Rumors Among the Heather (8 page)

She felt her face heat
in spite of herself. “There’s no demand for constant lovers, your
lordship. Once I would have, but I’ve been out of the classroom for
some time, and I know better,” she said, looking him in the eye
defiantly.

Matthew said nothing
but continued to stare at her. Finally she tore her gaze from his
and looked out the window. Unable to control his impulse, he
reached out with two fingers and turned her to face him. He knew it
was unwise, but he only wanted to see those flashing emerald eyes
again. She looked up at him like a caged animal and tried to look
away.

He let his fingers
drop.

Shocked, he realized
he wanted to taste her kiss—to feel the fullness of her delicately
molded lips. He wanted them warm and open and pliant against his
own.

When he remained
motionless, Julie spoke. “No. Please, Lord Bonnleigh, this is an
unwise conversation to have. Ian and I have lessons to complete.
I’m sure you understand.”

Without waiting for
him to say anything, Julie moved past him quickly and stood beside
Ian. As if finding safety in his small presence, she calmed her
trembling hands and picked up another book. Matthew left the room
quickly.

I must be in my
dotage to let a slip of a girl do that to me
.

Matthew tried to put
Julie out of his mind. She was under his protection and alone in
the world. He knew he should not take advantage of her, but he knew
he could easily cross the line he had drawn. He had acted in an
imprudent manner, and he chastised himself, but that did not
prevent the unaccustomed feeling he experienced nor the unfamiliar
flutter of his heart whenever she passed by him. She showed a
gentle side with Ian, and there was a soft light about her in
unguarded moments. Yet when she looked at him, a curtain shuttered
her face. He did not understand why it mattered so much to him.

Usually, he did not
have any trouble with any woman he desired. If his looks did not
turn their heads, then most certainly the size of his bank account
did. Those sorts of things meant nothing to Julie. This new
experience puzzled him. For some odd reason he could not explain,
it made him want her all the more.

Bringing his attention
to the present, he decided to hold a rout and invite all of his
nearby clansmen and neighbors. The gathering would be a perfect
cover for the discussion he would have with the Highland chiefs.
They would need to decide in less than a month’s time their fate
and the fate of Scotland. He would get Julie to send out the
invitations, and no one would guess the intrigue behind this simple
country dance.

* * *

“Miss Hastings, his
lordship would like you to meet him in his study,” the maid
announced.

Julie put down Ian’s
geography test. “Tell his lordship I’ll be there as soon as Mr.
Dunne comes for Master Ian’s riding lesson.”

Julie hoped Mr. Dunne
would decide not to come today. She did not want to meet with Lord
Bonnleigh, and she especially did not want to be alone with him.
She fought against the way he made her feel. Whenever he came
within fifty feet of her, she felt dizzy, hot then cold, and
extremely confused. Even Geoffrey had not made her feel this way.
Lord Bonnleigh made her uncomfortable, and she feared he enjoyed
it. She would have to leave if he continued to stay at the castle,
but she hated the thought of parting from Ian and her new home.

Julie’s simple life
had suddenly grown complicated and left her with no clear purpose.
She always knew her mind, knew what she wanted and how to get it.
Upon quiet reflection, she felt torn apart by her indecision. She
did not know what to do next. How she dreaded the thought of
applying for a new position. This one had been so hard to find, and
if his lordship refused to give her a good reference then the next
position would be even harder. The situation looked hopeless.

Blue-deviled, Julie
stared out the window. Mr. Dunne strode across the lawn, and she
could put off the meeting with Lord Bonnleigh no longer. After
sending Ian off to the stables, she slowly walked down several
flights of stairs to his study. She busied her hands with smoothing
her skirt. He did not look up as she entered but motioned for her
to have a seat. Julie sat primly, waiting for him to speak.

“Miss Hastings, I’m
going to give a rout, and I would like you to take care of the
invitations and invite everyone I have on this list. I know this is
short notice, but if you could do this for me in, say, three or
four days, I would be most grateful.”

Relieved, she answered
him, “I would be delighted. I’ll arrange with Mrs. Highet to take
care of the refreshments. Is there anything else you would like me
to do?”

