Page 1 of My Highland Fling
Chapter 1
Rebellion
GabrielleHerbert,royalprincessof Konstavia, strolled to the window and stared down at the village lights.Resentment crept through her.Her hotel room was the most luxurious in Glenkirk, the Scottish town where she’d undertaken a speaking engagement for a children’s charity.A vase of bright pink roses, baby’s breath, and greenery sat on a wooden pedestal table at the room’s entrance.A bottle of the best French champagne nestled in an ice bucket, beaded with moisture.
Earlier, a maid had delivered a meal of chicken and salad, ordered as per her mother’s instructions.Gabrielle’s scowl deepened, and she glared at the offending and untouched plate.Tilly, her chaperone and a distant relation, snored in one of the two bedrooms in the hotel suite.
Gabrielle sighed, paced a quick circle past the comfortable furnishings and high-end fixtures, and halted at the window again.This view was the closest she ever got to seeing the countries she visited on behalf of her chosen charities.Her mother preplanned every step of her stays, from what she wore to her hotel and her inevitable speech.She glowered at the healthy, uneaten food again.Even her meals.Her mother didn’t permit Gabrielle to choose her dinner.
Where was the freedom?The reward for doing an excellent job and bringing wealthy sponsors to support her charities?
Why did she bother trying to please her mother, who continually nitpicked at everything she did?Neither of her older brothers faced the restrictions imposed on her, and this lack of autonomy chafed like an ill-fitting pair of trousers.
Her parents considered her a commodity to bring wealth and power to their kingdom.An example was her upcoming marriage to Gregor, a Swedish prince.She’d never met the man, and her research hadn’t impressed her much.He was a playboy with a penchant for fast cars and fast women.
She hated even to imagine a life trapped with a philandering husband.
Had she tried to change the status quo?Yes, and her mother or Harold, her mother’s secretary, quashed every one of Gabrielle’s suggestions.Her life was a well-trodden path with no excitement or adventure on the horizon.
A knock on the door interrupted her agitated thoughts.When Tilly’s snores continued unabated, Gabrielle stalked to the door, the skirts of her floral silk dress brushing her calves.She opened the door to a maid.
The girl offered a polite smile and indicated her trolley.“I’ve come to collect your dinner dishes.Oh!You haven’t started eating.I’ve almost finished my shift, but I could wait for ten minutes.”
Gabrielle stood aside for her to enter, the tightness in her chest easing at the distraction.“Please, take them.”
The girl parked her trolley outside and headed for the uneaten dinner, her crisp black uniform dress rustling with each step.
Gabrielle studied her.“Is Glenkirk a pleasant town to live in?What do you do for excitement?”The words burst from her in an eagerness to speak off-script.“Is there a place you’d recommend to buy casual clothes?”Dozens more questions trembled at her lips, but she bit them back and waited.
Around Gabrielle’s age, the girl stared at her through questioning blue eyes.“We’re not meant to speak with guests.”
Gabrielle’s brows rose.“I’m going nuts here, and talking to myself is no fun.”
“All right,” she said slowly, weighing Gabrielle’s intentions.“Glenkirk is mostly quiet unless they’re holding a conference at Castle Glenkirk or here at the hotel like today.”
“And your time off?What do you do?”
The girl picked up the tray with Gabrielle’s uneaten meal.“Since I’m saving to purchase a house, I don’t go out much.I might have a drink at a local pub.I do a lot of walking and cycling with friends.During winter, we cheer on the local rugby team.This year, I’ve taken up knitting.My granny is teaching me.”
A kernel of an idea popped into Gabrielle’s head.Could she?Gabrielle’s stomach hardened as she considered the ramifications, then she mentally shrugged.Bottom line: she was past caring.Arranging a marriage, despite her objections, went beyond the bounds of decency and respect.
Gabrielle jumped in with both feet.“I have a crazy plan.”She glanced toward Tilly’s bedroom.The rhythmic snoring continued.“My family expects me to stay in my hotel room for my entire visit without seeing any of the town.I wondered if you’d be willing to give me your clothes so I could sneak out and have a few hours of fun before I return home to Konstavia.I can pay you.”She had cash because, governed by instinct, she’d squirreled it away for emergencies.This situation constituted a crisis.
The girl backed up, her gaze darting to the door as if she was considering making a run for safety.
“Please,” Gabrielle said.“Can you imagine visiting places and getting confined to hotel rooms?”
“Why can’t you just leave?”
“My security team will be downstairs, watching the entrance.”
The girl relaxed a fraction.“You want to wear my clothes?”
“What is your name?”
“Linda.”
“Yes, Linda.If you’d lend me your clothes, I’ll give you five hundred pounds.”Gabrielle crossed her fingers.“One night of fun.I don’t want to cause trouble.Just have a drink and hit the shops.”
