Chapter 4
Dinner went remarkably better than Lizzie could have hoped.
While still a bit shy, Catriona had perfect table manners and a likeable, demure air about her.
Lady Amberly was still in her tailspin trip down memory lane and after a few glasses of wine, mostly dominated the conversation with stories about what a wild girl her sister had been.
It got a little bit uncomfortable at dessert when she told the story of how she’d ended up running off with a drunken Scot to spite their father.
Lady Amberly didn’t seem to recall the same drunken Scot who featured in her story was Catriona’s father.
Even then, Catriona had just nodded and smiled, though a bit tremulously.
After dinner, Lizzie pointed out how tired Catriona looked and she latched onto the suggestion, agreeing with an exaggerated yawn.
“Then you must go to sleep, child, especially as Miss Burnet has arranged for you to visit the dressmaker first thing.”
When asked if she would be joining them, Lady Amberly fanned herself and shook her head, looking as if the thought of stepping out onto the London streets might kill her instantly.
Lizzie didn’t know how she would handle their first party.
The nervous woman hadn’t left the house since she arrived, and sadly hadn’t even had one visitor.
She’d been holed up in the country so long, no one remembered her.
Lizzie walked with Catriona to her bedroom and showed her how to ring for a maid. She said goodnight and was about to leave, but the dejected look on Catriona’s face made her pause and ask if there was anything else she could do for her.
Her previous charges had all been on their home turf, and had been so built up by their doting mothers, they never would have considered doubting themselves. Catriona was alone in a strange new environment, and had been raised by two roughneck brothers and an elderly aunt.
“Was it difficult hearing stories about your mother and father?” she asked, hoping she didn’t cause offense.
“I didna mind the stories,” she said. “In truth I dinna remember either of them, and I’m glad to find out what my ma was truly like.
Lachlan and Quinn speak of her like she was a misused angel, but ye know how it can be when a loved one is gone?
Ye never really hear the truth.” She sighed and shrugged, a wry smile making her look older than her years.
“Except of course with my da it is the complete opposite. I never hear anything good about him.”
“Everyone has a bit of good in them. Your mother saw it,” Lizzie said, feeling well out of her depth. “My parents died when I was very small,” she continued, not sure why she felt the desire to share. Perhaps orphan solidarity. “In a … carriage accident. My grandmother raised me all on her own.”
Catriona gave her a look of understanding. “I dinna know whether to say it’s a shame ye didna have brothers, or if ye were lucky.”
Lizzie laughed. “You’re definitely the lucky one, Catriona.” To her surprise, the girl threw her arms around her and gave her a quick hug, retreating before she could think to return it.
“Ye must remember ye said that when ye meet him tomorrow,” she said, her eyes brighter than when they’d first come up.
Lizzie was glad she’d stayed a few minutes to make sure she was all right, and made her way to her room with a warm feeling that almost blocked out the dread of meeting the brother the next day.
***
They were in the sitting room the next morning, waiting for the carriage to be brought around for their trip to the dressmaker, when Quinn Ferguson was finally announced.
Catriona breathed a gusty sigh of relief and bounced out of her seat when she caught a glimpse of him following Franklin through the door.
Lizzie steeled herself for the worst and glanced up from her embroidery to await her introduction. And kept glancing up, and up, and up. Goodness, he was tall. It took her forever to reach his face. And then she had to adjust her jaw, because she felt it drop almost to her chest.
The man was handsome. Seriously gorgeous.
She blinked, sure she must be overreacting, a side effect of not getting any action for more than a year.
When he came further into the room and nearly made her lose consciousness with his smile, she could see her impoverished libido wasn’t deceiving her.
She didn’t think she’d be able to stand to greet him when his dark blue eyes fixed on her.
She certainly wouldn’t be able to rise out of a curtsy, as her legs were definitely turning to jelly under his continued perusal.
His golden brown hair fell in luxurious waves nearly to his incredibly broad shoulders.
His chiseled jaw was clean shaven, not covered with a mountain man beard like she had imagined.
And his tall, muscular body wasn’t swathed in a ratty old kilt, but stylish buff breeches hugged his powerful thighs and a dark navy jacket was buttoned smartly across his strong chest.
