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“I’m her mother. Sheshouldknow me.” When she waved the doll in frustration, the wretched thing’s starched cambric bonnet fell off and landed in a mud puddle.
“Hell and damnation,” she muttered as she bent to retrieve it. She jammed it back onto the doll’s head, even though it was now a sodden mess.
“Babies don’t think rationally,” Victoria said. “They’re much like men in that respect.”
Ainsley gave her a rueful smile. “I know I’m acting like a bigger baby than Tira. At least she expresses her dissatisfaction with a good, healthy cry. I spend most of my days whining and driving everyone crazy.”
“Dearest, you’ve been through a traumatic time. You have every right to be frustrated and worried. And you’re still exhausted, I’m sure.”
“I shouldn’t be, since Edie and Alec spoil me to bits.”
Even though she spent most days at Kendrick House, Ainsley returned every night to the Gilbrides’ manor on the outskirts of the city. She would have preferred to stay close to Tira, but Royal insisted on strict propriety so as to tamp down the burgeoning gossip.
“But it’s never easy to live a lie, is it?” Victoria said with a shrewd glance. “Even when the lie is necessary.”
“No, and I’m living with more than one at the moment.”
She’d piled up so many it was hard to keep them straight. There were the out-and-out fabrications, and then there were the lies of omission—the truths she didn’t dare tell anyone, even Royal. In some ways, those were the worst.
They wheeled the carriage to a bench underneath a sheltering oak. The genteel, quiet square was almost deserted, with only a few nursemaids and their charges, along with a footman hurrying through on an errand. After carefully maneuvering the carriage into the shade, Ainsley and Victoria sank gratefully onto the bench.
“At least all the lying is keeping me safe,” Ainsley said. “That’s some consolation.”
“The Kendricks will keep you safe, even Angus. Never doubt that.”
“I have to admit the old fellow has surprised me in that regard, although I know it’s truly about Tira.” She sighed. “It’s mind-boggling how good he is with her.”
Any baby in her right mind should prefer her doting mother to a grumpy Highlander who looked and acted like he’d escaped from a lunatic asylum.
“Angus is better with Tira than anyone, including her nursemaids,” Victoria said. “It’s rather endearing, when you think about it.”
“I try very hardnotto think about it,” Ainsley replied.
“He’s a trial, I know. It took me weeks to bring him around, but I eventually managed it.”
“That’s because you’re a miracle worker and a saint. I, unfortunately, am neither.”
“The trick is to understand that everything Angus does, no matter how bizarre, is out of loyalty to family and clan.”
“Emphasis onbizarre,” Ainsley said, forcing a smile.
Victoria saw through her halfhearted jest. “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“I don’t know why I even care. It’s not as if Angus is trying to prevent Royal from marrying me. It’s . . . it’s just that I know how much he dislikes me.” She forced another pitiful excuse for a smile. “I’m usually the one with her nose stuck up in the air. I suppose it’s only fitting that I finally get a taste of my own medicine.”
Victoria warmly pressed her hand. “It’s not personal with Angus.”
“I must say, it feels rather personal when he makes a point of detailing all my failings, especially when Royal isn’t about.”
“You must realize that Angus is acting so hideously only because he’s afraid of you.”
She frowned. “Really? Does he think I’ll change my mind and take Tira away? Because I’d never do that.”
“No, it’s Royal he worries about.” Victoria hesitated for a moment. “Angus is afraid you’ll hurt him again. Royal was something of a wreck after the last time.”
Ainsley mentally grimaced. She’d been so focused on Tira and worrying about her own fate that she’d not focused much on her betrothed’s state of mind. Nor had she and Royal spent any time alone this last week. He was either busy with work or there were other Kendricks lurking about, making private conversation impossible.
She was beginning to suspect he was avoiding her. For a man who’d once sworn undying devotion, Royal hadn’t so much as tried to steal a kiss or make the slightest romantic overture. Perhaps he felt the same fears as his family.
