Standing, he held out his hand to shake Barclay’s. “I thank ye for your blessing. I vow to take great care of her.”
“I shall hold ye to that promise. Now, I’m sure ye want to give the good news to Lizzie. Go on. For certain she is pacing the hall waiting for an answer.”
Malcolm nodded and swept out of the room. It didn’t take long to find Lizzie, she practically launched herself at him as herounded the corridor that would lead him to the solar where he expected to find her.
“Well, what did he say?” she asked impatiently, between a smattering of kisses she planted on his cheeks.
He laughed aloud. “’Tis a good thing your papa said aye, otherwise this behavior would be most improper and have ye confined to your room.”
She hugged him close. “I kenned he would say aye.”
“How so?” he asked as he set her on her feet but kept ahold of her hand.
“He could see it. He’s quite observant.”
“Aye. So what shall we do now?”
“The hour grows late, but we could catch a show at the theater. If ye like the theater, that is. Funny, I’ve ne’er asked. I just assumed ye do. But ye may no’. We dinna have to go to—”
“Lizzie, Lass.” He grasped her arms and spun her to face him. “Stop. Whate’er makes ye happy, I will do.”
So they did. The theater that night was their first foray into society as a couple. Lizzie received some looks that he could only describe as jealousy, but she didn’t let them bother her in the least.
Malcolm was unsure what the lasses were jealous of. He’d never seen them before, so surely, he wasn’t a potential suitor for them anyhow.
Sitting in the box that Barclay was kind enough to let them use, they watched the play as it unfolded in front of them.
The theater had never been one of his favorite things to do, but with Lizzie at his side, watching her reactions throughout the play, he found he was quite enjoying himself.
But it wasn’t the play.
It was his company.
*
Lizzie felt likeshe was floating as she and Malcolm arrived to watch the play. Women she had kenned for years raised their eyebrows in surprise as Malcolm escorted her to their seat. A couple of them actually approached them to introduce themselves.
Of course, Lizzie kenned what they were doing. Fishing for information, no less. It didn’t matter. Their courtship would be all over the gossip papers in the morning.
And she didn’t mind that one bit.
“Well, Lizzie, who do we have here?” Matilda Smith asked as she lifted her hand for Malcolm to take.
Lizzie rolled her eyes at the audacity of the woman. They had attended etiquette school together and Matilda always took flirting to a whole new level as she looked at Malcolm, batting her eyelashes while she curtsied low to give him a glimpse of her cleavage.
With a reluctant sigh, she made the introductions. “Malcolm, this is Matilda, an old classmate. Matilda, this is Malcolm Kennedy, Earl of Cassilis.”
“Earl,” she drawled, dropping into another curtsy. “My lord, ’tis a pleasure to meet ye.”
Malcolm dipped his head in acknowledgment.
“What brings ye to Stonehaven?”
Not missing a beat, Malcolm bent and placed a kiss on Lizzie’s cheek. “Lizzie brought me here. And happy I am for it.”
Matilda’s eyes rounded in shock. “Well, that is a surprise. A lucky woman she is,” she remarked sarcastically.
“Nay,” Malcolm countered, shaking his head. “’Tis I that is lucky.” He picked up her hand and kissed the top, letting his lips linger.
