Page 30 of Claimed Highland Brides

8

CONFRONTATION

W hat are you doing ? Delwyn asked himself as he stood up and followed the Douglass girl from the great hall. Of course, he had not made it blatant that he was following her, but had feigned a need to use the privy. Having indulged in one of the most generous spreads he’d seen in a while, he was entitled. His own family was not destitute by any means but they certainly did not have such a rich table. Especially since he was the only one proficient in hunting and his family preferred to spend most of their time social climbing in London.

Having spent just under a day in their company, he found the Douglass family fascinating. The sisters were evidently close despite their vastly different dispositions. Still, in his mind, this one stood out. Jamesina, she was called, with her fiery curls, doe-eyed eyes, seemingly innocent except for the knowing glint that winked at him every time their eyes met.

If indeed he would need to institute his marriage plan, she was the most logical choice to aim for. The fact that he could barely take his eyes from her was completely immaterial. She was the second child and the first was married to the laird.

She came to a stop, leaning against the wall and breathing in as if she had run a race. He came up to her and said the first thing that occurred to him. He was surprised when she jumped, having been quite sure she’d seen him get to his feet, right after she did.

She straightened up from her slump and tried to glare at him. “What d’ye want?” she managed to say.

He lifted his hand to show how harmless he really was. “I thought I’d take the chance to clear the air between us. You seem suspicious of me for some reason and I wanted to give you an opportunity to satisfy your curiosity about me.”

She shook her head, eyes wide and golden with disbelief. “I’m nae curious aboot ye.”

“Oh? Because I could see you listening intently as I spoke with the laird on the way here. You were also listening to my conversation with the guard, Simon Campbell, as we walked to the fair.” Delwyn’s lips lifted into a grin as he stared down into her beguiling eyes.

Her mouth opened, then closed as she stared up at him. “It seems tae me that it is ye who is taken wi’ me,” she said with a tilt of her head as she studied him.

Delwyn shrugged, willing to concede if it would move the conversation along. “Let’s say that we are interested in each other,” his voice was husky as his eyes roved over her face. He warned himself to be careful, it was too easy to fall into her eyes. “I see no harm in that,” he said silkily. Though deep inside he knew there was harm. Great harm. To his heart.

“Unless ye’re no interested in me but in the gold,” Jamesina challenged him.

Delwyn’s heart stopped and he wondered if she could read minds. But then he reminded himself that they had lived with the threat of men wanting them for their dowry for a while now. It was mere guesswork on her part.

He feigned ignorance. “What gold would that be?”

Her eyebrows flew skeptically up as her eyes opened wider in disbelief. “Are ye saying ye dinnae ken aboot the goldmine?”

Delwyn took a deep breath, thinking fast. He remembered the letter he’d been asked to read by the laird and his wife. A missive from a count in Calais to the laird, who had offered shares in his winery for a chance to marry one of the Douglass girls. It was a good strategy, but it hinged on the laird viewing the girls as a means to an end rather than members of his family. Clearly the count had not done his due diligence before sending that letter. He would not make the same mistake.

He took a deep breath. “I saw a letter today, from a count in Calais, asking for your hand,” he began, just in case her sister had already informed her of this. He had noticed that they were particularly close. “And he did indeed mention a goldmine. I was not sure what he was speaking about and have not had an opportunity to ask.”

“Oh did ye no?” She sounded cynical and disbelieving. Delwyn had to do something to change her mind.

“I did not. I didn’t even know who you all were before I came here.”

“Is that so? I think ye’re lying,” Jamesina challenged him with only the slightest hint of hope in her voice.

Delwyn sighed, looking away in irritation. “I am not. However, if you insist on believing that I am, there is very little I can do about it.”

Jamesina huffed out a breath as she moved her unruly curls out of her face. “Ye can tell me the truth.”

Delwyn’s heart sank. He had been hoping his stated anger might make her want to appease him. But she was a stubborn one. And persistent too. He could not help feeling a certain amount of admiration for her spirit, as inconvenient as it was. He stepped closer, looking her in the eye. “Alright, I will tell you the truth. You’re a very beautiful woman, Miss Douglass, and any man would want to possess you. I admit you made an impression upon me when we met on the stairs of that inn. I did not lie about needing work or wanting to come here, but maybe…I had ulterior motives.”

She blinked at him, looking quite taken aback by his frankness. He suppressed a triumphant smile, and held her gaze, feeling even more victorious when she looked away first.

“Oh…weel, I mun’ tell ye that I might be beautiful as ye say but that doesnae mean I’ll fall in yer lap.” That was not true at all. She wished Delwyn would claim her somehow. Jamesina had been waiting to feel that excitement with someone all her life. And that had happened the first time she looked at his bright blue eyes. He was not only handsome and well-built but he was educated, well spoken, likable. Everything a woman would desire from a man.

Delwyn felt strange for a moment as while he was trying to seduce the girl, he realised that he was being seduced instead! She was so witty and vigorous. The way she spoke back at him and the directness of her speech were making him eager to shut her mouth with a passionate kiss. And that was a deep desire, not a part of a plan…

Delwyn tried to regroup himself. “Of course not. No woman worth her salt would submit so easily without a bit of courting. I fear though, that if I began to court you, your brother-in-law might also think me after this mythical gold you speak of.”

