Page 34 of Falling for Her Highland Steward
“You are making me blush!” Caillen laughed.
“I can sympathize with your feelings, Mistress McPherson.” Erin laughed softly. “I remember them well! How long do you have to wait? A few more weeks?”
“Any time now, milady,” Catriona answered. “Between ye an’ me, I will be vera glad tae get it over with. They say each birth becomes easier, but I havenae noticed!” She cast her eyes heavenward, and Erin laughed in sympathy.
“I will be thinking of you.” Erin’s voice was soft as Catriona took her hand and placed it on her distended stomach. “I remember this,” Erin murmured, smiling as she felt the faint tap-tap of the little being moving restlessly under her palm.
When it was his turn, Caillen’s eyes opened wide with wonder. “What a miracle.” His voice was incredulous. “It never ceases tae amaze me that ye can dae this. I would rather fight on a battlefield!”
Catriona laughed. “Aye well, ’tis what we are made for, sir.”
She radiated such gentle contentment as she took young Sam on her knee that Erin could hardly bear to look at them. “Please let me know if you need anythin’, Mistress McPherson. Anythin’ at a’.”
“Oh, milady, ye are so kind!” Catriona reached out to take Erin’s hand in her own. “Shall I tell ye what I really need?”
“Please do.” Erin smiled as she spoke. “I will be happy to help.”
“That is it.” Catrina’s eyes gazed at Erin with concern. “I need ye tae be happy. Ye look sae sad these days.”
Erin sighed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
“Missin’ your bairn?” Catriona asked, her voice full of sympathy.
Erin nodded tearfully, then squared her shoulders. “But this does no good at all. Goodbye, Mistress McPherson. Please let me know when the baby is born.”
“I will, milady. Take care o’ yerself,” Catriona said gently.
As they rode away, Caillen said, “I’m sorry, Erin. I thought seeing the children would cheer you up.”
“Thank you for the thought.” Erin tried to smile, but she simply could not. “But seeing all those wee ones just reminds me of how much I wish Stephen was here.”
“I am so sorry.” Caillen was furious with himself. How could he have been so stupid?
That evening, Erin was surprised to receive a visit from Laird Grieve just after her evening meal. At that time, just as the day was winding down, she usually sat down for a glass of wine, sometimes reading, sometimes sewing, or sometimes simply staring into the fire. She had been accustomed in the past to having Nairn join her, and more recently, Caillen, but lately, he did no more than his duty and kept to himself except during working hours. She had to admit that she missed him, and her evening hours were often very lonely.
Laird Grieve arrived on horseback as the sun was setting and was shown into the parlor just as Erin was about to go to bed. Her heart sank when she saw him, for he was the last person on Earth she wanted to talk to at that moment. Nevertheless, she pinned a smile on her face and greeted him with a polite curtsy.
“M’Laird Grieve,” she said in a polite tone that had just a touch of frostiness in it, “I did not expect you. It is rather late.”
“Forgive me, Milady McCaskill, but I could not stay away,” he gushed, gazing at her in open admiration. “I wanted to tell you how much I came to love and admire you during our last meeting. I have not been able to stop thinking about you; your beauty, your intelligence, and your wonderful sense of humor. As well as that, I admire your stoicism in the face of the loss of your husband. Truly, milady, you are a wonderful woman. Here is a small token of my esteem.” He held out his hand, in which he was holding a plain purple velvet box. When he opened it, there sat a beautiful necklace of perfectly matched pearls. It was a rare and precious gift indeed.
For a moment, Erin was speechless, then she took the box and put it on a table without touching the jewels. She invited the laird to sit down and poured both of them a glass of wine while he watched her face for a reaction. He had expected delight, but there was none. Indeed, there was not a flicker of any emotion on her face at all.
“Thank you, M’Laird,” she said faintly, then stared at him for a moment. “And thank you for the gift. You say that you see all these qualities in me, but in truth, you hardly know me. Did you come here just to tell me that, M’Laird?”
“Partly. But mostly, milady, I came to say this… Have you ever heard of love at first sight?” He bent forward in his seat to be closer to her. “When I saw you, I knew that you were the only woman in the world for me. I offered you my hand in marriage, but you have been keeping me in suspense. I have decided that I cannot wait any longer.”
Erin felt anger flare up inside her. How dare he come to her home and make demands on her like this? “Then, perhaps, M’Laird, I should give you an answer now!” She jumped to her feet and glared down at him. “My answer is no! Now get out of my home!”
“Erin, I am so sorry—I did not mean to upset you.” He was so contrite that Erin thought he might burst into tears. “Let me finish, please.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “I own a large estate, as you know, and of course, my natural son will inherit that when I die, but I have another entirely private estate near Dundee. It is not very big, but it is a lovely property with stunning grounds and even a small loch with trout and carp in it. I will make it over to Stephen if you marry me. When we have children of our own, I will settle generous sums of money on them or buy them properties of their own. They will want for nothing, I assure you. Say yes. Please say yes, my darling Erin.”
While Logan had been saying this, he had knelt on the floor in front of Erin and captured both of her hands in his. She tried to snatch them away, but he was holding on too tightly.
“You are not helping your case, M’Laird,” she growled. “I do not like bullies.”
“Forgive me, milady.” The laird immediately let go of Erin’s hand and stood up. “I am making a fool of myself. I was just too eager.”
“As I said before, I will consider your offer,” Erin said politely. “I must admit the welfare of my son has been uppermost in my mind. He will, of course, inherit this estate, but the fact that you thought of him makes me see you in a better light. I will give you an answer in six weeks when my mourning ends.” She picked up the box of pearls and handed it to him. “It is a little early for engagement gifts.”
