Maddie blushed. “Well, yes, er…um, what I meant was Mr. MacLeod perhaps could have acted less boisterously—”
“Indeed. How many London gentlemen do you know would dare take the liberty of touching a lady’s leg? Maybe such behavior is condoned on some god-forsaken isle in the Highlands, but here, Society hasrules.”
“Of course we do,” Maddie soothed, “but I still think Mr. MacLeod was acting out of concern for you. He promised Jillian he would protect you. I call that honorable, even if his method was somewhat unconventional.”
Mari gave an exasperated sigh. “I really wish Jillian had consulted me before she took it upon herself to foist a barbaric rogue on me. Jamie actually expects me to follow hisorders. That is what he said.Orders. He’s not my father.”
Maddie’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “I doubt any one would mistake Mr. MacLeod for yourfather. It seems to me he takes his promises quite seriously. That cannot be all bad.”
“I do not need protection. What can possibly happen to me? Theton’sparties include only civilized gentlemen. I will not even be leaving Mayfair, unless it is to go to the theatre. Aunt Agnes will act as chaperone. Effie accompanies me shopping. I hardly require a nursemaid.”
Maddie giggled. “I doubt anyone would mistake Mr. MacLeod for a nursemaid either.”
The image of the tall, rugged Highlander dressed as a nursemaid complete with headcap, dress and frilled apron made Mari twitch her lips. There would be no place for that great sword of his or the several knives he kept about his person.
“I am glad you are smiling,” Maddie said.
“I am not—” As if she had conjured him with her thoughts, Jamie appeared in the doorway, dressed in Hessian boots, tight doeskin pants that hugged his muscular thighs and a linen shirt, scandalously open at the throat, exposing a faint dusting of hair on his broad chest. A far cry from a nursemaid indeed.
“Might I join you ladies?” Jamie asked.
“You are not properly dressed, sirrah,” Mari replied, trying not to notice his strong, tanned forearms where the shirt sleeves were rolled up.
Jamie looked down at his clothes and then at Mari, lifting his palms in question. “What is wrong with what I am wearing? I was just giving Dobbs and Givens a beginning lesson in sword fighting—ah, fencing.”
She could just imagine the shock both men were probably in, considering neither of them was all that young. The household would be lucky if dinner were properly served tonight.
“Where is your waistcoat and top coat? Your cravat?”
Jamie looked confused. “I was teaching swordplay, lass. The fewer clothes a mon wears, the faster he is able to move.”
Maddie gave a soft gasp and Mari felt her cheeks heat, recalling a shirtless Jamie training the men at Newburn. The sheen of sweat on his muscled, golden-skinned body had all the maids atwitter and remiss at their duties. How many times had she had to go out into the courtyard while he was practicing to return the maids to their chores?
A somewhat disheveled Givens cleared his throat in the doorway. Mari didn’t think she’d ever seen the butler with a hair out of place, let alone his jacket only partially buttoned and part of his collar loose. “What is it?”
“You asked me to let you know when the post arrived,” he said, entering with the salver upon which rested two letters.
“Oooh, the invitation,” Maddie exclaimed.
Mari breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up the two letters from the tray. And then disappointment came crashing down. They were both addressed to Aunt Agnes and neither was from Lady Tindale. With a muffled sob, she rose and rushed from the library and up the stairs.
“What ails the lass?” Jamie asked as he picked the letters from the floor and replaced them on the silver tray.
“She was expecting an invitation to Lady Tindale’ssoireeFriday evening,” Maddie replied.
Why do the English insist on using French names for things when they’ve been at war with Napoleon?he wondered. “Asoireeis important?”
Maddie looked at him like he’d suddenly grown an extra nose. Had he mispronounced the word? Leave it to the French to come up with extra letters they didnae use.
“It is an evening social event for the members of thetonwho are either in Town for the Little Season or because Parliament is still in session,” Maddie explained. “What makes it important is that it is thefirstevent this autumn. Everyone of the first stare will be there.”
“That does nae make sense. Why would people stand around to stare at each other?”
Maddie’s eyes widened, and it looked very much like she was trying not to laugh. What had he said?
“It is an expression,” she said in a somewhat strangled tone. “What it means is anyone worth looking at—that is, the ladies will all be dressed in the most fashionable gowns—and the lords of Parliament will be in attendance as well. It is also an opportunity to see who will be in the Marriage Mart.”
“Marriage Mart?” What in the world was the lass blethering on about?
