A Hellion at the Highland Court (The Highland Ladies #9) - Celeste Barclay Page 0,48

his intention to prove to the crowd that he wished to be with Laurel. She didn’t question it, instead, drawing strength from his silent encouragement.

Laurel’s feet ached by the time the queen signaled the ladies-in-waiting may retire. Even though she sat with the men, the queen’s expectations still bound her. Brodie walked her to the door of the Great Hall, but Laurel declined his offer to escort her to her chamber. People had witnessed him on the ladies’ floor far too many times that day.

“Monty told me he offered to take you riding tomorrow,” Brodie said as they came to a stop before the stairs. “Is that what you would like?”

“I wish to escape the keep for as long as I can,” Laurel smiled ruefully, but then pulled her lips in and looked at the floor. Brodie sensed what she wished but was too afraid of his rejection to ask.

“May I join you?” Brodie asked. He wanted to cringe when his tone sounded needier than he intended, but he wished to spend the day with Laurel. He wanted to see her on horseback, free of the courtly trappings.

“Yes,” Laurel blurted. With a plan set for the morning, Laurel retired to her chamber. Despite the long nap, the day’s events exhausted her. She barely undressed before she collapsed into bed. Brodie considered finding his men and venturing out to a tavern, relishing several drams of whisky after the unpredictability of the day, but he decided to pass. He may have wanted the relaxing sensation whisky would bring, but he was in no mood to face anyone from court. He settled for a swig from his own flask before he fell into a sound sleep.

Fifteen

Monty and Donnan nursed their mugs of ale at the Fox and Hound. Neither felt talkative after Monty relayed the day’s events. Discovering Laurel’s scant dowry was a shock. He’d been certain her dowry was less than their sisters’, but he couldn’t conceive of how meager it was. He was certain his clan’s finances were strong enough to weather more generosity. But he considered how his mother bemoaned Laurel’s reputation, harping on her unmarried status. It only irritated his father, who grumbled that the money spent on her lodging at court would have been better spent on a dowry. But often, Monty wondered—even asked—why his father didn’t choose someone who wanted the dowry more than he cared about Laurel’s reputation or personality. It wouldn’t be the first arranged marriage where the couple couldn’t tolerate one another. He’d given up suggesting she come home to Balnagown. At first, he’d noticed interest in his father’s eyes. But it dulled over the years as his mother continued to complain about her daughters who moved away and the one who was a failure.

As the two men sat mulling over life in silence, Monty wondered if his mother had more influence than he realized. He considered whether she could be the reason for Laurel’s mockery of a dowry. While it might have sufficed for a lesser laird’s daughter or a chieftain’s, it was insulting for an earl’s child.

“Do you think your father made that hideous ultimatum to actually force Laurel home?” Donnan spoke up.

Monty considered Donnan’s question, replaying various conversations with Laird Ross and then factoring in what he now suspected about Lady Ross. “He might have. He wouldn’t be asking her to come back, but he would be duty bound to accept her. It would put the shame on Laurel’s shoulders, but it would bring her home. It would likely give him a reprieve from Mother’s nagging.”

“Does no one realize how similar Laurel and Lady Ross are?” Donnan mused. “For quite different reasons, mind you. But the outcome is the same. They’re both harpies.” Donnan had no love lost for Lady Ross, but he rarely spoke against his lover’s mother.

“I think that’s why Father hasn’t wanted her to come home enough to make it happen. I think he fears having them both under the same roof.”

“Doesn’t he remember how she used to be? Does he believe it’s impossible that she might sweeten if she were away from a place she loathes and people she detests?”

“I’ve suggested as much, but I don’t think he does. I think he believes she’s unredeemable,” Monty confessed.

“What do you think? You know my opinion.”

“I believe she is. I think that’s what Brodie sees in her. Despite their scene this morning, have you not noticed how she’s calmer when she’s with him? I mean, she’s still a spitfire—her