A devilish twinkle
appeared in his gaze. He looked her up and down in that annoying
and appraising way she so abhorred. She stared back stonily.

“I would be pleased if
you attended also. It will be a country dance, but you might enjoy
yourself.”

“That’s very kind of
you, my lord, but as you know, I am still in mourning.”

“Is that why you drape
yourself in those ridiculous dresses? That particular black and
white contraption makes you look like a magpie without it’s
beautiful blue sheen. You’re away from home. I see no reason to
carry on with tradition when colors would become you.”

“I have no intention
of giving up tradition. I mourn for my father. I would not defile
his memory.”

“As you wish, but I
still would like you to attend. Consider it an order, Miss
Hastings. You will bring Ian down, and at the appropriate time send
him off to bed. After that, my Aunt Marie will be here, and she
requires a companion. I wish you to sit with her.”

“Lord Bonnleigh, your
other guests might object if they learn your English governess has
been invited. I would not want to cause you any embarrassment.”

“Stuff and nonsense.
There could be nothing you could do to embarrass me. I insist you
come. No one will object to a beautiful woman attending a country
dance, surely. Although I do still object to the black,” he said as
his eyes raked Julie from head to toe, causing her face to
burn.

Trying her best to
ignore him, Julie dropped her eyes to the list. Her heart skipped
when she noticed one of the names.” You have invited Dr. Siddons.
He is away in Germany, at a spa trying to recover his health. A new
doctor is taking his place. May I cross off his name?”

“No, you may not. If
you’re through rearranging my guest list, I’d like to discuss my
nephew. How do you think he is coming with his lessons?” Matthew
asked sharply, making Julie stand to attention.

“Ian is doing very
well. As you heard, his reading has greatly improved. He could read
all along, but I think his parents’ deaths depressed him, and
anything associated with them caused him to be afraid. His
mathematic skills are also on par with his age group. Overall he
does an excellent job, and I believe his other teachers failed to
look at anything else when they thought he couldn’t read. He is
quick and clever,” Julie said, as proudly as if he were her
own.

“I see. What’s this
about riding lessons? He refused to go out of the castle before I
left, and when coaxed out, he cried at the thought of a horse.”

“That’s all true, but
when we moved past his reading blocks, all his other walls started
to crumble.”

“How extremely clever
you are, Miss Hastings. Is there nothing you can’t do? I believe
you could walk on water if you set your mind to the notion.”

“I can’t walk on
water, but I’ve been known to wade in too deep,” she shot back.
They eyed each other, with neither batting an eyelash. At last she
broke the standoff. “If that is all, my lord, I will get started on
the invitations.”

He dismissed her with
a nod.

Julie turned to leave
but suddenly remembered another matter they should discuss and
turned back. “By the way, I’ve told Mr. Dunne to send his bill to
you. I hope you don’t object to my engaging him for Ian, but you
weren’t here when Ian decided to ride, and you said to use my
initiative.”

“From what I’ve seen,
you could handle the task of teaching him yourself,” Matthew said
softly, reminding Julie of the last time he’d seen her ride.

“I did think about it,
but I didn’t think you wanted your nephew to ride in my style,
exactly. You see, I taught myself. I thought you would want Ian to
ride correctly, since you’ll probably be taking him on hunts when
he’s older,” Julie responded.

“I certainly hope my
nephew has better sense than to ride at breakneck speed across the
open countryside.”

She ignored her
employer’s well-aimed barb. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, but it
slipped my mind until today. Would you be so kind as to buy Ian a
horse of his own to ride?”

“He has a pony, I
believe,” Matthew said flatly.

“He does have a pony,
but he has outgrown the mount. He has had a growth spurt and his
feet almost touch the ground. The other horses in your stable are
for more experienced riders or little old ladies. Ian needs a
gentle horse with spirit. One that would make riding fun,” Julie
finished.

“Can he really ride
well enough to be trusted with a proper horse?” Matthew asked,
seemingly incredulous.

“He’s having his
lesson now, so you must judge for yourself. He goes riding with me,
and I think he does very well, but it’s a little hard for him to
keep pace on a pony.”

