Page 62 of The Highlander's Auctioned Wife
“It was, Sophia,” Anna promised, taking the other woman’s hands and holding them tightly. “It was wonderful. Everythin’ was wonderful.”
Sophia frowned. “Forgive me, but I daenae believe ye. When ye came back ye were so… pale, like ye’d seen a ghost. And Gordon went stormin’ off with David.” She shrugged, almost defeated. “Neither of ye looked like ye’d had a nice time. As it was me suggestion, I cannae help feelin’ guilty.”
Squeezing Sophia’s hands, looking at her in earnest, Anna put on her brightest smile. She didn’t want Sophia to feel guilty, but nor did she want to tell Sophia what had happened at the end of such a beautiful, joyful morning. How could she, when she wasn’t entirely certain whathadhappened? It would only cause unnecessary worry.
“It was havin’ to comebackfrom such a wondrous mornin’ that made us both a little grumpy,” Anna said, deciding on a half truth. “Gordon had a mountain of correspondence waitin’ for him, and I kenned that Jane would be waitin’ to trouble me about the weddin’: what choice of food and flowers and music I might like, who I might want to invite from home, if I’ve given any thought to what me weddin’ gown might look like, that sort of thing. Endless preparations—ideasfor preparations, anyway. And as Jane will be the one makin’ me gown, she’s particularly eager for me to give me opinion on that.”
The anxious edges of Sophia’s face softened, her eyes brightening, her eyebrows shooting up in delighted surprise. She shuffled closer along the wall, practically jittering with excitement.
“Ye’re thinkin’ about the gown already?” she asked eagerly.
Anna laughed. “Jane is. She doesnae trust me since the incident.”
“Incident? What incident?”
Glancing around to make sure no one was around, the gardens suitably empty of people despite the mild afternoon, Anna told Sophia about the daring dress she’d worn on the night that Gordon arrived. A dress she had sneakily brought with her to Castle Lyall.
“It was supposed to chase him off,” she explained, grinning, “but it obviously dinnae work. In truth, I think he rather liked it. I wasmeantto save it for the ceilidh, when all the Lairds had arrived, but I was too impatient. Even now, I wonder how many would’ve been appalled enough by it to leave with their noses in the air, but I guess I’ll never ken.”
Delight shone in Sophia’s eyes, her laughter caught by the light breeze that swept through the gardens and out to sea.
Heavens, I’ll be accused of bein’ a bad influence if I’m nae careful.Anna chuckled in return, still rather pleased with heringenuity, even if she hadn’t ended up getting to play her full array of tricks.
“What was written on yer skin?” Sophia asked in a low, conspiratorial voice.
Anna put a finger to her lips. “That’s somethin’ I can never tell.”
“I promise, I willnae tell a soul!” Sophia pleaded.
Anna leaned in a little closer. “Ye swear it, truly?”
Sophia nodded, breathless.
“Very well.” Anna took a dramatic breath. “It was… nonsense.”
“Pardon?”
“Utter nonsense.” Anna smiled. “Random words and phrases. Whatever I could write in the short amount of time I had before I needed to go downstairs for supper. If I remember rightly, I had ‘ye daft hedgehog’ written somewhere on me left ribs and ‘nay for yer eyes, ye letch’ on me waist and, possibly, ‘oi, what did I just say, ye wee bampot’ written on the right, but with so many coils and curls and embellishments in the handwritin’ that nay one could read it, even if it was just on paper.”
Sophia exploded into laughter, the force of it so strong that Anna felt compelled to put a hand on the younger woman’s arm, so heramusement wouldn’t tip her right off the wall and over the cliff. And as Sophia laughed giddily, holding her stomach as merry tears rolled down her face, Anna couldn’t help but join in.
In hindsight, it reallyhadbeen one of her most satisfying tricks. All the more so because Gordon still had no idea what the words had said.
“Ye swore an oath,” Anna reminded Sophia, as their laughter faded to smiles. “Ye cannae breathe a word of what ye’ve heard to yer cousin.”
Sophia put a hand to her heart. “I promise, I willnae, though I’ll struggle nae to laugh when I next see him.” Her face creased, as if she might burst into laughter again. “Och, I’ll have to hide me face or excuse meself until the novelty of kennin’ wanes.”
“I’d better nae wear the gown to our actual weddin’ then, eh?” Anna teased. “Although, I’d probably write somethin’ nicer now.”
And I certainly wouldnae mind Gordon lookin’… or touchin’, for that matter.
A pleasing idea popped into her head; one that mightjustcoax another laugh out of her betrothed, if she chose correctly. A few little notes on her body for him to find on their wedding night. Then again, if shedidn’tchoose correctly, she might ruin the mood altogether; it was a delicate line to walk, but she was certain she could strike the right balance if she gave it enough thought.
“So, ye like me cousin then?” Sophia asked shyly, her cheeks flushed with a happy pink.
Anna shrugged. “He dinnae leave me with much of a choice.”
“What do ye mean?”
