by Bess McBride
“Wait!” Colin barked.
I turned back to see him staring at me, his hand outstretched. Elinor’s eyes were wide as she looked from him to me.
“I’m just going to sit down on this rock,” I said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Colin? She is fair worn from our journey. I canna blame her. Did ye nae say she was recently injured? What possessed ye to shout at her?”
Colin dropped his hand and shook his head, his curls falling across his cheeks.
“Forgive me. I dinna think the bank very stable, and I worried ye might fall in.”
I tilted my head when I looked at him, and for the first time since Elinor had arrived, he met my eyes. In them, I saw a plea—the same plea for me to stay, and my heart melted.
Whether Elinor came or went, Colin wanted me to stay, and although I still didn’t know in what capacity, I could not refuse him. Having spent some time in his company, I realized what a lonely man he was, living as he did so remotely. Whether or not he loved his castle, and I think he did, it was not meant to be lived in as a bachelor with a handful of servants.
And having witnessed his loneliness, I saw him in me. I too had been lonely for so long, in a castle of my own making. Since my mother had died, I had grown close to no one. Not really. I had acquaintances, friends to call for an occasional dinner or a movie, but no one whom I could truly say that I loved.
I turned away and settled onto the boulder to stare at the river, knowing I could say that now though. I loved Colin Anderson. I wasn’t sure what that entailed, but I knew I loved him—every tilt of his handsome head, every curl of his unruly hair, every lift of a dark eyebrow and every adorable r he rolled. I loved that he was Scottish. I even loved that he was an eighteenth-century man.
However, I still had no idea what was going to happen to me or what I was going to do.
Elinor lowered herself to the boulder beside me, and Colin moved to stand next to me. Had Elinor not been there, I might have taken the slender-fingered hand that hung loosely at his side and pressed it against my cheek, but I didn’t. I might have wrapped my arm around his leg and rested my head against the side of his knee, but I didn’t. I folded my arms tightly across my stomach and stared at the creek.
“Are ye weary, Beth?” Elinor asked.
I shook my head. “No, not really. Just resting.”
“I never did hear the nature of yer injuries,” she said.
I couldn’t very well look up at Colin.
“Oh, I hit my head, wrenched my back, banged my knees.”
“Och!” she cried out. “That is a fair number of injuries. Ye had the doctor in to look at her, did ye not, Colin?”
“Nay,” Colin had to admit. He improvised. “The weather worsened, and the river became impassable. But Mistress Pratt seems to have mended.”
The sound of a horse’s hooves startled us all, and I looked up.
There, along the path, came a bay horse with a man in a bright-red uniform astride it. Other English soldiers marched behind him.
“Nae again!” Colin muttered. “He was just here a month ago! This must stop!”
Captain Jones held up a hand in greeting, though he should have expected that no one would return his congenial gesture. Colin certainly didn’t, and I didn’t think it was my place to welcome him. I rose slowly, as did Elinor.
“Good day, Lord Anderson. We were just on our way to visit you.”
Colin shook his head.
“Seems ye were just here, Captain. What brings ye back so soon?” Colin’s tone was anything but friendly.
“Colonel Smythe had news of possible Jacobite rebels in the area, and he desired that I investigate. We were hoping to avail ourselves of your hospitality for the night.”
Even I knew that meant they were planning to stay no matter what Colin had to say. My back stiffened. I liked the captain, but I didn’t understand why they thought they could just stay at the castle whenever they wanted. I knew the Highlanders had lost a lot in the rebellion, but hadn’t Colin said his father fought with the British? Didn’t that entitle them to a bit more consideration than just keeping their ancestral lands?
Captain Jones doffed his hat in our direction and smiled widely.
“Mistress Pratt, I am so pleased to see that you are still here.” He directed his attention to Elinor. “Captain Stephen Jones, madam.”
“My cousin, Lady Elinor Anderson,” Colin said in a resigned tone. “I dinna suppose I have a choice about offering ye my hospitality?”
