“The gardens are quieter,” she said. “I think ye’ll like them better.”
Beatrice brightened at once. “Lead on, then.”
The gardens welcomed them with soft sunlight and Beatrice let out a delighted breath.
“Oh, Eloise,” she said, spinning slightly as she took it all in. “It’s beautiful.”
Eloise smiled, watching her. “Aye, it is,” she said.
They wandered along the paths together, their conversation easy and filled with laughter, the tension of the past days easing for a time.
“I almost envy ye,” Beatrice said.
“Almost?” Eloise teased.
“Well,” Beatrice said, smirking, “I’ve yet to see how the Laird behaves on a daily basis, but alas ye have a romance to fill yer days.”
Eloise laughed, but the sound softened as her thoughts shifted.
“Bea,” she said after a moment, her tone quieter.
Beatrice glanced at her. “Aye?”
Eloise hesitated, then asked, “Bea… the matter I wish to tell ye is…”
“What is it?” Beatrice asked.
Ye promised ye would nae admit the truth.
Eloise shifted and said, “Did Laird Drummond come to Whitmore house?”
Beatrice’s expression changed at once, the lightness fading. “Aye,” she said. “The very next morn.”
Eloise stopped walking. “He did?” she asked.
Beatrice nodded. “Yer father had to tell him ye were gone. That ye had fled the marriage.”
Eloise gasped softly, her hand rising to her chest. “That couldnae have been a good moment for me father,” she said.
Beatrice shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “Drummond was furious.”
Eloise swallowed. “Of course he was,” she murmured.
Beatrice’s voice lowered slightly. “He said he was promised a bride, and ye were nay longer there to be claimed. He said ye wouldnae take the humiliation our family placed upon him.”
Eloise shivered faintly. “I hope he forgets it all after he calmed. I admit I didnae think of what he would do in retaliation for such a humiliation,” she said.
She drew in a breath, steadying herself. “His reputation…” she continued. “It frightened me. All his wives… gone. That is why I ran away from the engagement to Laird Drummond.”
Beatrice nodded grimly. “Aye, I can understand,” she said.
Eloise shook her head. “And he is so very old,” she added.
Beatrice’s expression brightened suddenly. “Aye,” she said with a laugh, “and Laird MacAllister is young and handsome.”
Eloise laughed as well, the tension easing once more. “That he is,” she admitted.
“My life has changed so much in these past two weeks,” Eloise said softly, glancing around the gardens.
