Page 109 of A Rogue in Firelight

“A question I intend to solve,” Ronan said.

“I am going to bed,” Corbie snapped, and turned on his heel for the door.

When he was gone, Ellison stood, and Ronan came around the chair, tipping a brow at her. “A very fine lawyer, is it?”

“I have every faith in the incomparable Lord Darrach.”

“Miss Graham,” he murmured, pulling her toward him to kiss her cheek, her ear, her lips, so that her melty knees nearly gave way. “You had best hurry away before I think of something two people could do in this room, all alone.”

She sighed. “I cannot feel alone anywhere now that he is here.”

“Aye so. Off with you, lass. Tomorrow will be a busy day indeed.”

Chapter Twenty-One

“Such a gloriousday!” Sorcha said as she sat beside Ellison on the leather seat of the big black barouche. “I am so excited! Thank you for suggesting I wear my pink gown. And you look lovely in your gray-blue satin. How nice that we can go to Duncraig a bit early to help Mama and Aunt Strathniven.”

Ellison smiled, sobering quickly when Corbie stepped inside the carriage to take the opposite seat.

“You must be looking forward to seeing our lady aunt, Cousin,” Sorcha said.

“She should have been here, not at Duncraig,” Corbie said.

He had been especially disagreeable ever since his arrival, Ellison thought, and wondered if Corbie noticed a closeness between her and Ronan and resented it. But she would not ask. As the vehicle rolled down the earthen lane, she glanced out the window.

Near the stables, she saw Ronan mounted on a bay stallion, with Donal beside him on a roan mare. Both men wore Highland gear, with dark jackets and waistcoats over wrapped plaids in the tartan that MacGregors favored, a handsome pattern of dark red crisscrossed with forest green. She swelled with pride to see them, both so handsome, with the singular dignity of Highlanders.

Earlier, Ronan had told her they planned to arrive at Duncraig later in the day, after a visit to Invermorie. The Muirs were still searching for the missing whisky and he wanted to talk to them, and see how Geordie Muir was faring. She suspected he had no desire to ride in an enclosed space with Corbie, nor could she blame him.

“Lord Darrach knows the dance begins at seven o’ clock?” Sorcha asked.

“He does. He means to visit kin first, and he and Donal Brodie will come later.”

“At least he is taking his valet with him,” Corbie said.

“Donal has been a help,” Ellison said. “In truth he is Darrach’s nephew.”

Corbie shook his head and waved a hand in a futile gesture. “There is so much we do not know about this man.”

“We know that he is an educated and well-mannered gentleman who will be a credit to Scotland—and your party, sir—in Edinburgh.”

“Let us hope so.”

“You do not seem to like Darrach much, Cousin Adam. You just need a chance to know him better,” Sorcha said. “He is a most excellent gentleman, and a handsome, congenial bachelor. Mama will be so pleased to have him there this evening. Though I must say he seems quite fond of Ellison.”

“Does he,” Corbie drawled. “I hope you have not become infatuated, Miss Ellison. Such attachments rarely end well.”

She said nothing, gazing out the window.

“Even if Elly is not infatuated, I am,” Sorcha said brightly into the silence.

Duncraig House wasa small castle out of a fairytale, with round towers and conical roofs, set prettily against a heathered hillside topped by green pines. As Ronan and Donal arrived at twilight, a stable boy came forward to take their horses, and they walked toward the entrance. Carriages were still arriving and guests were climbing steps toward the arched entrance, though he and Donal trailed behind the rest. Golden light twinkled in leaded windows and fiddle music drifted outward in the purply dusk.

When Donal slowed, Ronan turned, sensing the lad’s hesitation. “You are as welcome here as anyone, Donal.”

“Though I am a laird’s son, I am just a stable boy and a valet for now at Strathniven.”

“That does not matter. Everyone is welcome at a cèilidh. But there is something you should know. You know that I might be given the Darrach title and inheritance.” He drew a breath. “Indeed, the courts decided to grant it to me.”