Page 30 of A Highland Lass for the English Duke

"I don't doubt that, my lady," said Will, stumbling over his words. Somehow he could not get to the bottom of the matter. "But it does not befit a highborn lady to⁠—"

To Will's surprise, Lissie stopped him dead, tears shining in her eyes.

"My lady? Elisabeth?"

Now tears were tumbling down Lissie's face. In horror, Will watched.

Dismounting, Lissie wiped the tears with the back of her hand. It wasn't elegant, and it blew hair all over her face, but Will just wanted to kiss her.

"That's just it," she said in between sobs.

Will felt an instinctive need to comfort her, but had to be careful. They were alone in a potentially compromising situation. At any minute, anyone could come.

"I'm nae a lady at all," confessed Lissie, her blue eyes staring. The low sun hung in the air. Slowly, dusk filled the stables. It was dark and enticing.

Every fiber of Will's being told him to go to her and hold her tight, to do whatever it took to soothe her tears. Of course, he did not. He was English. Stiffly, he went over and offered a hand.

"Not a lady?" said Will limply. He was not certain he had heard right.

Lissie nodded. "Aye," she said balefully. "My cousin is the lady. I am nae. I'm nae even the maid o' the clan, except by default, perchance."

Will looked unsurely. "Ah, um, I see," he said, not seeing at all. "Well, Elisabeth, I am sure it is naught but a misunderstanding. You are every inch a lady!"

Lissie watched him solemnly for a moment. Then she burst out laughing.

"Wheesht!" she cried, then looked at Will's confused face and laughed some more. "Dinnae fash! I am no grand lady. Jings, I am nae even really Elisabeth in truth. The only one who calls me that is Annice."

"Annice?" said poor Will, desperately unable to catch up.

The pair of them were face-to-face, his hand resting unsurely on her shoulder. Although he was relieved to see her smile, he wished he could understand why. In fact, he wished he could understand her full stop.

"My cousin. Lady Agnes," explained Lissie.

"Lady Agnes, Annice," said Will, trying it out for amusement. A grin wrapped itself around his face. Noticing it, Lissie looked quizzically.

"Whit's sae funny?" she asked, point-blank.

Will shook his head. "The notion of anyone calling the esteemed Lady Agnes, Annice."

Lissie rolled her eyes. She looked somehow freer. Will liked this version of her.

"Och, she's alright, but everything's got to be just so...proper. I'll nae be an English lady, an' maybe I dinnae want to be. It's all just a muckle load o' fannybaws." Lissie put her hand over her mouth, then grinned. "Och, excuse me."

Will's eyes glistened. He did not know what fannybaws meant but got the general gist. Better still, he was getting a glimpse of the real Lissie, the one he had suspected was lurking beneath her polished demeanor.

"The thing is, I'm nae a lady, let alone Lady Elisabeth, I'm just plain auld Lissie from the glens." Lissie laughed a little at Will's face. "An' I'm only here in London to get a rich husband, so run away fast."

There was a pause as Will took all this in.

"Well, then, Lissie," he began. He liked the sound of the name on his tongue. It was soft and slippery, a bit like her. "I thank ye for yer honesty," he added, giving her a wink.

"Aye, well, lad, now ye ken, ye run awa' fast," she said, but more soberly. Once again, Lissie looked around to mount her horse. Will watched in agitation.

"I'm not going," he said softly. All he wanted to do was cup her face and pull it close. The tease of her kiss drew him in. But she shook her head.

"Nay, o' course ye are. I can tell. I could see yer reaction back there. The ladies, the court, the laughing. No one in their right mind is going to wed me, let alone a lord!"

Lissie's eyes widened pertinently, as if accusing him of something. Slowly, the penny dropped. Will looked up, shocked.