Page 11 of In Love With the Wrong Highland Sister
“Why is it called the Broon Loch?” Gavin asked curiously.
“Because it is close to a peat bog, and the water is always brown,” Laria replied. She grinned at Gavin, and he smiled back at her. “But nobody ever says ‘brown’ around here, so it is always ‘broon’ or ‘donn,’ which is the Gaelic word, but I am sure you know that. You do speak Gaelic, do you not, Gavin?”
“Not as well as I should,” he confessed. “I can speak Latin and French.” He looked at her hopefully, wanting her to be impressed.
Laria giggled. “Oh, all the crofters around here speak French like natives!” she told him. “Do they not, Eloise?” She looked at her sister—who made her appearance with James—for approval, and Laria laughed.
“Indeed they do.” Her voice was full of suppressed laughter. “Why, only last week Stuart MacAdam said to me:‘Bonjour, Madame. Vous etês tres jolie.’”
“Very kind of him,” Gavin said, looking impressed. “Had he been prompted?”
“Of course not!” Eloisa replied, looking outraged. Then she laughed again, but after a moment, she became serious. “I wish we could have a school for the children. It would be so good for them to learn to read.”
Gavin moved away from Laria and put his arm around Eloisa’s shoulders. “Maybe it is a task you can work with your father on,” he suggested. “He seems like a very reasonable man.”
“Father is a lovely man,” Laria put in, “but he and my mother have so many other projects. Ellie and I have been talking about it between ourselves, but if Ellie is going away to be married, then it is no longer possible.”
“Never say never.” James’s deep voice was determined. “There is always a way if you want something enough.”
Laria gazed at his expression. His brows were drawn down, jaw clenched, and his piercing blue eyes shadowed. At that moment, she believed he could have done anything he wanted to, and he could have taken her with him. Then she gave herself a shake. He was not for her, but as she saw Gavin and Eloisa going on ahead of them, teasing each other and laughing, she felt that perhaps she was standing in the way of another budding romance.
There seemed to be an unspoken current of attraction between her sister and James’s brother. Should she try to break it or let it be?
6
The loch, as the name suggested, was completely brown, but its waters were teeming with fish, from tiny minnows to big trout. James was usually an enthusiastic fisherman and felt frustrated that he had no tackle with him to catch anything, particularly when he saw the fish jumping out of the water.
“Would you like to do some fishing?” Laria asked him.
“I have no rod,” he replied.
“We came rather unprepared this time,” she remarked. “But I am sure that you can come down and do some trout fishing before you leave.”
“Will you come with me?” James asked, before realizing that he had spoken without thinking. “With Eloisa, of course.” He was cringing with embarrassment inside; he had almost confessed that he wanted to be alone with her.
Laria was not stupid. She had seen the eagerness in his eyes, but she knew that she had to stop him. She could not allow herself to be led astray.
“Of course,” she replied simply. Laria decided to leave it at that and do no more about it, but she resolved to speak to her sister. Eloisa had been given permission to refuse James if she wished, and although she seemed to like him, Laria sensed no spark of attraction between them. It seemed that she was more interested in Gavin.
Gavin was seated beside Eloisa on a rock beside the pool, but they were not talking, merely sitting with their feet up to their ankles in the brown water, each content to be comfortably quiet. He was trying not to look at her. After all, she was to be James’s bride, but he was certain that he was not the only one wishing they could change partners. He could not imagine his brother marrying this young woman with whom he, Gavin, had so much in common. Should he speak to James? He could not make up his mind.
He looked around and saw James pouring ale for Laria, just as his brother glanced up and saw him. James and Gavin were so close they could almost read each other’s minds. Now Gavin wondered if James shared his thoughts.
“Bloody hell!” Laria looked up as she felt a raindrop splash onto her hand. A heap of dark gray clouds had sneaked up on them and was about to drop its load right where they were sitting.
“We are going to be drenched if we don’t move.” James’s voice was brisk. “Run! I will clear this up.” He quickly picked up every piece of food and stowed it away in the basket, then looked up to see that Laria had stayed behind and was watching him with a strange smile on her face.
“Are you going to just stand there?” he asked. “You will be soaked to the skin in a moment.”
“I thought I could help,” she replied. “Shall I carry something?”
“No, I have never needed any help carrying anything,” he answered. “Jump on my shoulder, and I will carry you too!”
Laria grinned and followed him back to the castle, annoyed with herself for staying behind. She wanted, yet did not want, to be with him. What was wrong with her?
* * *
They arrived back at the castle soaked and freezing, and Laria took the first opportunity she could to excuse herself and go to bathe, but as soon as she lay down in the deliciously warm water and relaxed, a soft knock sounded at the door.
