Page 51 of To Wed an Heiress
“It’s beastly, Ruthie, but I would feel better if you rested. Truly.”
“I’d much rather be doing something, Miss Mercy. When I’m alone in my room, all I can do is think and all that does is make me sad.”
She hugged Ruthie, fervently wishing she could do more.
Chapter Twenty-Three
For a week Mercy remained inside Macrory House, only venturing as far as the walled garden. At least she wasn’t bothered by her cousin since Flora had departed for her Edinburgh trip with her grandfather.
With the exception of her relatives and McNaughton, who looked down his long beak of a nose at her, everyone at Macrory House was warm, friendly, and curious. The servants asked her questions about America or her journey to Scotland. Numerous times she’d been told about a relative who’d emigrated and now lived in Chicago or New Jersey or a half dozen other places.
Conversation in the kitchen was lively, never malicious, and always sprinkled with laughter.
After dinner she’d grabbed a book and left the house, intent on the garden. All she wanted to do was sit on one of the benches and read.
“May I join you?”
Mercy looked up to find that her aunt had followed her.
Other than dinner, stiff uncomfortable events where her grandmother and aunt rarely spoke to her, Mercy hadn’t seen Elizabeth. Although her aunt had said that she’d wanted to spend time with her, it felt like Elizabeth was avoiding her. Mercy couldn’t help but wonder if that was on orders from her grandmother. She hadn’t known Ailsa to be petty, but the war might have changed her.
She moved aside so that Elizabeth could join her on the bench. Her aunt’s skirts were wider than hers, but then Mercy had the advantage of a newer wardrobe. She rarely wore the wide hoop Elizabeth favored. The only exception was when she donned a gown for formal events. The latest styles were accentuating a bustle, but Elizabeth wouldn’t have had access to a new wardrobe.
They sat silently together for a few minutes. Elizabeth looked over the garden with an expression that indicated she truly didn’t care what she saw. The view wasn’t very inspiring. This part of the garden led to a maze and the hedges were precisely trimmed and over their heads. No flowers had been planted. Nor was there anything of interest, like a bit of statuary to catch the eye. The garden was, however, a lovely place to escape to if you wanted to avoid Flora.
Mercy waited, certain that her aunt had sought her out for a specific reason.
“You spend a great deal of time in the kitchen, Mercy.”
She was right, she had been sought out for a reason, evidently to be lectured about her behavior.
“Did Seanmhair send you to find me?”
Elizabeth looked away rather than answering.
“I know that things are different here than in America, Mercy, witness the relationship you have with Ruthie. Here the line between staff and employer is well drawn. It breaks down the barriers when a member of the family socializes with the servants.”
She had never known her aunt to be a prig. Nor did the words Elizabeth was saying sound like something she would say.
“Tell Seanmhair I’ll be gone soon enough,” she said, trying to mitigate the irritation in her tone. Weren’t there more important things for her grandmother to be concerned about than whether she spent time in the kitchen?
Elizabeth finally looked in her direction.
“Your face lights up when you talk about him.”
“Who?” she said, even though she knew to whom Elizabeth was referring.
“Lennox. When his name comes up in conversation, you seem eager to defend him.”
Mercy put her book to the side, clasped her hands in her lap, and stared down at her fingers.
“It isn’t, as Flora thinks, because he’s an earl. I admire him. I didn’t, initially. I thought he was boorish and arrogant. He does things that other people think are foolhardy, yet he doesn’t seem to care about their opinions. If there’s something he wants to do, he simply goes forward with it.”
“That might be considered obstinacy.”
“Or determination. Or being his own man, without regard to whether other people approve.”
“He’s also a very handsome man.”
