“Oh, Catriona and Sasha are going to eat their own tongues when they see Dwyn like this,” Aileen said with excitement as they took in the results of their efforts a few moments later.
“Aye,” Una said with satisfaction, and then met Dwyn’s gaze and said, “Ye look pretty.”
Dwyn just shook her head. Her face was the same, it was only the frame that had changed. Her hair was just another distraction like her breasts. The only difference was, at least she could hide her breasts behind her hair if they popped out now.
Chapter 3
“Dear God in heaven.”
Geordie glanced up from his ale at that exclamation from his uncle, and followed his gaze to the stairs where three women were descending. It took him a moment to recognize Dwyn’s sisters, Una and Aileen. He didn’t recognize the woman with them, but his gaze narrowed with interest as he took in her long, flowing hair. It was quite glorious, reaching down to her knees, a shiny curtain of pale gold that seemed to have a life of its own as it swished around her.
“With those breasts against his chest and that glorious hair wrapped around him, a man would be in heaven,” Acair growled, and was suddenly on his feet, crossing the hall.
Geordie frowned, his gaze shifting to the blonde’s breasts, and his eyes widened when he recognized that bosom. Large, full breasts were presently doing their best to escape the rose-colored gown they’d been stuffed into and he knew at once that it was Dwyn. Geordie then lifted his gaze to her face, almost embarrassed that it was her breasts he’d recognized first.
“Dwyn looks nice with her hair down, but why is Uncle Acair acting so strange?” Jetta asked next to him.
“He’s decided to woo Dwyn,” Aulay drawled with amusement.
“What?” Jetta asked in surprise.
“What!” Geordie exclaimed at the same time.
Aulay shrugged, his gaze focusing on Geordie as he said, “Ye said ye did no’ ken her and were no’ ready to settle down, and he’s a single Buchanan male too. So he’s decided he might like a keep o’ his own.”
“Oh,” Jetta said with a frown. “I had not thought to include him, because, well, what about Mav—”
“Mavis,” Aulay said abruptly, smiling over Geordie’s shoulder, and he turned to find the older woman standing behind him, a pitcher of ale in hand and a hurt expression on her face as she watched Acair bow and raise Dwyn’s hand for a kiss. The bow, incidentally, nearly rested the crown of his head against Dwyn’s bosom, Geordie noted with displeasure.
“Oh, Mavis,” Jetta said sympathetically, and he glanced around to see the old woman rushing away toward the doors to the kitchen, the full pitcher still in her hand. Jetta followed after her with concern on her face, and Geordie turned a scowl on his brother.
“Do no’ look at me,” Aulay protested, raising his hands. “I have done nothing.”
“Ye ken Acair and Mavis—”
“I do,” he acknowledged. “Though I did no’ think anyone else knew.”
“Everyone else knows,” he said heavily.
“Aye, well, they are no’ married, any more than you and wee Katie were.”
“What does that mean?” Geordie asked, stiffening.
“Nothing,” Aulay said at once, and sighed. “’Tis just that affairs with servants rarely last long, and Uncle Acair is a nobleman just as we are. There is no reason he canno’ marry and become laird o’ Innes if he wishes.”
“Mavis is no’ just a servant,” Geordie argued. “She’s been like a mother to us since our own mam died. Before that even. She was always like a second mother.”
“But she was no’ our mother, and she is no’ married to Acair,” Aulay said solemnly. “He is free to woo who he wishes.”
Geordie opened his mouth to respond, but then paused as his uncle spoke beside him.
“Here ye go, lass. Ye just sit down here beside me and I’ll have a servant fetch ye a drink.”
Geordie turned to scowl at his uncle and asked spitefully, “Why do ye no’ ask Mavis? She was here with ale just a moment ago.”
“Well, she’s no’ here now, so— Katie, love!” he called, smiling past Geordie. “Prey, fetch this lovely lady a beverage, there’s a good girl.”
Geordie glanced over his shoulder in time to see the dark-haired maid rush away toward the kitchens. He turned back to peer at Dwyn. She seemed a bit flustered by his uncle’s attention; her gaze was lowered shyly, but her face was almost the same color as her gown, and there was no missing the relief on her face when her sisters rushed up from speaking to their father farther down the table and took up position on her other side. They had to make Lady Catriona Lockhart and Lady Sasha Kennedy shove down the bench to create room for them, but the sister named Una had no compunction about making the request. Geordie was quite sure the other two women were about to protest—both of them got spiteful mean looks on their faces—but then, noting that he was watching, Catriona smiled and elbowed Sasha, urging her to the side before leaning to whisper in her ear. Sasha’s eyes darted his way and then away and she moved along the bench.
Geordie grunted and made a note to himself to warn Alick and Rory about the pair. They were both lovely on the surface, but he’d pity any man who married either of them, and he was damned if he’d have one of those vipers in his family. What kind of woman made a sport of taunting and harassing another one? His brothers’ wives would hate them.
“Here ye go, m’lady.”
Geordie tore his gaze from Dwyn’s flushed face, and glanced to Katie when the maid set a mug of ale before the lass. Seeing him watching, the maid offered him a sweet smile that he automatically returned, but it was Dwyn and Uncle Acair who thanked the girl before she hurried off.
“Geordie?” Aulay said now.
He saw Dwyn’s eyes widen slightly as she heard his brother address him by name, and realized only then that he hadn’t bothered to introduce himself in the tree that morning. He offered her an apologetic grimace for it, and then turned reluctantly to his brother, raising an eyebrow in question.
“Have ye had a chance to meet any of the ladies since arriving?”
A small sound of distress drew his gaze back around to Dwyn. She’d obviously heard the question and was afraid he might disclose what had happened between them that morning. Geordie gave her a reassuring look and then turned back to his brother. “Nay. Although I did see Lady Catriona and Lady Sasha in the orchard. They were chasing after one of the other women, taunting her, and then stopped to sneer at me when they saw me sleeping under a tree.”
“Oh?” Aulay eyed the women briefly. “Good to know.”
“They’re Lowlanders,” he pointed out with disgust. Lowlanders were nearly as bad as the English to his mind. You couldn’t expect much from them.
“Oh, now, there’s nothing wrong with Lowlanders,” Uncle Acair said. “Just look at our lovely Dwyn here. She’s a Lowlander too and a fine figure o’ a woman.”
Geordie frowned as he realized that was true. Innes was in the flatlands to the east of the mountains that made up the Highlands.