Page 45 of Highlander’s Sweet Poison

“Horace, ye may go first. Explain why ye were fighting with Lyle.”

“Cuz he is trying to take what is mine,” Horace growled.

“She isnae yers!”

“Lyle,” Jillian said sharply, “this is Horace’s turn to speak. Horace, please go into more detail. What is yers?”

“Kylie. She is my betrothed, and I found this one bringing her flowers and trying to kiss her! She isnae going to want him once I bloody his nose a bit more.”

A headache formed at her temples. It was feeling more and more like Graeme was punishing her. “All right. Lyle, what do ye have to say to Horace’s charge?”

The larger man sneered. “Kylie can’t be his betrothed cuz I ‘ave been courting her for months! He came at me swinging, so I swung back.”

Behind them, Kylie rolled her eyes, and Jillian was tempted to follow suit. “All right, Horace, did ye ask Kylie to marry ye?”

“Aye!”

“And she said yes?”

He hesitated for a moment. “Well, not exactly, but she was going too, and I been wooing her for six months!”

Planting her fists on her hips, Kylie marched over toward them, but Jillian held up her hand to stop her. “How do you know that she was going to say yes?”

“Cause I ‘ave been bringing her flowers, and I bought her a trinket!”

“I see. Is that all it takes? What if Margaret started bringing you flowers and trinkets for a few months?”

Horace looked horrified. “What?”

“Aye, and after a few months, she asked ye to marry her. Would that make the two of ye betrothed?”

“No, cuz I wouldnae say yes!”

“So ye agree that the other person must agree to the arrangement before a betrothal could take place? But Kylie did not say yes, so she isnae yer betrothed, now is she?”

“I suppose not, but I am still wooing her,” he said sullenly as he glared at Lyle. “And no one else should be wooing her while I do it.”

“Vera well, but isn’t that up to Kylie? After all, ‘tis not so uncommon for two men to woo a lady at the same time.” Lyle grinned, but Jillian could read the exasperated look on Kylie’s face and held up another hand before he could speak. “I fear I may need to back up a moment. Horace, ye said that ye were bringing Kylie flowers and purchased a trinket for her. Were they well received?”

“Aye, she took the first couple of bouquets and thanked me.”

“Have ye given her more than a couple, though?”

Horace ran his hands through her hair nervously and looked back at her. “Well, she said I should stop, so I thought she wanted something more, so I bought her a little looking glass.”

“Did she accept it?”

“Nay. I ended up giving it to my momma, but she still said it was a nice gesture.”

“Right.” The headache was getting worse now. “And Lyle? How were your flowers received?”

The man looking around uncertainly. “Same, I ‘spose.”

“So let me get this straight. The two of ye are fighting over a woman, although the woman has not taken any gifts from either of ye?”

They nodded.

“And ye both thought that since ye were forcing flowers on a lass and she was being polite about it, that it meant she belonged to ye?”