Page 52 of A Highland Bride Taken

“Alright, miss,” Connor murmured, lowering his head to correct his work.

The serious expressions on the twins’ faces were adorable.

Mabel took some time to admire the scene in front of her, quite different from the playful atmosphere she was used to whenever she was with the twins.

Talia must have felt her presence in the room because she looked up from Ollie’s work, surprise flashing across her pretty face.

“Good evening, Me Lady,” she greeted with a brief curtsey. “I wasnae expecting ye.”

“Ye are doing verra well—carry on. I’m just here to make sure the lads are diligent with their studies.”

“They are truly brilliant, Me Lady. Ye dinnae need to worry.”

“It is all thanks to yer efforts,” Mabel praised with a smile, stepping forward to rub the boys’ heads affectionately.

“I got all me tests correct, Aunt Mabel,” Connor crowed with a broad smile, looking up at her.

“I heard,” Mabel said with a chuckle. “Ye are a verra brilliant boy, Connor. Make sure to follow yer teacher’s instructions, and ye will be a master of calculations soon.”

Connor nodded earnestly before returning to his work with renewed enthusiasm.

“I did verra well too,” Ollie said quietly from beside her, tugging on her dress to draw her attention.

“Aye, ye did excellently, me dear.”

Ollie smiled broadly at the compliment and turned back to his work, clearly satisfied with her praise.

He was quiet in comparison to his twin, content with the simplest of things; she had to remind herself all the timeto provide those simple things he needed, since he was less demanding than Connor.

While the twins might be similar in appearance, they were in no way similar in temperament. Their differences did not make her love any one of them less. They were equal in her heart, and she did her best to ensure that they knew that.

“I think we are ready to move on to division tomorrow, are we nae?” Talia asked excitedly.

“Aye,” the boys chorused.

“At least that would save me from breaking up fights soon,” an amused voice piped up.

Mabel turned around to see Campbell stroll into the room, looking breathtaking as usual, even with his sleeves folded back, his fingers stained with ink, and his hair tousled as a result of running his fingers through it several times.

The man was so handsome, he would probably look attractive even in rags. He was already short-circuiting her brain, making it difficult for her to tear her eyes away from him long enough to form a coherent sentence.

“Perhaps soon there will be no need to worry that Connor would not share sweets equally,” he said with a chuckle, gathering the boys into his arms as soon as they ran to him, their lesson completely forgotten.

“How were yer classes today?” he asked, peering into their little faces when they released him. “What did ye learn today?”

“Multiplication,” Ollie piped up, eager to please his uncle. “I can calculate up to the 5 times table.”

“I can do up to the 8 times table,” Connor added, his competitive streak flaring up.

“That is nae true,” Ollie said quietly.

“It is,” Connor insisted staunchly.

“Ye dinnae need to lie about it. Uncle Campbell only needs to ask the teacher, and he would ken the truth.”

At that, Connor harrumphed, turning his back on his twin, pouting in annoyance. The picture he made was so adorable and funny that Mabel had to bite back a peal of laughter.

“Well, I suggest ye dinnae bother yer teacher,” Campbell said, suppressed laughter lacing his voice. “Say yer thanks to the good teacher now.”