“Who?”
She tried not to lose her patience, reminding herself how important it was that this went well, but it wasn’t easy. How could he have forgotten about them already? “Your children.”
Gregor shot a look to John, who just shrugged and gave him a “don’t look at me” look. “I told her you wouldn’t like it,” John said.
“And I told him,” Cate said with a tight smile to John (the traitor), “that you wouldn’t deny your own flesh and blood.”
Gregor’s mouth tightened, and she knew he wanted to argue with her premise but was holding his tongue—presumably because he knew his shouting would enable others to overhear their conversation.
“Where are they?” he asked impatiently, clearly eager for the meeting to be done with.
“In the solar.”
He gestured with his hand for her to lead the way.
“Watch your feet,” John said with a snicker.
Cate shot him a chastising glare, and pulled Gregor along when he would have turned to ask his brother what he meant.
“Perhaps you can pour Gregor some wine for when we get back, John,” she said over her shoulder with a sugary smile.
The solar was small and without a window to let in natural light. Even with the circular iron candelabrum lit, the room was fairly dark. It wasn’t until she closed the door behind them, however, that Cate realized her mistake. The two younger children took one look at the big warrior, and their eyes went wide with fright. Only Pip didn’t look like he was about to burst out in tears. Nay, Pip was too intent on scowling and projecting an air of surly indifference to notice how the room seemed to suddenly fill with the big, strapping warrior.
Having become accustomed to his size, Cate forgot how physically intimidating Gregor could be. At three or four inches over six feet, he was a head taller than most men. Five years ago he’d still possessed some of the lean muscle of youth, but not any longer. Nay, now his build was all hard, solid man. His muscular chest and arms didn’t need to be clad in armor to look intimidating; they were steely and forbidding all on their own. As her eyes skimmed over the broad shoulders and bulging arms, taking him in as if for the first time, an odd little flutter of awareness tingled low in her belly. She felt…funny.
Maddy’s whimper, however, knocked her from her stupor with a frown.
“You’re scaring them,” she said under her breath.
One very finely arched brow lifted. “I’m just standing here.”
“Aye, well try not to look so big.” He stared at her as if he couldn’t figure out whether she was serious or not. Not knowing herself, but realizing how nervous she was, she began the introductions. “You’ve already met Phillip,” she said. “And this young man is Edward—Eddie.” She knelt down and held out her hand to the little boy. He eyed Gregor uncertainly, looking as if he wanted to bury his head in Ete’s skirts. But after Cate’s encouraging nod, he released the nursemaid’s hand, slid the fingers into his mouth, and slipped his other hand into Cate’s.
“He has red hair,” Gregor said incredulously. “And freckles!”
Cate stood, meeting his accusing stare. “How very observant of you,” she said, with a sharp look of warning not to say anything more in front of the children.
She’d known the bright red hair and freckles would be a problem. The coloring, although common enough in the Highlands, did not run in Gregor’s immediate family. It was the first thing John had pointed out.
But surely with the plethora of women Gregor had been with, there had been at least a handful of redheads?
If the darkening look on his face was any indication, it seemed perhaps not.
She knew she was searching for a straw to clutch, but even if she’d harbored more than a big twinge of doubt about Pip, she’d held outsomehope for the little ones. It would be so much easier to convince him to let them stay if there was a possibility they were his.
Proving that he wasn’t a completely unfeeling brute, however, Gregor bent down on a knee to address the little boy. “How old are you, Edward?”
Cate winced at the same time that Eddie jumped. Even lowered, Gregor’s voice was deep and authoritative. Scary to someone not used to being on the other side of his questions. Cate, of course, had plenty of experience with that.
Eddie, however, did not. When the little boy decided to use her skirts as a curtain to hide behind, Cate gave him an encouraging nudge forward. “It’s okay, Eddie. This is your new laird. Remember I told you about him? He’s been off fighting the nasty old English in the war. He won’t hurt you. He just wants to ask you some questions.”
The little boy looked up at her with his big blue eyes and nodded. Peeking out from behind her skirt, he held up three fingers.
“Come here, lad,” Gregor said in a gentler voice.
Cate put her hand on the boy’s head. “I’m not sure that’s a good—”
Gregor shot her a glare. “I’m not going to hurt him. I just want to ask him a few questions.”
