“I hope you’ll agree, madam,” Aedan said. “Your brother did a good deal of work gathering all those blooms.” As he spoke, John grinned sheepishly.
“And you helped,” she told Aedan.
“I get to pose as the prince, after all.” His lips twitched in a little smile.
Twirling the little posy of wild roses, she nodded. “Very well.” She sighed. “If you insist and it means so much to you.”
“The artist will have it no other way,” Aedan said. She sent him a little scowl and he raised a brow in silent answer.
“We can start after dinner,” John said. “Meet me in the long gallery in an hour or so.”
She caught Aedan’s steady gaze as he waited for her answer. A thrill of pleasure and anticipation slipped through her. “Tonight,” she said, and took a quick sip of wine.
Chapter Sixteen
“We’ll start withthe meeting of the prince and princess,” John said. Seated at an easel that held brownish paper, he laid out pencils and pieces of charcoal and chalk. He looked at Aedan and Christina, who stood side by side.
“What should we do?” Christina asked, tentative.
“Face each another, aye, like that. Aedan, take both her hands in yours.”
Her fingers quivered as she offered them to Aedan. His clasp was warm and firm as he raised their linked hands a little. “How is this?”
“I like it,” John said. “It shows fascination, and love at first sight. That’s the theme I want to bring out, the strength and poignancy of that.”
“Ah,” Aedan murmured. His fingers pressed hers.
Delicate shivers rippled through her. She had already succumbed to love at first sight, she thought. The laird of Dundrennan was too enticing for her lonely heart to resist.
“Excellent. Hold that.” John sketched with long, loose strokes on the large paper. “I knew you were both perfect for this. Your coloring, your trim figures, your classic features are all perfect for this. And I see something indefinable there too,” he went on. “It fairly sparks around you.”
“That spark might come from our disagreement over Cairn Drishan,” Aedan said wryly. He cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Which the prince and princess never had to contend with,” she said.
“Whatever it is, it’s perfect.” John folded back the paper and began drawing on a fresh page. “This will be the first meeting of the briar princess and the Druid summoned by her father to teach her to read and write. MacGregor will pose for the Pictish king and Mrs. Gunn for his queen. I thought Lady Balmossie might make a stunning Celtic priestess.”
Aedan laughed. “Did they have familiars? Miss Thistle could perch on her shoulder.”
John chuckled. “I may pass on that privilege. The focus of the mural scenes will be the growing love of the Druid prince and the briar princess. The other characters will be faded back in color washes and line. You two will stand out in brighter colors. Gaze into each other’s eyes if you will—perfect! When I’m done with these sketches, we can try another pose if you are not too tired.”
“Not in the least. Madam?” Aedan pressed her fingers.
“That would be fine,” she said, keeping her gaze on Aedan.
John looked up. “Christina, take off your eyeglasses.”
“Oh!” She set them aside, and Aedan took her hands again.
“And your hair—let’s try it long and loose. And your skirts are too wide. I did hope to sketch you in costume. I brought boxes of art materials and a few costumes back from my last trip to Edinburgh. I found some tunics that Father used for some of his history paintings.”
“That was fortunate, then,” Christina said.
“If you wear a costume, perhaps the laird would wear on too. Seeing you in those would help speed the work along. You are accustomed to wearing the kilt, sir. The tunic costume is similar to that.”
“If you have them here, we could try them now,” Aedan said.
Christina blinked in surprise, not certain about that. “Are you sure?”