Jamesina continued to avoid his eye. “Weel, ye shall just have tae persuade him…as well as me.” She straightened up from the wall and walked away as he watched. He gave a low whistle, shaking his head as he stared at her. He would get that kiss no matter what.

* * *

Jamesina knocked softly on Fiona’s door and waited to hear her permission to enter before opening it. Fiona sat on the bed, her two children jumping about around her as she ignored them, a book in hand. Her face broke into a delighted smile as she looked up to see Jamesina peering in at her.

“Do ye have some time tae talk?” Jamesina asked.

Fiona nodded. “For ye? Always.”

Jamesina sat herself down on the bed with a sigh. Fiona put down her book and turned to face Jamesina. “What’s troublin’ ye?”

Jamesina sighed again. “That Sassenach...” she began.

Fiona crowed. “I knew it! Ye have tender feelings for him do ye no? I saw ye stealing glances at supper last night.”

Jamesina glared at her. “Will ye haud yer wheest and let me speak?”

“Apologies.” Fiona was still grinning. “Please continue.”

Jamesina took a deep breath. “He says that he’s taken wi’ me but I dinnae ken wha’ tae believe.”

“Ye dinnae trust him?”

“No, I do not.”

“Mmm...” Fiona tapped her chin thoughtfully.

Jamesina nodded her understanding. “He is a very charming man. Very educated and very-” she burst out in frustration.

“Jamesina!” Fiona grinned. “He’s only been here but a day.” Fiona thought that her sister was impulsive as always. The man was charming, he could easily be the son of an English Duke, but they did not know him well. “One can not fall in love in a day.”

“Well it was a matter of days for you and Daividh”

Fiona blushed. “Alright, why don’t ye stay here with me and the twins. He isnae likely tae come here. Besides, Daividh has put him tae work so he should be busy for the rest o’ th’ day.”

Jamesina folded herself onto the bed, as Aidan dive-bombed into her lap. She caught the boy absently even as she fretted. Fiona patted her knee. “Dinnae fash. All will be well.”

* * *

Delwyn was rather surprised at the amount of work it took to run a rural Scottish keep. He was currently taking an inventory of all the stored food so that the laird could calculate how long they would last before they were depleted. According to the records given to him by the laird, there were fifty people or so living in the keep from the lowliest chimney sweep to the laird himself. Furthermore, about three hundred families occupied the cottages on Douglass land, not including the hundred miners that dug for gold and had their own camp.

At any time, one of these people would be entitled to petition the laird for food and so it was not as simple as seeing how much food was there and dividing it among those present. He had to account for contingencies and emergencies, certain foods going bad before they could be used, visitors, and any change of weather.

Once he was done, the laird wanted his recommendations on keeping the stocks of food at sustainable levels through the winter.

It’s only my first day !

Back home, he had provided quite a bit of the meat that his household ate, but he had not had to contend with the day-to-day running of the manor house.

He had hoped to catch a glimpse of Jamesina this morning at breakfast but none of the family save the twins had appeared. Thankfully, they were quite happy to inform him that the laird had already left for the mines, and the others would break their fasts in their chambers as was their wont. The dining hall was filled with the palace guards and various other inhabitants. Simon came to sit with him and they struck up a conversation. He had rarely met a man who could say as much as Simon did without giving away a single thing.

He finished his inspection of the cellar and climbed up to the main kitchen, hoping to pilfer a loaf of bread to quiet his grumbling belly. Mrs. Fitz sat him down, plonking a bowl of soup in front of him with some freshly baked bread.

“So ye’re the new Sassenach steward eh?” she said as she bustled about.

“Yes, I am. I expect that I must be a bit of a novelty around here.”

Mrs. Fitz snorted. “Not really. The girls’ mother was English, ye see. Although she was not one tae stick out much.”

“Are you saying I do?”

She flung him a wide-eyed glance. “Weel, let us say ye hold yersel’ apart. It makes people notice ye.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to do that. Perhaps it is my expectation that I would not be exactly welcomed.” He scooped some soup up with his spoon, awaiting her reply. She simply continued to bustle about as if she had not heard and so he ate in silence. Finally, when she was done with her duties, she lowered herself on the bench across from him.

“I’ll only say this once so listen carefully, my Sassenach lad. We here at Braenaird Keep are generally rather open-hearted. However, we dinnae like liars. So as long as ye’re straight wi’ us, we’ll be straight wi’ ye. Do ye ken me?”

Delwyn wondered why everybody thought he was lying.

Am I that transparent ?

He really hoped not. His sister’s life was depending on it.

“I do understand, Mrs. Fitz. On that note, may I ask a question about the mines?”

Mrs. Fitz’s eyebrows rose. “Aye.”

“Do the miners get food from your kitchens or do they fend for themselves?”

If it was possible, her eyebrows rose higher. “Why do ye ask me tha’?”

“It’s for my inventory, you see. If I am to project how long the food will last, I need to know who relies on us to feed them.”

Mrs. Fitz did not look convinced. “Weel, ye dinnae have tae count them in. They have their own village over yonder hill.”

Delwyn leaned back, his heart quickening with the first bit of helpful information he’d obtained.

“Is that so? Interesting.”