“Poor Mamma would faint dead away if she saw me right now,” she said. “At the moment, I must seem like something out of Walter Scott’s nightmares.”
Blunt and full of surprises.
Kade snapped his fingers. “Of course! You’re Charlie Stewart. We met at that clan gathering at Inveraray Castle. You’re the girl who . . .”
“Hit Andrew Campbell?” She crinkled her up-tilted, quite adorable nose.
“At least ye remember her nickname,” Angus said.
“I also remember Miss Stewart popping Andrew’s cork,” Kade replied.
“You might also recall that I got in a lot of trouble for doing that,” she said with a slight smile. “Andrews’s father raised an unholy fuss.”
It was all coming back to him now, in all its hideous, hilarious glory.
“He earned that punch,” Kade replied. “And believe me, I was very impressed. Also jealous that you made such a good job of it when I wasn’t able to.”
Her eyes opened wide. “You were jealous of me?”
“Absolutely. It was quite the facer, especially since Andrew was older and bigger than both of us.”
“Thank you, but please don’t convey your admiration to my mother. She has yet to recover from the incident.”
“You really punched a boy?” Tira piped up in a wondering voice.
Charlie smiled at her. “It was quite naughty of me.”
“Sometimes I wish I could punch my little brother when he gets irritating, which he does a lot,” Tira said.
“I have a little brother, and he, too, can be quite irritating,” Charlie responded with perfect gravity. “I put up with it, though, because I do love him.”
Tira breathed out an exasperated sigh. “I love my brother, too.”
“Allow me to introduce my daughter, Miss Tira Kendrick,” Ainsley said in an amused tone. “Who is apparently rather bloodthirsty when it comes to her brother.”
“I do love him, Mamma, but you must admit he can be very annoying.”
“All men are annoying at times, my love,” her mother replied. “They can’t help themselves, so we simply put up with it.”
Angus wagged a finger at her. “Ho,Sassenach, none of yer sass.”
“And itwasvery bad of me to hit Mr. Campbell,” Charlie said to Tira. “He still hasn’t forgiven me.”
“The Campbell boys were always a pair of ninnies, just like their da,” said Angus. “The entire lot of them are nothin’ but poltroons and traitors.”
“Why traitors, Grandda?” Tira asked.
“Because they attacked the MacDonald Clan at Glencoe,” he replied in a dark tone. “Our folk wanted nothin’ but peace, but they got slaughtered instead.”
Tira’s big blue eyes rounded with shock. “Then I’m very glad Miss Stewart punched that Campbell boy. I wish I could punch all those Campbells, too.”
Angus patted her shoulder. “That’s my brave lassie. Mayhap we can make a wee visit to Glencoe to honor our fallen ancestors once this wedding nonsense is out of the way.”
“‘This wedding nonsense’ is the point of our trip,” Ainsley said. “Besides, I’m sure we won’t be stumbling across traitorous Campbells at Laroch Manor. According to Lady Kinloch, most of the guests are MacDonalds and Stewarts, along with some local families.”
“Er, for the most part,” Charlie replied, sounding oddly vague. “But I’ve kept both you and your horses standing long enough. And besides, I must get home and change. Mamma will have a positive fit if I show up for your arrival dressed like this.”
She gathered up her animal’s reins, preparing to mount.
