Page 26 of The Scottish Duke
Thankfully, he moved to the door, the jar still in his hand.
She’d expected a last barrage of questions, but all he did was glance at her sketches on the wall and open the door.
Just as she’d suspected, Mrs.MacDonald was on the other side, a sly grin on her face.
Lorna sighed inwardly.
They both watched the duke leave the house. The moment the door closed behind him, Mrs.MacDonald rounded on her.
“You’re no widow, miss. You’re the worst of the worst. I’ve seen your type, girls who pretend to be better than you are. You’re the duke’s mistress. Why else would he come here?”
The frontal attack wasn’t completely unexpected. The duke had set things in motion by his appearance. Did he have any idea of the damage he’d done to her? Did he care?
“The Duke of Kinross came for some medicine for his mother,” she said. “The comfrey balm is for her arthritis.”
Mrs.MacDonald ignored her.
“I’m going to tell Reverend McGill. We’ll pray over you, but women like you only bring down good folk.”
What could she possibly say to the woman?
She closed the door before her landlady could say another word. Standing at the tiny window, she watched as the duke’s carriage disappeared from sight, feeling a strange confusion. She didn’t want to see him. She never wanted to see him again. Yes, she’d once been enamored of his appearance and charmed by his smile. Good looks didn’t mean a good heart. Nor could she forget the words he’d said to her that night.
Her father had always told her,A mistake done once is acceptable, Lorna, but twice is the act of a fool.
She had no intention of playing the fool around the Duke of Kinross. Not again. One life-changing mistake was enough.
Without his charm, he was a little frightening, the look in his eyes daring her to challenge him. But she had, hadn’t she? She asked him to leave and he had. A lesson, that. She was not without power in the face of the almighty Duke of Kinross.
The young girl she’d been, wise in the ways of herbs but not men, had nearly swooned over the sight of him. She’d fixed his image in her mind to recall during boring tasks or sleepless nights. She’d marked each separate minute in his company, how he looked, when he smiled, if he glanced in her direction.
That girl had disappeared in the last few months and she’d never return.
Hopefully, the duke wouldn’t, either.
But the damage had already been done.
Chapter 8
“Well? Did you see her?” his mother asked.
Alex took off his greatcoat, handing it to one of the footmen.
He went to his mother and kissed her cheek, unsurprised when she enfolded him in a hug. She never said anything before he left Blackhall, but she was always demonstrably joyful on his return.
She pulled back and slapped her hand against his chest.
“It’s been a long week and I’ve been patient, but you must answer me. Did you see Lorna?”
“Yes, I saw Lorna,” he said, taking her arm and walking with her into the family parlor. “Where’s Mary?” he asked, surveying the room.
“One of the horses has bloat,” his mother said. “She’s at the stables.”
They glanced at each other, complicit in their enjoyment of time free from Mary’s constant prattle.
He waited until she sat, then took the chair opposite her.
His mother was as tenacious as a terrier. He expected her next comment and smiled when she made it.