“Good lord. I hope
you’re not taking him on wild rides.”

“You don’t have to
look so worried. I set my pace to his. I don’t plan on teaching him
any bad habits. I’ll leave that part of his education to you, Lord
Bonnleigh,” Julie spoke sharply but with a grin.

“You are an impertinent young woman.”

“Yes, my lord, it is one of my failings.”

Lord Bonnleigh
dismissed her once more, but the next day a little black mare with
a white star on her forehead found her way to the island. She was
small, no more than fourteen hands high—well-bred, with just enough
spirit to make Ian jump with joy.

* * *

The routine of the
castle went on as usual until the day of the rout. The hectic
atmosphere made it hard to find a moment of quiet. Mrs. Highet
assigned Julie the task of arranging the flowers. Servants ran
everywhere, polishing this or that. All the linens had been aired,
and all the guest bedrooms turned out. Even with the hour of the
rout almost at hand, Ribble was kept busy bringing supplies back
from the mainland.

In the midst of the
disorder, Ian ran into the garden room. He was out of breath, and
his eyes were wide with excitement. He stood close to Julie and
whispered, “Miss Hastings, there’s a mysterious guest in the
castle. I’ve just come from seeing him. He arrived not more than
twenty minutes ago. He’s in the best bedroom.”

“He’s probably just
someone important, but I don’t think it can be a
mystery
,”
Julie said discouragingly.

“You don’t understand.
He arrived farther down the island, and Uncle Matthew brought him
here personally. I wasn’t permitted to see him. Uncle Matthew
rushed me out of the room, but I stopped and looked back from
around a corner.”

“Just like Lot’s wife.
I wonder you didn’t turn into a pillar of salt,” Julie teased.

“I’m trying to be
serious. I couldn’t see anything much when I looked back. He wore a
cape with a hood and in this hot weather,” Ian said with a knowing
nod.

“How very odd, but I’m
sure it’s nothing,” Julie said, with growing interest despite her
denial to the contrary. “Well, Mr. Nosy, who do you suppose it
could be?”

“I dare not say his
name, but I think it’s Prince Charles,” Ian answered in an almost
frightened whisper.

Julie could see the
concern written on his face. Faced with the sobering thought it
could be the prince took away her excitement for the rout.

“Even I know what his
presence here means,” Ian said.

“I pray you are wrong.
If it is what you believe, then we’ll be in the middle of a war.
Surely it isn’t. No, no, it couldn’t be. Lord Bonnleigh wouldn’t
bring him to a
party
. What could he be thinking?”

“His luggage did have
a crest on it, or at least I think it did,” Ian inserted.

“Whoever he is, it’s
none of our business. Just ignore whatever is going on and don’t
ask questions, Ian. You should never have stayed to look back. If
your uncle wants us to know, he will tell us,” Julie said somewhat
uncertainly.

For a few moments they
both reflected on the possible repercussions, until Julie heard the
faint strands of music.

“Ian, the musicians
are tuning up, and we’re not dressed. We must hurry. Your clothes
are laid out on your bed. Go dress, and I’ll meet you in the
schoolroom. We’ll go down together.”

Julie and Ian were
seated before the first guests arrived. She had modified a dress
belonging to her mother, of black velvet with a black lace inset
down the front. She wore her mother’s pearl necklace and earrings
with a small pink flower in her hair. She had styled her hair in
the Greek fashion and held it in place with pearl hairpins. Julie
was glad she’d taken extra pains with her toilette when Lord
Bonnleigh walked into the drawing room. His stare waffled over her
like the warm breeze of a summer day.

Matthew could not take
his gaze off of Julie. The velvety softness of her skin beckoned to
him. The low-cut bodice showed off Julie’s curvaceous and regal
figure to perfection. From her slender white shoulders to her
well-rounded, high-perched breasts and her narrow waist, she
mirrored the image of an innocent seductress. When the last of his
guests arrived, he tore himself away to Ian’s beautiful governess.
What a pity he would be too busy to dance. He would have loved to
hold her in his arms, if only for a moment, and to feel the warmth
of her hand in his.