Page 45 of Claimed By a Ruthless Scot
Catriona laughed. “It can be.” She leaned forward again. “But ye dinnae dae that. Ye argue and ye correct, even if it is Duncan himself. Ye treat everyone as yer equal.”
Elaina busied her hands with a small bundle of thyme, stripping the leaves slowly from the stem as she considered that.
“I had nae noticed I was daein’ anything unusual.”
“Oh, it is unusual,” Catriona assured her cheerfully. “Most people would never dare speak tae Duncan the way ye dae.”
Elaina smiled faintly. “Well, he daes make it rather easy.”
Catriona’s grin widened. “Aye, he daes have a particular talent fer provoking people.”
“That he daes.” Elaina paused briefly. “He did exactly that in the kitchen last night.”
Catriona’s attention sharpened instantly. “Och?”
Elaina tried very hard to keep her tone calm. “He came in looking fer milk.”
Catriona blinked. “What happened?”
“Well,” Elaina smiled, “let’s just say that nay one got any milk. I told him I was making a tonic but I managed tae burn it.”
Catriona stared at her trying to hide her amusement. “Is that so?” She paused, then evidently wasn’t able to resist asking. “I wonder what me brother did tae make ye lose focus?”
Elaina sighed softly. “It is difficult tae remain focused on the fire when a man insists on standing far too close and questioning everything ye are doing.”
Catriona burst into laughter. “Och, I wish I had seen that.”
“He was nae particularly helpful,” Elaina continued, though there was the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “Heseemed quite determined to watch every step as though he expected disaster.”
“And he was correct.”
“Aye,” Elaina admitted. “Unfortunately.”
Catriona leaned forward eagerly. “So what happened?”
Elaina kept her eyes firmly on the herbs in her hands.
“Naething very dramatic. The tonic burned, he was insufferably amused, and I told him he was distracting.”
Catriona narrowed her eyes slightly. “That sounds like there is more tae the story.”
“There is nae.”
“None at all?”
Elaina shook her head, deliberately omitting the part where Duncan had stepped close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, close enough that for one startling moment she had forgotten entirely about the tonic on the fire. Indeed, it was close enough that it had felt very much like they might kiss.
She cleared her throat lightly. “This morning, he dismissed the guard who had been posted outside me chamber.”
Catriona stilled. “He did?”
“Aye.”
The surprise on Catriona’s face was immediate and genuine.
“Well,” she said slowly, “that is interesting.”
Elaina glanced up. “Interesting?”
