Page 20 of An English Rose for the Highlander
Peggy was about to interject when Rose shot her a look. This was not the time nor the place, and Peggy would need to learn the ways of the keep just as she did. Fighting back a scowl, Peggy turned to Eilidh and curtsied.
“Of course.”
It was the first time Rose had seen a curtsey being used as an act of defiance, and she bit her tongue as opposed to chastising her maid. She would have to come around in her own time.
Eilidh led Peggy out of the room, and Rose remained with Fiona. As soon as it was just the two of them, the healer turned to Rose with a wide-eyed expression of excitement.
“Ye must tell me everything about England. I will take every bit of gossip ye have; I daenae even care that I willnae have any clue as to who ye’re speaking of.”
Rose laughed. “You truly are quite obsessed with the latestondit.”
“Ondit?” She cocked a brow.
“It means gossip, but in the language of the French. In England, it is very stylish to refer to it as such.”
“Oh.” Fiona’s eyes widened all the more, and Rose could not keep herself from laughing.
“Unfortunately, I’m not as well-versed in it as you might like, but I will do my best.”
“I will make do, me lady.” Fiona wrapped her arm around Rose’s shoulders, leading her to a set of chairs off to the side. “I will make do.”
10
Acommotion stirred up the entire keep, drawing everyone into the main hall where two of Laird MacKay’s friends had descended on the castle without invitation. At first, Rose was certain that this meant there was an emergency. The men were both Lairds as well, and they arrived with a tiny army of people at their backs, including servants and valets.
“Is everything quite all right?” Rose asked Eilidh as she joined the group who watched the Laird greet his guests. “Such a sudden arrival, has there been trouble?”
“Och, no, lass.” Eilidh shook her head, trading a glance with Fiona, who stood behind Rose, grinning. “I see we’ve failed to cover welcoming guests during our ‘lessons,’ aye?”
“I’d only nae reached that point.” Fiona was quick to defend herself, and Rose fought back a laugh. “We were chatting about what to expect while Rose helped me with some of the tinctures.”
“We did.” Rose nodded, conveniently failing to mention that they had also talked at length about England and any gossip that she was able to scrounge up from memory. “But then there isn’t anything to be concerned about? The men arrived uninvited. Is that…common?”
Rose gaped as both Eilidh and Fiona nodded back at her. If guests were to arrive uninvited at someone else’s home in England, it would be a terrible faux pas. It was simply not done. Arranging visits involved sending invitations and exchanging communications between the parties. Still, Rose had to admit to herself that this method of visitation seemed much more straightforward.
But how would the keep prepare to house and feed their new guests? Would that not cause an awful strain on the household staff?
“It is, me Lady. At the keep, ye must always be prepared for a ‘full house’ of sorts. MacKay Castle is always open and welcome to all members of the clan and our dearest friends. Hospitality, mistress. It is the core of a Highland home.”
“I see.” Rose nodded, still a bit taken aback.
Raucous laughter interrupted her thoughts, however, and she turned her attention to her husband and the two new men standing with him. They were just as robust and intimidating as Dominik, a Highlander trait apparently, but that was where the similarities ended.
The one on Dominik’s right was slightly shorter than he was, with a head of bright copper hair and crystal blue eyes. He smiled and playfully nudged the others, this air of vibrance and humor about him. The other looked decidedly annoyed by the man’s constant elbowing and jesting, his dark eyes severe and his expression serious to a fault.
Noticing her at last, the three men all raised their brows, and the guests quickly made their way to her, Dominik trailing along behind them as he rolled his eyes.
“So, this is the English lass our stern Dominik has roped into marrying him.” The man approached her, offering a slight bow of his head before raking his gaze over her so thoroughly that Rose worried he could see straight through to her shift. “Quite a sight, I will say. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, me Lady. I am Ashton Devlin, Laird O’Neill.”
He took her hand, kissing her knuckles rather intimately, and Dominik was quick to pull him away playfully by the scruff. Rose was undoubtedly shocked, but the boyish glares they traded back and forth pulled a laugh from her.
“That’s quite enough, Ashton. Ye’ll be keeping yer distance.” Dominik covertly changed positions, coming to stand beside her. “I’ll nae be having me wife tarnished by the Rogue of O’Neill.”
Oh my.
Rose put a hand to her chest, ducking her head. “Pleasure to meet you. I am Rose, though I imagine that the Laird has already informed you of that.”
“Indeed, he did, lass.” There was no avoiding the shameless flirtation of Ashton’s tone, and Rose looked to Dominik. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he leaned back a hair. When he narrowed his stare on Ashton once more, the man laughed, clapping a hand down on the Laird’s shoulder.
