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Graeme eyed Sabrina.
She sighed. “If you want me to wait in here, I will.”
After all, she had promised to follow his orders.
“Och, with Ainsley stomping about, you might as well get out. If there are any lurking villains, hopefully they’ll shoot her first.”
“I heard that,” Ainsley called. “You beast.”
Sabrina smothered a chuckle as Graeme helped her down to the uneven stones of a central courtyard.
“Careful, lass,” he said, keeping a hand under her elbow.
When she smiled up at him, his gaze had turned smoky with heat. Sabrina’s breath caught in her lungs.
He bent his head close. “I’ve been thinkin’ about last night too, ye ken.”
Goodness.Perhaps there was hope for them yet.
“Graeme, stop mooning at Sabrina and go knock on the door,” Ainsley ordered.
“I thought we wanted them to moon at each other,” Royal said.
Sabrina couldn’t help wincing. As matchmakers, Royal and Ainsley were as subtle as fireworks on the king’s birthday.
Graeme scowled at his brother. “You go knock on the door. I’m going to scout around the back of this bloody building and see if there’s any sign of a working stable. If not, we’ll have to head back to that village.”
“If that was a village, I’m the Queen of Sweden,” Ainsley commented.
“I wish you were in Sweden,” Graeme retorted as he headed toward the corner of the manor house.
“Ha, ha. Very amusing,” Ainsley called after him.
“It won’t be very amusing to go back to that village,” Royal said as he started across the courtyard.
“It seemed almost as deserted as this place,” Ainsley remarked.
“Dunlaggan isn’t really a village, from what I understand,” Sabrina said. “More of a hamlet.”
Only a few miles from Lochnagar Manor, Dunlaggan was just a small collection of cottages and shops along one main street, with a small town square and a church with a vicarage. It had taken but a few minutes to travel through it, and they’d barely seen anyone. A few curtains had twitched in windows, and she’d seen one elderly gentleman hobbling along with his dog. He’d cast a suspicious glance at the carriage, then accelerated with surprising speed to disappear into the lone pub.
“I must say that your manor house is quite splendid,” Ainsley said. “A bit rundown but still impressive.”
Sabrina drew in a calming breath, gazing over the vista north of the house. This was her mother’s childhood home, where Mamma had roamed the gardens and glens and lived in sight of the craggy, dramatic Highlands. Something quietly sorrowful stirred just behind Sabrina’s breastbone. If Mamma had lived, Sabrina’s life would have been so different.
She turned to see Royal mounting the imposing stone staircase that led up to the massive front door, set between matching turrets. Lochnagar Manor was a classic tower house, built with sturdy blocks of multicolored stone. Though the building was simple and almost stark, the stone and architecture blended in a pleasing symmetry in keeping with the windswept landscape.
Unfortunately, it also looked deserted. Its unlit windows showed no signs of life inside. Sabrina’s heart sank. Had she made a dreadful mistake after all?
Ainsley pressed her shoulder. “Hang on, old girl. The lads will sort it out.”
As Royal banged on the door, the other coach carrying Hannah, one of the Kendrick footmen, and the baggage, rumbled into the courtyard.
“We’d best not unload anything,” Sabrina said, “until we’re certain someone is actually here to let us in.”
“Royal and Graeme will get in, and we can always chop up the furniture and use it for fuel and huddle in front of the fireplace. Won’t that be romantic?”
“Very romantic. Especially when we have nothing to eat or drink.”
