Page 115 of Some Like It Scot
I calculated, trying to follow along. “Eight feet? Nine?”
“’Tis said that years ago, Dorothea, the daughter of the Earl of Gowrie, who lived in the castle, fell in love with a man her parents didnae wish for her to marry. Some say he was a tradesman who worked at the castle. However, being the hospitable Scots they were, they placed the man in the West Tower opposite Dorothea’s EastTower, with no connection between the two towers for them to meet at night.”
Where was she going with this? Did she want me to stay away from Graeme? Or vice versa?
“One night Dorothea slipped from her bedroom with the plan to visit her lover in the adjacent tower. But Dorothea’s mother expected some shenanigans and came to the adjacent tower’s stairway just as Dorothea had begun climbing it. Hearing her mother’s call, Dorothea had to act fast. What was the lass to do?”
If I answered, “Run away,” would that prove my cowardice?
“There was nowhere to hide on the stairway, and she couldnae be found in her lover’s room, so Dorothea ran up the rest of the stairs to the battlements on the top of the West Tower. With her mother approaching, Dorothea only had one chance of escape.”
I felt my body tense. “A leap of eight or nine feet?”
“Aye, and at night too. And in a gown.” Mirren raised a brow, adding her own bit of tension to the story. “But she made it, and her suspicious mother returned to the East Tower to find her daughter fast asleep in her bed.”
“What happened to the lover?”
Her smile tipped. “Dorothea and John ran away the next day and eloped to live happily ever after. Or at least that’s how the tale goes. But even to this day, the gap between a battlement and a nearby tower is known as the ‘maiden’s leap.’”
“Maiden’s leap?” I repeated, watching her, the implication pinching.
“Love is always an act of faith because we cannae see the future. But there are some leaps that seem impossible and others that are not. What makes the difference?”
“What?” I whispered.
“The strength of character of the lovers and the choices they are willing to make. If the two people are willing to make the hardcommitment to each other and do the work love requires, the leap isn’t as far. And doesnae have to be as frightening either.”
“How do you know if the people have strength of character?”
Her smile gentled. “Well, part of that is the leap, the other part is using your eyes, ears, mind, and heart to make a good guess. But love gives you the strength to leap, and faith gives you the vision to believe that the one you love will be on the other side to catch you. So the question does come back to what sort of person are you? And what sort of person are you willing to leap for?”
Mirren gave my shoulder a squeeze and left me to contemplate her story as I sipped my tea. The Stories and Stitches book club ladies arrived soon after and pelted me with their special brand of affection and dozens of reminders that I had a place in Glenkirk whenever I wanted. Maggie even offered me a job on her sheep farm, to which I smiled and politely declined.
Mirren laughed.
And as I made my way back to Craighill, I knew Graeme was worth leaping for.
But was I brave enough to leap?
Chapter 20
Graeme
I had a little over twenty-four hours to convince Katie Campbell that a future between the two of us wasn’t impossible. Whatever it looked like in the long term, I had no idea, but what I did know was that I cared about her enough to sort it out.
I set out a few ham rolls and crisps. Too simple, but I somehow knew Katie wouldn’t mind. It was another assurance of how she fit into my plain and quiet world. No wonder things with Allison failed to fit, despite my trying over and over again.
My world and hers, our futures, never really fit together. Our goals mismatched.
And then here came some cheerful, accident-prone American whom I never would have thought twice about if she hadn’t captured my attention by falling on me, and she matched me in ways I never imagined.
I sent a grateful look heavenward and walked to the refrigerator to set out some juice when a knock came from the front door. I glanced at the wall clock. Early? I grinned. Perhaps she was as eager to spend time with me as I her.
After all, with her leaving the day after the ball, we didn’t have a lot of time to work with.
My welcome smile stilled on my face as I opened the door.
Allison Duncan? Here?
