Page 106 of Highland Champion
“Lord Mount Stuart already thought of that,” Fiona said. “He was going to the Oakleys’ when I left. Devon went with him.”
Lorelei felt her ears perk. “Alasdair is home by himself? That is perfect! I can see him—I mean,talkto him—alone then.”
“Was Lady Mount Stuart home when you left?” Louisa asked Fiona.
“Aye,” she answered. “Why?”
“I doubt that she is going to condone Lorelei meeting with Alasdair alone, especially with the scandal so fresh,” Louisa said. “Besides, once the servants see you in the same room with the door closed, gossip belowstairs will run rampant.”
Lorelei knew well that the servants’ network of passing information was even faster than theton’s. She chewed her lip. “Well, then, I will have to sneak in.” She turned to Fiona. “Which floor is Alasdair’s room on?”
“Second.”
Louisa stared at her. “Surely, you are not thinking about—”
“I have to see him.” Now that she had settled on the idea, desire was building rapidly. She turned back to Fiona. “Is there a trellis or a tree near a second floor window?”
“Aye. A nice, big chestnut tree.” Fiona gave her a mischievous smile. “Shouldna be too hard to scamper up.”
Louisa gasped. “You cannot climb a tree!”
“Actually, I am quite good at climbing trees,” Lorelei replied. “Of course, I’ll have to borrow a pair of Fiona’s breeches.”
She nodded. “Nae a problem.”
“I am also going to need a bit more help.” She glanced at Louisa. “From both of you.”
“What kind of help?” Louisa asked warily.
“I need the two of you to pay a call on Lady Mount Stuart. If Alasdair is downstairs, Louisa, you will need to keep Lady Mount Stuart distracted until Fiona is able to let him know he needs to go upstairs. I’ll go around to the back while you do that.”
Louisa frowned. “Do either of you know how much trouble you will be in if Lorelei is seen?”
“I will be dressed as a boy with my hair tucked under a cap,” Lorelei answered. “If anyone sees me, they will think I am just a lad going around to the mews.”
Fiona grinned. “I wish I could be there to see the look on Alasdair’s face when he sees a lad crawling into his room.”
Louisa looked from one to the other very slowly, quite possibly thinking they’d both taken leave of their senses. And maybe they had, but Lorelei knew she had to do this.
“Think of it as an adventure,” she said. “You have not been on one of those with us.”
“And for good reason.” Louisa glanced between them again and then sighed. “I only hope I will not regret this.”
…
Alasdair was on the first floor stair landing when he heard voices in the foyer below. Recognizing Fiona’s and Louisa’s, he paused, wondering if Lorelei had come with them. Had Fiona told her about the duel? He’d instructed his sister to let him break the news tonight, but that didn’t mean she’d done as he’d asked. He wondered if he should go down to see why they were here, but then he heard Lady Mount Stuart greet them, and in a moment their voices drifted away as they moved into the parlor. He turned and continued to the second floor. If his presence were required, a servant would come get him.
Right now, he needed to plan a strategy for tomorrow’s duel. While he appreciated the effort Mount Stuart was making to avoid the combat, he was also certain it would not work. Oakley had been angry when Alasdair had left him, and that was before he’d received the news of what had taken place between him and Lorelei. The duke wouldn’t be picking up the gauntlet he’d thrown down. Not now.
With a sigh, he opened the door to his bedchamber and then stopped at the sight of a lad’s arse crawling backward through a window into the room.
“What the hell…”
At the sound of his voice, the lad skittered through the opening, his head bumping on the pane as he did, causing his cap to fly off. Long blond hair came tumbling down as Lorelei turned to look at him.
Alasdair blinked, wondering if he’d taken leave of his senses. What would Lorelei be doing in his room, dressed as a lad? He had to be barmy.
And then she was flying at him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her soft warm lips on his. She was real. And if she wasn’t, he was willing to remain in a state of delusion. Pulling her close, he deepened the kiss, wanting to savor it a bit longer. Then, reluctantly, he leaned back.
