Page 46 of A Virgin for the Icy Laird
Emily nodded. “Now, daenae look so glum,” she told her with a small smile. “It doesnae suit ye.”
The redhead laughed, and the chatter resumed.
“Ye’re a good lass, me Lady,” Fiona murmured. “I see why the Laird is taken with ye.”
Some of the women around them nodded in agreement.
Emily’s cheeks flushed. “Ye tease me,” she said bashfully.
“Nay,” Katherine, another knitter, interjected. “One of the maids told us how the Laird watches ye and helps ye during mealtimes. We have never seen him take an interest in another woman.”
If only they kent.
All the instances they had mentioned were times when she and Adair had been trying to put on an act to convince his council and his clansmen. If it worked so well on them, then surely it worked on the servants.
She found herself giddy with excitement and the need to share this news with him.
“I just remembered I am to meet with him soon,” she said. “I will see ye later.”
Her steps were quick as she made her way to the study, where Adair usually was at this time of day. But as she rounded a corner, she bumped into someone and stumbled back.
When she finally steadied herself, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar face. Judging from the woman’s elegant dress and bearing, she could only be Lady Isla.
Emily curtsied. “Lady Isla,” she greeted. “Forgive me clumsiness. I should have been more careful.”
Lady Isla shook her head with a smile. “’Tis alright. I was in no small hurry as well. I should have been more careful.”
Emily smiled and nodded.
The ensuing silence was awkward, but Lady Isla was quick to break it.
“What is yer name, miss?” she asked.
“I am Emily, me Lady,” Emily offered.
Lady Isla furrowed her brow, as if trying to remember something. “Have we met before, Lady Emily?”
“I daenae believe so, me Lady,” Emily answered.
Still, Lady Isla looked unconvinced. She stepped closer.
“Ye look oddly familiar. I just…” She sighed. “Perhaps we havenae met before. Forgive me.”
“’Tis alright, me Lady,” Emily assured her.
Lady Isla retreated, still looking pensive.
It wasn’t just her. Emily was also confused as to why the woman would ask such a question.
Shaking her head, she resumed walking, but the strange look in Lady Isla’s eyes followed her down the corridor.
We have never met.I would remember if we’d met before.
And yet, as she turned another corner, she could not shake the feeling that Lady Isla had been trying to remember something.
12
Adair bowed his head as Laird Scott’s carriage rolled out of the courtyard. The wheels clattered over stone, the sound fading into the distance.
