“Haven’t you had enough?” Despite her protest, she brought her fingers into his hair, to make sure he didn’t stop.
“Never,” he murmured, moving over her again.
However, whatever might have happened next was rudely interrupted by a loud kerfuffle on the other side of the door. It flew open, depositing two people headlong into the room. Brucie erupted into excited barking, which suggested their unexpected visitors were friend rather than foe.
“Heavens above! We’ve caught them atit!” Ailsa regained her balance first, and hurriedly covered her eyes.
“I did warn you!” Alastair sounded immensely uncomfortable. “Finlay, man, pull the sheet up, for the love of God!”
Margaret wished the bed would swallow her. ’Twas too embarrassing! Her own brother witnessing them about to indulge in the marital act! At least having Finlay where he was, enabled her to duck from view.
She supposed she ought to be polite though, since Ailsa and Alastair had, presumably, come to see if she needed rescuing.
“How did you get through?” she called from beneath the hulk of man atop her.
“It’s blasted cold, but we’ve not had as much snow at Balmore as you have here. Ailsa insisted we drive over and check on you. The last hour was damnable, but we pushed through. ’Twas the door from the courtyard that gave us the most trouble. Iced shut entirely! Had to send that wee laddie, Jamie, off to bring some heated water. That got it unstuck.”
“By the saints,Alastair! They don’t care about all that!” Ailsa’s voice carried over. “I’m happy to find you both so…” she gave a small cough, “so comfortable.”
“Aye!” Alastair chimed in. “I take it you’ll be putting this fool nonsense behind you now, and will behave like man and wife henceforward. ’Twas the devil’s own job getting the two of you over here, but I see the effort has borne fruit.”
“I’ve a wee bone to pick with you over that!” Finlay rolled to one side, obliging Margaret to sink lower beneath the covers. She’d have them entirely over her head if she could.
Ailsa sent her an apologetic look.
“If you’d let me in on the plan, I’d have played along,” Finlay added. “‘Twould have made things a sight easier.”
“You’ve no head for deceit, that I do know, and that sister of mine is canny. She’d have sniffed out a scheme in no time and laid the blame at your door.” Alastair folded his arms.
Margaret tried to feel offended but decided being ‘canny’ was probably more of acompliment than an insult—at least from her brother.
“You had to be equals in suffering,” Alastair went on. “Although it doesnae look as if there’s been a grand lot of that going on.”
“You dinnae know the half of it,” Finlay muttered under his breath, which earned him an elbow to the ribs from Margaret.
“Anyway, Happy New Year to you both!” Ailsa gave a wide smile. “Are you wanting to come back to Balmore with us? You’ll be quite alone here otherwise, until tomorrow sometime.”
Finlay looked inquiringly at Margaret.
As far as she was concerned, they were just fine as they were.
“Happy New Year to you in return.” Finlay grinned. “I think we’ll stay put, but you’re welcome to pass the night here, if you don’t mind roughing it in one of the guest rooms. There’s hot milk on the stove, and you might take Brucie out.”
“Milk!” Alastair pulled a face. “We need something strongerthan that for celebrating with. I’ll fetch the good brandy. Still in the snug, is it?”
“Leave them be! They’ve better things to be doing than drinking brandy with you!” Ailsa took hold of her husband’s arm. “We’ll take Brucie back to Balmore with us, and you can collect him when you’ve a mind. Now we’d best be off, while there’s still daylight to see by.”
As soon as the door closed, Finlay gave a long, low chuckle. “Another whole evening, wife! What shall we do then, to amuse ourselves?”
“We never did finish that game of cards,” Margaret prompted.
There were plenty of games that night, and many nights thereafter, but none of them ever did involve spades or clubs, nor diamonds, and the only hearts involved were those of two people who remained very much in love, all through the years allotted to them.
’Twas much, much later that Margaret took up her pen, and added a chapter toThe Lady’s Guide to All Things Useful,givingher advice on what to do if a lady ever found herself snowbound in unexpected circumstances.
There was another too, that summoned her attention—on the importance of never giving up hope, even when we think the thing most precious to us is lost. For, as the Scots do say,whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye.
The dream you’re chasing might just be chasing you too.
