His breath caught in his throat. His eyes stung.
It was a sketch of him, quite clearly. He sat in a chair, which was picked out only by a few well-chosen lines. In the crook of each arm, he held a baby, both swaddled, both either asleep or falling asleep.
Callum knew, without a doubt, without needing to see the faces of the babies, that one of them was meant to be Alexander. A lump formed in his throat, stinging hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. His gaze rested on his own sketched expression, soft and happy. He was staring at the sketcher with an open face, trusting and content.
She truly thought that I could be this man. She imagined a second child. A future. Hope.
He swallowed away, squeezing his eyes closed. A warm, tickling line inched down his cheek, and it took him a full minute to understand that it was a tear.
That’s nae happened in a while,he thought dully, swiping away the tear with the back of his hand. Letting out a long breath, he turned and strode to the door.
“Lucas!” he bellowed.
Really, Callum hadn’t expected his friend to be nearby. However, Lucas sprang forward out of nowhere, his face expectant and hopeful.
“Aye, me Laird?”
Callum let out a shaky breath. “Prepare me carriage with fastest horses. I have a long journey to make.”
“But…the carriage is taking Melody to England. It’ll be gone for days and days, along with them.”
This was true. Callum growled under his breath, thinking.
“Very well. In that case, summon the keep craftsmen, and get me a good amount of wood. We can discuss other supplies later. I have work to do, and so do ye.”
“At once, Laird MacDean,” Lucas answered, barely able to keep the smile from his face.
29
ONE WEEK LATER
“It’s cheek, is what it is,” Lady Jenkins declared, loudly enough for anybody to hear. “That girl ought not to be seen in polite society ever again.”
“Well, you did not have to accept Lord Barrington’s invitation,” pointed out Lady Jenkins’ companion, a milder and duller lady by the name of Mrs. Evans. “You could have stayed at home.”
“Not likely. The Boltons never entertain, and it’s fairly clear that Lord Barrington only hosts this ball to try to ease his daughter’s inauspicious return to society. I wasn’t about to miss out on all the gossip, I can promise you.”
“Well, perhaps she really was just visiting her sister, as Lord Barrington said. There were rumors of an engagement, but surely…”
“An engagement to a brute of a Scottish laird will ruin her as much as an elopement,” Lady Jenkins interrupted brusquely. “You simply don’t understand these things. Those people are entirely different from us. Their society, such as it is, cannot possibly be civilized. I heard that Lord Sinclair announced publicly that he would not proceed with his engagement to Lady Melody, and frankly, I applaud his discretion. The girl is ruined now, utterly ruined.”
Before Mrs. Evans could venture a reply—or perhaps she was not intending to make one at all—a curtain rustled beside the two ladies. It pulled back to reveal a curtained alcove.
Melody stood there, an abandoned book sitting on a seat behind her. Smiling, she stared down at the two ladies for a long moment.
Mrs. Evans had the grace to blush. Lady Jenkins pretended not to have noticed.
“Goodness, how loudly you speak, Lady Jenkins,” Melody said aloud.
Lady Jenkins flinched, an expression of horror filtering across her face as she realized that Melody was speaking to her.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You may beg all you like, Lady Jenkins,” Melody responded smoothly, the smile never wavering. “Perhaps I am ruined, butI might confess that I heard a rather disturbing rumor aboutyou, in fact. Something about a footman, and a library, and Lord Jenkins being in France for months on end. Such a strange and troublesome story. I should hate to hear it repeated, or learn that such vile gossip had been so easily bandied about in town.”
Lady Jenkins turned an interesting shade of puce. “Are you threatening me?”
Melody widened her eyes and placed a hand on her chest. “Threatening you? My dear Lady Jenkins, no! Consider it a promise. The only threat here is your own behavior. Good day to you both, and I’ll be sure to ask Papa to exclude you both from the guest list, going forward.”
