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Brown smiled. “Dear ladies, such comparisons are entirely unnecessary. I have rarely seen sisters who shared such beauty, both inside and out.”
Jeannie scrunched up her face. “Kath and I aren’t related, Mr. Brown. We’re stepsisters. So we couldn’t possibly look like each other.”
The irrepressible vicar looked daunted by Jeannie’s artless observation.
“Did you say something, Grant?” Sabrina asked with an innocent air.
Since he’d been trying not to laugh, it took him a moment to answer. “Ah, not really.”
Kathleen’s mouth quirked. “Perhaps you were answering my excellent question?”
Vixen.
“Yes, that was it,” he replied. “Up until recently, most people brewed their own liquor and ale as a regular part of the farming seasons. They had malting houses and kilns, and they supported each other more or less as a collective.”
Brown held up an admonishing finger. “It was illegal, nonetheless.”
“How dreadful of everyone,” Jeannie said, who’d gone back to gazing at the man with girlish adoration.
Kathleen pointedly cleared her throat. “You were saying, Mr. Kendrick?”
“Right now, Lochnagar is still in the building stages,” Grant explained. “So it relies on local farmers to provide the finished grist. But all the distillation and production will take place here, so as to ensure a consistent product.”
“We’re hopin’ to roll some of them farms directly into the operation,” Dickie said. “Bring ’em into the fold, as Sir Graeme likes to say.”
Sabrina nodded. “We want to provide as much work as possible for the locals. We’ll be relying on the farmers for barley, and the crofters for harvesting peat for the fires and kilns.”
“And as we expand,” Dickie added, “we’ll be bringin’ in more villagers to work.”
Brown smiled at Sabrina. “It’s splendid that you and Sir Graeme are providing work for Dunlaggan, even if one cannot entirely approve of the end product.”
“I do believe we were promised a sample of thatend product,” Kathleen said. “This tour has been so interesting, but I swear I’m parched. I’d love to wet my whistle, Sabrina.”
“Er,” Brown said, clearly disconcerted by Kathleen’s behavior.
One could only hope the vicar was finally realizing that the cheeky lass would be more than a handful for the likes of him.
Grant had to admit he’d like nothing better than getting a sweet handful of the cheeky lass, preferably while she was wearing one of those frilly underthings and not much else.
Sabrina hooked arms with Kathleen. “Why don’t we repair to the office? Graeme has several bottles of Lochnagar’s finest tucked away there, exactly for emergencies such as this.”
“Hardly an emergency, Lady Kendrick,” Brown said with a nervous chuckle.
“That remains to be seen,” Kathleen muttered.
The ladies trooped downstairs, followed by Jeannie and Brown.
“What’s amiss with Vicar Brown?” Dickie asked Grant. “He’s actin’ right strange.”
“Maybe he’s been out in the sun too long.”
Dickie snorted, then followed Grant down the stairs just as Graeme was emerging from the office.
“Enjoy the tour?” Graeme asked with a smile.
“Dickie is very good at giving tours,” Sabrina replied.
Grant snapped his fingers. “Tours—that’s just what you need. Everyone’s mad for the Highlands these days. Half of England is coming up here on holiday. Once you get fully up and running, you should give tours of the distillery. You can put up some of the whisky in specially designed bottles and sell directly toSassenachtourists.”
