Hope’s mouth fell open as she stared at her sister.
“Faith!” Grace chided. “How could you say such a thing?”
“No, no,” Hope said, reaching for Grace’s hand. If she were honest, Hope had worried about the same thing. “It crossed my mind too.”
Faith had the decency to appear sorry, while Grace shook her head.
“Well, it’s a foolish idea. Mr. MacKinnon has been taken with you since the day we arrived. Everyone has noticed it.”
“Is that so?” Hope said with a smirk. Her gaze fell on Faith. “Do you think so?”
Faith shrugged as she leaned against the bedpost behind Grace. Her head rested on the dark wood.
“I suppose so. He has sought you out a number of times. And not very subtly.”
Hope smiled, but even as her sisters assured her that Graham’s intentions were true, she still felt unsure. Even if Graham was marrying her for Lismore Hall, that didn’t mean that it was the only reason. The heat that lingered between them wasn’t a facade. Was it?
Hope spent the rest of the night dreaming about Graham. In her dreams, she was constantly searching for him, but even when she caught glimpses of him in the distance, she could never reach him. When she woke the next day, she felt a deep restlessness in her bones. Belle had been asleep when they arrived the previous night, and though they had all slept rather late in that morning, she still hadn’t risen by noon.
Thankfully, by the time Graham came for luncheon that day Hope had stifled her foolish worries. He had arrived to discuss the engagement with Belle but, upon realizing she hadn’t woken yet, decided to eat with Hope and her sisters, all of whom had been listening to a very cheery Rose explain what had been said the night before, after the engagement had been announced.
“Supposedly, Graham serenaded you with a song, pledging his deepest love and loyalty for the rest of his life,” Rose said before laughing. “Jeanne told everyone that Graham was smitten with his new English bride.”
“It only happened last night,” Graham said, appearing to be neither amused nor annoyed by the rumors, which pleased Hope for some reason. “How are there so many stories already?”
“Twelve hours is plenty of time for rumors to spread,” Faith said over her teacup before taking a sip.
“Jeanne was quite happy about it,” Rose said, forking her eggs. “She kept telling everyone you took up poetry to impress Hope.”
Faith choked on her tea as Grace hid her face. Hope bit her lip, worried Graham wouldn’t appreciate being teased. His coffee cup paused midair as he squinted at Rose.
“My cousins have a sense of humor,” he said, surprisingly unbothered.
“It’s not so bad, is it?” Hope said tentatively. “It’s one of the better pieces of gossip I’ve been a part of and it’s hardly vindictive.”
He gave her a contemplative look, and she smiled at him nervously.
“Amusing, is it? To picture me groveling at your feet, reading some daft poem?”
If he had seemed genuinely angry, she’d have backed down, but she saw the twinkle of amusement in his eye, and it prompted her to let out a very unladylike snort. Her hand shot to cover her face.
“Yes,” she said, clearing her throat. “It is. And since there’s no stopping gossip, all you can do is laugh at it.”
“Laugh at what?” Belle asked as she entered the dining room, followed as always by Andrews.
Belle wore a tangerine-colored gown with white floral embroidery and a gauzy overlay. Her hands were adorned in her usual emerald rings and a pair of teardrop pearl earbobs swung precariously from her lobes as she hobbled to her chair. She paused when she saw Graham, seated near the head of the table.
“MacKinnon. What are you doing here this early?” she asked. “Surely you returned home after you escorted the girls home last night.”
“I did,” he said, his voice was serious as he stood up.
His gaze flickered to Hope who stood as well.
“Aunt Belle,” she started, coming around the table to Graham’s side. “I’m afraid we have some news to share.” Belle’s eyes widened and the corner of her mouth pulled up in trepidation. “I think perhaps we should speak with you in private.”
“Nonsense, my girl, nonsense,” she said, moving around both Hope and Graham to take her place at the head of the table, her cane clicking loudly against the ground. She sat with deliberate slowness and squirmed slightly, making herself comfortable before giving them her full attention. “Now, my dear. What news do you wish to share?”
“Well—”
