“Rowena!” John suddenly appeared and threw his arms around the woman’s surprisingly tiny waist.
“I didn’t know you were coming! Why are you here? How long are you to stay? Can we go for a picnic?” John’s barrage of questions elicited a prim grin from the china doll ’s face.
“Oh my, did your father not tell you I was coming?” She tsked and heaved an exaggerated sigh. “He can be so forgetful sometimes! ” Rowena shot a proprietary look at Lily, and, despite her better judgment, Lily felt a pang of angry jealousy prickle down her spine.
“You, my handsome laddie, will have the pleasure of my company, staying in your very own keep! ” Rowena tittered at her own merriness. “Isn’t it grand?
“Oh! But where are my manners? Aren’t you going to introduce me to your village friend?” If Lily thought at first sight that she wasn’t going to like this woman, now she knew for certain. She recognized her type in an instant. Coy was unfortunately not limited to a particular century.
“Aye, her. No, she ’s not from the village. My da took her in.
She’s my new governess.”
“Oh, how very pleasant for both of you! ”
Lily grimaced at her false enthusiasm—especially when she could see the bemused glint in Rowena’s eye. The woman was clearly tickled by the prospect of another one of John ’s victims, and likely relished it all the more since the boy plainly adored her.
Rowena stood for a moment in haughty silence, then announced impatiently, “Well, I am assuming your friend has a name other than just”—she turned to Lily and, with raised eyebrows and pursed lips, chirped “governess?”—
“Yes, of course. ” Lily nodded slightly, as if to shake off her distraction, and attempted a smile. “My name is Lily.”
“Just Lily?” Rowena asked, with a playfulness that didn’t entirely mask her mockery.
“Nooo, ” Lily spoke as if to a misbehaving child, “it’s Lily…”
She cursed herself for stumbling, then added with bravado, “Lily Cameron. ”
Rowena’s imperious attitude cracked for a moment, revealing something wicked roiling beneath the surface.
“Cameron?”
“Yes. I’m a distant cousin from France. ”
“France?” Scowling, Rowena assessed Lily from head to toe then asked with thinly veiled skepticism, “Really?” A venomous smile turned the corners of her mouth. “Well then, enchanté ”.
John had tuned in at the mention of his surname. Ewen hadn’t disclosed more than the barest of details about Lily ’s origins, and the boy was now looking puzzled. Lily quickly replied, “Yes, quite.” She was anxious to change the subject. Rowena’s eyes were intense, and Lily feared whatever machinations they might be hiding. She was obviously territorial when it came to the Cameron laird ’s family; that Lily was traipsing on Rowena’s domain was about as evident as a cloud of stink from a skunk.
“And just where in France are you from?” Rowena’s tone hinted that any place other than a cow pasture would come as a surprise.
“Oh …” Lily’s mind raced for the most believable cover story, something that wouldn ’t have changed too much over the years. She had only traveled through France once, and her memories were dominated by sidewalk cafes and the Eurail. “Just a small village, you probably wouldn’t have heard of it. ”
“Try me. The French countryside is so … très charmant, n’est-ce pas?” Rowena’s gaze narrowed. “What’s the name of your village?”
Dread unfurled in Lily’s belly. She had to choose probably the one Francophile—and a nasty one at that—in all the Highlands to test her story on.
“Oh …” Panicking, Lily could only recall place names from art history class. French Impressionist images of lavender water lilies and golden hay bales flickered through her mind. Not entirely sure how to pronounce Giverny, she quickly said, “Arles.” Lily hoped nobody pressed her for details because all she knew of Arles came from Van Gogh paintings.
“Arles.” Rowena rolled it speculatively over her tongue. Lily tried not to look visibly relieved that the woman didn’t seem to recognize the name.
“Yes. Arles, ” Lily replied with what she hoped was a tone of finality.
“Well. ” Silence hung for a moment between the two women, then a fan gracefully appeared in Rowena’s hand and she flicked it open with a dramatic flourish. “I don’t know how you stand this heat! ”
Lily quietly exhaled at the topic change. She seemed to have survived round one of Rowena’s interrogation.
The woman gave a coquettish tilt to her head and began fanning at her neck and breast. “I am myself not particularly accustomed to the outdoors but”—pursing her lips into a grin, she studied Lily’s face “I can tell from — the … healthy color in your cheeks that you often find yourself alfresco.”
Lily couldn ’t imagine what Ewen saw in this woman. Or rather, she could guess exactly what he must see in her. Flawlessly pretty, delicate, and, if the way she doted on John was any indication, she must have been downright fawning with his father.