a little worried by the somewhat awestruck way Clara was gazing at him. “I had best be on my way.”

It was then that he realised he was still holding her. With an awkward cough, he slowly lowered her to her feet.

“Oh, you must stay,” Sissy protested making a grab for him. “Come on into the parlour. You must get warm before you go.”

Niall jerked when he felt the woman’s hands on his arm. He planted his boots firmly on the tiled floor and refused to budge when she tried to tug him into the main body of the house.

“Oh, Sissy, leave the man alone. You will scare him if you keep behaving like that,” Flo protested.

Niall blinked the oldest woman in the room and opened his mouth to scold her only to remain mute because he knew instantly that she was Atticus Potter’s sister. The proof was in the colour of her eyes, and the rather rotund shape of her face together with the somewhat pugnacious tilt of her chin.

“You must come and tell us all about yourself,” Audrey coaxed.

“Is he the one?” Babette whispered loudly. “Your fiancé?”

Clara sighed and opened her mouth to deny he was her fiancé only to find herself ensnared by Niall’s askance look.