Page 138 of The Highlander Is All That

Victoria frowned. “No, what?” And when no one answered her, “What? What is going on?”

“You can’t tell her,” Elizabeth said. “She couldn’t keep a secret if the future of the British Empire depended on it.”

“Of course I can keep a secret.” Victoria put out a lip. “Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me anything?”

“Because you cannot keep a secret,” Anne said gently. “We all know it’s true. You are far too impulsive.”

Mary huffed a sigh. “We will just have to push Hamish to propose.”

Oh, God. How humiliating. “You most certainly will not. If he doesn’t love me enough to defy the duke, I don’t want him.”

“Do you hear what you’re saying?” Anne said on a laugh.

Elizabeth lurched up and glared at Anne. “You defied the duke.”

“This isn’t about the duke, is it, darling?”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“What do you mean?” Victoria wailed. And when Anne didn’t respond, “Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me anything?”

Anne sat next to Elizabeth and gently combed back her hair with her fingers. “I think it’s about the widow Dunn, isn’t it?”

Elizabeth couldn’t respond, other than with a sob.

Victoria’s expression puckered. “But he said he didn’t love the widow. He said he loved Elizabeth.”

“I know.” Anne sighed. “But I think he has to say more than that, doesn’t he? He broke your heart.”

Oh, Anne. She always understood. Elizabeth sat up and wrapped her arms around her. “Am I being silly? Wanting more?”

“Not in the least.” Anne pulled back and met Elizabeth’s gaze with a fierce frown. “He needs to grovel . . . at least a little.”

“Oh, definitely,” Mary said gleefully.

Victoria frowned. “But don’t make him grovel too much.”

“Of course not. But an apology, at least, I think. For not telling you sooner?”

That would be lovely.

Ah, her sisters always made her feel better. She would miss them so much when they left.

“There. And in the meantime, while we wait for Mr. Robb to come to his senses and grovel, let’s prepare for a lovely evening with the Earl and Countess of Darlington. Shall we?”

“Yes.”

“And I want you to be sure to find the most handsome man in the room and dance with him. That will give Hamish something to think about, won’t it?”

The vision of Hamish watching her dance with another man and gnashing his teeth in jealousy was gratifying indeed.

And, childish or not, she needed it at the moment.

It was a glorious thought.

What a shame he did not attend the party.

Like Bower, he cried off, saying he had far too much work to do which was, in Elizabeth’s opinion, a bald-faced, cowardly lie.