Page 107 of Keeping Kate

“I was watching the bairns,” Rosie said. “Aunt Effie said she must nap, and told us to find Kate, but she was trying on her gown with Lady Kinnoull—I mean Aunt Sophie because we are to call her that now—but Aunt Sophie was holding wee baby Duncan, who was crying,” she went on, “so I said I could watch the bairns myself.”

“Watch them muck about in the chocolate?” Alec smiled.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Lily said plaintively.

“Aye, this is a surprise,” Alec said.

“I came downstairs and found the lassies,” Kate said, turning to wipe Lily’s face with a cloth. “But where is Cook and the kitchen girl?”

“They went to the greengrocer’s in the Grassmarket,” Rosie said. “They could not find a caddie in the street to go there for them. And the stable groom went with Uncle Jack to fetch the guests from the inn.”

Alec nodded, knowing this would be Kate’s kinfolk and friends, come to Edinburgh for the wedding and a night of celebration—MacPherson of Kinnoull with Sophie and wee Duncan, Rob MacCarran of Duncrieff, Allan and Niall, Mary Murray and all the rest had come to the city.

“Is it time for the wedding yet?” Lily peered at Alec.

“Not quite,” he said.

“Kiss,” Daisy said, pursing her lips again. Alec let her kiss his cheek.

Seeing chocolate smeared on Kate’s chin, he reached out to rub it away. She glanced at him, her gray gaze smoky and deep.

“Kiss,” he murmured, leaning down.

She tilted her face, and he kissed her, sliding his fingers into the silky, rosy gold of her hair. “Later for the rest of it,” she whispered, drawing back.

“Uncle!” Lily tugged at his kilt. He looked down. “See what we made for you.” She pulled him toward the end of the huge table.

There, among the litter of bowls filled with chopped fruits, currants, spices, and pitchers of cream to be used for puddings yet to be prepared, he saw again the lumps and swirls of chocolate.

“I wonder,” he murmured to Kate, “if the wee girls are a bit much for Effie to watch all the time. I have been thinking—we could bring them north with us.”

“Aye,” she murmured. “Up to Kilburnie House. You are their guardian, after all.”

“Though I thought we might want them to go to school in Edinburgh.”

“Lily and Daisy are not old enough for school,” Rosie pointed out, listening. “We want to live in the Highlands with you and Katie.”

“Highland air would be good for you,” Kate said. “You would get into less mischief.”

“Or more,” Alec drawled.

“And besides, we will be going back and forth often enough, now that you have decided to resign your commission to help Uncle Walter manage Fraser’s Fancies and establish the new flax business, too.”

“That is true.” He glanced at his nieces, their innocent gazes turned toward him. “Live with us?” he asked. They nodded, each one.

“Our little family may soon be expanding,” Kate said softly. “Who knows how soon.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked up.

She was working her charm on him again—they all were, all four. He laughed, glancing at each one, so beautiful and dear to him.

“We do not want to be in the city all the while,” Lily said. “The bells are loud.”

“Down!” Daisy said, and Alec set her on her feet.

“Well, Lily, Rosie, let us see what you have been doing,” he said.

“There,” Lily said, pointing. “For you and Aunt Katie.”

He studied the blobs of glossy, dark chocolate, and saw they were not shapeless blobs after all, but chocolate poured into the small iron molds used for puddings and fruit sorbets. “What’s this?”