“This doesnae explain why ye two are arguin’,” Erskine summarized quickly.
“I am nae really sure how we got there,” Tam shook his head. “One minute I was agreein’ with her that she shouldnae have to marry someone she dinnae ken, the next she was sayin’ she may nae have a choice unless she can marry someone first that she does care for. Things just seemed to escalate. Me sayin’ surely she can deny her faither, her arguin’ she cannae.”
“Tam,” Erskine leaned on the wall, watching his friend’s face carefully. “A recent conversation I had with someone showed to me that ye and I have our lives rather easy.”
“What do ye mean?” Tam frowned.
Erskine thought back to his conversation with Laura on the matter, but he did not know how to reveal the complete tale to Tam without unearthing Laura’s secret. He figured he would have to go for generalizations instead.
“Women daenae get the choices we have in marriage, ye fool,” he shook his head. “Lennox may have to marry who her faither chooses.”
“What if he chooses someone like Camden?” Tam’s voice was suddenly loud, angry. “She seems to be spendin’ more and more time with him anyway!”
“I thought ye liked Camden?”
“I have nae a thing against him normally, but if he married Lennox? Nay, that cannae happen! He wouldnae be faithful to her. He wouldnae be a good husband.”
“There is a simple way to stop this, ye bampot,” Erskine prodded him in the shoulder, making Tam’s eyes wide.
“Is there?”
“Marry her yerself.”
“I told ye before….” Tam screwed up his face. “We’re just friends.”
“Aye, course ye are. Bein’ her friend doesnae explain why ye are so afraid of her marryin’ another man though, does it?” Erskine watched as his words settled on Tam’s face.
He had nothing to say. His jaw had dropped, his expression agape at this sentence.
“For all the jests I make at yer expense about this, Tam, there’s truth in it,” Erskine pointed down the road. “Marry her. Before someone else does.”
With these last parting words, Erskine hurried back down the road toward Magret’s house, determined to see Laura again.
He couldn’t think any more about Tam’s and Lennox’s problem; he had another woman to stop from marrying a man she did not love.
* * *
“Is this not a risk?” Laura asked, pulling the hat low over her face.
“Nay, we’ll go to the quieter parts of town,” Erskine explained as he passed her jacket. “Nay one will see ye there.”
Laura was too tempted by the idea to refuse. Erskine had appeared at her door, offering a day out around town. He would show her all the beauties of the Scottish town she had not yet seen herself.
“What do you think, Magret?” Laura asked though she was still pulling on her jacket, preparing to go.
“Aye, I think it will be good to get ye out from under me feet,” Magret said, her brown eyes wide. “Go on, off with ye!” She waved her arms at the two of them, ushering them toward the door. “And ye look out for her, Laird-to-be,” Magret pointed a figure at Erskine whose eyebrows shot up in response.
“I have been doin’,” these simple words from Erskine made a shiver of excitement go up Laura’s spine.
It’s true. He has been taking care of me.
“Just be careful. We daenae want anyone gettin’ wind of who she really is. We could have English soldiers in town searchin’ every house before ye ken it. Now, off with ye!” With this final word, Laura and Erskine were brushed out onto the doorstep, and the door was closed behind them.
“She did seem rather eager to be rid of me,” Laura said as she pulled her hat low on her head.
“Aye, but trust me, I’ve ken Magret a long time,” Erskine said as he took hold of the cap on her head and lifted it up slightly, revealing more of her face to him. “She likes ye.”
“How do you know that?” Laura stepped away from him and made a point of lowering her hat again, trying to hide her face.
