Page 6 of The Duchess’s Absolutely Delightful Dream (The Notorious Briarwoods #14)

“R ight!” exclaimed Josephine Briarwood from her seat at the inlaid table in the long, daffodil-yellow, silk-walled salon. “I say we go down to the loch and get the lads out.”

Ellie eyed the young woman, rather captivated by the fiery nature of all the Briarwood ladies.

The three of them, Josephine, Emily, and Anne, were all characters. For most of her life, she had been surrounded by men, and the sudden invasion of young ladies into the castle really brightened her spirits.

It was odd, though, of course, because she was accustomed to towering men who made jokes of a dubious nature and loved giving her difficulty.

These ladies loved good humor and wordplay, but they wore beautiful gowns, had their hair styled to perfection, and laughed lightly and fully all through the day.

“Why do they get to have the loch?” Emily pressed, her eyes shining with mischief. “I’d love a bit of sea bathing.”

“Surely you don’t wish to go down there with all those ridiculous men,” pointed out Ellie.

“Why ever not?” Anne asked, pursing her lips as she adjusted the blue ribbon in her dark hair. “It’s terribly fun to torture them, you know.”

“And your brothers? I think they will be great fun to torture,” trilled Josephine.

Emily waggled her brows. “Oh, indeed. They’re so tall that it should be fun to make maypoles of the lot of them and dance about.”

Ellie laughed, unable to contain her amusement. “Och, I fear for them with you in their company. You shall make mincemeat of them.”

Josephine arched a red brow and smiled. “It is what we Briarwood ladies do. We know how to make gentlemen dance to our melodies, and they generally like it. And your brothers seem good sports.”

“They are,” Ellie affirmed.

“And handsome too,” said Anne with an appreciative smile.

And suddenly Ellie wondered if she was speaking to three future sisters-in-law. After all, she did have several brothers. And if the three of them wished to attach themselves to her family, she would not cry foul. No, she might actually applaud it.

“What if I told you I had a far better destination in mind than cavorting with those large lads down by the loch?” she teased.

“That was a great deal of alliteration,” Josephine said. “You clearly belong in the Briarwood family. You must have a great love for words.”

“Oh, I do. I do,” she assured, rather pleased that she’d noticed. “But what I mean to say is that if you’re game for it, I can take you up into the glens, where there is a secret hideaway. We shall be able to do whatever we please there.”

And as she spoke those tempting words, a rather elegant older woman swept into the drawing room.

The Dowager Duchess of Westleigh was a figure to be admired wherever she went. She walked with fortitude, grace, and, well, stamina. She was not a young woman, but she did not seem to let that faze her.

“Ah, my darling young ladies,” the dowager enthused. “What mischief are you up to today? Do tell me that it is exquisite.”

“Well, Grandmama,” Josephine began, “Ellie does not think it a good idea that we go down and stir the pot with the men.”

“They’re my brothers,” Ellie pointed out. “I get enough of them.”

The dowager duchess chortled. “Fair play to you, my dear. And what are you thinking of doing instead?”

“I should like to take them up into the hills. There is a secret little glen with a stream there, and we should be able to cavort and do as we please.”

“Ooh,” Emily said, “I do like to cavort.”

Josephine laughed. “Indeed. Do you think we can take a basket of treats with us?”

Ellie nodded. “Of course.”

And with that, she pulled the bell, and in a few moments’ time, they had everything gathered together.

The dowager duchess looked at the wicker basket full of savories and pastries, turned to the young ladies, and applauded.

“Off you go to make merry.” She let out a happy, though ever so slightly plaintive, sigh.

“Ah, if I were but ten years younger, I would climb the hills with you and frolic in the water.”

“Aye, why don’t you come?” Ellie encouraged. “We can help you out. There are several marvelous walking sticks in the hall at the entry.”

“Oh no, no,” the dowager protested good-humoredly.

“I have a plan of my own, my dear. My family will tell you that I’m always at work on something.

Besides, a production of Shakespeare is afoot, and I cannot be taken away from it!

My daughters and I? We have quite the extravaganza planned for the end of our visit. ”

Ellie eyed the dowager duchess and found that she admired her greatly.

