Chapter 318 The Celebratory Dinner Mrs. Boebert was shocked. She could not even find the words to refute them. âW-Why you-â
Suddenly, a steady rhythm of footsteps approached them. Declan Kingâs jocular tone sounded. âWhoa!
Whatâs going on here? Are you guys having a party here?â
Deirdre clenched her fists instinctively. She could not help but be worried. Kyran could not possibly be with him, right? If he were⦠Bobby might suddenly switch his target and name Kyran, the culprit. Then, because the young man was mute, Mrs. Boebert would bulldoze him even harder with a one-sided argument!
To Deirdreâs relief, Declan added, âOkay. Why does everyone look so intense? Is this because Iâm crashing the party or something?â
He said âIâ, not âwe.â Declan was alone this time.
Mrs. Boebert had seized the chance to slink away from the fray with Bobby in tow. Maybe she was afraid of taking up Deirdreâs medical costs after all. Either way, the rest of the crowd broke off soon enough. leaving a slightly nonplussed Declan with Deirdre and Eilis.
Raising his eyebrow, he wondered aloud. âUh⦠What just happened?â
Eilis relaxed. âNothing. There was some petty quarrel in the neighborhood. Donât trouble yourself with it. How can we help you, Mr. King?â
Declan smiled and handed her an invitation. âOur development plan is about to become official! To mark our first success, Iâve hosted a celebratory dinner in town, and I would love to have you join us, Mrs. Russell!â
âOh, my Lord!â Eilis was surprised. She would have expected the village chief to be invited. âI donât get it. I didnât help much! I donât think I deserve the honor.â
âThis is just untrue, maâam. You helped us a lot. Without you, we wouldnât have been able to finalize our traffic and road designs. Besides, youâre one of the most senior members of Alnwick. Weâre only going to need even more of your help going forward. So, please, do attend the dinner!â
When someone was as earnest as Declan was, why not?
Eilis liked the young man enough-despite his wealth and social standing, he displayed not even a whiff of a superiority complex. But still, she could not help but be reminded of Deirdreâs situation. Thus, she pushed the invitation back into Declanâs hand.
âMr. King, thank you for your kind invitation. But Iâm afraid I canât. Deirdreâs dinner depends on me, you see.â
Declan laughed. âWell, good thing I have another invitation extended to Miss McKinnon too, then.
There, problem solved. Here you go, Miss McKinnon.â
âM-Me?â Deirdreâs mind turned blank. She shook herself out of her stupor and forced a smile, shaking her head. âT-That wonât be necessary. You should go, Madame Russell. Iâll heat something up for tonight.â
Deirdre knew she was a liability to everyone around her. She was just not fit for events like these.
Declan churned his thoughts for a moment and decided to neither accept nor refute Deirdreâs refusal.
âIâll send someone to drive you to the venue by todayâs late evening, so thereâs time for you to consider, Miss McKinnon,â he proposed, grinning âFrankly, I think itâs important for you to attend this event, not just because itâll delight me, but because my friend will appreciate it as well. As you already know, heâs mute and doesnât like these events. It makes him feel⦠alienated. You know, alone in the crowd.
âBut if youâre there with him, I bet heâll feel a bit more at ease. So, this is for my friend. If accessibility is your top concern, Miss McKinnon, rest assured that Iâll do my best to accommodate you to the fullest!â
With that, Declan turned away and left.
For some reason, Deirdreâs mind began to conjure scenes-Kyran, sticking out of the crowd, becoming the gossip of the event as people gawked at him. Declan would not have the time to explain Kyranâs condition to everyone-he would be too busy checking in on everyone.
What would that leave Kyran to? People would flock to him, point out his âdifferenceâ, âand hawk on him about it to no tomorrow.
And he would be helpless against it like she usually was, would he not?
Declanâs driver came that evening, and Deirdre took the ride.