A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader TXT) 📕

Sorcha blinked blankly.

“Retribution?”

She grinned knowingly but offered a helplessshrug. “Maybe just a little. I can’t seem to help it. You just makeit so easy.”

Joining her in her laughter, Hugh appliedhimself to the feast before him. Though he truly had been shockedwhen the meal had been presented, Hugh had been more than pleasedto exaggerate his outrage to entertain her and to encourage herplayfulness.

She was lovely when she smiled. Breathtakingwhen she laughed, her unusual amethyst eyes bright and shining withhumor, a blush coloring her cheeks. Hugh felt the desire he hadbeen fighting against stir once again. Her “innocent” flirtationmight well be the end of him.

Unaware of the thoughts in his mind, Sorchacontinued on after Becky returned with the forks and they beganworking their way through the pile of food before them. Sorchapushed all the sausage toward him but feasted heartily on theshellfish and vegetables. “Does this really bug you?” she asked,and then added for clarification, “Bother you? You’re not actuallygoing to tell me that an eighteenth-century Scot has never eatenwith his fingers before?”

“Nae, I cannae say that I hae ne’er doneso,” he conceded. “Even as recently as the battle at Culloden itwas so, as a soldier has few options when in the field. But I againremind ye that I hae also dined wi’ kings. The appropriate silverwas always wielded wi’ each course.”

“How many courses?” she asked curiously,catching a drop of butter off her chin with a fingertip beforelicking it away in a manner that once again sent Hugh’s thoughtsskewing. She thought she was the only one affected by theirflirtation? The lass could set his blood on fire with an innocentgesture!

“What? Och, upwards of a dozen at times,” heanswered, and Sorcha’s brows rose.

“I can’t even imagine,” she said, dabbing ather mouth with a paper towel, much to Hugh’s regret. “What was itlike? King Frederick’s palace?”

So, they ate on while Hugh regaled her withstories of court, comparing the simplicity of traditional Scottishmeals with the rich French cuisine that was all the rage on theContinent. From there he began recalling some more ridiculousmoments, such as the pageants and plays that would be performed,often with a man or two heavily rouged and dressed as women, aswell as some more cultural ones, such as the orchestras assembledto perform the King’s work.

It was astonishing to Hugh to discover thathis descriptions of the clothing worn at court were of equalamusement to her. Oh, she punctuated his accounts of the ladies’garb, silks and satins crusted with gemstones and dripping withlace, with “oohs” and “ahs,” but describing a gentlemen in the sameseemed to tickle her immensely. Though Hugh had powdered his hairas a concession to fashion on occasion, he found himself glad thathe could honestly deny ever having worn a wig or jeweled heels.

With such a reaction, Hugh felt he mighthave cried like a bairn in her arms and maintained more respect asa man in her eyes than the fashionable wearing of lace and satinallowed him. It was yet another aspect of this strange time topuzzle over.

Eventually, Sorcha sat back in her chair,wiped her fingers, and removed her bib, leaving Hugh to conquer theremaining mountain of seafood alone. She nursed her second mugwhile Becky solicitously brought one porter after another for him.Just as Hugh would reach the bottom of one, another would appear athis elbow.

When the last shell had been shucked and thelast bit of fish consumed, Hugh sat back with a sigh of contentmentand raised his mug to his lips once again. “Most satisfactory.”

“Sorry I can’t feed you so well all thetime.”

“Ye hae done verra well, lass. Ye a far moreskilled cook than I in any case.”

“I think we both know how much of acompliment that truly is,” she said drily, and Hugh chuckled. “Wealready determined that as a duke you have no practical skill inthe kitchen.”

The sound of his laughter seemed to draw thewaitress like a magnet, for within seconds Becky was there oncemore. She watched him from beneath her lashes as she cleared awaythe leftover bits and the bowl of shells. “Can I get you anythingelse?” she asked. “Another beer? Or dessert maybe?”

Sorcha shook her head at the eager girl andasked with a raised brow, “Anything else, Hugh? Dessert?” The lastwas drawled out with a touch of humor.

Hugh gave his denial to the waitress andasked for the check as he had seen Sorcha do before. As Beckywalked away, Sorcha gave a little laugh as she finished her secondbeer. The alcohol had softened her through the course of the meal.He had not yet seen her so relaxed. “She would have served herselfup for dessert if you had asked her to, Hugh.”

Glancing after the retreating waitress, Hughknew Sorcha’s teasing words were true enough. If he dared to say soaloud, she would no doubt laugh and call him conceited or some suchbut truth was truth. With his looks, position, and wealth, Hugh hadnever lacked for female company. Offers for affairs or singlenights were common enough, and Becky was a bonny young lass.Doubtlessly, she would make a satisfying bedmate.

But she wasn’t what Hughwanted. She wasn’t who he wanted. He had seen enough women in this time—whether onthe television or in passing—to know that there were manyattractive ones. The abundance of cosmetics saw to that, but nonecould compare to Sorcha’s ravishing beauty, her auburn locks,beautiful eyes, and beguiling smiles, or to the spirit of her soulor the caring in her heart that had saved his life.

Becky returned to the table, but Hughcouldn’t spare her even a look this time. His focus was on Sorchaas she counted out a large sum of money from their meager funds andtucked it into a black folder.

Not only had the time come to start thinkingof the uncertain future that loomed before him but the time hadalso come to consider his path to a more equitable relationshipwith Sorcha. To offer recompense for more than she provided him,whether it be given in humor or funds. It was time to discover away to truly pay her back for all she had given.

“Ready?”

Hugh nodded and stood to pull her chairback. He followed