Page 24 of The Curse of McMillan Castle
Madeline
Duncan met me at the door, and the sight of him rattled me so much that for a moment, I thought perhaps someone else staying at the inn had simply stepped outdoors as I entered. But the way his lips turned up at the corners, making him look perpetually friendly, was unmistakable. The feast of a man standing before me was most certainly Duncan.
I’d only ever seen him either soaked to the bone from rain, or covered in dirt from work. But cleaned up, in a fresh kilt, with his hair pinned back at the nape of his neck, he was a splendor to look at.
“You…you look great, Duncan.”
He chuckled and stepped back inside the doorway to usher me inside.
“’Tis a surprise to me, as well, lass. I canna remember the last time I was no’ covered in dirt.”
I smiled at him as I slipped off my coat and offered it to him.
“That’s not how I meant it. You always look nice. You just look different tonight, is all.”
“Ye look lovely, as well, lass.”
I turned away so he wouldn’t see me blush as I took in the surroundings of the room.
It had Isobel written all over it.
“Isn’t Isobel great?”
“Aye. Consider yerself lucky that I dinna cook any of this. I am wretched at it.”
I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d cooked anything.
“That makes two of us. My work has always kept me so busy that I never really mastered the art of home cooking.”
He stepped up close behind me to lean around me and pull out the chair at the small table set for us.
“Caring for the elderly, lass? ’Tis noble work.”
“That isn’t what I’ve always done. I used to…” I stopped, realizing in that instant that I couldn’t tell Duncan the truth about my work in a hospital. He didn’t know about the time travel, and it wasn’t my call whether or not I could tell him. “I used to have different work.”
He must’ve sensed my hesitation, and I could see him make the decision not to press me on it as he walked around and sat down at the other side of the table.
“If this is half as delicious as anything else Isobel has cooked for me, we willna be disappointed.”
“Oh, I’m certain we won’t.”
Duncan dug in first, and the soft moan of delight that escaped his lips only confirmed the treat I was in for.
“I guess it is half as delicious then?”
“’Tis at least twice as delicious.”
He continued to eat while I began to sample the meal. After a short period of silence as we relished in Isobel’s cooking, Duncan spoke again. “What happened to yer first husband, lass?”
The question took me by surprise. It was unusual for anyone to ask me about Tim so pointedly. More often than not, no one mentioned him at all. But rather than the usual lump that rose in my throat at the thought or mention of him, all I could think of was how much it pleased me that Duncan wasn’t afraid to ask me about him. It was easier to feel okay when people behaved as if you were.
“We lost him suddenly. There was something wrong with his heart—although we didn’t know it. One day he just collapsed and didn’t get back up again.”
“Ach, I canna imagine how difficult that was for ye and Rosie.”
“It was. Still is. We’re okay, though.”
“Have ye had many suitors since then? I would wager that ye have.”
