“Look out,” Victoria murmured. “Her ladyship just retrieved Alec and is heading our way.”
“Finally,” Edie said to her husband as he escorted Ainsley to the seat beside Victoria. “Was that Mr. Coltrane you were speaking with?”
Alec dropped a quick kiss on his wife’s head before taking the seat next to her. “Aye. He’s known Grandfather forever, so I could hardly snub the old fellow.”
“I could,” Ainsley said in her cool, well-bred tones.
“And did so quite well,” Alec replied sardonically.
Edie threw her friend a displeased glance. “He’s a totally harmless old man, Ainsley.”
Ainsley’s dramatic eyebrows went up in an elegant arch. “That gentleman—and I use the term loosely—had the temerity to call me ‘a pretty chit.’”
Ainsley was much more than simply pretty. Of average height, the girl had a lush figure showcased by expensive gowns perfectly cut to display her curves. Her coloring was equally striking, with pale, perfect skin, violet-blue eyes framed by thick lashes and slashing brows, along with silky black hair. With her elegant features and proud carriage, she commanded male attention the moment she walked into any room.
Women generally had a different reaction, since Ainsley possessed a rather haughty, unapproachable manner. She was far more likely to provoke jealousy than invite confidences from other girls on the marriage mart.
Oddly enough, she’d never been anything but polite to Victoria, who found it unusual. Most girls of Ainsley’s standing were likely to treat a governess with disdain, if not outright contempt.
“That’s a Scot for you,” Edie said. “Plain speakers, as I well know.”
“Och, that we are,” said Alec, adopting his thick, comical brogue. “Although ye are an outspoken lassie yerself, dinna ye ken?”
Edie laughed, but Ainsley groaned. “That accent gives me the headache just listening to it.”
“You’d better get used to it, pet,” Edie said. “You’ll be hearing a lot of it when you get to Inveraray.”
“Don’t remind me,” she said gloomily.
“And don’t forget the bagpipes,” Alec teased. “They’ll send you leaping for the closest loch by Easter.”
That pulled a reluctant smile from the girl. “Thank you for adding insult to injury.”
“Is that where you’ll be staying, Lady Ainsley?” Victoria asked. “I understand that Inveraray Castle is the Duke of Argyll’s ancestral home.”
“I’ll be close by,” Ainsley replied. “I am related to the duke on my father’s side, but I’ll be staying at my great-aunt’s manor outside Cairndow, a small village at the head of Loch Fyne.”
“‘Small’ being the operative word,” Alec said.
“And remote.” The girl’s frown seemed more thoughtful than gloomy.
“I’ve heard of Cairndow,” Victoria said. “It’s not all that far from Castle Kinglas.”
Ainsley gave her a tentative smile. “Perhaps you might consider making me a visit at some point.”
Victoria repressed her surprise. “I’d like that. Or perhaps you could visit Kinglas. I’m sure the earl would be pleased to see you.”
Ainsley’s friendly manner instantly shifted. “I doubt it. In any event, I’m sure I’ll be too busy for visiting.”
Everyone but Ainsley looked awkward, but then Edie brightened. “Look, there’s Mr. Kendrick.”
Graeme shot to his feet and began waving both arms like windmills. “Over here,” he called to Royal.
“Sit down, Graeme,” Victoria said. “You are not at a sporting event.”
“Sorry.” He subsided into his seat, giving Lainie a sheepish grin. The girl simply giggled. Though a vicar’s daughter, she rather seemed to enjoy Graeme’s brash behavior.
As Royal wended his way through the room, Victoria breathed a sigh of relief to see that he was correctly dressed for once. He looked handsome in a black tailcoat, his white cravat and pearl-gray vest softening his rather austere appearance. With hair that tumbled over his brow, a sardonic expression, and a pronounced limp, he was the very picture of the poetic type swooned over by impressionable young girls. In fact, many female gazes followed avidly in his wake.