What should have sounded churlish did not, not to my ears.
Captain Jones shook his head. “No, I am afraid not. Colonel Smythe insists that we ingratiate ourselves with such lairds as come within our purview to let them know we are at their service.”
Colin coughed. “Our service?”
“Colonel Smythe’s words, not mine,” Captain Jones said with a smile
“Ye ken the way,” Colin said. “I suppose my servants will accommodate ye as they always do, whether I have returned or not.”
“I shall dismount, and we will walk back together.” Captain Jones slid off his horse and handed the reins to one of his men.
“I see the river has dwindled to an even more manageable level,” he said as we turned toward the house. He fell into step beside me, as Elinor had grasped Colin’s arm. The captain’s men followed at a discreet distance.
“Yes, it has, hasn’t it?” I said.
“Lord Anderson has another cousin, I see. And how long has Lady Elinor been here?”
“A few days,” I said, unsure of what I could or couldn’t reveal. The complexity of the relationship between the Highlanders and English was not something I could take lightly. I hoped he wouldn’t press the cousin issue. Elinor would be mighty surprised to find out that I was Colin’s cousin.
“Where does she hail from?”
I turned my head and looked up at the captain.
“Are you interrogating me, Captain?”
He laughed, and Colin glanced over his shoulder with a dark look toward us before returning his attention to Elinor, who spoke to him.
Captain Jones leaned in and lowered his voice.
“I did not mean to, madam. It seems that Colin has rounded up the fairest ladies in Scotland, and perhaps I wished to discover his secret.”
I blushed and chuckled.
“Oh, please,” I said with a wry smile.
He smiled widely, and the contrast between his fair golden hair and pleasant demeanor and Colin’s dark looks and glowering expression were significant. Golden-haired boys didn’t do it for me though. Colin’s stiff back, the dark curls hanging to his shoulders, and the length of his booted legs made my heart race.
“I believe Lady Elinor lives in Edinburgh, Captain Jones. She is single.”
There! Take that, Lady Elinor. It would be my pleasure to marry you off to Captain Jones and keep Colin to myself.
Captain Jones’ eyebrows shot up.
“I did not ask, Mistress Pratt, but thank you for telling me.”
I could tell though, as his eyes drifted to Elinor’s back and the dark Anderson curls hanging down to her shoulders, that he found her attractive.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
We reached the castle in a short time, and George, the faithful, came outside to greet us, albeit silently. He never did say much. He gave no expression as he saw the soldiers, but only turned and called something into the house.
Mrs. Agnew hurried to the entrance. Her face fell, but she recovered quickly. With two additional women staying at the house and no lady’s maid, plus the advent of an English gentleman and ten soldiers, she had her hands full, as would Mrs. Renwick.
She ran back into the house, no doubt to warn Mrs. Renwick to cook more and faster.
I followed Colin and Elinor into the house while the captain took his men around to the kitchen entrance.
“This captain is new, much younger than the auld man who I met before,” Elin
or said.
“Aye,” Colin said. “Auld Captain Hayes passed away. Captain Jones came about a year ago.”
“Well, he seems a very well-mannered gentleman,” she said.
Colin turned to look at Elinor. “If ye think it is well mannered to impose one’s self and men upon others.”
Uh-oh!
I could have sworn Colin looked down his narrow nose at Elinor.
“Oh, Colin,” she sighed. “I ken it isna easy for ye, and yer father having supported the Crown and all, winning himself no friends here in the Highlands. I am sorry for ye.”
“Dinna the English soldiers bother yer father?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I dinna ken. Father keeps to the house in Edinburgh. His steward sees to such matters on the estate in the north. I ken ye dinna forget that Father declined to participate in the rebellion.”
Colin shook his head. “Nay, I dinna forget, wise man that he was.”
Mrs. Agnew hurried out.
“Mrs. Renwick has cooked yer meal, and Sarah has set it out in the great room.”
“Thank ye, Mrs. Renwick,” Colin said. “I am heartily sorry that the soldiers have descended upon us again.”