So many women of a certain age seemed to give up on life.

They gave all of their energies over to just the children, or grandchildren, or to their estates.

They had no personal interests of their own.

Now, devotion to family was admirable! Love was so important.

But these ladies often seemed worn down and sad, as if they had lost a part of themselves along the way and did not know how to live without that missing bit.

But the Dowager Duchess of Westleigh? It was very clear to Ellie that she cared about her children, she cared about her grandchildren, and she bloody well cared about her own tastes.

“Is there a part for me in it?” Ellie asked.

The dowager duchess blinked. “You wish to be in a play?”

“Oh,” Josephine said ruefully.

“Now you’ve done it,” added Emily.

“How?” Ellie said.

“You have cemented yourself as a prospect,” Anne said, fluttering her lashes.

“A prospect?” Ellie echoed.

“Oh, yes, my dear.” The dowager’s brows rose with what could only be described as anticipation. “By the way, you dance beautifully. Octavian does love a good reel and you kept him on his proverbial toes.”

“Thank you,” she said, feeling as if she had been completely lost in a storm of Briarwood words.

But she took the compliment, smiled at the lot of them, and said to the young ladies, “Shall we be off? Now, it is a good walk. Are you all capable of a good walk?”

“Don’t be insulting,” Josephine tsked. “Not a single one of us likes to sit on a settee, eat bonbons, and do nothing. Unless it’s the evening.”

“No,” Emily said, laughing. “Or we like to sit upon the settee, eat bonbons, read books, and then go for a long walk.”

“Otherwise, the bonbons do make us feel rather tired,” added Anne.

“Exactly,” said Josephine.

“But what is a life without bonbons, I must ask?” mused Emily.

Ellie laughed, liking them more and more. “I think a life without bonbons is extremely sad. But a good walk up in the Highlands, well, that does something to the soul.”

“I long to have my soul transformed,” Josephine gushed.

“And I,” Emily said.

“Me too,” Anne agreed.

The dowager duchess smiled. “Off you go to have your transformation then. Like caterpillars to butterflies, I expect to see you come back resplendent.”

And with that, they headed off, basket in hand, eager to go on their own adventure. Ellie did think it was rather annoying that the gents could go off and swim nude in the loch, but they would have just as good a time.

“Do you all swim?” she asked as they climbed up into the glens, going over the slightly rough terrain. But there was a path; a path made by some very determined sheep, which loved to romp along the way to the secret glen.

“Oh, yes,” Josephine said. “We all swim.”

“But you have to understand,” Anne added, “the place where our cousins and our uncles swim…”

Emily then cut in, “Is the Thames. And you know it’s really difficult for ladies to go swimming in the Thames.”

“Why?” Ellie asked as they wandered ever higher through the heather and into the hills that folded in on each other, hiding them away from the eyes of the valley floor.

“Well,” Josephine explained, holding her skirts up, climbing as gamely as the mountain sheep that roamed the Highlands.

“The Thames is one of the busiest rivers in the world. And sometimes people will go down it in a barge or a boat or they’ll punt, you know?

So if you go swimming, there is the chance you can be spotted. ”

Ellie eyed them. “And?”

Emily groaned. “Our brothers and our cousins and our uncles, they all go swimming nude, you see.”

“Oh,” Ellie said. “Like here.”

Anne nodded. “And ladies can’t be doing that now, can we?”

“I think it’s a travesty.” Emily snorted. “Why can’t we feel the sun upon our skin?”

“And the water upon our backs,” added Anne.

“I don’t know,” Ellie mused, the basket heavy in her hand. “But I suppose we could do it up here.”

“Truly?” Anne asked, letting out a shout of delight.

“It’s the Highlands. And my brother’s land. No one’s going to see us.”

“What an idea,” Josephine suddenly said, clapping her hands together.

They each took turns carrying the basket farther and farther, until they at last came to the place that Ellie had spoken of.

She was rather amazed at the affinity she felt for these three witty young ladies who were bold and eager to try new things.

She had rather thought that English people were going to be quite stuffy. But there was nothing stuffy about Anne or Emily or Josephine.

She had not left Scotland, and she had spent most of her life running wild over the land with her Hamish.

