Page 59 of The Devil of Clan Sinclair
He regarded her with the intensity of a hawk, a habit of his that bothered her.
She didn’t look up but continued to read, staring at the words on the page.
“You’re looking lovely today,” he said, breaking the silence.
Please go away.
She would have to take her courage in hand and talk to Enid again. This time she would insist on Paul’s dismissal. She’d tell her mother-in-law about all the times she turned to find Paul watching her. Not only was he always underfoot, but he questioned Hannah at length about their visit to Drumvagen.
She turned the page, hoping her silence would give him a hint she didn’t wish to be disturbed.
“I’ve heard that women who are with child look exceptionally lovely.”
She would not look up.
“It’s not much longer, is it? I wonder who the child will look like?”
Before she could frame an answer to his effrontery, Hannah came to the door.
“Your ladyship,” she said. “You’ve a visitor. Mrs. Montgomery. Do you wish to see her?”
She nodded. Not only was Ceana a friend, but her arrival would mean Paul would be forced to leave.
“Yes,” she said. “Ask her if she minds coming to the conservatory.” The alternative was she had to stand and waddle her way into the parlor. At least this way their conversation could be private.
Hannah turned and looked pointedly at Paul. He stood and without another word left the room.
“Was he bothering you, your ladyship?” Hannah asked, her eyes too sharp.
“What does he do all day?” Virginia asked, her eyes remaining on the doorway.
Hannah shrugged. “No good, I think. Are you certain you’re up for a visit?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m certain.”
She wiggled into the corner of the settee, piling the needlework around her. Not a good distraction, as it turned out, simply because she was so large.
Had Macrath’s mother been as huge?
She clasped her hands together, a gesture that was becoming difficult over the mound of her stomach. She’d told Hannah, more than once, that she truly didn’t need a tray on which to rest her tea things. Her stomach was more than capable of doing the job.
Ceana entered the room in a rush, handing her bonnet to Hannah. Macrath’s sister stopped a foot from the settee, staring at her.
“Good heavens, Virginia. No wonder I haven’t seen you lately. Are you feeling well?”
“Very well,” she said, not trying to hide her amusement. She stared down at herself. “I am large, aren’t I?”
“As a horse,” Ceana said, then covered her mouth with her gloved hand. “That’s hardly a compliment, is it? I shouldn’t say it, should I?”
Had Ceana always been so voluble and excited?
Her friend settled into the adjoining chair, pulling off her gloves and beaming at her all the while. Her hair was mussed from her bonnet, but she didn’t seem to care. Her eyes, so similar to Macrath’s, made Virginia wonder if her son would have the same shade.
“I just couldn’t wait. I wanted to tell someone. I’ve told Peter, of course, and he’s beyond overjoyed. I’ve written Mairi, but she’s in Scotland. I’ve written Macrath, but heaven knows when the letter will reach him. I wanted to tell you.”
What did she mean? She bit back her question about Macrath in favor of Ceana’s news.
“I’m going to have a child,” Ceana said, her smile as bright as a summer day. “Is it as marvelous as I think it must be?”
