Page 101 of A Rogue in Twilight
“We cannot fitanother blasted thing into that carriage,” James said, surveying the shabby landau packed full of belongings, most of them not his own. His breath misted in the chilly air and his boot heels crunched on packed snow. “We may need a cart and another driver as well as MacKimmie with the carriage. Are you sure the loom is necessary?”
“Aye,” Elspeth said beside him. “If we agree to spend the winter in Edinburgh so you can deliver your lecture series, then I must have my loom to keep me occupied or I die of boredom.” She smiled impishly, beautifully, from under the brim of her dark green velvet bonnet, her gloved hands inside the ermine muff he had given her for Christmas just last week.
Inside her left-hand glove, he knew, she wore the amethyst ring he had commissioned for their wedding in November. She loved it for the joy it represented—and he knew she delighted in its fairy-gem sparkle.
“Please do not languish of boredom,” he laughed. He felt good-natured despite the dismantled loom precariously strapped to the back of the landau. Lady Rankin would no doubt call them gypsies when they arrived at the Edinburgh townhouse. He would set about buying or renting another place as soon as possible. He drew Elspeth under one arm. “I can thinkof ways to keep you well occupied.” He nuzzled her cheek, where pink bloomed from cold and a rising blush.
“I would like that,” she murmured. “But you will be so busy with lectures and writing and your beloved rocks. What will I do without my loom and my work?”
“Lucie Graham will be dragging you off to teas and parties to introduce her dear cousin, the lovely Lady Struan. You will have little time for your craft.”
“I want time for my craft,” she said. “When word goes round that the eccentric new Lady Struan would rather sit home and weave than attend parties, there will not be many invitations.”
“Nonsense. The eccentric, unique, brilliant, beautiful Lady Struan will make weaving the new rage among the ladies of Edinburgh.”
“We shall see. I also need the loom to finish a plaid for my husband. It is Highland custom. It should be woven in a Highland home, but we must make an exception.”
“You are always the exception, my girl,” he murmured.
“You promised we can be back at Struan House by spring. I hope the handsome, studious, dashing Lord Struan can find something to do until the university opens in fall.”
“I will have more than enough to do on this estate. And Angus MacKimmie will do a fine job looking after things until then. He is already arranging to have that old bridge repaired.” He nodded to Angus, who grunted, busy tying the last of the luggage to the back of the vehicle. “But I have been thinking. This may be my last semester of lectures for a little while.”
“Is it so? Could we live year-round at Struan?”
“We still need to go south now and then. We must be pragmatic about that.”
“You are always pragmatic.” She pouted a bit, then smiled.
“Grandmother’s fairy book is nearly complete and will soon be in Sir Walter’s capable hands. And I must spend time inEdinburgh to work on my book about geognosy. After that, I want to write a new study of Scotland’s ancient rock layers. That would mean exploring the Highlands.”
Elspeth nodded. “Good. I want to be here for my grandfather.”
“Of course. Nor would I mind the life of a Highland laird much of the year. I can act as visiting scholar at the university rather than resident lecturer. I will have a word with the dean about that.”
“Thank you. With the fairy spell off his shoulders now, Grandda is slower at his weaving, and there is much weaving work at Kilcrennan, with the orders growing. I want to help him.”
“Donal has more on his mind than weaving these days, with his new wife.”
“Peggy will keep him happy. They both seem so content.”
“It is as if they’ve been married fifty years rather than two weeks. I hope we will be as happy as those two in our later years.”
“We will.” She laughed. “And if we are here, we could perhaps visit the realm where my parents live again. Donal could come with us.”
“Do not test my acceptance too far, wife,” he drawled very low, so only she could hear. “I am still not sure what happened on that mountain. I wonder if I hit my head on a rock that day, and dreamed all of it.”
“Perhaps you did.” She tugged on his hat brim and made a face. “What we have now is the best of dreams. Oh, here they come,” she said, turning. “They wanted to bid us farewell.”
James glanced there, but saw only the empty lane leading to the house. “Odd.”
“Coaches coming,” Angus called then. “A gig and a barouche.”
“Barouche?” James asked quickly.
“Black barouche, sir, very fine,” Angus said. “The one that was here before.”
“Nick,” James muttered. “What the devil does he want?” He walked a little along the lane beside Elspeth just as the coaches came over a low hill. “I see Donal’s gig, but why is Eldin here?”
