It's Getting Scot in Here
Page 32
The butler pulled open the library door and stepped aside. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. MacTaggert,” he said with a very uncharacteristic smile, and motioned them into the room.
Before she could take in much more but bottles of champagne, glasses, what looked like a delicious white cake, and a string quartet in the corner, Eloise squealed and launched herself forward to hug both Amelia-Rose and Niall. “You did it!” she laughed. “And in my dress! Which one did you wear?”
“The teal one,” Amelia-Rose returned. “And I’m afraid I’m not giving it back to you.”
“No, of course not! Oh, I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you, Eloise.” She couldn’t help grinning at her friend’s enthusiasm. “I suppose we’re sisters now.”
“I couldn’t have chosen a better one.”
“Amelia-Rose.”
At the sound of her father’s voice behind her, she stiffened. At the same moment Niall moved, putting himself between her and Charles Baxter. “Mr. Baxter. If ye’ve a complaint, I reckon it’s with me.”
“Nonsense,” Lady Aldriss said, swirling into view. “Of course we knew what you two were about, though I do wish you’d been more patient.”
“Yes,” her father seconded, though he made no movement to approach her more closely. “You’ll never guess, but as a jest someone put an engagement announcement in the newspaper about you and Lord Hurst of all people, daughter. We still haven’t figured out who it was. A jealous beau, perhaps, angry that you didn’t accept his suit.”
She blinked. What in the world had happened over the past week? “I … I thought you’d refuse to see me ever again.”
“I cannot speak for … others,” he said slowly, “but time does heal all wounds. And I do not doubt that there were wounds.”
Goodness. Slowly she reached out her free hand, and he clasped his around her fingers. “I shouldn’t say this is unexpected, but I—I thank you, Father.”
“And I hope you have found happiness, Amelia-Rose.” He cleared his throat. “I think I shall have some champagne now.”
“What did ye do?” Niall asked, facing his mother as soon as they were alone.
She handed him a folded newspaper. “I used my negotiating skills,” she said.
Looking over his shoulder, Amelia-Rose stared at the full-page announcement of their marriage, dated on the day they’d actually wed. “And my mother saw this?” she whispered.
“She did. She wasn’t happy. Once I explained that our two families knew about and aided the elopement and how romantic we all thought it, and what the likely outcome would be if she chose to tell a different tale, she subsided.” Lady Aldriss’s brow furrowed, then smoothed again. “I know your brothers did something to Lord Hurst, because he hasn’t been seen in over a week. Is there something else I need to prepare for? He could throw a tangle into our yarn.”
“He’ll be back in London tomorrow,” Niall said, tilting his head. “I promised him five thousand pounds to keep his damned mouth shut except to be baffled by why anyone would announce someaught he’d nae knowledge about. I dunnae have that kind of blunt to spare, but if I—”
“Done,” the countess said quickly, and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. “And it dovetails with our current version of things quite well.” Shifting, she kissed Amelia-Rose on the cheek, as well. “You’ve received more than two dozen notes and cards of congratulations. All is well, I believe.”
“Thank ye. More than I can tell ye. Amy came with me with nae any expectation of being able to stay in London. I couldnae think how to give it back to her on my own.”
“We’re not on our own,” Amelia-Rose said, hugging Lady Aldriss. “We’re MacTaggerts.”
“That we are,” the countess seconded, smiling deeply.
“Ye gave us a choice when we first arrived here,” Niall said, his impossibly light-green gaze on his mother. “Ye said we could call ye Mama or Mother or Lady Aldriss or my lady. But ye nae said which ye prefer. I’d like to know.”
With one arm still looped around Lady Aldriss’s, Amelia-Rose could feel the older woman’s sudden reaction. Oh, she’d married a good man. A kind, strong, man who loved to laugh and who would literally go to war for her if she wished it. Nothing else mattered. Not his title or lack thereof, not where they lived, and most certainly not who else might or might not approve.
“If it’s all the same to you,” Lady Aldriss said slowly, her voice not quite steady, “I’m becoming fond of màthair.”
