Page 12 of A Highland Lass for the English Duke

Smoothing herself over, Lissie smiled and forced herself to be polite.

"Aye, mistress. I am here to find a well-placed husband an' make a match that will stun the whole of London!"

There was a pause. Annice looked as if she had been shot. Lissie watched, in dismay, as she pulled herself back from the brink of laughing.

"Well," began the cousin, pursing her lips. "The whole of London? They definitely need my help then!"

A low murmur from the servants began from behind her.

They are laughing at me, thought Lissie, her cheeks reddening. Inside, everything was tumbling. She had had a long journey and was weary. Suddenly, the prying eyes were all too much. Lissie blinked back the tears. Added to that were the severe consequences for her clan if she did not achieve her mission and the prospect of marrying Donald. No wonder Lissie was anxious!

"Aye, Cousin, I do," she said. Despite her emotion, Lissie kept her voice flat. But eyes glinting, she glared at her cousin.

Lady Agnes needed reminding of a few things. She was no better than Lissie was, whatever she might think.

Slowly, Annice's expression wavered. "Well then, you have come to the right place, Elisabeth. I will take you under my wing. Mark my words, before the twelve-month is up, you will be betrothed!"

Lissie forced herself to smile again.

"Thank ye, kindly," she murmured.

But Annice's expression had turned serious again, as if she was running through things in her mind. Rising from her seat, the lady paced earnestly across the room. Lissie watched, wondering if she would trip over her pointed shoes, the length of which she had never seen before. Somehow, she managed not to.

"Of course, it is a big undertaking. Starting tomorrow, we begin in earnest by burning all your clothes."

Burning?

Lissie's eyes widened. Surely her cousin was jesting?

One look at Annice's face showed she was not joking.

"We burn them—all your rags and that quaint rug you have on—and rebuild you from top to tip."

Lissie's cheeks burned. That rug happened to be the clan plaid. Her shoulders bristled with indignation. Annice had forgotten quickly where she had come from.

Remembering something, Lissie plucked the contents of her knapsack, and with some trouble, produced a silver emblem.

"Pray ye accept this as a token of oor esteem," said Lissie, doing her best to navigate the formal world these Sassenachs seemed to inhabit.

Every eye was upon her as Lissie passed the small clan brooch to her cousin.

"My dear heart, how quaint!" she said, taking it wryly and placing it in her palm as if it were a curiosity. "My guests are sure to be greatly entertained by it."

A small ripple went around the room, and out of nowhere, Lissie got a strong desire to punch Annice. She didn't, of course, but the thought was enough to give her sustenance as she was shown up to her chamber by the lady's maid.

"Will that be everything, mistress?" the maid said, her flowing servant's robe of white linen looking markedly more kempt than Lissie did right then.

The young woman kept her eyes cast downward and her thoughts to herself, but Lissie couldn't help wondering what she thought of her. Possibly, she was the first Scottish woman this young girl had ever seen. Already she had caught one or two of them looking at her as if she had two heads or something. And the other maid, the one who had left them down the hall, had been openly staring at the plaid around her neck.

"Thank ye, Molly," said Lissie. She ached to be left alone. But for some reason, the woman just would not leave. Wondering what she was hanging about for, Lissie felt a pang of irritation. Something lingered in the serving maid's eyes, but whenever she looked, her gray eyes darted away swiftly.

"Dinnae fash, lassie. Get awa' wi' ye. I will send fer ye if I need summat."

A puzzled look crossed the girl's face, but Lissie did not really notice. She was too busy looking about. The room was of decent size, with a thick four-post bed in the center, lavished with silks and damasks. Instantly, Lissie wanted nothing more than to sink into it, but before she left, Molly unleashed a surprise.

"Pray don't leave the bath too long, mistress. It grows cold." The woman smiled briefly.

Lissie turned, startled. For the first time, she saw the steaming bath in front of the fireplace.