Page 56 of The Highlander's Princess Bride
“Sir Dominic was friendly with your grandfather, I believe,” he said.
“That is correct.”
He flashed her a wry smile. “He seems acquainted with half the population of the kingdom, does he not?”
“Indeed.”
“And how old were you when you met Sir Dominic?”
“Nine, sir,” she said tersely. Victoria held her breath as he gently nudged her in the direction of the lawn leading down to the loch.
“And how many years did you spend away at school?” he finally asked.
She breathed a mental sigh of relief that they were leaving the potentially fraught topic of Dominic behind. “Six, the last as a teacher’s assistant. I would have been happy to stay longer, but there wasn’t a placement for me. I took my first position as a governess when I was nineteen and have been teaching ever since.”
He stopped by a stone bench that looked out over the water and was partially sheltered by a tall hedge. She’d discovered this spot on her first foray into the gardens, and it had become a favored retreat when the weather was mild. The bench retained the warmth of the sun, was out of the wind, and was perfectly situated to take in the magnificent vista of loch, mountains, and sky.
Arnprior waved a hand to invite her to sit. He remained standing, propping a booted foot onto the other end of the bench.
“And so here you find yourself,” he said in a lighter tone. “Far from civilization and all but buried alive with a group of scapegrace Highlanders. I wonder what could have brought you to this sorry pass?”
“I believe it’s the excellent salary you’re paying me, sir.” That, at least, was the truth.
He looked politely incredulous. “Surely a governess of your caliber is in great demand, is she not?”
The man was as persistent as a dog with a bone. “My lord, is there a specific question you wish to ask, or a particular concern you’d like me to address? I feel we are beginning to retread old ground.”
His sudden grin was so charming that her heart skipped a beat.
“And here I thought I was being so clever,” he said.
She took a moment to gather her wits around her like some sort of armor. “Since I cannot reasonably respond to that comment without causing offense, I will simply encourage you again to ask your question.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “My lord.”
His laugh was low, warm, and seductive. She curled her hands into fists, fighting a silly, girlish response.
“Very well,” he said. “In all seriousness, I cannot fathom why a woman of your obvious skills, one who has excellent referencesandthe sponsorship of Dominic Hunter, would choose to accept a position that most would run screaming from.”
“I almost did run, as you recall, particularly after meeting your grandfather.”
“Ah, yes. Angus is one of the reasons we’ve had difficulty keeping tutors in the first place. He all but ran off the dancing tutor I managed to hire from Glasgow—at the end of a dirk. And I wish I was joking about that.”
She contemplated that alarming image for a few moments.
Then Arnprior leaned down and rested a forearm on his thigh, bringing them to eye level. “You seem to have declawed the old fellow, though,” he said with a faint smile.
“Really? Why, just yesterday he reprimanded me for bothering the twins with a lot of frippery and nonsense.”
“What were you doing?”
“Suggesting they refrain from slurping their soup.”
He laughed. “Poor Miss Knight. Well, that example certainly makes my point. Whyareyou putting up with my sorry family, and with such patience? And don’t say it’s the salary, because I know that’s not the only reason.”
Clearly, he was not going to give up. “Well, if you want to know the truth—”
“I do.”
His smile took some of the sting out of his words, but she heard the warning. Arnprior still had doubts about her, and she knew it stemmed from the glaring lack of references from Lord and Lady Welgate. Although the twins and Royal would be as likely to commend her for killing her attacker as not, the earl was something of a high stickler. He wouldnotapprove, she suspected, so she needed to continue to tread carefully.
