Page 120 of In Search of a Husband
“Ye wee rascal, ye. Give it back to the poor man and let him leave this madhouse while he can,” Mrs. Malcolm yelled.
“I’m not certain I wish to leave such enthusiastic company, Mrs. Malcolm,” the marquess replied, his voice smooth and charming. “I will miss your culinary treasures.”
“Och, get now.” By some miracle, the older woman blushed, then turned, and whacked the cutting board with her cleaver, tossing more scraps into a large mixing bowl.
“You can take them,” Lorna whispered, sticking out her tongue as if she might cast her accounts.
“The hat and clothes now, girls.” Kate held out her hand as the girls groaned and slowly made their way to turn things over, then curtsied to the marquess.
“You don’t have?—”
“That’s a fine curtsy, Maisie,” the marquess cut in. “Elegant through and through.”
Lorna rushed over, knocking her sister over to do the same.
“And the picture of grace, Lorna. Perfection, girls.”
The marquess plucked his top hat free and tossed his cravat and vest over his forearm, walking backward toward the door. “I’ll see myself to the stable block and wish you all a fine day.”
Kate clutched the back of the tall chair at the worktable, her chest tight at the sight of Hugh leaving. It didn’t make sense, but she had grown to like the blackguard. She was relieved that the hatred she had harbored for so long had faded, and though she was looking forward to everything she had, she was struck by how difficult it was watching him clutch the door to leave.
Her past.
The weight of what had brought her here to Scotland—gone.
It was an unexpected grief, of parting with that piece of herself. Of her girlhood.
Of watching the man who had stolen that from her, who in turn had come to help rescue her, now leave from her life. As well with her parents.
It wasn’t as if she were on her own. She had certainly been more so when she first arrived at Dunsmuir Castle.
Kate wasn’t alone now; love had grown abundant around her.
“Take care, Princess.”
She scrunched her nose at him as she watched him slip through the door and make his way to the stable block, leaving her with the girls and the crabby housekeeper making haggis once more, and the old stinky cat, and the giant man who had stolen her heart.
CHAPTER 32
Two Months Later
Gabriel dodged a snowball,then dove behind the yew hedge, and clumped the snow in his hand to make another. The girls were far too quick, and he was outnumbered.
“We’ve got him now, girls. He’s at our mercy. Charge!” Elsie cried.
Big, fat snowflakes fell from the sky, sticking to his eyelashes as he sprang to his feet and roared, chucking the snowball not at Lorna but at Elsie, knocking against her shoulder. She fell back a step, then whipped her stare at him, furious.
“Gabriel MacInnes, so help me, if ye hit me again with a snowball…”
“Ye joined in,” he shouted, jumping out of the way as Maisie threw three snowballs in quick succession.
“Uncle, stay still. I can’t hit ye…” Lorna threw her hands on her hips, determination etched on her brow. She looked more like Tavish each day.
“I’ll hold him down, go ahead, Sister. Hit him and hit him hard! Ye dinna trifle with the MacInnes sisters, Uncle,” Maisie yelled, springing at him and knocking him off balance.
Gabriel tumbled to the ground, falling back first into the deep snow. Maisie jumped onto him, giggling when he groaned as she settled against his gut.
“Surrender, Uncle. Say it and we’ll free ye.”
