Page 34 of Hard-Hearted Highlander
“I embroidered your initials,” she said, pointing. “See? There, in the corner.”
He could see the tiny letters.RandM, unsteadily applied, theRslightly larger than theM. He looked at the lass. “What am I to do with this, then?”
She blinked. Twice. “It’s a gift,” she repeated, as if that should answer any outstanding questions he might have about it.
The gift embarrassed him, and he hastily shoved it into a pocket. Did this ridiculous creature honestly believe he had any use at all for alacehandkerchief? “Thank you.”
“Rabbie,” Catriona muttered. She’d put a protective arm around the chit. “Miss Kent has gone to some effort, aye?”
What effort? He himself might have sewn initials onto a handkerchief. He looked at the woman he was to marry in less than a fortnight. “You are too...”Absurd, that was what. “Kind,” he said, and forced a slim smile. And then quickly looked away. Unfortunately, his gaze happened to land on Miss Holly. What was that, a wee smirk on her lips? He had the distinct impression she was amused by his discomfort.
“Come back to the game, Miss Kent,” Aulay suggested. “We’re almost to the end, aye?” Aulay offered his arm and Miss Kent put her hand on it, smiling once again as he led her back to the green.
Always the diplomat, his brother.
That left two sisters to glare at him and one Englishwoman to smirk. Bloody fine day it was, indeed.
“What is the matter with you?” Vivienne asked in Gaelic. “She made it for you. And don’t dare say you don’t care. I know you’re unhappy, Rabbie, we’reallof us unhappy. But we can’t simply lay down and die.”
“Why not?” he asked.
Her glare deepened. “If you mean to be this cruel, you should tell Father you will not wed her and spare us all the agony.” She turned and flounced away, Catriona hurrying to keep up with her.
That left Rabbie with the smug English flower. He sighed. “Go on, then—no doubt you want to impress your bad opinion on me.”
“Me? I’m merely an observer,” she said, and flashed a bit of a smirk. “Although I’m quite certain that if I knew what your sister said, I would agree completely.” Her smile broadened, and ended in a pair of very appealing dimples in her cheeks. She glanced down to his boots and buckskins. “Did you swim here?”
He sighed. “I tried. Go on, back to your game, Miss Holly.”
“Rabbie, lad, come on, then!” Aulay called out to him.
God help him, not Aulay, too. Rabbie shook his head.
Aulay began striding forward. “We’re to the cove, we are. A walk with the children. You’ll join us.”
“No—”
Aulay’s grin was not exactly a sunny one. He clapped Rabbie on the shoulder, squeezing painfully. “I wasna asking, lad. We’ll have a walk with the children, and you’ll take the opportunity to acquaint yourself with our guests.” He squeezed once more, only harder, and then turned away. “Shall we walk?” he called to the others.
The children, naturally, were thrilled with the idea, and with shrieks of glee began to race each other toward the bailey gates, the dogs on their heels, galloping alongside them, tails high in the air. Rabbie looked around for Ualan and Fiona, and saw them following Barabel’s broad behind in through a door to the kitchen. There was something that chafed about that, those two children being put to work. But then again, he supposed they could not be left to run wild, without supervision.
“Come along then, Rabbie!” Catriona called, gaining his attention once more.
There was no escaping it. In spite of his melancholy and his increasing unwillingness to play this courtship game, a part of him really did understand that he had to make some effort. His siblings would not believe him if he told them that he desired to do so more than they could wish it...but Rabbie couldn’t summon the pluck necessary to say it.
He watched as Aulay rounded them all up and began to walk with Catriona and Miss Kent, followed by Miss Holly. The children ran ahead of them all, only the youngest of Vivienne’s riding atop his father’s shoulders as Vivienne walked beside them.
Rabbie followed last, his mind blank.
The group’s progress was slower than he could tolerate, however, and he ended up passing Vivienne and Marcas. Soon, he was walking behind Aulay and the ladies, listening idly to their conversation. Miss Kent was speaking of the stars, he thought, reciting those used to navigate, with Aulay correcting her pronunciation a time or two.
Miss Holly asked about the repairs Aulay was making to the ship, which prompted his brother to mention the new navigational equipment they’d acquired at a dear expense.
“An octant?” Miss Holly asked brightly, rousing Rabbie from the lethargy of his thoughts. How could she possibly know that?
“Exactly so, Miss Holly,” Aulay said, sounding surprised. “How do you know of it, then?”
“Oh, I read about it.” She said it breezily, as if it was common for a woman who laid out her mistress’s gowns and put up her hair to read about navigation tools.