“It isna yer fault, master. I must see to their bedding.” Mrs. Agnew dipped a curtsey.
Colin led the way to the great room, where we found Captain Jones studying portraits on the wall as he waited for us.
“I cannot deny that I am pleased to sample Mrs. Renwick’s food once again,” he said.
I smiled, and Elinor favored him with a smile of her own. Only Colin frowned. He took his seat, and Captain Jones seated himself next to me. Colin eyed him askance but said nothing.
“I did not know Lord Anderson had other family, Lady Elinor,” he said. Colin opened his mouth, but closed it on Captain Jones’ next words. “Not that there is any reason that I should. Mistress Pratt tells me you are from Edinburgh.”
“Aye, Captain. My father has a house in town. He finds it warmer there than at his estates in the Highlands.”
“England is warmer still,” Captain Jones said with a smile.
He was right about that. Anything further south would be warmer still.
Elinor matched his smile.
“Aye, sir. London is much warmer, is it not? I have been to London several times. I enjoy it very much down there.”
“My home is in London,” Captain Jones said. “Well, my father’s home. At present, my home is at Fort William.”
“Ye do not like the Highlands, Captain? Canna ye ask for another assignment?”
Captain Jones looked at Colin before answering.
“No, madam. This is my post for the next few years. I have no choice.”
“But ye didna say. Dinna ye like the Highlands?”
“I do like the Highlands, very much,” he said. “The scenery is magnificent, the people robust and hardy and to be admired. The food is very fine, though not at the fort. But it is a bit cold, and I do miss England.”
“I hear the homesickness in yer voice, Captain,” Elinor said, “and I am sorry for ye.”
The captain’s cheeks bronzed, in the manner of fair-skinned blonds.
“Thank you, Lady Elinor. Soon I shall be reduced to tears if we do not change the subject. How long do you plan to visit?”
Elinor looked at me.
“As long as Mistress Pratt needs me. I stay as chaperone to her.”
Colin cleared his throat but said nothing, watching the interaction between Captain Jones and Elinor. I bit my lip as the captain turned a startled look upon me.
“Does she need a chaperone? A cousin? But I thought—” Captain Jones turned a startled look on me, and I sent him a pleading look. I was certain he already suspected that I wasn’t Colin’s cousin. He quirked an eyebrow in my direction and continued.
“That is to say, I stayed here not too long ago, and she looked to be in fine spirits. Your cousin is a gentleman, Lady Elinor, and Mrs. Agnew appears to serve admirably in that role.”
Elinor drew her eyebrows together, and sparks flew from her dark eyes.
“Mrs. Agnew is a servant, and as I said to Colin, we canna burden her with such matters. Nay, I mean to stay until Mistress Pratt returns to the bosom of her family.”
I slapped my napkin across my mouth to stifle a laugh. Bosom? No, there was no bosom. No family either. Plus, I noticed that I was Mistress Pratt once again to Elinor as she emphasized some sort of point. Thankfully, she missed Captain Jones’ reference to me as a cousin.
Even Colin’s dour lips twitched.
“As you say,” Captain Jones said, easing himself out of trouble.
“Aye,” Elinor said, having the final word. Though I was the subject, I seemed to be the last thing on anyone’s mind. Now I knew what a pawn felt like.
I looked at Colin once again, and he met my eyes with a twinkle in his, and I smiled. I longed to talk to him privately, but we’d had no chance to resume our time together since Elinor’s arrival.
Whatever he wanted from me, I would give him if I could. I just didn’t know what that was. Since he had asked me to stay, we had not touched on truly personal matters again. I didn’t know if he ever intended to marry again. Perhaps the death of his wife had been too traumatic for him.
It was now obvious to me that Elinor had set her cap at him, so to speak. Why, I didn’t know. Did she love him? Did she hope to take over as mistress of his remote castle in the Highlands? Was that really the life she wanted?
