Page 53 of The Scot is Hers
She was dressed this time in one of her day dresses, light pink with mauve ribbons, and a matching bonnet and slippers. Since they were outside, and she was wearing a bonnet, she’d not been subjected to the usual hairstyles her mother insisted upon. Despite having arranged to bring her back to Boddam, Lady Bothwell had still packed a trunk of her things, including day dresses, evening gowns, slippers, and other accouterments.
“He will be furious,” Giselle mused, mostly to herself.
“Aye,” Jaime agreed. “Men usually are when we get in the way of things that they deem necessary.”
“Even when it’s incredibly stupid?” Giselle winged a brow.
“Even more so then.” Jaime shrugged. “Eventually, he will realize ye did this out of love.”
Love. The word struck her as though she’d been hit by a stray bullet, and she jolted slightly.
She’d not considered before what her feelings were for Alec, beyond relief that he’d rescued her, desire when he kissed her, and a genuine sense of agreeableness and companionship. She liked him very much. Found the idea of spending her life with him to be exciting and was looking forward to it.
But love...something warm filled her chest then, expanding little by little until she felt as if she could barely breathe.
“I think I do love him.”
Jaime nodded. “Aye. It took me a while to figure it out with Lorne, but I can see it on your face when ye look at Alec.”
“Do ye think he loves me too?”
Jaime nodded. “I do no’ think he would go to the lengths he has if he did no’.”
Giselle bit her lip. But if that were true, then why would he risk his life?
“Of course, your marriage of convenience knocks out a few things for both of ye, but beyond it being an agreeable match for those reasons, I can see ye both care a great deal for one another. Or at the verra least that ye would no’ mind so much kissing him.”
Giselle grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do no’ mind kissing him at all.”
Jaime laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. Truth is, Lorne and I shared a few kisses before we were wed. And all of them were marvelous.”
“I think that is a healthy marker of a strong marriage then,” Giselle said because her kiss with Joshua had foretold of doom, quite the opposite of those passionate embraces she’d shared with Alec.
Hopefully, with her plan in place, she’d get to spend many more days and years in his arms.
A short time later, as the assembled house party guests munched on cucumber sandwiches and sipped lemonade, Alec rode up on his horse with his friends, who’d obviously agreed to support him in this farce, followed not a minute later by Keith and his second. Both of them glowered at those who sat amiably at the tables laughing, chatting and calling out to join them.
Giselle sat frozen. Alec seemed so furious. She’d never seen him that way, not even when he’d been punching the wall in the garden. There was another expression on his face—betrayal. Didn’t he understand she’d done this for him? It was hard to look him in the eye.
Keith scowled at Alec. “What the bloody hell is the meaning of this?” he accused.
Alec’s regard swept harshly over the party, his eyes settling on hers. For a split second, she felt a twinge of regret, but then she remembered this entire scheme was about saving his life. She stood from the table and approached.
“Surprise,” she hedged, holding out her hands as if to present the tables and guests as a gift. “We missed your birthday celebration, so we thought we’d do so now.”
Alec said nothing, the muscle in his jaw pulsing. The broody man she’d seen beat up a wall in an Edinburgh garden returned in full force. This did not bode well for her plans. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Couldn’t he see that she’d done this for his good?
“Are ye making sport of men’s business?” Keith snarled at her. “We’d no’ be in this situation if ye did what ye were bloody well told.”
Heat filled Giselle’s cheeks. Though they were a slight distance away from those at the tables, words tended to carry on the wind, and she wouldn’t doubt it if everyone could hear what was being said. She pleaded with Alec silently to get off his horse and join the festivities. To put this nonsense behind him.
Alec stared over her head at those at the table. She couldn’t read his thoughts and wondered if he was considering it or if he was trying to figure out a way to participate in the duel with those guests as witnesses.
The local village doctor also arrived at that moment, a stark reminder that if she’d not set up this little party, he would be tending to one or both of them.
Alec glanced at the doctor, a tight smile on his face. “Ah, so good of ye to join us, sir. I had hoped ye’d be willing to take a look at Lady Giselle’s ankle. She seems to have sprained it some days ago.”
Giselle reined in a stunned breath. Alec wasn’t going to go through with the duel. She breathed a sigh of relief that Alec was so quick to think on his feet. If she wasn’t mistaken, Euan, Lorne and Malcolm breathed sighs of relief too.
