“If flying teacups do not bother you, you are admirable indeed,” he answered.
He was glad she had made no fuss about the monkey—or about falling down the stairs last night either. She was calm and composed, though she likely felt bruised today. Yet he had noticed only a little limp as he guided into the room. Considering his kinswomen’s penchant for drama, the girl’s unruffled nature was very appealing.
“Such a kerfuffle!” Lady Balmossie said as the two young women tried to snatch the monkey. She turned to Christina Blackburn. “Are ye harmed, lassie? Such a fright!”
“I’m quite unbothered,” she said, sounding amused. “So good to meet all of you. My brother and I are grateful for your hospitality.”
John leaned forward, hands folded on the head of his cane. “I must say, I am utterly charmed. What a delightful welcome.”
His wide smile was relaxed, Aedan noticed. He was a lean gentleman with dark-brown curls, calf-like brown eyes. Aedansuspected that the man’s looks, with the added romance of a limp, would melt his kinswomen’s hearts.
A bundle of peach satin skittered along the back of a chair. Aedan reached out but just missed catching Miss Thistle.
Christina Blackburn stared. “Is that… a monkey? I thought it was a cat!”
John laughed. “Sir Aedan, where did you come by that wee beastie? I saw them in the wild when I was in India, and some fellows brought them home as pets. This one’s a female, I take it?”
“Aye. Miss Thistle came from India years ago. She was my father’s pet, and now my aunt takes care of her,” Aedan explained. The monkey leaped to his shoulder. Aedan sat on the arm of the sofa near Christina Blackburn and dipped his shoulder.
“Mrs. Blackburn, meet Miss Thistle.”
Reaching out, she tentatively touched the monkey’s head. Miss Thistle chittered, leaped away, and climbed loose limbed up the draperies to sit on the curtain rod and survey the room. Christina stared upward.
“I’ve seen them at the Edinburgh Zoo, but never so close.” She sounded astonished.
“In his will, my father left Thistle in the care of my aunt,” Aedan said. “He knew I would not have the patience for her.”
“You are gentle with her.” Hearing that, he shrugged, and Christina smiled at him, simple and sweet, and yet his body stirred. No other woman had so easily thrown him off-kilter with a mere smile. He frowned to counter it.
“You rescued my sister gallantly, sir,” John said. “What a catch!”
“I have learned to act swiftly around Thistle. It was a pleasure to save your sister,” Aedan added. He saw her blush again. That hint of passion and emotion beneath her cool exterior fascinatedhim. He wondered how such a quiet little beauty could have modeled for that sensual painting.
Meg held out her hand. “Mrs. Blackburn, please forgive our eccentricities. What an odd welcome for you and your brother.”
“Thank you, Lady Strathlin. I rather enjoyed it.”
“Miss Thistle is upset by the changes at Dundrennan,” Lady Balmossie explained. “And she can be shoogly on rainy days, I admit. She usually behaves well.”
“She never does!” Amy said as the others laughed.
“Mrs. Blackburn, I believe we met briefly last year in Edinburgh,” Meg said. “At the opening of an exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities. A display of some rather beautiful ancient Celtic pieces, as I recall.”
Christina lifted her brows. “Oh yes! In all the commotion, I did not realize. How nice to see you again. We were introduced by a friend of yours then. Mrs. Shaw, I think.”
“Yes! She is now Mrs. Hamilton. She married my secretary just recently.” Meg smiled. “That was a wonderful exhibit, by the way. I remember you had a role in the discovery of those remarkable pieces, and in arranging the displays as well.”
Christina nodded. “I went with my uncle to the site, where we were fortunate to find some things. And I was also fortunate to work with Sir Edgar Neaves of the National Museum, helping to identify and catalog the pieces. How kind of you to recall.”
Aedan was grateful that Meg made Christina Blackburn feel more comfortable after that raucous introduction to his family. He smiled privately at his cousin’s wife and saw an answering sparkle in her blue eyes.
“What a marvelous house, Sir Aedan,” John said. “I noticed some work is being done here. It is quite an undertaking to refurbish such a large place.”
“It certainly is. My father’s will specified renovating the house, and so I am doing my best to fulfill his wishes.”
“We want to capture Sir Hugh’s grand vision for Dundrennan,” Amy said. Hearing that proprietary “we,” Aedan gave her a quick look. She was surely a help, though not in the sense of the romantic partnership she seemed to imply. “The house was still unfinished at the time of his death. Aedan has a vision too.” She rested a hand on his arm for a moment.
“Aedan has another very good reason to work on the house,” Lady Balmossie said. “Queen Victoria is planning to visit soon!”