She felt like she might be ill. This was the man she was going to have to continually deal with for the coming months? This was her charge’s brother? Her heart skipped a beat when he was fully in, dominating the small room with his massive body. She swallowed hard, fearing she might actually drool.
With a start, she jerked her head to see Lady Amberly’s reaction to this hunky specimen.
Her husband was not only cruel, but bald, liver-spotted, and toothpick legged, and she was a sucker for a handsome man.
And this one was handsome with a capital H.
Lizzie didn’t doubt Lady Amberly would start embroidering him a new waistcoat straight away.
And she wasn’t disappointed. Lady Amberly’s mouth hung open, her eyes nearly crossed at the magnificent portion of man meat that was in front of her.
Lizzie almost felt sorry for her, since her husband treated her like dung when he condescended to notice her at all.
Lady Amberly had probably gone even longer than she had without the attentions of a man.
Catriona finished the introductions and they both still gawked at him. Lizzie recovered and stood, dropping a quick curtsy, unable to take her eyes off his face. He gallantly took her hand and nodded before turning back to Lady Amberly.
“Laird Quinn Ferguson, how lovely to meet you at last,” she said, glancing wildly at Lizzie.
“You’ve come just in time to join us at the dressmaker’s if you’d like, sir,” she said calmly.
Yes, the man was handsome and tall and built like a brick wall she wouldn’t mind climbing, but she had to stay focused.
This was her charge’s brother, essentially her employer.
This was the eighteenth century. She needed to keep her eyes up.
Even as she offered these self recriminations, her eyes slid down to the front of his breeches and she had to press her lips together hard to keep from groaning.
Why couldn’t he have worn a baggy, tattered old kilt?
His breeches fit him far too well. How was she going to concentrate, following him around all day?
The view was probably just as spectacular from the back.
“Aye, of course. I should be glad to be of help to ye,” he said and she cursed his deep, melodic burr. Stupid sexy Scottish accents. He was supposed to talk like he had a mouth full of sheep’s wool and be barely intelligible.
“I trust your hotel is agreeable?” she asked.
“Aye, the Fox Inn was recommended by our coach driver. It’s quite as good as any I’ve stayed at,” he said.
“Oh my goodness, about that,” Lady Amberly piped up, untying her tongue at last. “It certainly cannot be as agreeable as staying here as our guest. Lord Amberly would be most displeased to know we’d let family stay at an inn.
And such a substandard one at that. I’m sure you were just being polite, as I’ve heard that the Fox Inn isn’t agreeable at all. ”
Lizzie looked at Lady Amberly. Was she out of her mind? Now he was family? Quinn frowned, unsure of how to proceed, but Catriona clapped her hands.
“Oh, that would be so lovely to have him near, Auntie,” she said, causing a fresh welling of tears to rise in Lady Amberly’s eyes.
“We’re so happy to have Catriona with us at last,” she gushed. “You must stay, for her.”
“Verra well, and I thank ye,” he said.
“Erm, Quinn,” Catriona said, leaning on his arm and gazing up at him with sisterly pride. “Can ye please let them know it’s all right to call me Catie? Miss Burnet insists it’s proper to call me by my whole name, but it’s quite tiring. Can ye tell her ye always call me Catie?”
Quinn looked over his sister’s head and caught Lizzie’s eye, a knowing twinkle in his. Once again she pressed her lips together, hoping she’d get used to the dazzle of his presence before she fainted from lack of oxygen.
Well, Catriona,” he said, still looking at Lizzie, his rich voice going straight through her.
“Ye must do whatever your chaperone says, as she is in charge of ye while we’re in London.
” He winked at her, nearly knocking her back a step, before turning to Lady Amberly.
“And your auntie as well, of course. What they say goes, lass.”
Catriona lost her look of sisterly pride and humphed.
Lizzie didn’t want her glowing image of the girl ruined by a tantrum, and suggested they be on their way.
With Quinn accompanying them, they needn’t wait for the carriage, but could enjoy the crisp morning air.
Really, the thought of being pressed up against him in the carriage, or sitting across from him, with the chance that their knees might touch, was too much for her senses at the moment.
She and Catriona could walk ahead of him and he could follow, unseen and unable to turn her into a babbling puddle of goo.
***