Page 35 of The Last Debutante
“Have you anyone in mind to wed?” she asked the blacksmith.
“No one in particular, no, miss.” He peeked up at her shyly. “But I’d like a bonny one, aye?” He handed her the bracelet.
Daria examined it. “Oh, howlovely,Mr. Campbell! You are quite skilled, are you not?”
He smiled sheepishly at her praise. “Mind the spring,” he said anxiously as she donned the bracelet. When she had fastened it, she held out her arm for him to see, earning a big smile from the man.
“Thank you, Mr. Campbell. Now then, to you—a bonny wife is all you desire? Shouldn’t you like someone who shares your interests, as well?”
“Aye,” he said, nodding. “But me mum, she saw a faerie when I was born.”
Daria blinked. “I fail to see the significance of... that.”
“That means I shall marry a fair woman.”
“Mr. Campbell, there is far too much credence given to superstitions and faeries here. There are really no such things as faeries—”
“Ach, lass, there are,” he said gruffly.
“Well. Perhaps,” Daria said, a tad bit dismissively, as she admired her bracelet. “But can we not agree that whether or not your mother saw a faerie has no bearing on which young lady you might like to extend an offer of marriage to?”
“But itdoesmatter. She ought to be bonny, aye?”
Daria sighed to the exposed rafters. “Very well. Tell me who you think is bonny.”
He’d named three young women, all of whom worked within the walls of Dundavie. Daria then set out with Aedus beside her and Duffson trailing behind to pay them each a short visit. Anlan preferred to remain behind and nap in the shade of a cart full of hay.
After introducing herself to the first two—although Daria had already learned that she needed no introduction, as she was notoriously known as “the Ransom”—she learned that both young women had understandings with other gentlemen.
That left Catriona Campbell. Catriona was a kitchen maid, and she bustled about preparing the midday meal as Daria presented the possibility of Dougal as a husband.
“Dougal Campbell, the blacksmith?” Catriona asked, as she chopped onion with rapid-fire precision.
“Yes, him.”
She shrugged. “I suppose he’ll do as good as any, won’t he?”
Daria reached across the scarred wooden table and helped herself to a muffin. The cook had cheerfully pointed them out to her after Daria had cheerfully fawned over her bannock cakes. “Miss Campbell!” Daria cried through a bite of muffin, and quickly swallowed. “Isthathow you will choose the man with whom you will spend the rest of your life? Wouldn’t you at least like to know a little something about him? Aren’t you even curious whether you have anything in common with this man?”
“I’ve something in common with him, aye, miss. We’re both Campbells. One will do as well as the next.”
“These muffins aredivine,” Daria said. “I shall leave Dundavie as fat as a pig. As for you, Miss Campbell, that is positively uncivilized. In England, we engage in a period of courting so we might determine compatibility between a man and a woman. A lifetime is a very long time if one is not compatible with one’s husband.”
“Must have a lot of time for sitting about, then,” Catriona said. “In Scotland, we’ve too much work to be done to determine... what was it you said, then?”
“Compatibility.”
“Compatibility.”
“Interesting perspective,” Daria said with a slight shrug. “Well then, it seems that my task here is done. I shall relay to Mr. Campbell that you would welcome his offer, and he may thank the laird for it. Will that suit?”
Catriona smiled. “Suits me well enough, aye.”
“Just remember,” Daria said as she slid off the stool where she was seated, half a muffin between her fingers, “you’ve no one to blame but yourself if he proves an unfit husband. I have no reason to believe he will be, as he seems rather amiable, but one never knows, does one?”
“I donna rightly know, miss,” Catriona said distractedly as she dug through a barrel of potatoes.
As her one task was completed, Daria continued wandering about Dundavie. If she ventured too close to the gates, Duffson wordlessly shepherded her back into the bailey, ignoring her argument that it was preposterous to think that she might run into the woods in a gown and slippers, and besides, there was an entire village of Campbells waiting to tackle her if she tried to do so.
