Page 32 of The Last Debutante
“Yes,” she said, glancing down at Anlan, who, Jamie was chagrined to see, was gazing adoringly up at her. “We’ve met.”
Geordie slapped down his slate and took a seat alongside Duff.
She ignored him. “Are you breaking your fast? It smells wonderful.” She clasped her hands behind her back and rose up on her toes, then down. “Divine,” she added.
No one spoke.
“I slept very well indeed, and I amfamished,” she added hopefully.
Jamie exchanged a wary look with Duff. “Would you care to join us, Miss Babcock?”
“Are you certain I won’t be a bother?” she asked quickly, already moving to the sideboard, with Jamie’s bloody useless dogs moving obediently with her. Three, four days, was that it? The damned hounds had changed their loyalties in only days?
Miss Babcock helped herself to a sliver of ham and gave a bite to each dog, then poured a thimbleful of ale. She turned from the sideboard and seemed startled to find the four of them staring at her. She smiled, then took an empty seat. Anlan and Aedus slid down on their bellies next to her chair, heads between their paws, waiting patiently.
Jamie gave both mongrels a dark frown before resuming his seat, while Duff, Geordie, and Robbie watched Miss Babcock cut her ham into tiny bites. They eyed her as if they’d never seen a woman eat before, as if they were surprised to find a little blue jay hopping around them and pecking at the food.
She took a bite, chewed delicately, then smiled at Jamie. “I am glad to find you improved,” she said as she speared another bite. “I’ve been thinking that perhaps there are ways we might speed this kidnapping along—”
“’Tis no’ a kidnapping,” Jamie reminded her. “You are collateral for a debt.”
She gave him a pretty but patronizing little smile that he guessed she’d practiced across dining tables with many gentleman suitors. “You say collateral, I say kidnapped and held against my will. But it’s all rather the same thing, is it not?”
Jamie opened his mouth to argue, but she put up a hand.
“Wait, please—hear me out before you disagree. I thought that perhaps we might both return to our preferred state of being—you being a laird of this delightfully rustic castle, and me being an Englishwoman... preferably somewhere far away, say, England—and I thought, would it not make more sense if instead of delivering a letter to my friend in Edinburgh, you deliver me instead? That way I might explain the situation to my friend, who will see to it that your money is returned to you.” Her smile brightened. “It should save us all quite a lot of time. It’s rather brilliant, do you see?”
“Mary, Queen of Scots,”Duff muttered.
“What do you think, my lord?” she asked.
“Laird,” Duff said gruffly. “We are no’ in England. He is laird.”
“Laird,”she said with a slight frown for Duff, then cast an expectant look to Jamie.
“I think,” Jamie said, settling back, “that this is a very good idea for you.”
She smiled, obviously pleased with herself.
“But I think it a very bad idea for me.”
Her lovely smile faded somewhat. “I cannot imagine a single reason why you might think so.”
He arched a brow at her. “Can you no’ think of at least one or two, then?”
“For heaven’s sake, Laird. I give you my word—”
“Ach,”he said, taking his turn to throw up a hand. “I have no use for your word. Your grandmamma has no’ exactly been true toherwords, and in the Highlands, the bad word of kin will ruin the promises of an entire family.”
She made a sound that indicated she did not care for that at all and put down her fork. “So everyone keeps saying. There seem to be quite a large number of rules in the Highlands. But I have given you no cause to doubtmyword.”
“That is all we will say on the subject, Miss Babcock.” He picked up his fork and continued with his meal. He was aware that those big, expressive eyes were fixed on him, and not in an admiring way. He could almost feel them drilling clean through him.
“But don’t you want your money?” she said, her voice decidedly less cheerful. “Do you not see that mine is a much more expedient way to have your money returned to you?”
Jamie sighed. “Miss Babcock, please do pen your letter. I’ll have it delivered to Edinburra straightaway, and far quicker than either you or I would manage it.”
She sank back in her chair, her arms folded. “Really, my lord, this all seems so...medieval.”
