Page 58 of Lyon of Scotland
Nell laughed. “Efficient enough to let myself into my brother’s house early—I keep a key—thinking the lonely lad needed porridge and tea and his sister’s company.”
Dare laughed with them, and then the women chatted and worked together to gather tea and scones, butter and jam, and fill bowls with porridge, adding honey and cinnamon to disguise the burned taste. He helped set breakfast on the small kitchen table, drew up chairs, and found the linen napkins himself. He said not a word, just smiled, enjoying their instant camaraderie and the sound of their laughter.
Last night in this very room, he and his bride had shared a late supper that had led to hours of contentment, bliss, and a sense of love such as he had never felt before. Now, he felt the warmth of family affection renewing in his life, a blessing indeed.
But a frown crossed his brow. He wanted this to last, wanted never to look back. Yet a cold shiver chased down his back, for he felt in his gut that Dove was still very much a threat. He hadnot paid the man, and had no intention of doing it. But he did not trust the man to give up. Though Dare intended to hasten to court to start actions against Dove as soon as he could, that would not enough if the man came north looking for them. And he did not put it past him…
Hannah’s mention of Charles Dove last night had reminded him how determined the senior Dove was to ensure his son’s success. And Hannah had created important drawings that Charles knew about, and that his father would want to secure.
He smiled, accepted more hot tea poured by his beautiful wife, and kept his thoughts and fears to himself.
“I like yoursister very much. She is so bold and charming, and seems like a friend already.” Hannah leaned toward Dare to be heard over the chatter of others in the restaurant at the Waterloo, Edinburgh’s new hotel, a palatial building that boasted three dining rooms, coffee and tea lounges, and fifty bedrooms. Dare had said he might like to test out some of those fashionable rooms with her, to which she replied that his very fashionable house served that purpose perfectly well, and more economically.
“Nell loves you too. I knew she would.” He smiled.
“I wish she could have joined us this evening. It would be nice to have another woman at the table when your friends arrive.”
They waited for Linhope and two others to join them, and she glanced toward the door hoping to see the physician. The central dining room at the Waterloo was lofty and elegant, with dark-paneled walls, glittering candlelit chandeliers, and rich carpets underfoot; a dozen tables were set with white linens and gleaming silver, crystal, and French porcelain. She glanced around, taking in the splendid surroundings.
“Nell is hostess for her ladies’ society group this evening. They do charitable work in the Highlands, teaching in schools, helping crofters’ wives, and so on. I wish she would rest more these days, but she is stubborn.”
“I think it runs in your family,” she said.
He huffed at that. “Could be. Well, Linhope will look in on her, and her husband will likely return from Ireland in time for the birth. He comes back often enough, but plans to retire from the regiment now that he has a growing family.”
“He must be valuable in the Irish position.”
“A surgeon and lieutenant colonel in the regiment, aye. Ireland has its issues, but it feels like a reward after one has served at Quatre Bras and Waterloo, where some of us were together. Interesting that this hotel is named for that damnable place,” he added, picking up his wine glass to swirl its pale golden liquid. “It was named for a victory, though many recall dark days there.”
She slid her fingers under the tablecloth to cover his hand, which rested on his thigh. “You never told me much about it,” she said. “Your hand.”
He shrugged. “Burned when I dragged a fellow soldier out of a fire that sparked in the brush from gunfire. I doused it, but the poor fellow’s jacket had been in flames. He had a long recovery ahead, though I did a bit better. Linhope dressed the burns and saw me through it. So did Nell’s husband, Ewan Cameron, who was a surgeon there too. But that is all is in the past,” he said, wrapping his fingers around hers. “And if not for you, dear lass, today I would still be a surly bachelor with no romantic prospects.”
“You were never that!”
He grinned. “But I could have been, had I not been rescued from that fate by a beautiful damsel. Ah, here they are.” He stood as Linhope and two men crossed the dining room.
Linhope, his hair a golden sheen, greeted them and introduced his companions: Hugh Cameron, a lawyer and older brother to Nell’s husband Ewan; and Ronan MacGregor, a Highland lawyer and distiller. Hannah thought him especially handsome, with nearly black hair and stunning blue eyes.
As they had dinner and talked, Hannah saw how relaxed the men were with each other, good friends who were more like brothers than acquaintances. She soon learned that their friendship stemmed from days shared in school and the military as well. Each man was intelligent, genuine, and of like mind with Dare. And each was charming toward her, drawing her into the conversation; she certainly knew men who would not have done that.
“Luckily, I did not need to go up into the Highlands to find the distiller,” Linhope told Dare. “Ronan was already in the city for the week.”
“Luck indeed,” Dare said. “So Linhope explained our dilemma?”
Ronan MacGregor nodded. “I am happy to supplement your whisky cargo. I will send word to my brother to ship several kegs to Leith. They should arrive in a few days.”
“Thank you,” Dare said. “We are proud to introduce your excellent Glenbrae whisky to the king.”
“And we will get it to him legally, with no hint of smuggling,” Hugh said. “Unconscionable that a fellow in London wants to accuse you of smuggling for bringing that stuff down. Good thought to delay the shipment for a bit.”
“Though a little danger adds to the flavor of a good whisky,” Ronan drawled.
“True,” Dare laughed. “I mean to go with the cargo this time.”
“You will go south so soon?” Hannah felt a sinking disappointment at the thought of him leaving.
He nodded. “I should have accompanied it to London before, but the provost’s office made the arrangements and chose the whisky too. Would you like to come with me, my dear?” he asked. “Just for a few days. We would be introduced to the king.”
