Page 44 of My Highland Rogue
“No,” she said, sounding sad. “He’s gone to live in New South Wales.”
He’d patted her hand that day, feeling a compassion for her that had startled him.
Adaire Hall wasn’t the same without the countess. It was like the house’s heart had been extinguished.
He wished there was a way to tell her how much he appreciated everything she’d done for him, especially in educating him. He’d often wondered if she’d had to go against McBain’s wishes to do so. Had the man acceded to her request out of respect for her? Or simply because the issue hadn’t been important to him? For whatever reason, Gordon had received an education in excess of his position in life, and for that he would always be grateful.
He had reason to be thankful for her lessons in other subjects, especially in the past five years.
One day, the countess had been doing an inventory of the silver in the butler’s pantry and had called him over to the table.
“Do you know what this is, Gordon?” she’d asked, holding up a curious looking piece of silverware.
“It’s a knife.”
“It’s not just a knife. It’s a butter knife.”
She taught him how to identify various spoons and forks as well. He learned when one was used and how he was to use it. Because of her, he learned not to stuff his napkin in his collar or slurp his soup.
She’d never been unkind to him. Never once had she mentioned his station in life, or uttered a harsh word. Whenever she corrected him, it was done with grace and sometimes humor.
He’d grown to feel more for the countess than any other adult at Adaire Hall.
Going from the Hall to the gardener’s cottage had always been a jarring journey. He was learning how to have manners at the Hall only to return to the cottage to see that neither of his parents cared overmuch about polite behavior.
What would the countess say to see him now? He’d thought of her from time to time in London, as he had risen in reputation. She’d given him something that had taken him years to identify: confidence. He knew how to handle himself in a great many situations, all because of the Countess of Burfield.
Because of her, he wasn’t intimidated by a title or a man’s birthright. Instead, he was impressed by a man who was determined in the face of obstacles.
A sound caused him to look up. Jennifer was descending the stairs, her eyes not veering from his face. She was even more beautiful than she’d been in his dreams. Her green eyes were sparkling at him and a small smile curved her pinklips. The dress, an emerald green, revealed her curves and matched the color of her eyes perfectly.
He moved to the bottom of the stairs, holding out his hand.
She placed hers in it and smiled up at him.
“You dressed for dinner,” she said.
He had changed into a black suit and white shirt.
“As did you. I like your dress.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and gently kissed her fingers.
“What a shame no one else can see you as I do. You should live in Edinburgh, and reign over a literary salon. People from all over Scotland and England would come to see just you.”
“You’ve learned flattery, Gordon.”
“No, only to speak the truth.”
He walked beside her to the small dining room only a short distance from the kitchen. Until that first dinner with Lauren, he’d never taken a meal with Jennifer there. They’d eaten together at the loch, mostly sandwiches she’d made for him, or whatever treats Cook had given them. Never here at the Hall.
One of the footmen helped her with her chair, a task he wanted to do. If his hand slipped and grazed her upper arm, he would be able to measure if his touch gave her goose bumps. Perhaps he might even bend and brush away the hair at the nape of her neck and kiss her exposed skin.
It seemed to Gordon that there were entirely too many people in this small dining room, all of them pleasant, smiling, and essentially intrusive.Finally, after the first course, Jennifer dismissed them with a smile and they were alone.
“How is Lauren?” he asked.
She blew out a breath and shook her head. “I haven’t the slightest idea. The midwife says that everything is proceeding as it should be, but I can’t see how that’s right. It seems to be taking entirely too long.”
