Gunns & Roses(58)
“Yes, she did,” Ansley reassured her. “And Kyla told me to pass on a message of thanks to all of you and to tell Emily she loved the note and the drawings. She wanted to come today, but I thought it better for her to stay home this time.”
“I’ll be sure to tell Emily,” said Annie. “It will make her day.” She moved closer to the man and held out her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Rose. My friends and I were very impressed with your falconry demonstration.”
She was relieved when Finley reached out to accept her hand, his grip firm yet gentle. A shimmer of embarrassment tinted his dark cerulean eyes. “Thank you, Annie. You’re being most kind, considering my actions on the day of the Highland Games. You and your friends caught me totally by surprise, and I didn’t handle it well. Please forgive me.”
Annie gave the man’s hand a light squeeze before letting go. “Of course I forgive you, Finley. I am, however, extremely thankful that you have your eagle so well-trained. She is quite frightening when she swoops so close!”
“It was a foolish thing for me to do.” The sincerity in the man’s eyes was obvious. “Athena is exceptionally well-trained. She took to training immediately from the first day I began working with her. But she is still a wild animal for all that, and it was unwise for me to use her in the way I did.”
Annie moved over to the free chair and sat. “May I ask why our questions prompted such a response, Finley? They seemed to cause shudders from one end of the Games to the other.”
Ansley looked at her companion, as if asking permission. When the man nodded, she reached into her purse. “Fin and the others were not acting for themselves, but trying to protect two of their loved ones.” She pulled her hand free, opening it up as she held it out for Annie and Ian to see. On her palm lay another ferrule bearing the hawk and rose. The set from Annie’s attic was now complete. “I was one of them.”
“And my mother was the second,” Fin finished.
After a moment of silence, Ian asked, his voice gentle. “Did the bagpipe belong to you, Ansley?”
Ansley took a deep breath and answered, her voice tinged with sorrow. “No, it did not. It belonged to Fin’s brother, Toren.” She moved her gaze over to the man sitting beside her.
“Tor was my younger brother,” Fin continued. “While my interest has always been falconry, Tor’s was music—bagpipe music to be specific. He played so well you’d swear you were standing on a Munro mountain in the Highlands with the wind whipping around you. It felt like he played that way from the time he was still small.”
Annie was reminded of a comment the pipe-maker MacTavish had made about a young piper. His voice had also held a shade of sadness. “Did Mr. MacTavish know Tor?”
“Yes, my mother had him build Tor’s first set of pipes,” Fin answered. “My mother created the design of the hawk and rose, and commissioned a silversmith to make the ferrules for it. My family has been involved in falconry for generations, and she was paying homage to it.”
Before either Ian or Annie could respond to the new information, the pendulum clock on the wall of the office chimed the noon hour. The reminder of the time jerked Annie from her thoughts, and she looked apologetically at the visitors. “Oh no—I’ve lost track of time. I had made prior plans to meet a friend for lunch, and I completely forgot to warn her that I could be quite late.” She turned to include Ian. “If you’ll excuse me for just a moment, I need to give Alice a quick call.” She rose to step outside the office. Both Ian and Finley stood as well.
Ian held up his hand indicating for her to wait. “I have an idea. Ansley and Fin, would you join us for lunch? The good folks at The Cup & Saucer would be glad to deliver for us, and we can use the conference room for our meal.” He saw Annie’s eyebrow rise and answered the question in her eyes with his next sentences. “Annie’s best friend, Alice MacFarlane, was with us at the Games and has been helping Annie solve the mystery of the sporran and ferrules found in her attic. If it is agreeable to you both, perhaps Annie could invite Alice to join us?”
The two visitors were quiet, their eyes meeting. Ansley inclined her head toward Ian. “I appreciate the hospitality, especially on such short notice, Mr. Butler. If Fin is agreeable to Alice joining us for lunch, I’m pleased to have her invited.”
Annie attempted to look as casual as possible, as she didn’t wish to put pressure on Fin’s response. But although she was sure he had been sincere in his apology, she wasn’t as sure he’d accept adding Alice to the visit.