Page 45 of Tales of Highland Loyalty

All the same, Cousin Annice made a great play of pulling a pained face and turning toward her, all sympathetic.

"Will cannot marry you, and I assure you, his family will feel the same."

Lissie felt everything unravel; all her excitement, all her energy, just wasting away. A sharp spark pricked her.

"Who said anything about marriage?" said Lissie, batting off the concern from Annice's face.

Of course, she had not said anything about marriage at this stage, but it was all she could think about. Still, there was no need for stuck-up Cousin Annice to know this.

Annice sucked her lips in and looked as if she would implode.

"You said you were hopeful," she said, as sharp as a tack.

A silence filled the chamber, with even the maids looking up from their posts. Everyone waited for her reply.

"Aye," said Lissie, her mind wandering. She was wondering why Annice seemed so determined to fight her on every point. It was almost as if she enjoyed bringing her down.

"I said hopeful, but nae for marriage. Just hopeful for some fun, perchance."

Annice's eyebrows nearly jumped off her head.

"Fun?" she repeated. Her face was such a sight, it took every inch of Lissie's resolve not to laugh. "Fun?"

"Aye, fun," said Lissie mockingly. "It's this wee thing we have in Scotland. Perchance ye dinnae ken it doon South."

Annice's dark eyes intensified, almost eating her whole. The room stopped dead as she stared at her.

"I know full well what it passes for in your part of the world," she remarked, thin-lipped. "Sodden glens, lumpy porridge, and an instrument that sounds like a strangled cat!"

There was a hissing of laughter from the back of the hall, but it stopped abruptly when Annice glared.

But Lissie was genuinely floored. There was a fiery side to Annice she had never seen before, and it sat at odds with the polished persona she liked to wear.

"I-I," she began. Just like that, the wind had been taken out of her sails. Somehow, her cousin had the power to reduce her to almost tears.

Anger and resentment bubbled under in Lissie. She did not know what to say. She hated Annice for making her feel like this.

In an instant, Annice's demeanor changed. Seeing Lissie's face, she backed down.

"I am sorry," murmured Annice gently. "It isn't quite how it should have come out. I just mean a girl like you has to be careful. It is all too easy to get a reputation locally."

Lissie was looking at her numbly. "A girl like me?" she asked uncertainly.

Sighing, Annice put her arm on her. "Yes, darling, like you. Young, comely, easy to lead astray. I am telling you, you need to be careful. Men will take what they need and not think twice, if you know what I mean."

A shard went through Lissie's heart. She knew all too well what Annice meant; she was not to parlay with Will anymore. Everyone would know what they were about. She should give up everything and just step aside to let some nincompoops like Lady Caroline leap in.

Lissie frowned.

That categorically was not happening on her watch.

But Annice was smiling at her, impervious to her reaction. "So then, darling, why not just be a sensible girl and put aside these silly notions of marrying a lord? I know a well-connected fishmonger, Talbot, who is in need of a wife."

Lissie gasped. She had no idea what to say. Just as she was attempting to put a sentence together, Annice patted her on the shoulder and suddenly trotted off, leaving Lissie speechless and fuming.

But before she could think any further, the first caller of the morning was announced by the maid. As the doors opened, Lissie held her breath. Inside, she felt her heart thumping.

Let it be Will. Let him show them all that he does not care for English ladies!