“Aye. Thank ye, màthair.” He bent his head, kissing her on the cheek as she’d done him. Then he straightened again. “I require a word with my wife.”
Wordlessly he walked them over by the nearest window, ignoring Coll and Aden arguing over whether biscuits wouldn’t be better if they were filled with meat, and took both her hands. “I adore your family,” she said, keeping her voice pitched below the sound of the quartet.
“Yer family now, as well,” he corrected. “I’m glad they didnae opt for the bagpipes. They’re bonny, but nae meant for inside the house, I reckon.” He met her gaze. “I grew up with nae a mother. My da’s a fair man, but rough. MacTaggerts make do, he always says. I shear sheep and mend fences, ride hard, fight hard. Ye’re the gentle breeze, the first touch of sunlight in the morning, the patter of summer rain on the window. I dunnae mean ye’re soft, because ye’re fierce as a dragon. Ye fought for happiness, and I’m glad I could help ye find it. What I mean is, ye’re all the important things.” He frowned. “That doesnae sound—”
Going up on her toes, she kissed him, sliding her hands over his shoulders. “It sounds perfect,” she breathed, barely noticing Coll and Eloise now waltzing in the middle of the room. “You were who I wanted before I knew what I wanted. You’re…” She thought about it for a moment. Which word or set of words best described him—his protectiveness, his confidence, his faith in his family and in her, his utter lack of care over what anyone else might think.
“Adae?” he prompted, an expectant half grin on his face.
“You’re my Highlander,” she said.
He returned her kiss with a thoroughness that made her blush. “Aye. That I am. Always.”
* * *
Read the novels in the “thrilling and sexy” (Kirkus Reviews)
No Ordinary Hero series
HERO IN THE HIGHLANDS
MY ONE TRUE HIGHLANDER
A DEVIL IN SCOTLAND
And look for the Scandalous Highlanders novels
THE DEVIL WEARS KILTS
ROGUE WITH A BROGUE
MAD, BAD, AND DANGEROUS IN PLAID
SOME LIKE IT SCOT
… and these other wickedly delightful romances by
New York Times bestselling author
SUZANNE ENOCH
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RAKES
TAMING AN IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE
RULES TO CATCH A DEVILISH DUKE
THE HANDBOOK FOR HANDLING HIS LORDSHIP
AVAILABLE FROM ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS
* * *
Also by SUZANNE ENOCH
A Devil in Scotland
My One True Highlander
Hero in the Highlands
Some Like It Scot
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid
Rogue with a Brogue
The Devil Wears Kilts
The Handbook for Handling His Lordship
A Beginner’s Guide to Rakes
Taming an Impossible Rogue
Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke
Praise for the No Ordinary Hero series
“The latest from the ever-popular Enoch is steamy and bubbling with humor, a scrumptious tale to begin her No Ordinary Hero series.”
—Booklist
“Stirring historical romance … with colorful secondary characters, judicious lashings of Scots dialect, and … a heady romantic atmosphere that’s sure to captivate the genre’s eager audience.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Thrilling and sexy.”
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—Kirkus Reviews
“Romance not to be missed.”
—BookPage
“Wonderfully romantic … marvelous.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Enoch at her finest! No one does it better.”
—Reader to Reader
“A delightful mix of sexy bantering … a picturesque Scottish setting, and likable characters … A WINNER.”
—Addicted to Romance
About the Author
A native and current resident of Southern California, Suzanne Enoch loves movies almost as much as she loves books, with a special place in her heart for anything Star Wars. She has written forty Regency novels and historical romances, which are regularly to be found on the New York Times bestseller list. When she is not busily working on her next book, Suzanne likes to contemplate interesting phenomena, like how the 3 guppies in her aquarium became 161 guppies in 5 months.
Visit her online at www.suzanneenoch.com, or can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Also by Suzanne Enoch
Praise for the No Ordinary Hero series
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
IT’S GETTING SCOT IN HERE
Copyright © 2019 by Suzanne Enoch.
All rights reserved.
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / March 2019
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.