"Dinner is quite lively tonight," Alana said, loving that the table was a little more full tonight.
"Alana, I must thank you for being here so Scarlet won’t have her dinners alone. Leonard and I cannot always make the trip here to have dinner every night and we don’t like to bother Scarlet too much. She might want you around more than us," said Samara.
"There’s no need to thank . I am here because Scarlet was so kind to let stay here after learning of my problem," Alana replied, thinking of sharing her troubles with Samara.
Samara was like another mother to Alana since her mother passed. It might have to do with Samara once being close to her mother.
"Still, it is good that you accepted to co here. I haven’t been told why you are here since it is your story to share, but I have a feeling that it has sothing to do with Luke," Samara assud.
Samara had the pleasure of eting both Luke and Alana’s mother. Because of a simple remarriage to Alana’s mother, once the first queen passed, Luke and his siblings weren’t too kind to Alana. Samara understood the children being upset that their father remarried after promising not to but they could not take their anger out on Alana.
Samara tried to send Scarlet to the palace often for Alana to have soone to play with. It worked out in the end as Alana was comfortable coming here with Scarlet.
"You guessed it right. I will share the rest of it with you later," Alana said as now wasn’t the best ti to share it with Ian here.
"Very well. We can have that conversation later. Ian, tell about yourself," Samara said, shifting the attention to Ian. There was much to learn about him since he was a bit of a stranger to the town. "Where do you reside?"
"I’ve recently learned that I live in a haunted mansion. I am moving about less than an hour’s ride from here," Ian answered.
Scarlet was confused by Ian’s move. Did the ntion of what happened where he lived now scare him off? He had the perfect ho to keep others away from him. Who would want to visit the land where many murders happened?
"Haunted mansion?" Samara asked, confused as to what mansion was haunted.
"He’s living in the mansion that belongs to the Kennedys. It is the relatives of my great-grandmother’s sister," Scarlet said as Ian might not be aware of the connection. The Collins weren’t close to the Kennedys for the town to rember the connection. "I didn’t think you would be so scared to move."
Leonard wasn’t pleased to hear where Ian was living. His father certainly wouldn’t be pleased as well because of the trouble the Kennedys caused in the past. They were on the list of enemies the Collins had because of what Kate Kennedy had done to her sister, Alessandra Collins.
"I am not scared. After learning more about the history of it, I think it is best that I move. If you like it, I shall stay," said Ian. He was only moving because a haunted mansion didn’t seem like the most romantic place to take a woman.
Scarlet wasn’t like most won but she still deserved better.
"It is not up to to like it. I already have a ho that I like," Scarlet replied.
Samara smiled as she listened to the two. "How did you two et?"
"Scarlet was looking around for tea and happened to stumble upon my business. I’ve been making tea that she enjoys," Ian replied, reaching for Scarlet’s hand under the table to hold.
Scarlet wanted to swat his hand away but knew that it would get the attention of the others. She pinched him because if he was going to keep trying to hold her hand, he would face so pain.
"It must be quite special since it is hard to find soone who makes tea to her liking. One day I would love to try it. Wouldn’t you, Leonard?" Samara asked, trying to get Leonard to join the conversation.
So far, it didn’t seem Leonard wasn’t impressed but he wasn’t grilling Ian with questions so that was good.
"I don’t like tea that much," Leonard answered, taking a sip of the water poured for him.
"He doesn’t but he will co to try it whenever I do. If you don’t mind asking, what is your relationship like with your relatives?" Samara asked as she had to know if she needed to make an effort with Layla one day.
"Mother," Scarlet tried to stop it.
"It is fine. I am not close to any of the Kingsleys or any of the relatives from my mother’s side. To be fair, I have never t anyone from my mother’s side," Ian responded. At this point, he didn’t want to et any of them.
Scarlet watched as her mother looked saddened by this news. Ian was close to winning her over since Samara always thought it was important to have close relationships with so relatives.
"Then, you are all alone in Lockwood?" Samara asked, pitying Ian.
"I have those who work for and a few people I rember from before I left Lockwood when I was younger. Now there’s Scarlet as well," Ian threw in to please Samara.
"This town isn’t the best place to be without family to help protect you. I’ve heard a few things but I don’t like to believe rumours. There were so many about when I first married Leonard so I know how lies spread," Samara said, letting Ian know she wouldn’t believe what was being spread by Layla.
All Samara knew after asking around once it was known he was seen with Scarlet again was that he was the son of a maid and he had run away. She didn’t know anything else about his life, his relationship with his father or brother, or his work. Just that Layla disliked him.
Samara felt bad knowing that Ian didn’t have a family he could turn to. "In a few weeks, our family gathers for an annual eting."
’No!’ Scarlet scread in her head. Her mother couldn’t possibly be doing what Scarlet thought she was. "Mother-"
"If you are still around Scarlet at that ti, I think it would be lovely for you to join us," Samara said, ignoring the looks she received from Leonard and Scarlet. "I hope to see you there too, Alana."
"Alana is welco, but you are forgetting that the gathering is for my relatives and their partners," Leonard said, refusing to let Ian join them. It would be no different than saying that they were welcoming him into the family.
"That is why I said if he is still in her life then he can join us. If Scarlet is enjoying his company, you wouldn’t want her to be without him, would you?" Samara asked, daring her husband to say no.
There was plenty of ti between then and now for Scarlet to figure out what her relationship was with Ian. If Scarlet wanted Ian to be around, Samara would let it happen. If Ian was not in Scarlet’s life at that ti then they would simply continue with their plans to go together.
Scarlet pinched Ian’s hand, trying to get him to open his mouth to reject it.
"I would love to join you," Ian accepted the invite.
’This fool,’ Scarlet sighed.
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