The maid made a fair point. Lorna had never really thought of it that way before. “So, what exactly are ye doing with my hair?”
“Plaiting the sides, and I will pin the back into a proper bundle of curls.”
Lorna rolled her eyes. “Carry on, but easier, aye? It feels like ye are about to pull me bald.”
“Tender head,” Ebby muttered.
“What was that?” Lorna waited to see if the lass would repeat it.
“Nothing, mistress.” The hair taming continued, but easier this time.
“Make haste, Ebby,” Bella said. “We need to get to the hall before Lady Cow does.”
“Bella.” Lorna shook a finger at the girl. “I know ye dinna like the woman, but if ye call her that in secret, ye might make the mistake of calling her that to her face. Would that make yer da proud?”
Bella adopted an appropriately crestfallen appearance. “He prolly wouldna like it.” Her apologetic expression disappeared. “But I dinna like her one bit.”
“I understand, but ye have to be sly with the enemy, aye? Play along so they dinna suspect ye are about to best them.” Lorna figured that angle might sit better with the youngling.
“Aye,” Frances piped up. “Cruel she is, but she is nay a dullard. We will have to take care with whatever we do.”
“All done,” Ebby announced as she stepped around and pulled a small hand mirror from her apron pocket. “Does it suit ye, mistress?”
Lorna eyed her reflection and smiled. Ebby had indeed tamed her shoulder-length hair. “I love it, Ebby. Thank ye for making me more respectable.” Now she most definitely looked the part of a seventeenth-century lass. She handed back the mirror and turned to the three fidgeting bairns. “Lead the way, my fine ones. Let us ready ourselves for this meeting with the enemy.”
Bella grabbed one of her hands, Frances caught hold of the other, and Hesther brought up the rear.
“Now remember,” Lorna said, deciding a warning was necessary. “We are to be polite to throw her off guard, ye ken?”
“But only till she attacks first, aye?” Bella asked.
“Aye,” Lorna agreed. “We willna start the battle, but we will finish it.” If Lady Murdina picked on any of the bairns, all bets were off and she had dibs on the mean woman.
Chapter Seven
“Ye ken Mrs.Thistlewick assigned Forsy to yer betrothed?” Jasper said.
“Lady Murdina and I are not officially betrothed.” Gunn gave a nod. “And aye, I am aware of Mrs. Thistlewick’s doings.”
Jasper chuckled. “Not a more stoic nor obstinate maid exists. Forsy the Fierce may undo all the work the solicitor and I did to arrange this match.”
“Yer work may be undone by any number of failures in the next thirty days. If we canna achieve an amiable enough balance, the union will not happen.” Already, whenever Gunn thought of Lady Murdina, which was rarely, he felt himself recoil. Not a good reaction to a woman with which he hoped to sire a son.
“I would hate to see that happen,” Jasper said, then lowered his voice and moved closer. “For when she leaves, she is sure to take her son’s nursemaid with her.”
Jasper’s insinuations pricked like a thorn and stung like nettles. Gunn maintained a blank expression and kept his gaze leveled on the guests trickling into the hall. “It was my understanding that ye clashed with the nursemaid.”
“Aye, we did at that. But there is a thin line betwixt love and hate.” Jasper jutted his chin higher and smiled. “She called me an arse. I consider that high praise from that lady and admire her fire for saying it.”
Gunn clenched his teeth so hard his jaws ached. A dangerously possessive stirring that should not exist took root in his chest. “What happened to yer interest in Esther Oliphant?”
“Esther Oliphant is still a prudent choice for a wife, considering the lands that would come with her.” Jasper clasped his hands behind his back and rocked from heel to toe. “But a man can have more than one interest, ye ken?”
“Not in this keep.” Gunn sidled a hard glare at his war chief. “I willna have the unrest of a wife and a mistress under the same roof.”
Jasper tipped his head as though considering the warning, then stood taller and squared his shoulders. “Perhaps Mistress Lorna would be the better choice even without the dowry. Look at her.”
Gunn followed Jasper’s line of sight, then swallowed hard. He had already found the wee mouse quite fetching with her mussed hair and drab clothing. But now the comely lass had turned into a beguiling beauty. The deep burgundy dress not only brought out her eyes but also revealed the trimness of her waist and an expanse of tempting décolletage.
