“Never say never, Maisie.” Eliza looked to see if she could find something else to repair. Sadly, there was no shortage of holes to mend. “Now, here is another one—” she began.
Suddenly, she heard someone clearing their throat, and she looked up to see two of the elders standing at the door, disapproval etched all over their grim faces.
Eliza was fizzing with fury at their disrespect, since they had not even bothered to knock on the door, but she remembered Duncan’s words about how to keep the elders on her side, and smiled at them.
“What can I do for you, gentlemen?” she asked politely.
One of the men grimaced. “A lady sewing with a maid?” he said, his voice filled with disgust.
Eliza forced down her rage. “A lady is responsible for her people, is she not? If I show this girl how to sew I will not have to employ a seamstress to do the mending, which will save us money, will it not? I am sure you approve of that. The mistress of the castle must also see to the finances of the household, after all.”
The men exchanged glances, then nodded grudgingly, although the expressions of condescension did not leave their faces. At that moment, Eliza had a fleeting fantasy of the dirk and the damage it could do to both of them.
“An essential guest is about to arrive,” the taller of the two men said. “The Laird is out hunting, so it is only proper for his betrothed to greet her. Her name is Lady Iona Drummond, and she and her family must always be treated with the greatest of respect.”
His tone suggested that Eliza was a simpleton who was too stupid to understand the concept of respect, but although she was furious, she forced herself to look calm and agreeable, at least outwardly. Eliza reflected that she was becoming an expert at hiding her feelings!
“Of course,” she agreed, standing up. “Lead the way, gentlemen.”
Her heart was beating nineteen to the dozen as she followed them downstairs and out into the courtyard. Even though her father was a nobleman, she had never had to greet anyone of consequence before, since the Earl had always considered it his prerogative.
Now she stood watching as an elegant carriage with a gilded crest on the doors came towards her, pulled by four identical grey horses, their hooves clattering loudly on the cobbled courtyard. If there was one subject that her father excelled at, itwas judging horseflesh, and these specimens were the best of the best, even to Eliza’s less than expert eye.
They must have cost a fortune,Eliza thought, as she noticed their glossy coats and expensive livery.
She looked down and smoothed her hands over her plain dress to smooth any wrinkles, thanking the stars that her own clothes had finally arrived. Her pale grey day dress was plain, but it was of very good quality, something for which she was very grateful, since she had a suspicion that she was about to be judged, and judged harshly.
One of the elders, who had followed her outside, stepped forward to help the passenger out of the coach, and for a moment Eliza could do nothing but stare. The woman was tall, with dark blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and fine sculpted features. She was wearing a travelling costume that consisted of a fine dark blue woollen dress and a cloak in the same colour, and Eliza thought that a queen could not have dressed any better.
“Lady Iona Drummond,” the elder said with an insincere smile.
Eliza pasted on a smile of her own and moved forward to greet the visitor with a polite curtsy. The woman returned the gesture with an answering smile and held out her gloved hand. Eliza shook it with a firm grip, and Lady Drummond looked surprised.
“I am Lady Eliza Tewsbury,” Eliza said. “I am pleased to meet you, My Lady.”
“And I you,” Lady Drummond’s tone was sweet and polite, but the way her sharp blue eyes raked Eliza from head to foot with a blatant assessing gaze was not. “I have heard a lot about you.”
“All good, I hope?” Eliza asked, laughing a little as she tried to inject some levity into the conversation.
Lady Drummond nodded. “Of course,” she replied.
She smiled again, but it did not reach her eyes, and the expression made Eliza shiver inside. This woman was her enemy, and she had said so without uttering a single word.
11
As they walked into the castle together, Eliza felt deeply uncomfortable as the tall woman beside her made her feel small, both physically and inside her mind. The two men who had introduced them walked behind them, and Eliza wanted to turn and shoo them away, but she knew it was impossible, so she carried on walking beside Lady Drummond, all the time making pointless small talk.
How was the journey? Are you well? Would you like to freshen up? We are having venison for dinner. Would you like some tea?
Each question was answered politely but in a tone of deep disinterest, yet Eliza valiantly kept up the conversation, even though a mixture of nervousness and anger was making her tremble inside.
She desperately wished that Duncan was with them to deflect some of this odious woman’s attention, but failing that, she wanted her to climb back into her carriage and return to where she came from.
One of the elders asked Lady Iona a question, but in contrast to her responses to Eliza, her answer was warm and humorous, and Eliza felt a surge of hatred erupt inside her. She looked upand found the tall woman’s eyes fixed on her as though her glare would bore a hole in her.
“Can I help you with anything?” Eliza asked with forced politeness and a smile that was so false that she felt her face might crack.
Lady Iona shook her head. “Nothing, thank you,” she replied.