Was it really the life I wanted, for that matter? I looked at Colin again, and he met my eyes. Yes. Oh, yes, it was.
Chapter Ten
That evening, Elinor and I found ourselves sitting together on the sofa in the drawing room while Colin and Captain Jones bickered about the English presence in Scotland. Well, Colin bickered, and Captain Jones did his best to calm him.
Elinor leaned near and spoke to me in a quiet voice.
“For all that Colin was educated in England, and his father fought for the Crown, he has a terrible chip on his shoulder when it comes to the continued English military occupation of Scotland.”
I nodded. “Yes, I can see that.”
“His father’s reputation amongst many of the Highlanders was ruined, but he did what he thought best to protect his land. Colin benefits from his father’s choice, but he doe nae carry the shame well.”
I looked at Colin. He was rather less testy than usual, probably because of the claret he and the captain were drinking. In other circumstances, I thought the two might be great friends.
“It has long been my dream to marry Colin,” Elinor said.
There it was. She had said it flat out, to my face. I stifled a gasp and held my breath, wondering if she could hear the pounding of my heart.
“Oh, really?” I finally managed.
She had her face turned from me, watching Colin and Captain Jones. I couldn’t tell if she deliberately avoided meeting my eyes or whether she was really focused on the two men.
“Aye. I have fancied myself in love with him since I was a wee lass and he a brawny Highland laddie.”
Well, I guessed that was that. Now I knew for certain what Elinor wanted. The question was, was I willing to fight for Colin? Did I even have a chance?
“But I thought you were cousins,” I said feebly.
She turned to me with her dark brows drawn together.
“Och! Cousins! There’s many a cousin who marry in Scotland. We arna even close cousins!”
That had been low of me, a feeble attempt to thwart her plans.
I nodded.
“Does Colin know?”
She wasn’t impressed with this question either.
“Noooo, I dinna suppose he does. I have bided my time these last few years, but I thought I must prod him. Ye understand, I am sure.” Her dialect became more pronounced. “He comes so rarely to Edinburgh that I thought I must come here to present myself before him.”
“So staying to chap
erone me is just an excuse to stay?”
She tilted her head and smiled at me. “Aye and nay. It is certainly unusual for an unmarried man to host a female nae of his family, and a chaperone would be normal. I do agree that Mrs. Agnew’s presence serves that purpose though.”
“Does Colin know how you feel? What you want?” I hated the huskiness in my voice.
She looked toward him again.
“I dinna ken. I thought he must have these many years, but I dinna ken now.” She faced me. “Yer presence has complicated things.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by “these many years.” I had the impression Colin’s wife had died only last year. Surely Elinor hadn’t pined for him while he was married, had she?
Her last statement though was about as forthright as one could be.
“Me?” I stammered. I knew what she meant.
“Aye, Beth. Ye. Colin seems confused by yer presence. I dinna mean to be discourteous, but do ye have any idea when ye might be leaving?”
What could I do but smile widely at the ridiculousness of this all?
“Not a clue,” I said. “No idea.”
“And why not?” she asked. “Surely yer family frets about ye. Do they ken where ye are? That ye are recovered and ready to return home?”
“But I’m not ready to return home, Elinor. And even if I were, I can’t go home right now.”
“But why not?”
“I can’t explain it,” I said. “But I’m very happy here...with Colin.” There! I’d thrown the gauntlet down.
“Elinor, are ye badgering my guest?” Colin said. We hadn’t noticed that Colin and Captain Jones had stopped talking and were listening to us.
Colin rose and approached us, standing near the fireplace.
“Surely it is my place to urge my guests to stay or go, Cousin, dinna ye think?”
Elinor, her cheeks bright with embarrassment, nodded.
“Aye, ye’re right, Colin. It is yer place. Nae mine. Forgive me, Beth.”
I wondered how much Colin had heard, especially my last statement.
Captain Jones, having refilled his glass of claret, moved to sit in a chair near the sofa. He eyed me with interest, and I suspected that both he and Colin had heard my words.