Page 18 of One Bed for the Bluestocking
Kate could not believe she was about to ask this question.“He doesn’t seem very, er…vigorous.”
“Ah.”Nathaniel’s voice was rich with amusement.“This is the first time I’ve witnessed badgers copulating.But from what I’ve read, this is likely normal.For many animals, breeding is something of a sprint, but badgers are the opposite.Slow and steady wins the race.It is my understanding that their copulation can last for up to an hour.”
Up to an hour.Perfect.She was going to be stuck in this box, sitting on Nathaniel’s lap, watching a pair of badgers fornicatefor the next hour.
She would have time to create a veritable pillow book for badgers.
The male began making a soft whickering sound.Kate sat up, hopeful that he was close to reaching his satisfaction.
He slumped back down atop the female, making no move to dismount.No such luck, it would seem.
“Keep drawing,” Nathaniel urged.“This could be the making of your career!”
Kate attempted an enthusiastic murmur.It sounded weak to her own ears.
But she flipped to a fresh sheet on her pad, resigning herself to her new career as a wildlife pornographer.
Chapter10
“Now this is the one ye should’ve turned into a painting.”
Kate knew without looking that the sketch Roderick had plucked from her portfolio would be the one of the copulating badgers.Three weeks had passed since the disastrous badger incident, and she, Roderick, Arthur, and Colin had gathered for dinner at the Sheep Heid Inn, an old pub near Holyrood Park.Kate and Nathaniel would be departing on their expedition to the Isle of Lewis tomorrow, so they had gathered to toast her departure.
She glanced across the table.Surely enough, the sketch Roderick was holding up was of the badgers, locked in their furry embrace.
She sighed.In retrospect, she supposed it was a bit funny.Even Colin was snickering.
She cast Roderick a baleful look.“I’ll give that one to you, as that’s apparently the sort of thing you like.You can hang it next to your bed.”
Colin and Arthur hooted their approval.Roderick grinned, taking the barb in stride.“I can’t say I have anything similar.”He waggled his eyebrows.“Of badgers, anyway.”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Arthur said.“Nobody wants to hear about your collection of ‘special drawings.’”
“The ones you hide under your mattress,” Colin added.
Kate felt her cheeks grow warm.She tried to hide her embarrassment by taking a sip of her ale.She knew they were referring to scandalous prints, not that she had ever seen any.She was always nervous when the conversation strayed in this direction.So far, Colin or Arthur had always changed the subject before things grew too bawdy.But she was given to understand that men sometimes discussed this sort of thing amongst themselves, and she worried that it was only a matter of time before someone made a comment that she would rather not hear.
Arthur fixed her with his blue-eyed gaze.“Was it awkward, sketching something like that?”
Kate shrugged.“A bit.But it’s part of the job.Did you know that copulation amongst badgers can take up to an hour?”
This earned her a laugh from her friends.
“An hour?”Colin snorted.“No wonder this drawing is so detailed.”
“That is impressive,” Roderick mused.“Even my personal record is only?—”
“Two minutes?”Colin guessed.
“Ha!”Roderick cried.“More like?—”
Arthur threw a roll at him.“Nobody wants to hear about that, Buchanan.”
Untroubled, Roderick took up the roll, which had bounced off his forehead, and took a bite.“That’s all right.I’m accustomed to the jealousy of others.”
Colin rolled his eyes before turning to Kate.“I’m surprised the badgers hung around with you two lurking outside their den.”
“Farmer Ross built a little makeshift shed that served as our hide,” Kate explained.