And as she came to the stream, flowing down from the even higher mountains, she realized that she had missed a best friend very much over this last year. Now, she appreciated having people to go on adventures with, to explore with, to enjoy the beauty of her homeland with.

Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away.

And she suddenly felt very proud that she could be a guide to them.

“Look!” Anne exclaimed as she set down the basket and then ran forward. She pulled off her shoes and stockings, hauled up her skirts, and then dashed into the stream.

“It’s freezing!” Anne shrieked.

“Is it?” Emily asked, clearly eager to join. And she too then had her shoes and stockings off in a trice and was galloping into the water.

Josephine paused for a single moment, then shrugged her shoulders, pulled her own shoes and stockings off, and waded in.

Water sloshed around them, spraying in silver plumes.

Ellie watched the three of them with great amusement. They were like extremely enthusiastic fae creatures, eager to be joyful and dance through the water.

“Come on then, Ellie,” Anne announced. “Join us!”

“Oh, I shall come,” she assured, feeling a warmth in her chest that had been absent for a long time. She felt like she actually had friends.

And she slipped her hand to her pocket, where there was a miniature of Hamish. She pulled it out quickly and looked at his face. He would be happy that this was happening. He would be so pleased that she was making new friends, even if they were English girls.

She tucked the miniature safely in the basket so it wouldn’t be ruined by the water.

“What do you think?” Ellie asked. “You all wished to be free like those big lads down there.”

“Freedom is an excellent thing,” Josephine proclaimed.

Ellie propped her hands on her hips. “Ooh, aye. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be free!”

And so then, choosing to be quite free, she pulled off the top layer of her gown, leaving herself in nothing but her chemise and stays. Feeling bolder than she had in over a year, Ellie dashed into the water and cried out with joy.

The three ladies stared at her, amazed at her boldness, and then they quickly went to work on each other’s garments. And within a few moments, the three of them were standing in their chemises and joining Ellie.

They romped in the cold water, and then they began splashing each other most excitedly.

With their chemises plastered to their bodies, their hair wet, and their eyes fringed with water, they all took turns sitting down into the freezing, dark, winding stream, twirling their fingers across the water and feeling more relief and happiness than any of them had felt in some time.

“Why would anyone want to live anywhere other than Scotland?” Josephine suddenly declared, twirling her hands through the stream. The four of them began to ease up with their antics and simply enjoy being in the cool water on the hot summer Scottish day.

“Well said,” Ellie said. “Personally, I can’t think of a single reason.”

“It’s beautiful,” Emily said.

“I agree,” put in Anne. “I haven’t seen anywhere as beautiful as this since my home.”

“Your home?” Ellie asked. “England?”

“Well, England is very beautiful,” Anne said before her voice died off.

And Josephine cocked her head to the side, then continued, “It’s been home to us, but none of us were born there.”

“What do you mean?” Ellie asked.

“We’re not really from England,” Emily said. “We were all adopted by the Briarwood family.”

She blinked. “The three of you?” Ellie asked, astonished.

There was a moment’s hesitation, as if they were afraid she might be rude.

“How wonderful,” she rushed, eager to make them feel at ease. “You all act as if you are sisters.”

“We are sisters,” Josephine said. “Far better than blood. We are a family by choice. And you, Ellie? Would you like to be our sister? We think you’d be an excellent addition.”

“I’m not planning on marrying anyone at present,” she returned swiftly. “Though I’m sure I—”

“That’s not what we mean,” Anne said. “We can see you need female friends, and we think that you should be one of our sisters. Briarwoods are the best at bringing people into the fold.”

She stared at the three of them, stunned. They’d known each other for such a short while. It felt like a far too intimate question.

And yet she could tell that they meant it. They meant every word.

“Why would you ask me such a thing?” she said.

Josphine stood in the stream, looking as magnificent as a Valkyrie. “Because Briarwoods don’t believe that we need to wait. Briarwoods believe that once you feel something, you seize it.”

To seize something, Ellie thought. What a way to live. The best way to live!

Yes, she thought. It was the only way to live. And for some reason, much to her amusement, the Honorable Octavian came to mind.