Page 15 of Taming the Scot
She had a good point there.
“Verra true,” Maggie said. “I’d no’ thought about it that way.”
“Always best to be prepared for every situation,” Miss Holmes said with authority. “And knowing how others will likely react gives ye a leg up in said circumstances.”
There was something about her choice of words, that made him wonder how many situations she’d had to look at the other side and be prepared for. But she clapped her hands to gain his attention, and he nodded.
“Right ye are. Verra well.” And so, Euan stood in the parlor, waiting for the lasses to be brought in after they’d departed.
“Miss Holmes and Miss Irvine to see ye, Captain,” the butler said, with not even a twitch to indicate he thought them all ridiculous.
The two women entered the parlor. His sister was a good six inches taller than his governess. Maggie dipped into a slight curtsy with Miss Holmes half a beat behind her and a little off-balance. Miss Holmes recovered quickly and looked down at her heel as if something on her shoe had unbalanced her. With a shrug, she glanced back to him as if nothing were amiss, though a tinge of pink covered her cheeks.
He approached the two women, kissing first his sister’s hand and then his governess’s. Her fingers were long and slender, and there was a slight tremble to them as he took them in his grasp. Despite being gloved, he felt the chill from the tips of her fingers. As cold as they’d been the day before when she’d snatched her valise. The lass seemed to be in a perpetual state of chill. He brushed the air above her knuckles with his lips and, for a split second, thought about removing her gloves and kissing her skin in earnest, perhaps rubbing her frigid fingers between his own to warm them up.
But she yanked away as if she could read his thoughts. “That was entirely too long, Captain. If I were a mother and had witnessed that unhurried display, I might hit ye with my fan.”
Euan pulled away with a wicked grin and a need to tease. “I assure ye, if ye were a mother, ye’d be wishing I’d repeat the move on ye.”
Miss Holmes’s eyes widened, and the little shocked O of her lips turned into the frown he’d become accustomed to, only he was fairly certain he saw the tiniest hint of laughter in her gaze. “I beg your pardon, Captain. Ye will receive failing marks for this. I suggest ye rein in your innate need to…seduce.”
“Seduce…” He chuckled. “I jest, Miss Holmes. And I vow,” he pressed his hand over his heart, “No’ to attempt such again.”
“This is no jesting matter.” The lass’s cheeks were aflame. “Ye hired me on to be your governess and teach ye proper manners, and then ye act in such a lascivious way. I should leave if ye’re no’ going to be serious about our lessons.”
To be precise, he’d not exactly hired her—she’d more barged her way in. Maggie looked ready to burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, and he half expected to find his other sisters melting from the wallpaper to join in.
“Ye will see yourself shunned at this rate.” Miss Holmes sniffed. “I think that is enough for today.”
Before he even had a chance to respond, she turned on her heel and marched from the parlor, leaving Euan to stifle his chuckles.
“Ye’re incorrigible,” Maggie said, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot.
Euan huffed, wanting to leave the parlor in search of Miss Holmes. “This is ridiculous. I already know how to introduce myself. I’m no’ twelve.”
“But it was entertaining to play along.” Maggie wiggled her brows.
“Aye, it was. Though I daresay, she lacks a sense of humor.” And why? Who was Miss Holmes, and what exactly had brought her to his doorstep? Because he was fairly certain it wasn’t simply seeing an advert in Lady Edinburgh.
“Brother, until this moment, I thought ye lacked one, too.”
Euan grunted a response at that, unsure of what to think.
Bronwen only tripped once in her haste to escape, and fortunately, it was at the top of the stairs as she rounded the corner. That lesson had been a complete disaster. If there was ever any evidence that this had been a mistake and she had no idea what she was doing, this morning had been it.
She burst into her bedroom, sweaty palms fisted at her sides, breaths heaving. The chair she’d come to favor beckoned, but this was not the time to collapse into it. She whirled to stare at the door, waiting for the inevitable footsteps and the loud knock before the captain and his sister demanded that she pack her bags and be on her way. After this morning, there was no way they were going to let her stay.
But the seconds ticked by with no sound. She clenched and unclenched her hands, her entire body vibrating with tension.
When she thought she might have been standing there waiting for ten minutes, and still they didn’t approach her, she finally relaxed. Perhaps she was out of the woods. Maybe all of the teasing from her pupil—a grown man, for heaven’s sake—had got the better of her. No wonder he needed a governess. It would seem the man didn’t take things seriously.
At last, she allowed herself to relinquish her door-watching vigil and slump onto the bench on the window seat, making sure her skirts were smoothed first—a habit she wanted to get used to. This governess business was a lot harder than she’d thought. But not as bad as running through the Edinburgh streets, trying to escape men who wished to harm her. They’d only caught her the one time—she ran her tongue over her chipped tooth—after that, and knowing what they’d done to her parents—she’d vowed for them to never catch her again.
Still, there had to be a way to go into these lessons better prepared. It was a good thing she’d had Maggie with her today to show her the way, instead of having to do it all on her own—that would have been a complete disaster. And she was pretty certain she’d played off the need for his sister very well.
She gazed out at the landscape below, thinking about how different it was from the city. Born and raised in Edinburgh, she’d never actually been outside of it before. The voyage on the ship had been incredible, seeing the ocean reaching out forever beyond them. Then the rolling moors and steep craigs on the way to Drum, and now all this. It was worlds away from what she knew. Made her feel even more out of place; at the same time, it also calmed her. She liked the countryside. The Highlands.
Did Euan and his sisters know how lucky they were to have this view?
