Amanda Scott Read Online Free PDF Page B

married already or are far too young to suit our Mariota, are they not?”
    “I don’t want to marry a bad man or a child, Father,” Mariota said quickly.
    Ignoring both of them, Macleod said to Hector, “I mentioned that possibility only to point out how high the lass may look. She is no for ye, Hector Reaganach, but I admit I’d let ye ha’ Cristina in a twink, not only to reinforce me connection to MacDonald, but to see the lass wedded so the others may be so as well.”
    Hector met Cristina’s steady gaze and said quietly, “As I said before, sir, I’ve no wish to offend Lady Cristina—”
    “Oh, you won’t do that,” Lady Euphemia interjected. “Our Cristina never takes offense, do you, love? Why, Cristina is our rock. Nothing disturbs her.”
    “That is true,” Sidony agreed, speaking for the first time and smiling at her eldest sister. “Cristina never has moods like Mariota or Adela. She is just Cristina.”
    Cristina thanked the little girl, adding matter-of-factly, “I know you mean that as a compliment, Sidony. But now, if you girls have finished eating, we will excuse ourselves to the gentlemen. It is time you were all getting ready for bed.”
    Not even Isobel argued with her, so she excused herself to the two men and ushered her sisters from the hall.
    Impressed despite himself at the ease with which Lady Cristina shepherded her seven sisters from the chamber, Hector deduced nonetheless that, despite her words to little Sidony, she had not taken her aunt’s comment as a compliment.
    Had anyone asked what had stirred this deduction, he could not have explained, but he knew as well as if she had told him herself that she did not enjoy hearing her aunt describe her as the “rock” on whom everyone else depended.
    Perhaps it had been the glint in her golden eyes or the slight tension in her jaw that had given her thoughts away, perhaps the stiff way she held her body.
    He found himself wondering what manner of men her father had introduced to her that none had yet offered for her. Her figure was quite pleasing and her lips eminently kissable. Of course, once any man clapped his eyes on Mariota . . . But surely, Macleod had had better sense than to parade his prize about while he attempted to marry off her sister. In truth, all eight of the Macleod sisters were beautiful, and despite his earlier comment to Mariota, he could not imagine that Macleod would have difficulty finding husbands for any of them.
    He was vaguely aware that Lady Euphemia was dithering on again about something, but he paid her no heed until she said, “Really, my lord, Cristina would make you much happier in the years to come.”
    “I beg your pardon, my lady,” he said. “My wits must have wandered.”
    “And nae wonder, either,” Macleod growled. “Should ye no be helping Cristina wi’ the bairns, Euphemia?”
    “Oh, yes, of course, and so I shall at once,” she said. “I was just saying that good people so rarely understand because they simply cannot imagine . . . Well, not when they wouldn’t themselves, you know. And so often they simply accept things rather than questioning . . . But you need not concern yourself, sir, for I can see that my dear brother—so wise, always—will easily persuade you to marry our dearest Cristina, and she will make you ever so much happier, don’t you see?”
    Not having the slightest idea what she was talking about, Hector just smiled, but Macleod said indignantly, “Whatever are ye nattering about, woman? Never mind,” he added hastily when she opened her mouth to explain. “We dinna want to hear it, so run along now wi’ the others. We ha’ important matters to discuss.”
    She fled, and silence settled over the two men while gillies hurriedly cleared the rest of the food away, leaving only a large jug of brogac and two pewter mugs.
    Lifting his mug, Macleod said, “Here’s to arranging this business betwixt us. But first ye’ll tell me what MacDonald’s up to,