“I did not mean to imply—”
“Doona fash.” Fiona grinned at Louisa. “I ken ye doona think that.”
“Neither do a lot of others,” she replied. “Just look at how popular you and Alasdair are at Almack’s dances.”
Lorelei frowned. It would have been better if Societydidthink MacGregors were barbarians…at least a certain male MacGregor. In addition to Lady Melissa, who had flirted so outrageously with Alasdair at the card party that Lorelei wouldn’t have been surprised to see her eyelashes get stuck between flutters, other girls flirted and waved their fans at him as well. It really was a wonder he didn’t carry bruises from their batting him.
Her frown deepened. Maybe hedidcarry bruises. She’d seen him only with his clothes on. Were his arms marked? Her imagination leaped to helping him remove his shirt to check. Would his naked chest be rippled with hard muscle? What would it feel like to…
“Have ye heard a word I said?”
Lorelei blinked. “What?”
Fiona sighed. “I was saying that maybe we can keep my brother from bothering us if we can figure a way to make sure he and Lady Melissa spend more time together.”
No. For a moment, Lorelei was afraid she’d spoken the word aloud, but neither Fiona or Louisa reacted, so she must not have. But…No. Medusa—Melissa—already had her claws hooked into him.
Louisa smiled. “I do not think Lady Melissa needs any help.”
Lorelei could have hugged her for that, but she settled for nodding. “I think Alasdair might get suspicious about our motives if we did that.”
“Hmmm.” Fiona slumped back in her chair. “I suppose ye are right. Alasdair has never liked being told what to do.”
“My brothers did not, either,” Louisa said.
“But…” Fiona straightened up, indignation in her eyes. “That is why he shouldna be interfering in my life!”
So they were back to that. Not that Lorelei blamed her for being upset. Having a brother glare at any potential suitors was off-putting, to say the least. Having a large, broad-shouldered Highlander whose kilt-wearing didn’t hide an impressive muscular structure was even worse.
It was just too bad she and Fiona couldn’t play turnabout and admonishhimon his choice of ladies. Unfortunately, though, they had set the trap for him, and Lorelei was afraid it was too late to do anything about it. Alasdair seemed perfectly content to be the center of Medu—Melissa’s—attentions.
Drat it.
…
“These balls are growing more crowded,” Lorelei remarked to Fiona and Louisa at the next Almack’s ball.
“They may not be for long,” Louisa said. “The bluestocking meeting I was at this week was talking about King George calling for more soldiers to be sent to the Colonies.”
“Are nae most of those soldiers what ye call commoners? Nae…” Fiona gestured. “Nae aristocrats such as these?”
“It is true that most foot soldiers are, but all those new units need leaders,” Louisa replied, “and second and third sons often have commissions bought for them.”
“’Tis a strange way of doing things,” Fiona said. “Our men who fight for Scotland always choose their own leaders.”
Louisa looked thoughtful. “That would probably be considered radical in England.”
She shrugged. “It inspires loyalty, though. ’Tis the way our lairds are—were—chosen as well. It doesna matter if a man is first born or nae. ’Tis who the people will follow that counts.”
“That actually makes a lot more sense.” Louisa smiled. “Some ‘heirs’ have no business trying to run anything because they are…eejits, is your word?”
Fiona giggled. “Aye.”
Louisa looked around. “And it seems as if a lot of them are here tonight.”
Lorelei scanned the room. In truth, she was not as fascinated with Almack’s balls as she had thought she would be. The men who asked her to dance—with the exception of Randolph—seemed to want to limit conversational subjects to weather or future social events. Some of them were delighted to regale her with whatever accomplishment they had just achieved, and she’d soon realized they never expected her actual opinion on anything.
How unlike the discourses she and her sisters had had with the MacGregor men. Emily had been determined to learn how to run the holdings of Strae Castle and oversee its whisky business, both of which had produced vehement protests from Ian. There wasn’t any question over the fact that her other sister Juliana simplyarguedwith Rory over everything. The two of them could barely agree on what color the sky was. As for her and Alasdair… While he tended to be overly protective and a bit bossy—Fiona called it meddling—they’d still had lively discussions. He listened to what she had to say, much like Randolph did. Unfortunately, talking to Randolph, while intellectually stimulating, didn’t cause her pulse to increase, her senses to be more aware, and her body to feel anticipation of…something…as it didwhen she talked with Alasdair.
