believe it would help.”
Margaret patted her hand again. “Of course. I will make sure you have a suitable maid at your disposal by this evening. Now . . . if you don’t mind, Olivia. I need to lift my veil in order to drink my cup of tea.”
“Oh yes. Please do. Don’t worry on my account.”
“Thank you. I thought I should warn you though. I did shock Tilda yesterday, and I should hate to frighten you.”
“I’m sure you won’t.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
Despite the warning from the dowager marchioness, when she raised the lace that had concealed her face and smoothed it back over her auburn hair, Olivia had to press her lips together to stifle a gasp.
Oh, my goodness. Hamish’s mother was a beautiful woman, and the sight of the terrible scarring across her right cheek and jaw and down one side of her neck made Olivia want to weep. What pain she must have endured. And no wonder she hid herself away. Even though she tried to keep calm, tears pricked Olivia’s eyes. She blinked quickly to clear them.
Margaret’s mouth trembled with a smile. “Don’t be sad for me, dear child. Terrible things happen sometimes. I thank God every day that I’m still here and can be a part of my children’s lives. To see them grow up, and marry, and achieve wonderful things is a blessing indeed.”
Olivia nodded. Her thoughts strayed to Tilda and how her mother had felt compelled to give her up. She must have been in an impossible situation to do such a thing. And then Olivia thought of her own mother and how much she missed her. Dropping her gaze, she picked up her tea and took a sip to conceal her own sadness.
Margaret offered a plate of delicate cucumber and salmon sandwiches to Olivia. When she politely declined, the dowager marchioness continued, “It goes without saying that I’m looking forward to becoming a grandmother, too, one day.” Sliding off one of her gloves, she selected a sandwich for her own plate. “It’s lovely having Tilda here in the nursery, but I do long to hold my own wee grandchild in my arms.” She caught Olivia’s gaze. “Not that I mean to put undue pressure on you and Hamish, of course. I know you’ve only just wed. There’s plenty of time.”
Olivia felt herself blushing. What could she possibly say? “Your son doesn’t want to have children with me”? “In a few short years, if not sooner, we are going to get divorced”? She needed to steer the conversation in another direction, and quickly. “Actually, I’ve been wondering what Hamish was like as a boy,” she ventured. “Yesterday he admitted to me that he was rather mischievous.”
Margaret laughed. “Oh, yes. He was indeed a scamp. And a rumbustious and willful adolescent too. But he’s grown into a noble man. A man I’m proud of.” Her expression changed. A shadow passed across her gray eyes. “Unlike his father . . .” Her gaze met Olivia’s directly. “I thought you should know that, in case you hear any rumors. Which you are sure to.”
“Oh . . .” Olivia put her tea down and folded her hands in her lap. “Hamish hasn’t told me all that much other than his father perished in . . . in the fire here. I gather it’s a topic that is difficult to revisit . . . for both of you.”
Her mother-in-law nodded. Her scarred hand fluttered to the high neck of her black wool gown. “Yes. But I’d prefer you hear the details from me rather than anyone else, especially the servants. You see, Torquil—I suppose Hamish had told you his name—was not a good man. In fact, one might even venture to say he was cruel.” Her mouth twisted with bitterness. “He had a bad temper, and the worst thing was, I never quite knew when he might have an outburst. He would just . . . explode over the smallest things that displeased him, and I could never tell what it would be that would trigger his anger. I was always walking on eggshells around him. Needless to say, we did not have an amicable relationship. He was not a good father either . . .”
Her fingers touched the scars on her neck, and her gaze grew distant. “In fact, the night of the fire, we fought. Most viciously. For the life of me, I can’t even recall what it was about. But Torquil did come