“Will any of that be happening in the middle of the afternoon?”
“Probably not,” Lorelei replied, “but at least we can see where these trysts happen and use our imaginations! Besides, we cannot go there at night unless we sneak out of the house. Lady Bute would send us back to Scotland if she caught us.”
Fiona sighed. “Aye, ye are right about that.”
“Besides, it is accessible only by boat, since it’s on the south river bank. The skiffs will be almost empty during the day. We would certainly be noticed if we were on one of them at night.”
“But ’twould be more fun to actually snoop around and…surprise…some people, nae?”
“It would, but…” Lorelei’s voice trailed off as they reached the foyer and she saw Alasdair standing by the door with Louisa and the two servants.
Fiona frowned when she saw him. “What are ye doing here?”
“We were about to go shopping,” Lorelei said.
“I ken that.” Alasdair smiled. “I decided I would escort ye today.”
“Ye doona need to do that.”
“We already have Mary and Garth to escort us,” Lorelei added. “You do not need to trouble yourself.”
“’Tis nae trouble.”
She managed a smile of her own. “It really is not necessary, but thank you just the same.”
“I insist.”
“But—”
“Ye just never ken how many packages ye may want to bring home.” He grinned. “I can be quite helpful.”
Fiona scowled. “Ye can be a lot of trouble, too.”
“Ye might speak for yourself, sister.” Alasdair gave her an appraising look. “Ye are nae planning something besides shopping today, are ye?”
Her scowl deepened. “Nae.”
“Of course not.” Lorelei arched a brow coquettishly. “Why would you even ask?”
“Hmmm. It seems ye are avoiding the question with a question, nae?” He smiled devilishly. “Which makes me think ye have other plans besides shopping.”
Were they that transparent? Or was Alasdair adept at reading minds? She and Fiona were going to have to be more careful. Schooling her face in what she hoped was a display of innocence, she smiled back. “I have absolutely no idea of what you could possibly mean.”
“Hmmm,” he said again.
Mary and Garth glanced at each other and then looked expectantly at Louisa, who assumed a pleasant expression.
“If Mr. MacGregor wishes to escort us today, then I see no reason for my servants to attend us.” She turned to Mary. “While I am gone, perhaps you could make sure my correspondence is caught up?”
The maid gave her an inquiring look before she nodded. “Aye. I’ll make sure everything has been answered.”
That was code for letting Mrs. Montagu know that Louisa would not be attending the society meeting today. It seemed she and Fiona would not be going to Vauxhall, either. Blast it.
And then she had an idea. Whether Louisa had deliberately given both Mary and Garth the afternoon off she didn’t know, but if only Alasdair was going to escort them, then perhaps they should purchase all sorts of large, bulky items for him to carry. He did say he could be helpful, after all.
“Then perhaps we should not tarry any longer.” Lorelei smiled and slipped her hand inside the crook of Alasdair’s elbow. “Shall we be off?”
“Aye.”
