no time. In fact, he was rolling up his shirtsleeves for a physical confrontation when Anne arrived and recognized her visitor.
She gasped in surprise. "Wallie, oh, good heavens. It's you. He said it was Walter, but I should have guessed. How embarrassing—you'll have to for give us. After David died, there were so many insufferable men who came to call, claiming to be friends. And—"
She seemed unable to stop talking. In fact, Patrick couldn't remember se eing her so flustered and self- conscious in years, and he was taken aback by the change in her. And jealous. He was actually jealous when Sir Wallace smiled in relief and barreled past him, holding out his arms to Anne.
"Anne, you naughty girl, you should have let me know you were coming. I'd have had a crew of workers busy making this place more comfortable. How long are you staying? Did you ever breed Jocasta to that stallion? Did you hear my bay had foaled and Iolaire took a first?"
Anne was laughing, apparently enjoying the attention. Worse, she was letting the man touch her. Patrick swallowed and felt as if he had been turned to ice, unable to look away. Yet the absurdity of his masquerade made it impossible to express his anger in the usual ways. He couldn't very well pummel Sir Wallace into a pulp, or call him out for embracing Anne. So he did what any butler might do to signal his disapproval. He slammed the front door with a satisfying bang that echoed throughout the lodge. Dust motes danced in the air, and one of the ceremo nial swords crossed on the wall dropped to dangle by its foil.
Startled, Anne pulled away from Wallace and turned to see what had caused the resounding crash. She found her self staring up at a very hurt- looking Patrick, who stood glowering back at her with his arms folded across his chest.
She stared at him for a long time. "We shall take fresh tea in the red drawing room. See to it, Sutherland."
Patrick clenched his jaw, not moving as Nellwyn came up to give him in encouraging word. "Don't worry. He doesn't hold a candle to you."
"He tried to kiss her on the mouth."
Nellwyn looked surprised. "She didn't let him, did she?"
"No," he said grudgingly, but who could say what might have happened if she had met Wallace alone—a situation he vowed instantly would never happen.
"Unless I miss my guess, this is all part of your penance for whatever happened between you and Anne ," Nellwyn said thoughtfully. "Have you tried telling her how you feel? Sometimes a woman needs gentle words, a bit of wooing."
He smiled grimly. "She knows I want her back, damn her. I can prove it by squashing that leech who's attached himself to her side."
She touched his arm. "No, you won't do any squashing. You shall better prove it by serving them tea."
14
T he staff had never seen one of their own in such a pique. Sutherland looked positively forbidding as he left the kitchen shoving his trolley like a plow. Mrs. Forbes held her breath as her best china rattled in rhythm with his thunderous footsteps.
" What's the matter wi' him?" Graci e whispered to the parlormaid as they passed each other in the hall.
"Her ladyship has a visitor," was the reply. "A male visitor—Sir Wallace—and Mr. Sutherland is in a snit about it."
They jumped as he practically rammed the tea trolley through the door.
" Tea," he said loudly as he interrupted Wallace in the act of draping a shawl around Anne's shoulders.
Anne looked up from the sofa, her eyes alight with mischief. "There you are, Sutherland. I had just commented on how chilly the lodge is in the morning."
"There should be no need for her ladyship to feel cold," Sir Wallace said in disapproval. "Don't you have a second man, Sutherland, to see to such things as a chilly room?"
Patrick wheeled the trolley into the room with an unearthly clatter. "Her ladyship may complain to me in person if there is a problem. She is perfectly capable of complaining for herself."
The man looked
She gasped in surprise. "Wallie, oh, good heavens. It's you. He said it was Walter, but I should have guessed. How embarrassing—you'll have to for give us. After David died, there were so many insufferable men who came to call, claiming to be friends. And—"
She seemed unable to stop talking. In fact, Patrick couldn't remember se eing her so flustered and self- conscious in years, and he was taken aback by the change in her. And jealous. He was actually jealous when Sir Wallace smiled in relief and barreled past him, holding out his arms to Anne.
"Anne, you naughty girl, you should have let me know you were coming. I'd have had a crew of workers busy making this place more comfortable. How long are you staying? Did you ever breed Jocasta to that stallion? Did you hear my bay had foaled and Iolaire took a first?"
Anne was laughing, apparently enjoying the attention. Worse, she was letting the man touch her. Patrick swallowed and felt as if he had been turned to ice, unable to look away. Yet the absurdity of his masquerade made it impossible to express his anger in the usual ways. He couldn't very well pummel Sir Wallace into a pulp, or call him out for embracing Anne. So he did what any butler might do to signal his disapproval. He slammed the front door with a satisfying bang that echoed throughout the lodge. Dust motes danced in the air, and one of the ceremo nial swords crossed on the wall dropped to dangle by its foil.
Startled, Anne pulled away from Wallace and turned to see what had caused the resounding crash. She found her self staring up at a very hurt- looking Patrick, who stood glowering back at her with his arms folded across his chest.
She stared at him for a long time. "We shall take fresh tea in the red drawing room. See to it, Sutherland."
Patrick clenched his jaw, not moving as Nellwyn came up to give him in encouraging word. "Don't worry. He doesn't hold a candle to you."
"He tried to kiss her on the mouth."
Nellwyn looked surprised. "She didn't let him, did she?"
"No," he said grudgingly, but who could say what might have happened if she had met Wallace alone—a situation he vowed instantly would never happen.
"Unless I miss my guess, this is all part of your penance for whatever happened between you and Anne ," Nellwyn said thoughtfully. "Have you tried telling her how you feel? Sometimes a woman needs gentle words, a bit of wooing."
He smiled grimly. "She knows I want her back, damn her. I can prove it by squashing that leech who's attached himself to her side."
She touched his arm. "No, you won't do any squashing. You shall better prove it by serving them tea."
14
T he staff had never seen one of their own in such a pique. Sutherland looked positively forbidding as he left the kitchen shoving his trolley like a plow. Mrs. Forbes held her breath as her best china rattled in rhythm with his thunderous footsteps.
" What's the matter wi' him?" Graci e whispered to the parlormaid as they passed each other in the hall.
"Her ladyship has a visitor," was the reply. "A male visitor—Sir Wallace—and Mr. Sutherland is in a snit about it."
They jumped as he practically rammed the tea trolley through the door.
" Tea," he said loudly as he interrupted Wallace in the act of draping a shawl around Anne's shoulders.
Anne looked up from the sofa, her eyes alight with mischief. "There you are, Sutherland. I had just commented on how chilly the lodge is in the morning."
"There should be no need for her ladyship to feel cold," Sir Wallace said in disapproval. "Don't you have a second man, Sutherland, to see to such things as a chilly room?"
Patrick wheeled the trolley into the room with an unearthly clatter. "Her ladyship may complain to me in person if there is a problem. She is perfectly capable of complaining for herself."
The man looked
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