Page 74 of Keeping Kate
“Not so much a miracle,” he said, “as stubbornness.” Mary Murray must know something of Kate’s activities, Alec thought, puzzled. Surely they all did, here at Duncrieff. “Are you kin to Kate MacCarran, Mistress Murray?”
“Not blood kin, not me. But the Murrays, the MacPhersons, and the MacCarrans have been friends and allies in this region since any can remember, with some marriages in long-ago generations. Lately, Kate’s sister married Kinnoull. Connor MacPherson,” she added. “He and Rob MacCarran have been bosom friends since they were lads. And they all look out for one another.”
“I see.” Alec nodded. “I hope to see more of Duncrieff and meet Rob MacCarran and Kinnoull as well. I would like a word with them.”
“Once you are on your feet, aye. And do take a moment to see the golden fairy cup kept at Duncrieff before you leave. ‘Tis the pride of the clan. They do say a fairy gift has touched generations of the MacCarrans of Duncrieff. Kate and Sophie both have it. Though a fine lot o’ mischief it can cause too.” She made a wry face, and Alec laughed.
“I can imagine,” he drawled. “Have you known Miss MacCarran long?”
“Kate, you mean? I first met the girls when I married Neill Murray. They were still bairns then. A few years later, their father was exiled for his loyalties.”
“He took his family to France, I think?”
“He did.” She frowned. “I must ask, sir, how well do you know Miss Kate?”
He cleared his throat, dipped his spoon into the soup. “Not well enough.”
“Tcha,”she said, “be careful, lad, for her kinsmen protect her carefully.”
“Mrs. Murray, I assure you, I have done my utmost to protect her since I met her. And it seems to me her kinsmen could have protected her a bit better than they have.”
“With that one, her kin could either lock her up in a tower or make the most of that charm she has. She was glad to do it. She has a fairy way about her, Captain.”
He laughed ruefully. So Mary did understand what Kate—Katie Hell—had been up to beyond Glen Carran. “It is an interesting family tradition.”
“And very real. There are many stories about the fairy gift of the MacCarrans. Some have a true gift. It is like a sort of magic about them.” She smiled.
“I have no doubt of that.” Alec returned a wry smile. “This soup looks excellent.”
“Kate made it for you. She has been devoted to you these days, stayed here, slept only a little in that chair, there, while you were ill.”
“I remember,” he said, recalling her constant presence during his brief, fierce illness. “Where is she now?”
“Sleeping in her own room at last. She has been as devoted to your care as, well, any wife might be. So I must ask,” Mary said sternly, “if you are like a husband to her.”
“Husband?” He lifted his brows as if the idea was new. It was not. He had been thinking about it all through the night and morning. “That lass has strong magic about her that makes men fall in love with her. They canna resist her if she turns that glamourie on them. She can bedazzle men with that fairy enchantment when she wants. But so far as I know, she never returns the interest. Until now,” she added.
“Now?” Alec met the woman’s serious glance.
“There is something different about you, sir, and she has changed. I believe you are...very important to her, Captain. Perhaps more than that. She seems lovestruck. Are you?”
He did not want to answer that. “I assure you I have no ill intentions toward her.”
“I believe you.” She nodded. “Best hope her brother and kinsmen believe it, too.”
“I have nothing to hide from them.”
“Good. You know you could make this situation better for all concerned, sir.”
“How so?” He waited, expecting her to tell him to clear out of Duncrieff.
She leaned closer. “Marry the lass,” she whispered. She took the bowl from his hands. “Marry her and make it right for both of you. For everyone. That is my advice.”
Dumbstruck, Alec stared at her.
“If you have bedded the lass, you should wed her. You are gentleman enough to know that. What do you have to say?”
He was not sure if she was reprimanding or encouraging him. “I am gentlemen enough to say nothing about it but to the lady herself,” he said at last.
