“It’s a long story,” Jane said, and Duncan murmured a soft thank you in her ear for not telling the entire sordid tale. It would sound rather untoward if she told them that he had abducted her in the middle of the night — even if it was the truth.
“Where have you been?” Mary asked, her eyes traveling up and down Jane’s clothing from the day before. Mary and Jane had quite a similar look, Duncan realized now as he regarded his former betrothed. Mary was striking — she always had been — but there was a demure softness to Jane that he found he rather preferred. He could hardly believe he had never noticed her before. Perhaps it was because she had always been in Mary’s shadow.
“Why don’t we sit down for some breakfast?” Jane asked. “I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea.”
“Of course,” Mary said, nodding her head graciously. She looked over to Duncan, tilting her head as she studied him. “Will you be staying for breakfast?”
“Aye,” he said, deciding to allow Jane to break the news that he hoped to stay much longer than breakfast. He figured he should wait a moment or two before asking the man who had cuckolded him if he could bed down in his house for the next few weeks.
He and the man who Mary had preferred stared at one another in open curiosity and contempt. What was it about this tall, thin Englishman that was so superior to him? Duncan was well aware that he had his shortcomings, but it wasn’t particularly helpful to his ego for this to be the favorite.
But William Miller was obviously a gentleman through and through, for he made a short, small bow to Duncan and then held out a hand toward the dining room as an invitation for him to enter.
“Have you a cook?” Duncan asked as he dodged the orange cat on his way into the room, and William shook his head.
“Not at this time. We hope to hire one soon. Jane has offered to help our maid with some of those duties while Mary is taking more time to rest.”
“I see,” Duncan said, not liking the thought of Jane doing the labor for this man and her sister, although he was well aware that she had likely offered the idea up herself.
Instead of taking a seat at the dining room table, he followed her to the small kitchen in the back. Jane was already quickly and efficiently frying eggs and ham and slicing tomatoes.
“So you’re the help, then,” he said, and when she met his gaze it was not overly friendly.
“I am helping my sister, if that is what you are inferring,” she said, her words short. “Why are you in the kitchen?”
“To offer my assistance,” he said, searching through a drawer until he found a knife, and then he began slicing bread that had been left out on the counter — likely baked by Jane herself.
“I don’t need your help,” she said, and he had the feeling that she was not just referring to breakfast. “Besides, you take up far too much space in here and make it much more difficult for me to cook.”
“I’ll stay out of your way,” he said, meaning it, as he moved to the side.
“You just didn’t want to stay out there with my sister and her husband,” Jane said, looking up with pointed blue eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile guiltily.
“There might be some truth to that,” he said as he sliced through the bread. “What the devil was I supposed to say? Congratulations on your new babe, conceived right under all of our noses? I think not.”
“Perhaps,” Jane said, her long hands quick and efficient as she went through the motions of cooking breakfast, “it would be best if you and Billy and Mary had a discussion about it all. Put everything you are feeling out into the open so that you can move on from it. Especially if you will be living under the same roof.”
She looked up at him expectantly, but he could only stare at her. Was she serious?
“I don’t think so,” he choked out, and she shrugged.
“Suit yourself. But I’m sure Billy might try to speak to you about it. He is a minister, as you know—”
“I do. ’Tis why I cannot physically challenge him for what he did with Mary.”
Jane eyed him with some disdain. “Why would you fight him? He and Mary chose each other. It is not as though he meant to hurt you.”
“It is a matter of honor.”
He said the words with enough finality that she dropped the subject — thank goodness.
Soon enough she had efficiently prepared a breakfast much more extravagant than Duncan would have ever thought necessary and they returned to the dining room — only to find that Billy was gone.
“I’m ever so sorry,” Mary said, biting her lip, “but Billy was called away and I’m afraid my stomach is in knots at the moment, so neither of us will be joining you for breakfast.”
“After all that Jane just did?” Duncan asked, becoming rather heated once more, but Jane set down the dishes and put a hand on his arm.
“It’s fine,” she said calmly. “Now, tell me what’s wrong, Mary.”
“Nothing but the usual,” Mary said, though even Duncan could tell that her smile was forced. Now that he had the chance to take a closer look, he found that she was quite pale. Despite her obviously more advanced stages of pregnancy, aside from her rounded stomach she seemed almost… gaunt.
He was suddenly far too aware as to why Jane was worried.
“I shall be fine after I lie down for awhile.”
“Do call for me if you need anything, Mary. After you sleep, I will bring you some broth.”
“Thank you, Jane. And afterwards,” she looked to Duncan, “I will be quite interested in an explanation.”
The sisters shared a smile that spoke more than their words did, of how much they cared for one another and were willing to do for each other. For a moment, a sense of shame washed over Duncan for questioning that Mary wasn’t being fair to Jane.
“If you’re waiting me out, Duncan,” Jane said as though reading his thoughts, though she didn’t even turn around to look at him, “you’d best have a great deal of patience.”
She turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder. “I’m going to change before breakfast. But,” she began walking toward the stairs now, pausing on the bottom step to look back at him, “if you so insist on staying, I hope you are prepared for a very Merry Christmas.”
Chapter 5
This time, Duncan insisted that Jane allow him to help prepare dinner. She had asked if he had ever done so before, to which he only shrugged noncommittedly. They had people to do that for them at Galbury Castle, and he always had much else to do.
But he was so very bored, and if he didn’t do something to keep his hands busy, then he just might go mad, and he didn’t think he could leave the house until he had actually spoken to Billy Miller and determined that he would be welcome if he returned.
His honor might have been bruised, but he wasn’t about to let it take a beating — which was exactly what would happen if he returned to the Highlands without both Mary and Jane.
The four of them took a seat around the circular oak dining table. Jane was to Duncan’s left while Mary was to his right, with Billy across from him. Before they began eating, Billy motioned their hands up. He joined hands with Jane and Mary, then motioned for Duncan to do the same.