Page 122 of The Highlander's Auctioned Hellion
“Tommy will just want to play outside with Raven and the girls anyway.”
“Let me up.”
“Urgh, fine, but I demand a kiss as payment.”
Lydia snorted and rolled over, planting a kiss on his lips as Callum groaned.
“What time is it, woman?”
“It’s past seven.”
“Seven?I am nae gettin’ up before ten.”
“Fine.”
Callum cracked one eye open. “Really?”
“Yes. I shall bring Alexander up here with a large bucket of water and command him to pour it over your head. Would that work better?”
Callum swore at her, pushing the covers off the bed and swinging his legs over the side.
“If yewillkeep a man up until dawn, ye shouldnae force him out of bed three hours later.”
“I take no blame for that; it was you keeping me awake, as I recall,” she retorted, pulling on her nightgown and heading to the adjoining door.
“Will you take Tommy to the loch this afternoon?” she asked. “He has been writing to me about seeing the pike for the past month.”
“There is nay pike. But yes, I will take him. Someone should teach the lad how to fish.”
“Father certainly isn’t interested in such things,” she quipped as she opened the door and blew him a kiss before heading through to her bedchamber.
There she found Hannah standing at the foot of the bed, contemplating a large box that had been placed at the end.
“What is that?” Lydia asked.
“I don’t know, my lady, but Kristen brought it up for you; she said that it was a late wedding gift from her and Alexander.”
“Wedding gift? But she has already made me my weddingdress,surely that was gift enough.”
“Shall we open it?” Hannah asked excitedly, and Lydia smiled.
“You open it, let’s see what she has brought me.”
Hannah opened the box, and both women exclaimed excitedly at the exquisite clothes that had been placed inside.
Kristen had made Tommy a full set of Highland clothing, complete with trews, a kilt, a léine, and a greatcoat.
Long woolen stockings completed the look, and Lydia clapped her hands excitedly as Hannah held each item up.
“Oh, they are bonnie!” her maid said. Hannah had begun to speak with Scottish words now and had fully embraced the culture of the Highlands.
Lydia rather suspected she had a sweetheart in the village, too. Her maid had been humming nonstop for days.
“Oh, they are beautiful, I can’t believe Kristen made them,” Lydia said, beyond touched by the gesture. “He will be over the moon.”
“There’s something else underneath,” Hannah said, and pulled out a golden gown that had been covered over with soft velvet fabric at the base of the box.
Silver embroidery covered every inch, even more stars and moons than had covered her wedding dress, but this time it was the stars and the sun to match the golden fabric.
