Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson Page B

had he told them?  Obviously they knew I was Danua’s daughter, but wouldn’t he have told them that the high queen and I were estranged?  Ye t maybe he felt that it was my place to share that bit of information.  Then Niall’s words from earlier hit me full force: Why can’t I call you Lady MacRoich?  Aren’t you the one Lord Cade brought back from the mortal world?
    What had he meant by that?  I shook my head, reminding myself that my goal at the moment wasn’t to analyze the ramblings of young boys, but to try and make friends with the residents of Luathara.
    I cleared my throat.  “So, uh, Birgit, how long have you and your family lived in the castle?”
    She was quiet for a moment, methodically pulling weeds from the flower bed.
    “A few months now.  Lord Cade asked my parents if they would like a position at Luathara Castle, and they happily agreed.”
    She paused and pressed her hands to her thighs and looked at me with a small smile.  “We all love this place and it has been empty and sad for so long.  It's good to know that it will be occupied once again.”
    I yanked at a weed and felt the satisfying tear of roots leaving the soil.
    “Do you always call him Lord Cade?”
    She shrugged and got back to work.  “Mother and father insist upon it, though he would rather we just call him by his first name.  He says it makes him feel strange, but Mother and Father would be angry if they knew.  It took them long enough to stop calling him Lord MacRoich.”
    I nodded.  I knew exactly how Cade felt.  He and I had a somewhat similar past , growing up with foster parent s and not really ever belonging.  Just as being called 'Princess' felt so very wrong to me , I’m sure Cade shied away from the title of 'Lord'.
    We spent ten more minutes pulling weeds, Birgit telling me about life in Kellston and Niall piping up every now and again to add his own details while their two younger sisters, who I learned weren’t twins but only a year apart in age, played in the flower bed a few yards away.  I thought about my own family back in the mortal world and I had to suppress the pain.  I wondered when I'd get a chance to visit them again , if only to make sure Aiden was okay.  He'd taken my departure the worst.
    A sharp bark and the sound of heavy footfalls on the gravel drew my attention away from the weeding.
    “Over here, my lord.”
    I glanced up to find a young man following Fergus.  And behind him was Cade.
    Cade stopped in his tracks and eyed me from head to toe.  I glanced down at my jeans and shirt and suppressed a grimace.  I was filthy.
    I met his eyes and gave him a sheepish grin, blushing a little, then shrugged my shoulders.  “I wanted to help.”
    Cade simply crossed his arms casually and shook his head, a humorous lo ok on his face, his green eyes flashing to pale gray and back again .
    Birgit and Niall had leapt to their feet the moment they saw Cade and now had their heads slightly bowed.  I was still kneeling in the mud, so I had to crane my neck to look up at them.  Ugh, I was so not used to this kind of behavior.  I would expect it at Erintara in my mother’s court , but not here.
    “Thank you, Arlen.”  Cade nodded to the young man.
    Arlen bowed his head once, then he glanced up and gave Birgit a quick smirk before turning and leaving the garden.  I craned my neck again and noticed the slight blush and smile on Birgit’s face.  I felt the corners of my own mouth curve upward .  Looks like I’d have something to ask Birgit about the next time we met.
    Cade strode forward, so I made some effort to get up.  My legs were stiff from kneeling on the ground for so long and Niall was quick to come to my aid.  I thanked him when I was on my feet and his eyes widened with pride.  I laughed.  He’d be a charmer when he was older.
    I turned my head and found Cade standing right in front of me, arms still crossed and one eyebrow arched in question.
    “Look, I made some