Page 71 of The Texan Duke
At last the duchess sailed into the room, her color high. Elsbeth bit back a sigh, arranged her face in an expression of what she hoped would be perceived as humility, and stared down at her folded hands.
“Elsbeth, thank you for coming.”
That was new and somewhat surprising. She glanced up at the duchess.
They would adjourn to another room if this lecture followed the pattern of previous ones. Perhaps the cold conservatory. Or the Ladies Study that was a library but not one as fulsomely furnished as Gavin’s.
However, the duchess surprised her again. She waved at her daughters and said, “We’ll use this room, I think. It’s warm and I have no intention of being uncomfortable.”
Another surprise—the three girls didn’t offer a word of protest to their mother, but left the room quickly. Had this been preordained? Had the duchess already spoken to her daughters and told them that she planned to excoriate Elsbeth? If so, that might account for the look of sympathy on Muira’s face.
A third surprise—the duchess came and sat on the same settee, folded her hands, and stared into the fire for a moment.
Elsbeth had the most horrible feeling that this was going to be a lecture like none other.
Better to get her apologies out of the way.
“I know, Your Grace,” she said. “I haven’t behaved as well as I should have.”
“You kissed him.”
Before she could offer up any kind of explanation, the duchess continued.
“Mr. Kirby says the duke is quite taken with you.”
Rhona turned her head and stared at Elsbeth, but instead of condemnation, there was only curiosity in her gaze.
“Why would Mr. Kirby think that?” Elsbeth asked.
“I’ve seen it myself. Last night at dinner, for example. The man couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”
“Really?” She hadn’t noticed. She had been trying hard not to look at him.
“We have a problem, Elsbeth.”
Now came the lecture.
“We must do something to try to change his mind,” the duchess said. “He wants to sell Bealadair because he has no wish to remain in Scotland.”
Anyone around Connor for more than a few minutes knew that.
“The right person, I believe, could get him to see the error of his ways. The right person might even convince him to remain in Scotland.”
She held herself still.
Rhona’s hand reached out, cupped her chin, and turned her head to the left and then to the right.
“You are a remarkably beautiful young woman,” she said.
Elsbeth blinked at her.
“I’ve always thought so,” she added, dropping her hand.
If so, the duchess had never before said anything. Her appearance had been the one thing Rhona had never mentioned.
“Beautiful women can accomplish a great deal, Elsbeth. Beautiful women have changed the course of history. Why shouldn’t you change the course of the McCraights’ history?”
She didn’t know what to say first. Or perhaps it would just be wiser to remain mute and let the duchess infer anything she wished.
