His mother.
Gizelle could see that they had similar cheekbones, and she had dark hair like Conall did, but most fascinating of all, she had the same sky blue eye color, even though she was not the same person behind them. Her nose, however, was much different, and her mouth, a perfect shade of lipstick red, was utterly alien.
“Why is she staring at me?” Aideen asked Conall.
“I’ve never seen a mother before,” Gizelle answered for him.
“This will be your room, Mother,” Conall said, ignoring both of them. Gizelle wasn’t touching him; maybe he hadn’t noticed the exchange.
“Isn’t it lucky you got a two-bedroom cottage,” Aideen said airily.
“It was the last one they had available when I made the reservation,” Conall explained shortly.
“This place boasts its fine gourmet food,” Aideen said. “And I’m famished. Show me to the restaurant, dear. We can all get to know each other over a nice meal.”
Conall looked at Gizelle in alarm. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said reluctantly, and Gizelle knew he was thinking about their first disastrous dinner.
But she’d come a long way since then.
“That’s okay,” Gizelle insisted. “I can do that.”
“Are you sure?” Conall asked.
“I’ll leave the doors of time closed,” Gizelle assured him. “And I promise not to shift.”
“What about the Christmas tree?” Did Conall sound slightly desperate?
“They are leaving it up until New Year’s,” Gizelle said. “I can show you later.”
Like a man resigned to disaster, Conall offered each of them an elbow. “Let’s go have dinner,” he said.
Breck was surprised to see them. “Gizelle,” he said slowly. “Conall,” even more slowly. Then, “Ma’am?”
“Have you got a good table for us?” Conall asked. Gizelle was not sure that he had ever sounded so stiff.
Breck swallowed, looking out over the crowded restaurant. “I’m... not sure.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Aideen said crossly. “There are plenty of empty tables. Put us there!” She pointed imperiously at a table in the center.
“Oh, no,” Conall and Breck said together.
“Let me find you a corner,” Breck said with a flash of his best charming smile for Aideen. “Only the best for family of our favorite Irish Elk.”
Aideen seemed pleased with that as the waiter disappeared into the din.
Gizelle watched the room, fascinated. It was noisy, but it was noisy like the ocean; a rolling din of sound, not sharp and loud like she had feared.
“Are you okay with this?” Conall asked quietly near Gizelle’s ear.
She smiled at him. “I ca
n do it,” she whispered back.
Breck came back and led them to a table that was not exactly quiet, but was at least on the edge of the room. He held the chair for Aideen, who sat down as gracefully as a swan. Was she a dancer like Lydia? Gizelle wondered.
“Are you all right?” Conall asked, still standing with her as Gizelle realized she was staring again and that Breck was holding a chair for her.
She looked up at Conall. His blue eyes were worried for her. She smiled slowly, because she loved the way that they softened when she did. “I got this,” she said, and she sat gingerly in the chair Breck was holding and tried to mimic Aideen’s effortless elegance. Conall sat last. Breck had cleverly put Aideen closest to Gizelle so that he would be able to see both their faces without looking back and forth and he wouldn’t need to hold her hand.